Folsom Triathlon - August 12th 2007

The Folsom International Triathlon was my first time racing on consecutive weekends. I spent the intermediate week recovering from a head cold after my jaunt in The Bay. (Bay swimming is like a box of chocolates...). I also replaced my running shoes and had some physical repair and maintenance work done; a massage by Jennifer Lightstone at Psoas Bodywork and a haircut - Folsom was forecast to be HOT - highs of 92 Fahrenheit (33 Celsius). My wave start was scheduled for 7:06AM so the plan was to be done long before conditions became too uncomfortable! Folsom was a first in another respect too; I didn't train on any part of the course before the race - friends assured me that it was "flat and fast"...


Swim & T1: Clear, blue skies and little or no wind (on the lake) made for a much more enjoyable experience than my recent Challenge swim. However sighting on the way out was a little difficult as we were staring straight into the rising sun. I struggled at transition to get my wetsuit off (over my timing chip on my right ankle).

Bike & T2: The advice proved accurate - the bike leg was relatively flat. The section with the most significant climbs was at the turnaround. There were also plenty of aero-bar opportunities and a breeze from the south-east provided further encouragement to stay streamlined.

I was about two thirds done, holding my own in terms of passing and being passed, and feeling full of myself when a disc-wheeler blew by me...and my rear tire blew with him. I pleaded with my bike for a few hundred yards but it was pretty insistent so I found myself on the edge of the road, putting my words into practice. The tube change cost me about seven minutes or more. Luckily, I found the metal shard responsible, which looked not unlike a decapitated thumbtack, and avoided a re-occurrence.

Run: The run course was pretty; an out (east) and back trip along the south shore of Lake Natoma. Trees provided welcome cover from the strengthening sun.

I need to do (more) brick workouts. I should not have been as uncomfortable as I was, or as surprised as I was at how bad my legs and stomach felt, after the bike. However my pace was faster than it seemed at the time in spite of terrible form due (in part) to shin pain. It's time to see Dr. Taylor Rabbetz again...I should have replaced my running shoes earlier...


Results: My splits were very close to those for the Treasure Island triathlon in 2006.

Racers at Folsom said that the course at San Jose is even flatter and faster - based on the 2007 results, the field seems a lot less competitive too! Maybe I'll try it in 2008. :-) In the meantime, preparing for the Big Kahuna Half Ironman on September 9th, is going to be a challenge...


Photos.


Pop triva: Nick Diaz raced and kicked ass...it's what he does.


Tri trivia: Ben Collins, one of America's top triathletes, also raced and blogged his experience.


This race featured Head Music from:

• Waterboys "The New Life"

Enchanted Arms (last of the dull RPGs?)

Being a launch title for a new console is not an enviable task. Such games rarely stand the light of day, let alone review in retrospect. (Critic-developer-publisher-consoleVendor circle-jerking frequently clouds collective judgment initially).

Enchanted Arms is a by-the-numbers Japanese turn-based-battle RPG. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. Unfortunately it fails to deliver on most levels.

The "characters" are all irritating. In fact, sometimes they seem to vie to be the *most* irritating. The dialog is terrible. ("..." alone is not a sentence. Using it in every interaction does not make it more enlightening). While the English voice acting is entertainingly bad at first, the more characters are introduced, the more grating it all becomes. (It seemed to drive most critics crazy too). There's a slightly more tolerable original-spoken-Japanese option but even that cannot prevent the high pitched screeching of many of the characters...

The storyline is predictable and uninteresting. I've been waiting many hours (more than I'd like to admit) for the hook that will make me give a s**t about what's going on. I have yet to find one.

Enchanted Arms does try something a little different in its grid-based, turn-based battle system. Unfortunately battles soon begin to feel more like repetitive time-filling chores than fun.

I am officially over the standard fare from the Japanese turn-based battle RPG genre.

I'm not interested unless

1. I can customize my character appearance
2. my actions make an appreciable difference to battle outcome(s)
3. those battles are fun and not just filler/the necessary means to increase stats
4. I have some *role* in the decisions my character makes
5. those decisions make a noticeable difference to the story outcome.

or give me compelling characters and an engrossing storyline in lieu of #1, #4 and #5 e.g. Kingdom Hearts series on PS2 from Square Enix.

For some time I've considered the approach taken by most Eastern RPGs to be a (poor) excuse that was permissible only because of the limitations of the last console set i.e. PS2. With the advent of the Xbox 360 (and PS3) those excuses are no longer good enough. Strictly turn-based battles, "random" encounters with invisible enemies, party members becoming invisible while navigating dull environments and being "rewarded" for exploring every dead-end in said environments, need to become part of gaming history.

Fortunately games such as Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata do away with some of these jaded traditions and I hope spell the end of their use in the genre. Both games allow you to see the enemies you encounter and avoid them if you choose. Also, Eternal Sonata's battles, while still turn-based, have a countdown that begins as soon as a character moves, leaving you seconds to decide what action to take - this makes them refreshingly engrossing and exciting.

Roll on Two Worlds, BioShock, Mass Effect, Too Human and Fable 2...(unfortunately several of those titles risk being trapped in Uncanny Valley...but that's a topic for another day...).

Alcatraz Challenge - August 5th 2007

Oh San Francisco Bay Swim,
How I hate to love thee.
Most fickle of watery wenches,
Next time, be easy, I plea.

Swim or Die. So says the Alcatraz Challenge mantra. Overcast, damp, breezy conditions onshore foreshadowed what was to come...

Swim: There are many Alcatraz swims and they finish at various points along the San Francisco coastline. However they share a common distance - about 1.5 miles. This is achieved by starting the swim at different points around The Rock. This race should have begun off the south west corner of the isle for the swim to the east beach at Chrissy Field and for some competitors, it did. It took about five minutes to get us all in the water. Within that time, in spite of keeping the engines running, a stiff breeze and strong currents around the island forced the ferry (in the wrong direction) all the way to the south east side. (This put it nearer the start point for Escape from the Rock which swims to Aquatic Park - over a mile west of Chrissy Field...). Being close to last off the rapidly drifting boat didn't help. This was my toughest Alcatraz swim experience to date.

Even after fighting clear of the island currents, the rougher than expected conditions persisted for most of the swim. Waves big enough to overturn the safety kayaks encouraged us to get to land quickly. However speed was not part of nature's plan. My swim split was about 20 minutes (approximately 50%) slower than previous crossings...

Transition & Run: After a sandy exit, a time check, some resultant swearing, and shedding my neoprene swim-skin, I trekked toward the bridge, chasing this guy. The early start and poor weather helped in one significant respect, they kept the bridge and surrounding trails mercifully free of meandering tourists. As common sense might suggest, a segue from swim to run is much less physically onerous than bike to run; the bridge leg (my first time running across) was surprisingly enjoyable. The most notable event was narrowly avoiding a collision while rounding one of the bridge towers (sincere apologies bearded front runner). This guy passed me on the bridge return leg; I even managed to keep up for about a mile. :P

So my first aquathlon (not to be confused with biathlon or duathlon) was an interesting experience. Highs and lows like any other event but without the hassle of bike and bike equipment. Maybe next time The Bay will be a little kinder. :-)

Results. Male 25 - 29 age group.
Photos: Swim: start, exit. Run finish: #1, #2.

PS This week I finally identified the single biggest contributor to my knee issues - flying. Four (short) flights in three days did more damage than six weeks of swim-bike-run training. I wonder, would business class help? :-)

PPS This race featured the following Head Music

• Digitalism "Idealistic"
• The Prodigy "Breathe"
• Monster Magnet "Look To Your Orb For The Warning"

PPPS On a more serious note...and it's not yet clear what happened, but someone didn't make it...reports from San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle.

Transformers (live action movie)

Watching a Michael Bay movie can be like watching a fireworks display without the deep, intricate plot and clever, well delivered dialog. It helps if you've had a few drinks, are warmly wrapped up and are safe in the knowledge that your good parking spot will allow you a fast escape should the fog roll in or the screaming (agony) become unbearable.

Pearl Harbor, Armageddon and The Rock are some of my least favorite flicks (I concede that millions of punters and dollars disagree) but MB had some prolific, highly paid "acting talent" to aid his efforts to churn those out. (I admit Scarlett and Ewan somehow saved The Island for me). Thankfully, the stars of his latest big budget venture are stompy robots from Cybertron and even MB cannot prevent the polished genius of Industrial Light & Magic shining through.

The attempts at comedy become grating, the plot is frequently laughable, the incessant product placement is (literally) rammed down your throat with a truck, but I could still watch Autobots and Decepticons transform and/or fight all day long.

PS I still think Michael Bay should not be allowed to work with humans...

PPS I do not condone drinking and driving...

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).