Saturday, September 1, 2012

Update in Bullets

I went to San Francisco for a technology conference for work last week and was unable to update the blogosphere. Rather than craft an eloquent post I thought I'd just put out some bullets:
  • I didn't race last Sunday at the Tobay Triathlon as I woke up not feeling great in the breathing department.
  • My 16yo daughter did race in her first grown up tri. She did a relay a couple of years ago with some of her friends but this was her first solo effort.
  • Since I was registered I was able to go into transition with her to make sure she was set up ok.
  • My younger daughter decided to help out by volunteering in one of the water stops.
  • My daughter had a great race. She finished 4th in the under19 AG. Her run time was faster this year (by a second) than her standalone run time in the relay two years ago.
  • She was originally disappointed in 4th until she found out that the podium was 5 deep.
  • I guess she is fairly photogenic as her pictures while racing are in the various local newspapers.
With respect to the conference in Frisco:
  • The cool SF weather was very refreshing. Walking the hills while the temps were high 50s was much more civilized than 90s (which is what I came back to in NYC).
  • The homeless people in SF were much more visible and aggressive than those in NYC. Thank you Rudy.
  • I haven't been to a tech conference in a while. There were very few young people in attendance. Most of the people at the conference were in their 40s and 50s. I'm concerned about the future of technology in our country. It seems like we've either outsourced the next generation or just pushed them away from technology. Either way, we lose. Maybe not immediately, but eventually.
  • With the national party conventions happening, I'm wondering if the politicians are concerned about the right things. Next up, Democrats. Confidence is low.
  • While away, my eating was horrible. I'm getting very frustrated with myself. I know I need to address this but for some reason I'm not. My mantra for for my Ironman was "It comes down to you vs. you." I'm losing that battle now but can't give up.

5 comments:

Ransick said...

Congrats on a great race for your daughter!

I'm concerned about technology too. I'm an engineer and I'm not sure I would recommend engineering as a career anymore. Seems like their are less jobs and they are more unstable than ever.

Pahla said...

Hooray for your daughter! What a great start to her triathlon career! Bummer about your breathing problems and missing out on the race.
Eating right is arguably the hardest part of the sporting life (at least it is for me). Here's a little trick I pull on myself: when I feel like eating/snacking, I make myself start with a fruit or a vegetable. I can have the cupcake afterwards if I still want it, but I often find that I don't. Keep fighting the good fight, you can do this!!

Unknown said...

As a software engineer, I follow the tech industry too. Now I am in my 50's so I understand your concern. It seems that the younger folks are more into being users of "cool" tech stuff than being on the innovative side. The young ones that do manage to get into software development and engineering, though, are outstanding.

CautiouslyAudacious said...

That is so awesome for your daughter! Sounds like she did a great job! I've been to SF once and loved it. I use to have to travel a lot for work and it always did a number on my eating habits. Keep your head up and I'm sure you will get back on track in no time!

Big Clyde said...

Congrats to your daughter (and well done for setting the example!).

I wish I knew how to encourage on the eating front. I so often seem to lose momentum and just give up. I am on a roll now and am wondering if it is as simple as overcoming the smallest temptations and making the "right choice" about 12 times a day.

You, Rock, are the one who got me really running for more than 60 seconds at a time by telling me to "just keep going". Once I saw those words, I followed the advice and ran (slowly) for about 20 minutes.

Make tomorrow the start of a new nutrition plan.