Eat, Drink and Be Married

Not me, but my little sister got married this past weekend. The cool twist? I performed the ceremony!

Friday night Holly and I headed up to El Torito in Zooport Beach (Fashion Island). Turns out we were an hour early for the rehearsal dinner....but right on time for happy hour! I call that awesome timing. Some bloody marys, chips and salsa and taquitos later and we hooked up with the rest of the party. By the time we rolled home and crawled into bed, it was way past our bedtime.

Saturday, we got up and went for our long runs in Penasquitos Canyon, got ready and headed back to the OC. Laguna Beach Surf and Sand Resort this time.

The g/f all dolled up... Like I said, I got ordained as a minister after my sis and her then fiancee weren't too thrilled with the minister they had planned on using. I was stoked to step in! I can also do funerals :/.

Sister Christine wanted to get married with sand between her toes. The high tide meant a few of the guests got their feet wet, but we made it work. Christine started crying during her vows and I choked up a bit too. I held it together, though. Note the bare feet!

Yay! All married and stuff!Me, Christine and brother Steve (AKA: Big Rig).Me and the g/f chillin' at the reception. I was lucky enough to sample the 40 y/o rum sis got her hubby as his groom gift (Pyrat 1623). At $240 a bottle (!!!) it was quite the tasty sip.

Throw in some bomb-ass cigars and I was feelin' pretty good. A great weekend overall.

Sunday we were both beat from multiple days of being up way too late and we took the day off.

Monday, I got cleared to go back to work. I called in to let them know I was available and got a call 20 mins later to staff a tower. My doc cleared me at 9 and I was in a tower by 11. Ha!

No sooner did I finish opening the tower when the tower phone rings and my supervisor piles a bunch of shifts in my lap. Nice to be needed! I'm getting caught up on all the work gossip and definitely missed getting paid to boogie board/body surf on my breaks; I tried surfing last year on the paddle board and it didn't suck. I know a guy selling a short board for cheap...

E.

Earth Shaking

I'm still having a rough time making a firm decision about whether to take the Lfeguard/Ranger job or not. The ideal situation would be if I had my degree already; then taking it would be a no-brainer. As it stands, I have no guarantees that I'll get back to SD once through the acadamy to finish my degree. No online courses available and taking those courses at another UC would require another petition...and we all know how well those go over with my major advisors.

Is it strange that I'm more concerned about what the academy will do to my training than I am about my degree? I'm sure my priorities are out of whack, but I can't help but feel like I have to give up my athletic dreams to secure my future (a few of you probably understand, the rest of you won't get it).

I've got a lot to think about, no doubt.

Speaking of training....

I've been runinng A LOT since the hand break, because it's all I was allowed to do. I'm cranking out 26-30 mile weeks like they're nothing. My poor Saucony's are much the worse for wear.


A while back, I posted up a pic of some sweet trail runners I've had my eye on. Holly finally noticed how "rough" my trainers were looking and offered to buy me some shoes. After running around at three separate stores, we picked these bad boys up.
Some SICK trail runners! Light, fast and uber sexy.

Why does Zippy need hard-core trail runners?

For a gnar trail run. The Noble Canyon 50K.

Yeah. I've had my eye on the Calico 50 K for years, but the January date was always tough to make. With the broken hand and all the running I've been doing, I figured a marathon would cap the season off. I had planned on the Big Bear Mary, but it's been cancelled for 2009. I poked around and found the Noble Canyon race, but then got the OK to ride and toyed with the idea of crushing the collegiate MTB circuit as a last hurrah before graduating. Since I might not be going to school for a while, I have no desire for James and Justin whoop my ass at State MTB Champs and I shouldn't be planning on racing beyond the academy start date, the 50K should cap the season off nicely.

I have mixed feelings of excitement and fear: it's some sweet terrain, but it's a long friggin' way to run over steep, rocky trails.

Can't wait.

E.

Sneaking Out

The doc said no MTB until after he sees me again the first week of August, but I just couldn't take it anymore. During the entire process of getting ready, loading the Jeep and driving to the trailhead I had that guilty, excited feeling I haven't had since I used to sneak girls into Mom and Dad's house.

One I hit the trails, though it was all good. The ride reminded me why I've been racing Mountain bikes for almost 10 years and riding them since I got too big for a BMX bike: I LOVE IT!

JOB ALERT!
I got a packet in the mail toay from the State informing me that I passed backgrounds and offering me the Perm Guard position pending medical and psych evaluations....

...except I have one more quarter of school left and the academy starts 10/5 .

Crap.

Turn down a 60K a year job that I can retire off OR finish school. Honestly, I'm so tired of the UC's antics I want to tell them to stick their degree where the sun don't shine.

I'm totally rudderless here...

E.

Edit: I was surfing and found this recruiting vid. It was shot entirely at the beach I work at most often: Torrey Pines.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/736/video/CSP_Jobing.asx

The Comeback Trail

The proverbial "Road to Recovery" is supposed to be long and rocky, but it looks suspiciously like a flat bike path...
You know you like the red tape on the black handlebars ;)
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Saturday I headed out for my first bicycle ride since breaking my hand almost 2 months ago. The doc said "Yes" to the road bike, but "No" to the MTB. I'm OK with that for now. I've been running to keep some type of aerobic fitness (running A LOT really), but it was clear my legs forgot how to pedal and I got tired after a whopping 90 minutes. No biggie; it'll come back.

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There's a sketchy ramp that drops you onto the bike path and I've always ridden it. Not today; no point taking chances considering the screws holding my hand together are only 2mm. I took the stairs.

The ramp is to the left. Totally rideable, but the sharp left turn at the bottom is always exciting. Too much speed and you wind up in the fence or into the nasty storm drain. Yummy.

Wanting to avoid cars, I headed down to man-made Fiesta Island for a flat, 3 mile loop before I'd head back. Little did I know the Over the Line Championships were in town. Zippy FAIL. LOL!

Lots of sunburned necks and 36'ers of Natty Light goin' on here; complete with the Miss "Emersum" competition. Comedy.

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The hand is getting better: physical therapy cut back to once a week, I'm back working at the campus bike shop AND I get to ride a bike again. The doc still isn't cool with me lifeguarding "I'm afraid you'll have a problem in the water and I can't in good conscience let you go back to work, yet". No prob, doc. I go back to see him 8/3 and should get the go ahead then.

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"What about the trail runners" you ask? I'm still fleshing out my Fall race plans so you'll just have to wait. :P

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E

Lust...

Why is Zippy lusting after hard-core trail running shoes you ask? I'm keeping it under wraps for now, but "Something Wicked This Way Comes"...

E.

Rolling with the Punches

I've been getting a lot of crap for being myself recently and it's been getting me down: graduation petition denied so I get to come back for Fall Quarter, financial aid is maxed out so I won't get anymore, got pushed by a Grad Committee member and told her off so now I get to meet with the Dean for a "Non-Academic Misconduct" wrist slap (roll eyes) and my disability claim got denied (State Employees don't pay into Disability Insurance). Stop the World; I want OFF!

At least I got to see "Best Friend" Alex who came down for Graduation. We've been friends since we were 11.

Baller pose... I had an athlete racing the 12-Hours of Rim Nordic this past weekend and I needed to get away for a while, so Holly and I packed up her Matrix and headed for the mountains. A little camping always makes me feel better.The crappy part was the 200 Off-Roaders occupying the majority of the parking lot. Between their RV's, generators and exhaust from their Jeeps, I wonder how many TONS fo CO2 they pumped into the air that weekend. Yay pollution!
Our fantastic campsite on the pavement. We had a lttle fire in the 'que to roast marshmallows and for warmth (got cold!) and the next morning one of the OHV'ers hassled me for it: "That's an illegal fire", "Nothing's allowed up here but propane", "I'm just telling you because Forest Service will cite you for it". Tool...

I was in the middle of breakfast and didnt want to argue with him, or mention tthat he 2003 Clear Fire that decimated the area was started by a hot catalytic converter on an OFF ROAD vehicle. Holly's comment as he walked away was priceless: "That's great...go destroy some nature." Love that girl...

My athlete (Mykyta) killed it for his first 12-Hour solo: 5th in Beginner with very little rest and just starting his training up after his mid-season break. He should do really well at the November race. Results here.

No race pics, but the clouds looked cool as they rolled in over the mountains Saturday night. Snow Valley usd to be the site for an Xterra Race; not this year because the race director ran into some "financial difficulties" as he called it. Hope it comes back for 2010.Woke up Sunday morning with the sun. Drove down to OC for Father's Day lunch with my family since brother Steve was in town to celebrate his birthday at Disneyland the following Monday (free admission on your b-day!). The marine layer looked cool on the way down.

The hand is getting better, slowly. Another 2 weeks before I can swim or ride a bike. Trying to find some office work at the Bike Shop or State Parks to pay the bills.

Keep on keepin' on...

E.

Edit: I've been following the Tour Divide pretty closely since I'm sitting at home so much. Self-supported, 2700 miles from Banff, Alberta Canada to Antelope Wells, NM on the Mexican Border. Incredible stuff!

"When Life Gives You Lemons..."

"...find someone who's life has given them Vodka; and have party"
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-Ron White
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Seriously...
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I went to a club meeting where Brad Kearns was speaking and he related a story about a transcendental moment during his racing career. The gist of it was that he pre-rode the course the day before the race with a competitor who crushed him and the course wound up being very hilly. Race morning, the start was delayed due to fog causing poor visibility during the swim and he simply sat on the shore and shrugged it off while his competitors grumbled about the conditions and the delay; Brad figured his race was shot given his pre-rde the day before. The swim wound up being very cold and he spent a large portion of the bike course simply trying to get warm; halfway through the bike leg he looks up and sees the lead motorcycle in front of him. He'd ridden through the field and didn't know it because he'd been so focused on how cold he was. He'd go on to win that race.
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The point?
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You cannot control the circumstances given to you, only how you react to them.
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I was bummed about breaking my hand, but it's given me the opportunity to focus on my coaching and I've gotten a lot of interest recently. Cool.
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Friday, I went to my first Physical Therapy appointment and the PT said I could run and ride the trainer, but no swimming and I should avoid "weight bearing" activities.
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How do you ride the trainer without putting weight on your hands?

Yeah. I blew the dust off the aero bars and slapped 'em on. Yes, they're old and WAY ghetto, but they'll let me ride. Ignore the bar tape...
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It's officially Summer by the way. The grilled Sweet Potato idea came from James a while back. Friggin' tasty. As for the hand, the stitches are already out and the cast is off. Yay Steri Strips!Removable plastic splint lets me have some mobility and I'm doing exercises a couple times a day. I can still hold a beer. Can't be all bad, right? :D

E.