This past weekend, I skated the Long Beach Inline Marathon. The weather was great, and I think the event was well put together, and didn't have as much trouble with the cyclists (who started before the skaters) as the pro or other packs had. And if I were a bit stronger on the hills, I would have stayed with the lead or chase pack. The open winner finished in 1:24.
I finished the 26.2 miles in 1:35:01 (17mph avg), 2nd in my age division, and about 70th place overall in the open. The guy who finished 1st in my age division (turns out only 8 seconds ahead) had shared his water bottle with me, as I had no water at mile 19 and was starting to bonk. I figure that's fair, from a karmic perspective :)
More than a mile from the finish, I dropped the pack I was with and sprinted off. It was awesome to overhear someone say 'let him go' in reference to me, since they thought I'd started my kick early and that they could catch me. To be honest, I thought I'd started my kick early too, but I somehow sustained my sprint solo, and no one caught me! In fact, I caught and passed about 10 skaters over that last mile.
There are no major skating events until March - the Round Rock Road Rash Inline Marathon, just north of Austin.
For the next few months, I'll be skating, cycling and running 5ks. And this weekend, I'm going to be legging out 70 miles at the LAF Ride for the Roses.
1. Rocky 6
Another evening, another skating session at the Veloway. Tonight's was special as five other skaters, Brent, Lawrence, Kyle, and then later Matt and Niem, and myself braved fierce headwinds, with our final lap being one in which we kept the pack together and rotated frequently. While I do enjoy skating, I always enjoy it more when there is a common goal and a community aspect to it.
Total mileage: 12.5, with an average speed of 15mph. Not bad, considering the headwinds, and that my legs still didn't feel quite right - I'm doubtful I'm overtraining, but I still haven't felt like I've settled into my zone yet. Better happen soon though, as the Long Beach Inline Marathon is just next weekend!
Another high point for tonight: the comraderie. Between laps, when we weren't skating, we were joking around and goofing off. For some reason, everything seemed funny, including random pirate jokes, interrupting cows, and MOO something about velocity. We grabbed dinner at Galaxy, but I wasn't feeling too great, so I headed home and relaxed for a few.
But the night wasn't over yet. I had made plans to go see an film of an apocalyptic genre, called 'No Blade of Grass'. Made in the 70's, it offers a glimpse of what happens to a group of folks in England as a killer virus is ravaging cities, apparently introduced by man's overpollution, throwing governments into chaos, and turning ordinary citizens into mobs of survivors. The film is just one of a few apocalyptic films that is being offered as part of the Alamo's FantasticFest.
It's films like 'No Blade of Grass' that showcase the ultimate in man vs. nature, and man vs. man, warming my idealist side. And perhaps it also exposes my interest in anarchy, or even for the yearning to be free of the yoke of a government that is imposing its will on the people, instead of the other way around, as it should be. Heh, enough of that for now. Anyway, I've always enjoyed movies of this type, as they are so... pure... I guess I enjoy imagining myself in such a situation, and what I could offer my survival group, or how I might survive alone.
I think I may have been the only non-Alamo Drafthouse employee/friend who purchased a ticket, as there were just a few of us in the theater: Lars (a manager) and Ann, his wife, and a guy by the name of John, who might be a performer for the Mystery Sinus Theater. We all chatted a bit after the film, at which point John asked for a ride home, and I was a willing chauffeur, before returning home myself.
Earlier in the evening, I'd made some calls; learned that my sister received straight A's on a mid-term progress report (yay!), and that my mom's kidney stone hadn't yet passed (not yay); I also made plans with a friend to enjoy rollercoasters down at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in a few weekends; and also planned to see a horror film with my friend Mary on Saturday. I don't particularly like horror films, but Mary does, and I figure it's good for me to push my envelope a little. But I'm still kinda messed up after seeing 'The Ring', and that was like three years ago. Guess I'm going to have to touch a few more lightbulbs before I figure out to avoid them. :)
The day can be summed up in one word: short.
There are so many fun and wonderful things to do, and so little time. It's inevitable that we must make choices, including ignoring our ability to choose, that determine our fate.
My evening activities consisted of a combination of things.
I went down to the Veloway, one of the top ten places in the US, for the regular Wednesday night skate. Unlike New York City, which gathers perhaps a hundred skaters for the weekly jaunt through the streets, ours is a bit more reserved, fielding twenty or so skaters of various skill levels. I arrived early at the Veloway, as our evening daylight hours are steadily decreasing, and wanted to get in a few laps before everyone else. This is especially because I'm going to be competing in the Long Beach Inline Marathon on October 16th.
While I may have legged out 16+ miles, it really wasn't very productive; in fact, I was struggling so much that on the last lap, one in which our goal was to keep everyone together, Cooper was providing a lot of assistance. I'm guessing the reason for this was due to eating a late lunch, or some very tight spandex shorts that weren't allowing the lactic acid to free itself from my legs; perhaps both. Alas, there's always tomorrow :)
After skating, we usually all grab dinner together, but I opted instead to check out the weekly Wednesday night Poetry Slam event at Ego's. It's actually something I've wanted to check out for a while now, and the chance to go as part of a group, called MEETinAustin, was all the impetus I needed.
Turned out that the event was really cool, and the people who were meeting there were friendly and sociable. I met Natasha, Jen, Richard, Mario, Catherine, and Nathan. But for as much as I enjoy meeting new people, the poetry slam was totally wicked. The skill levels and preparation of the performers varied, but it was obvious that a good number of them were quite experienced. After a few rounds of voting (and drinks), three performers remained. The final recitations were even more impressive, and I can't wait to go back. ...in fact, I look forward to preparing a few pieces of my own. :)
Being on a roll, I decided to give my friend and former housemate, T*, a ring. Back in the day, he got me hooked on a show called 'The Practice', but that dissolved into a show led by James Spader, 'Boston Legal', which happens to be my most favoritestwonderfulest show in the whole world, which itself is rather strange because I don't even own a TV.
So I head over to his place, stopping off for a sandwich at Jimmy John's (any place that calls a sandwich 'The Vegetarian' is all right by me). When I get there, we chat for a while, and then start the show. It's another great episode with a stunning performance by James Spader. He gets guest star Heather Locklier off from a murder charge, curiously leaving us to wonder if she actually did it.
I think that's one of the things I love about the show, that it spends so much time in the grey, where things are not clearly right or wrong. ...not to mention wishing I were as skillful as the idealist Alan Shore, who I'm convinced is a well-written INFJ.
It's getting late, and a conference call awaits me in the morning. Time for bed.
Goodnight.
Disappear for a week, a month, a year, or more, and many changes will have occurred - both internal and external.
Suffice to say, it has been 23 months, nearly 2 years!, since the last time I published an entry. And so many things have changed for me - my relationships and connections, my health, and my home - though I remain in Austin; some, too, have stayed the same - my job, my frequent travel, and my passion for inline skating.
But perhaps the most notable development, is that I have truly come to see how my choices and my actions directly impact my life; and I am driven, more than ever, to direct my energies into areas that are most beneficial to my, and others' conditions.
To quote a famous song, "I haven't gotten it all figured out just yet," but I'm comfortable that I will figure it out, and that my passions will begin to see greater light. And I should say - I'm a heck of a lot more comfortable with who I am, than I have ever been... but that has come with some expense.
I again look forward to sharing more about this and other stories here on a regular basis.
Thank you for stopping by.
Sincerely,
Brian