So after a night of restless sleep last Saturday night, I got up early and got my stuff in the car for the Triathlon. I spent some time the day before organizing so I wouldn’t forget anything.
I was really surprised at how many cars were at the park. Melissa and I got there at about 7:15 and stood in line at the body marking station. I got up to the front and a woman marked the number 255 down both arms and the number 30 on the backs of my calves. (Ages on everyone’s calves) We headed to the transition area. I laid my bike down, unpacked my bag being ultra meticulous about how everything was laid out.
We were still pretty early so I had time to walk about a minute and do some stretching. Mindy showed up, then shortly following were Dad and Mam. (For those who don’t know Mam is my grandmother.) This was my official cheering squad. Wolfman, race coordinator, got on the PA and told everyone to head toward the water.
I walked with a huge herd of people down the sidewalk parallel to the water. Shoulder to shoulder with a hundred or so other half naked guys in Speedo style swimming shorts. While walking, I kept thinking to myself, “this is taking forever to walk, what makes me think I can swim this far?”
We finally arrived, Wolfman directed the first wave to enter the water, he counted down and yelled GO! The water erupted and all you could see were heads, arms, and splashes. It kind of looked like that scene from Clash of the Titans when the Kraken appears. He told the rest of us to enter the water. The water was cold and the bottom of Patriot Lake is extremely muddy and slimy. I heard someone call it “goose grease.” I pulled my goggles down over my eyes. At that moment my heart finally began to pound. I thought; I really can’t quit now.
Seemed like only a few seconds as I joked and talked to some people around me for the announcer to start counting down. He yelled go and I let out swimming hard. Just like I had practiced in the pool in Bartlett. Trying hard to swim like they had showed me. Concentrating on how to breathe and make efficient strokes. But all the while being kicked in the face, pushed under water, and thrashing with a hundred other people.
I finally got into a rhythm and was swimming well. I passed a ton of people and was moving really well. I guess I was overdoing it because just that quick, I completely ran out of steam. I was so tired I was having a hard time picking my arms up for another stroke. Then I remembered, the water is shallow. I stood up, caught my breath, and then started on the breaststroke.
Everyone I passed before was now flying by me. I stopped and stood up again. A lady was to my left doing the backstroke, she noticed me looking on, and she yelled, “No shame in my game!” A lady on my right was swimming with her sons. I am guessing the ages of 12 and 14. She kept telling them the finish was just ahead. About that time I noticed a dead fish floating right at my chest. I pushed it aside and started swimming hard again.
At this point I heard my best friend, Chris Davis, yell “GO MICHAEL!” I have known Chris for 30 years so I would recognize his voice across a football stadium of cheering Super Bowl fans. This pushed me on. I got to the end of the swim leg and got out of the water feeling pretty good. Heart was racing and arms were worn out but with the adrenaline and blood pumping hard, I felt really alive.
I got to T1, pulled on my socks, tied my shoes, and checked my blood sugar. I had a hard time getting my shirt on being all wet, grabbed my bike, and took off. I think Dad was at the fence taking pictures of me.
At the mount line, I hopped on and started pedaling, remembering at that moment how many times I read about this part of the race to already have your bike in the correct gear. I was in a really high gear and was facing uphill. I managed to gain a little speed and eventually make it.
I did great on the bike. I passed a lot of people, some of which were on uphill technical climbs. I was so proud of myself. Out in the field, I was going way too fast down a hill that I know there is a hole at the bottom and went end over end of my mountain bike. I jumped right back on, got clipped into my pedals, and kept going. This was my element and couldn’t wait to enter a mountain bike race sometime soon.
Into T2. I saw a woman Melissa used to work with cheering people on as I entered. I laid down my bike and checked my blood sugar again. I was doing fine as far as diabetes goes. Melissa was standing at the fence telling me something but I couldn’t hear her over the heart beating in my ear. I think she said the girls were here. I changed shoes had a little water and took off running.
Well, if you can call it running. My legs were like jelly. I ran for a good while. Then my steam was all gone. Everyone I passed biking passed me at this point. I walked for a while. Then ran for a while. I played leap frog with another guy til we ended up walking/ running together. I stopped to get water at the water table and asked the guy for a Bloody Mary. He told me to ask at the finish line. I remembered my training. I had about another 1.25 miles to run from here. I took off. Ran out of gas again and walked a good bit once I got back to the lake. Heading clockwise around Patriot Lake I on again off again ran and walked. Remember those numbers on everyone’s calves? At this time someone ran by me and I glanced down. 61!
Once I only had about 0.5 miles to go I gave it all. Ran the last corner, up a small hill and crossed the finish line! A lady handed me a card with the number 150 in the corner. I was directed to a table where I filled out my name and other information on it. Later I found out I was 150th place out of 160. Not last place!!
My family met me with hugs, lots of I love yous, and I’m so proud of yous. I was spent of energy but felt absolutely great!! I felt the fullest of life I have ever felt and could have stayed on that high for a year.
I’ve been spending a lot of time on the site Beginner Triathlete. There a lot of great articles for beginners and a lot of inspirational ones. I ran across the two articles below and think you should read them. I registered and have been talking to some of the other members of the site and have a great deal of confidence for this race. Not that I will win or even come close but will accomplish a goal that I never knew I had until about two weeks ago when I picked up a flyer at the Peddler Bike Shop. Check out the article and a few others if you have time.
So I have been really wanting to race my mountain bike for a while now. I have scoured the internet and picked up every flyer in every bike shop in town. Well there just isn’t anything going on in Memphis at least for the rest of the summer. So what do I go and do? I entered the Wolpack Triathlon! I am not really sure as to why I thought I could do something like this but I can say that my aching muscles are paying for me getting ready. Running every morning then riding my bike to work. Riding the trails on the weekend. I have got to find somewhere I can do some swimming. It’s a 1/4 mile swim so in an average size pool, I’d have to make a few hundred laps!
Melissa thinks I am crazy but is being supportive. She did, however, laugh at me last night when I told her I thought I was going to win. I looked up online and found out that last year’s winning time was 40 minutes. Hmmmmm, we’ll see about that. Pleas keep me and my legs in your good healing thoughts in the next few weeks.
Part of my motivation is the feeling of wanting to challenge myself physically for some time. I have been riding a lot but you get sort of comfortable riding by yourself with nobody around to push you along. Physical competition is pretty much the oldest form of competion around and I believe the underlying reason people do it is ultimately the same. I keep getting butterflies thinking about the countdown to start, racing to the water, kicking and thrashing around with a bunch of people finding my spot in the water, running toward my bike, throwing on my shoes and a shirt to go tearing around a trail, and on to running that same trail.
Something about that seems poetic. So far there is nothing poetic about it. Unless there’s poetry in my calves being tight and burning when I walk. Wish me good luck, and if you’ve nothing going on August 17th at 8AM, come out to Shelby Farms and do some cheering, or laughing. Whatevere seems appropriate is fine with me.
It’s pretty obvious that I have been dropping the ball on keeping the yard up on my piece of real estate on the internet. Luckily my landlord hasn’t filed a complaint or left any nasty notes on my door. I have been kind of down and stressed out a little for a lot of trivial reasons and haven’t really been compelled to write anything. That is, until today.
I read one of my best friend’s blogs today about his thoughts on his career in music and what drives him to keep doing it even when, sometimes, it must seem not worth it. I kind of fall into a funny category with this. I do know what it is like to feel driven by some unseen force to do something creative or artistic. Unfortunately my interests in music and a hundred other subjects are all over the board. I wake up every day and spend a portion of every hour dreaming of things to create, things to build, scale runs in odd times and keys that would challenge even the most experienced jazz musician.
I do have outlets for my need to create. I can’t explain the feeling of standing back after finishing a piece of furniture or even a simple shelf and taking in something that you just built and designed with your hands, sweat, and a hammer. But this post is about music, not carpentry.
Music has been a part of my life since before I could walk. From before I could walk, my grandfather would sit me next to me and play his guitar and sing to me. My mom and dad always had music playing in the house. Wide varieties too. Rock, folk, soul, r&b, country, and jazz. I am one of those people that can’t describe the feeling a great piece of music puts inside of you. I even get goosebumps when I hear something that really moves me. So given my bringing up an my yearning to create, writing music should be all I think about right?
I am not sure what happened. Actually, life happened. I took off after a career as dj-ing at about age 22. Didn’t do too bad, didn’t do too good. DJ-ing definitely isn’t my strong suit as fas as music goes! I think at least a few people enjoyed my sets. I could always listen to DJ-s play after me, cause I was always first! And say to myself, he/her are definitely way technically better at working the decks and mixer than me. But I sure like the music I select better. I spent countless hours listening to clips of tracks looking for that rare gem hidden among the 1000’s of other shit that was released that week. Then I started learning a little about production, heavily influenced and inspired by a great friend. Man is that a rush. I have probably only actually finished 6 tracks and really never really let anyone listen to them. One of them I tried to play live once and learned quickly that my skills in mastering were pretty lacking hearing it over a real sound system! Once in a while I pull out a CD of the songs I did and listen in the car for fun.
Nonetheless that feeling of music is amazing. Even though it has been put on the back burner for so long now, I’m not sure I remember how to match keys in two tracks or time out a record change. I am a lazy son of a bitch and that back burner has been burning so long I keep thinking it has gone out.
It kills me to walk by and see thousands of dollars worth of records, music gear, guitars, computers, cables, etc. boxed up and not put to use. It is almost like a slap in the face. Gigs of MP3’s I keep downloading for no reason.
I hope I am not the only one that still has a huge desire to be into his/her music but with so many balls in the air can’t figure out which one to catch. Not sure what I was getting at with the rant there but oh well.
Well 4 days at the beach isn’t quite enough. Although I did enjoy sleeping in my own bed and not being hassled to buy weed and jewelry everywhere I go, I miss it. We had a blast and the pictures are up in my galleries. Not much to say right now. I am still in shock at being back at work and having responsibilities.
So we are in the home stretch. Pretty much all I can think about at this point is getting to the beach for a few days. I keep looking at pictures on Google Images and checking out our hotel on Google Earth. I know I am kind of a dork. If I get a few things finished up at work, I’m leaving early and that will be last time to look at anything on a computer screen, or my cell phone until deep into next week. I am thinking that for a few days my biggest worry won’t be how to finish some project at work, how to finish getting the house ready to sell, if it is time to get the oil changed in the car, when I am going to have time to rebuild the carburetor in the mower and chainsaw, or even what time it is. Only thing I am worried about is which direction does the sun set in and where is the red stripe!
Is it April 14th already? Melissa’s birthday already? Day before taxes are due to be filed already? Damn damn damn. This year is flying and I am not sure what I have done with it yet. We hit the ground running last weekend trying to get ready to sell the house. Melissa has been working her ass off painting and cleaning out everything. I don’t feel like I have done quite so much but my sore muscles sure beg to differ. Looks like we are going to jump on the bandwagon of “white flight” with the rest of the honkies who are scared of Memphis like us. I am super conflicted by this move. On one hand, I have spent almost 30 years now inside the loop and never once felt out of place or unsafe. And I have been in some f***ed up places. I have always made fun of people scrambling to get out to Cordova, or Collierville, or whatever is the trend for people to go running to because they are scared of black, mexican, and gay people. But on the other hand, 2 weeks ago makes the 4th time someone has tried to break in the house, 2 of which we were home. Cars have been broken into 5 times, one of those being vandalized for no reason. Well enough is enough for me. I have been sticking up for Memphis for long enough. Always saying that this shit happens everywhere and it’s not that bad. Well looks like I am packing up and as soon as I can get someone to take my house off my hands, we have a destination set for Arlington. So I’ve been looking at houses online and riding around out there in my car. I am making a move that I have said my whole life that I will never make. I am probably moving into a cookie cutter house. You know what I mean. A subdivision that was built by a team of 150 people in about 2 months. There are 4 basic floor plans for 1,000 homes. Every 4th is different. Oh well, I guess you do what you have to when your wife tells you that she doesn’t feel safe in her own home. You look for a house somewhere you think it will stay “safe” for a few years until it overcrowds too and has some decent public schools.
Well aside from all that, things are well and I can’t keep my eyes off that ticker up top that says turquoise water and white sand is only 5 days away.
Well, on March 27th, my grandfather, Doug, died. I have had an extremely hard time with this over the weekend and have cried for no apparent reason, even sitting at work today. Anyone truly close to me knows how very close and very special this man was to me. They tell me I am a lot like Doug. My skills, demeanor, heart, and passions. All the things that I love doing as an adult, I learned as kid with Doug. Playing music, carpentry, cars……. I have a hundred and one funny stories and very clear, cherished memories.
As I have matured and become an adult, this has only really started in the past 2-3 years, I have really tried to model my life after Doug. Being as good a family man as possible, honing my handyman skills, working hard with no complaints, and making sure that I teach and have a positive impact on people I come in contact with.Well I suppose I am doing pretty well so far. I am a pretty skilled carpenter, plumber, mechanic, musician, father and have a great work ethic. And I owe a ton of those skills to the time spent in a garage drilling countless holes in scrap lumber, sharpening tools, and polishing the chrome on every car he ever owned in my lifetime.
I can tell you that everything I have ever built, and that list is pretty long in my short 30 years, I’ve taken a drawing of it to Doug to look at. He’d sit, quietly, thinking and then have a better way to attach the roof, or how to make the floor sturdier. Before he got so sick to get out of the house, he’d come by and sit in a chair and supervise my crafts giving advice when necessary.
I’ve been listening to the CD that Doug recorded right after being diagnosed with lung cancer. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to sing anymore and gave out the CD to all family members in 2001. Above, I put together a music player where you can listen while reading. Really, I think, Doug being the ham he was, didn’t think we could live without the sound of his voice! If you like old country at all please download some songs HERE!I’ll leave you with the lyrics by a song I know every word to, was one of Doug’s favorites, and I think is pretty fitting to Doug’s life.
So have a drink of whiskey, behave yourselves, and be nice to each other.
Don’t Worry Bout Me
by Marty Robbins
Don’t worry bout me it’s all over now though I may be blue I’ll manage somehow
Love can’t be explained can’t be controlled one day it’s warm next day it’s cold
Don’t pity me cause I’m feeling blue don’t be ashamed it might have been you
Oh oh oh oh oh love kiss me one time then go love I understand don’t worry bout me
Sweet sweet sweet love will I want you to be as happy as I when you loved me
I’ll never forget you your sweet memory it’s all over now don’t worry bout me
When one heart tells one heart one heart goodbye one heart is free one heart will cry
Oh oh oh oh oh sweet sweet baby sweet baby sweet
It’s all right don’t worry bout me
Beginning of Spring and all over trees are flowering, lawns are greening up, and people are flocking to the Home Depot in droves to get fertilizer, new plants, and sprinklers. This time of year always makes me really motivated and positive. I think it is all the new life sprouting up around us. The lifeless environment we live in for the winter always causes a little depression for me. I am super excited to start digging in the yard, mowing the grass, and enjoying every day that Memphis looks a little prettier than I know it really is.
Well it is close to the end of March and there is a lot going on. Everywhere you look NCAA Basketball is on. Down to the Sweet 16 and I am guessing that Memphis will be playing Texas in the Elite 8. We’ll see how correct I am after this week. I am definitely not at the forefront of NCAA Men’s Basketball predictions. I think I am caught up in it just as most Memphians I see are. Well it is a lot of fun to watch and feel like all of us in the city are sharing a common hope. Sort of makes you feel more connected to the rest of the city, who normally I would not associate myself with.
Last but not least my birthday is coming up on April the 24th. We are already going to Jamaica for Melissa, born April 14th, and my birth dates so gifts between us are in form of a reservation on Travelocity. But I have put to gether a little list of a few things that I want/ need. Here goes.
A set of Bar Clamps. There a ton of styles but I would prefer having two basic style clamps 18 inches in length.
I really need a bike rack. My new car has a spare tire that won’t allow my old rack to hook up. I am thinking that something like this. The pictured item is $79 from Amazon.
I need a pair of 15lb dumbbells. Preferably the hex style. I have 10 lb, 20 and 25. But I really some in between.
So I had to throw out my hemp Adidas Sheeltops. They were my favorite shoes and would really like a new pair. I can’t find the hemp adidas online but the picture is a pair of classic Gazelles would do as well. Size 8.5 please.
So since I am really committed to making some music very soon. I am preparing my home studio. I have everything I need except this thing. And honestly, I can make music without it, but things sure would go a lot smoother and nicer if I had one. I desperately want a Firewire Audio interface. The m-Audio Firewire 410 retails for right at $300 on most sites and from everything I have read, unless you are willing to pay over $1K it is the best value for the money.
So this is more of a pipe dream. I am not normally one to be astounded by the new gadget that seems to be on the wishlist of everyone walking but….. This has got to be the coolest gadget out right now. Every time I get to play with one I kind of geek out.
So I am pretty excited about a few things right now. First of all I am back at work. I know. A weird thing to be excited about but after spending as much time as I have stuck in the bed or on the couch, you would be too. Second, the Tigers vs Vols game is tomorrow night. For those of you who live under a rock. UofM is ranked #1 and UT is #2. Needless to say being rival schools as well, this a huge game for the Tigers.
Okay and finally Melissa and I are taking a very much needed break from it all and going to Jamaica in April! I turn 30 in April and Melissa did last year in April. Since she was miserable and pregnant we didn’t do much for her birthday. So we are celebrating by going and taking it easy for a few days. Aside from having a rough few months for the both of us let us just look at these two facts.
So I have been really wanting to race my mountain bike for a while now. I have scoured the internet and picked up every flyer in every bike shop in town. Well there just isn’t anything going on in Memphis at least for the rest of the summer. So what do I go and do? I entered the 
So we are in the home stretch. Pretty much all I can think about at this point is getting to the beach for a few days. I keep looking at pictures on Google Images and checking out our hotel on Google Earth. I know I am kind of a dork. If I get a few things finished up at work, I’m leaving early and that will be last time to look at anything on a computer screen, or my cell phone until deep into next week. I am thinking that for a few days my biggest worry won’t be how to finish some project at work, how to finish getting the house ready to sell, if it is time to get the oil changed in the car, when I am going to have time to rebuild the carburetor in the mower and chainsaw, or even what time it is. Only thing I am worried about is which direction does the sun set in and where is the red stripe!
Beginning of Spring and all over trees are flowering, lawns are greening up, and people are flocking to the Home Depot in droves to get fertilizer, new plants, and sprinklers. This time of year always makes me really motivated and positive. I think it is all the new life sprouting up around us. The lifeless environment we live in for the winter always causes a little depression for me. I am super excited to start digging in the yard, mowing the grass, and enjoying every day that Memphis looks a little prettier than I know it really is.
Well it is close to the end of March and there is a lot going on. Everywhere you look NCAA Basketball is on. Down to the Sweet 16 and I am guessing that Memphis will be playing Texas in the Elite 8. We’ll see how correct I am after this week. I am definitely not at the forefront of NCAA Men’s Basketball predictions. I think I am caught up in it just as most Memphians I see are. Well it is a lot of fun to watch and feel like all of us in the city are sharing a common hope. Sort of makes you feel more connected to the rest of the city, who normally I would not associate myself with.
A set of Bar Clamps. There a ton of styles but I would prefer having two basic style clamps 18 inches in length.
I really need a bike rack. My new car has a spare tire that won’t allow my old rack to hook up. I am thinking that something like this. The pictured item is $79 from 
I need a pair of 15lb dumbbells. Preferably the hex style. I have 10 lb, 20 and 25. But I really some in between.
So I had to throw out my hemp Adidas Sheeltops. They were my favorite shoes and would really like a new pair. I can’t find the hemp adidas online but the picture is a pair of classic Gazelles would do as well. Size 8.5 please.
So since I am really committed to making some music very soon. I am preparing my 
So this is more of a pipe dream. I am not normally one to be astounded by the new gadget that seems to be on the wishlist of everyone walking but….. This has got to be the coolest gadget out right now. Every time I get to play with one I kind of geek out.
I turn 30 in April and Melissa did last year in April. Since she was miserable and pregnant we didn’t do much for her birthday. So we are celebrating by going and taking it easy for a few days. Aside from having a rough few months for the both of us let us just look at these two facts.
Subscribe to RSS
