Keep away buzzy bees! Pretty please?

So it was a Saturday morning as a bunch of us drove out to Nicasio for our 52 mile bike ride. I was pretty amped for the ride since I haven’t had the opportunity to put in a ride longer than 40 miles in the last few months. We rolled out at about 9:30am making our way to Highway 1 en route to Tomales Bay. It was pretty windy but tolerable and I thought to myself, “I’m really going to enjoy today’s ride!” 7 miles into the ride, a bee flew into my sunglasses and stung me. Seconds later, I felt the throbbing that comes from bee stings and eyes were tearing up. Few minutes later, after a bit of composure..carried on. Had a ride to finish!! It was either finish the remaining 45 miles or go back and wait in the car for three hours..clearly..riding was a better choice. I think I’ve paid my dues for bee stings this year and next for that matter! Keep away buzzy bees! Pretty please?

Insight from the older and the wiser..

I posed the question to an older and wiser individual, “does it ever get easier?” referring to relationships, love and marriage. My single friends currently fall into two categories. Half of them have just broken off long term relationships due to lack of commitment and trust so they are now out on the prowl. The other half have given up the notion that they will find that guy. I haven’t hit that level of cynisism but I do understand where they’re coming from though and on certain days, I am with them. Don’t get me wrong, I am very content and happy with my life and how I am choosing to live it. It’s just that with all the break ups lately..makes you wonder..

So the older individual- he gave me one of the best answers and insights to date. He said, “Does it ever get any easier? In my limited experience, no. A marriage/relationship is 50 percent love (love is an act, not a feeling, no matter what the latest pop psychotherapist says) and 50 percent finding the person who knows your darkest, deepest secrets and problems yet decides you are worth staying with despite all that. Unfortunately we ALL carry baggage. We are the sum of our experiences. That’s why I got married very young. I was blessed to find that person who loved me DESPITE who I was, not because of who I was. She was willing to see past that and to what I could become.”

Thanks bud for the insight. Until next time..

What Did I Just Do?

I just faxed in my registration for IT08! Oh My- what did I just do to myself?!

Forget Yu- Chris Hauth Fires Back

That’s who gives me my swim coaching sessions- Chris Hauth! Written by Chris Hauth

Thursday, 07 June 2007

Dear Charlie Yu:I am really sorry you feel the way you do, but how dare you make a claim about my Ironman performance without first checking your facts.  Not only have I ‘finished’ Kona 8x, but I believe my sub 9 hour performance from last year, fastest US amateur and 4th American overall allows me to claim to have ‘finished Ironman’.  I do not wear a tattoo of the Mdot on my body, but I applaud anybody that has finished or even attempted an Ironman distance.  If they want to put an Mdot tattoo on their body, so be it since they are part of what Ironman calls ‘the family’.  I am quite proud to be associated with ANY triathlete – whether a complete beginner attempting a Sprint or the Professional winning the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.  If you are insulted about how you perceive the title ‘Ironman’, then you are participating in this sport and endurance events for completely the wrong reasons  Triathlon is about the challenge, the fitness, the lifestyle, the health and the journey.  It is NOT about being able to thump your chest at the water cooler about your own selfish achievements over the weekend.  While completing a triathlon does make you feel proud and alive, for you or anybody to judge what makes an Ironman an “Ironman” is not fair.  For you to make claims like you did about my own performance is a joke.  I think you need to look at the history of this sport a bit closer – if it were not for the Ironman and it’s original finishers willing to share the good vibes of this triathlon you would not be participating in any Olympic distance races, nor be able to claim you won your age group.  Stop taking yourself and triathlon so seriously and show a little sportsmanship – you know the modern Olympic creed that I CAN quote since I took part in those too…:  “The most important thing is not winning but taking part“.  Chris Hauth

Chris wrote in response to this mis-informed article:

Did You Earn Your M-Dot?

Sunday, 06 May 2007

I just picked up the March edition of your magazine (Triathlete Magazine) and read the article by Dave Wallach (“Light Read,” March 2007.)  First of all Mr. Wallach, you are not an Ironman.  There is only one real Ironman race, and that is on Kona.  The WTC may have partnerships all over the world and license out the Ironman name to all different races, and these races may be very challenging and well run, but they are not the Ironman.  They don’t have the lava fields, winds, the Energy Lab and other things that make the Ironman the Ironman.With all due respect to your friends, let me tell you flat out:  No, they do not deservethe M-Dot until they cross the finish line in Kona, they have no business calling themselves an Ironman.  I don’t want to take anything away from them, but Coeur d’ Alene and Wisconsin are  not Kona. Let me tell you that  Chris Hauth did not win the Ironman in Idaho last year, because the Ironman is not in Idaho; it is in Kona.  What he did is very impressive, but he did not finish the Ironman, so he does not deserve the title Ironman. The Ironman is not just about completing a 140.6 mile race. I have done several Olympic-distance triathlons.  I have even done some pretty fast times and won my age group many times.  Does that make me an Olympian?  Absolutely not, and I would never try to pass myself off as one.  And you are wrong to try to pass yourself off as an Ironman.  Frankly, it is insulting to me and everyone else that has completed the Ironman. Charlie Yu Mission Viejo, California*

running confused..

So last night, I had one of my better track workouts in a long time. T.E. kept me going and motivated and as we were discussing IT08, he says I might be getting a bone marrow transplant by the fall so I won’t be able to do IT08. I was a little confused and wondered to myself why he was waiting for bone marrow because I thought the drug gleevec was working well for him. Gleevec prolongs the life of people diagnosed with CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia- overproduction of white blood cells) a 95% chance of living 5 years longer. It’s been about one and a half years since T.E. has been diagnosed and treated but his body is experiencing immunity to gleevec now. Hearing this, I was sad, disappointed, heart broken, I wanted to cry, confused and mostly concerned. T.E. didn’t seemed sad or concerned as we kept chugging along on the track..in fact he was hopeful and so I couldn’t openly express my emotions but as you can tell..it’s still heavily on my mind. I think this was the last motivation I needed to sign up and commit to IT08! When you form relationships and friendships with people who are living life to the fullest with cancer, their cancer also becomes your concern and you feel a responsibility to do all that you are able to do to help..

just two months and some days ago..

So I did it. I went to visit my grandparents at their resting place the other day. I have been meaning to for the last two months since my grandma passed away but it’s a little hard and I think in many ways I am still having a hard time with her death. I am still having internal issues with the relationship between my grandma and me and the last time I witnessed a grandparent dying, I was too young to really know it feels like or the emotions it stirs up. Friday afternoon, I took off work at 3pm and as I was driving to run errands, I decided to just stay on the freeway and make a visit after stopping by the florist of course. It was strange to be there..it was comforting but strange..just two months and some days ago..she was alive in the hospital..

sometimes its nice to be reminded..

i think everyone agrees that dating is hard..its exhausting. most people think that dating in the city should be easy cause its san francisco. not so! over the years since my long term relationship ended, i’ve collected enough dating stories to entertain friends throughout dinner! Not to say they’ve all been bad because I’ve met some really nice guys and some have went on to become really good friends but after awhile, you can’t help but get a little jaded and you start to think..is it me??

yesterday, as I was chatting with a friend of mine..telling him about this guy, he told me that I was a good catch out of the blue and I thought..gosh..sometimes its so nice to be reminded. thanks bc! so there you have it..its not me..its still them! ha! but i am sure its a little bit of me..fine more than little but you can’t create chemistry..its either there or not.

A Friday night..to bowl or not to bowl..

I get a text msg from Mary: “Come bowling.”

I responded: “Watching movie..”

I get another text from Mike this time: “You are now dead to us. No one is going to talk to you for one week. So I think you should come out.”

I thought..wow..getting serious..I responded: “Fine..come by after movie.”

I get a response from Mike :”Ok. The ban against you has been lifted.”

I show up about two hours into their game…”see told you I’d come out!” Afterall, maybe it’ll help me with my sleeping disorder lately. This waking up at 3:30am every morning is not working out for me!

so maybe I won’t be going to africa..yikes!

Kenya police arrest three after Nairobi blast

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070612/wl_nm/kenya_blast_dc

The article ends with ” “I came to my job early this morning without fear … But foreigners may fear coming to Kenya because of this,” said Fred Mumo, selling lottery tickets near the blast site on Tuesday.”

Well yeah foreigners may fear going to Kenya!  That might actually include me. Fine line between adventurous/curious and dumb. Waiting for the intuition..waiting..

So and so were totally making out!

I left the party a little earlier than thought..ok fine a few hours earlier so Saturday morning run workout 9am:

MP: Oooh..you missed something last night.

Me: Something good?

MP: So good!

Me: What did I miss?

MP: So and so was totally making out!!

Me: No….what?? So and so? No…! Really?

MP: Uh huh!

Me: I can’t believe it..where did that come from? How long? Where? When? What?

MP: For a long time..in front of everyone! AND he gave me his drink to hold while he was making out with her..

Me: (After laughing so hard that I got a side stitch) Oh..the story just got so much better! Classic!