Art O’Connor

Not a lot of blogging on this site huh? Hmm where to begin. As some of you know I have been doing some running and swimming in anticipation of doing Xterra Ogden. I ran college so the running comes pretty easy. Swimming though, lets just say I have my issues. I have been going to the pool at least once a week since late winter (for the most part). I have been making progress but I am not comfortable at all in the water. I am even less so when people are swimming close to me. I don’t know how to describe it but I really really don’t like it. Anyway despite my fears i rented a wet suit and registered for the Scofield Tri in the Sprint division. Rachel told me to line up on the outside so I would have fewer people around me which was good advice. I was loving how bouyant the wetsuit made me feel. In fact I was pretty confident that I would do a decent swim. The gun went off and there I was in my own little recreation of the opening of “Saving Private Ryan”. 3 seconds in a kick to the face knocked my goggles off. Shit. I kept going, getting kicked a few more times. About 200 yards in I am pretty sure Kimbo Slice connected with a haymaker from Nebraska. My world was rocked! I swallowed my body weight in water and my vision was blurry at best. I floated on my back for a few minutes until my vision cleared and finally started the slow humiliating swim back to shore. I did find my goggles though so that was pretty sweet. Is the Universe trying to tell me that Tri’s are not for me or is it a test of character?

It has been almost 2 weeks and I have not been back to the pool. I will but not really sure when. With 100 degree days on the horizon that may nudge me back soon. A mile swim for Xterra? Not this year.

On Wed I road my bike to pick my car up from the dealership where they were replacing something on the Cray Supercomputer that runs the damn thing. So anyway I pick it up and head downtown to do some work on my duplex. After laying some paver stones I left to go home and get ready to sell my soul at the cube farm. Since I was in the ‘hood I figured I would stop by the Whole Check in Sugarhouse to get the Yerba Mate Tea that I like that the downtown location is always out of. I pull in to the up uncovered parking and the single worst sound I had ever heard came from my roof rack. F@&*! I ran my custom Six13 into the inexplicable iron bar they have over the entrance to the UNCOVERED parking lot. I was in shock. The only road bike that ever fit me was now in 2 pieces. F@&*! How could I be so stupid. I have seen half a dozen people do the exact same thing in that parking lot over the years and I always wondered how they could be so stupid. Well I guess I don’t need to wonder anymore.

BTW if your money is at Washington Mutual, do your self a favor and get it out soon.

Oh my Tri debut. Well lets just say that was a bad idea.

I am officially signed up for my first triathlon this Saturday and I am scared. Not just nervous but actually scared. My fear is all centered on the swim. On a bike if you stop pedaling, you coast. Running if you stop running well, you stop. Swimming if you stop swimming, you DIE! Rachel seems to think after watching my swim workouts that I will be fine. She generally knows what she is talking about so I am trying to take her word for it but still. Stop swimming and DIE! I guess the simple solution is to keep swimming.

Govenor Bush is trying to raise money to build a library in his honor, they should take all the money raised and refurbish Alcatraz so he, Cheney Rice, Rove,Powell, Rumsfeld etal. can live out the rest of their days as the war criminals they are.

Rachel and I are heading out to race The Downieville Classic this weekend. I am pretty excited to get out of the 801 for a few days. The race should be a kick in the ass. It is an old school point to point XC race with lots of climbing, more descending, river crossings, and lots of single track. There are like 2500 racers in the XC. Hey NORBA you listening? Point to point unsanctioned XC race gets 2500, NMBS lots of laps at a ski area gets 200. Anyway, good times to be had in No Cal.

The few posts I have made recently I am constantly moaning about my lack of fitness. I think most people were calling BS on that. Well I went to Logan and showed the roadies that I am infact slow and very unfot. This weekend I went to Solitude to prove it to the non-believers in the dirt. Nope the Train is not rollin’ fast on any surface at the moment. I think I have found the motivation to ride my ass off. Cross is coming fast and there are still some races this summer that I would like to go fast at.