Shots heard round the World

Bullet comments. First you think they are harmless. Trite. Succinct. Not so much. Interestingly enough, I got hood-winked (read...I'm a dumb-ass). Turns out that my work's IT department has a Google search going for any time the company's name is mentioned over the World Wide Web. NICE. In a prior post I had written that I wasn't entirely happy about going back to work with this former employer. If you can imagine, a large and distasteful amount of crow was eaten by the M-Dot Bigun before, during and now after reapplying, re interviewing and then reaffirming my reentry into the world of luxury sales. Oh yea. The CEO of the company read my comments, forwarded them to my manager, and a conversation ensued that was not easy to take part in. So a word to the wise: never mention your company in the same post that you mention a job hunt. For all I know, my CEO now reads my Blog. Voluntarily. Egads.

Did you happen to watch Obama's address the other night? Remember Elkhart, Indiana? RV production capitol of the world. The whole city unemployed. Looting and rioting in the streets. I couldn't have gotten back into selling RV's a moment too soon. I got my brand spanking new Name Badge this morning before going home with a fever, so I guess I'm officially "in" again. Nothing like a name badge to make you feel like you belong. Lovely.

So, do you think they will actually have a 2010 May Ironman in St. George, UTAH? I checked it out on Google Maps, and I could hardly find a body of water big enough to support a 2.4 mile swim. Perhaps at the reservoir north east of the city? It's just too bad it's so far away, way out there near Las Vegas, all the way across the country from where I WORK. You folks out west, like in Phoenix and in Salt Lake and Ogden, ya'll have fun with that one. I'm really, really jealous.

Bullet Update

• Working on Episode 18 of the Tacboy and Bigun Podcast. We got a coaching lab rat. We got Otterbox reviews. We start the new new year with some good 'ol fashioned jib-jab.
• Still looking ahead to the Minnesota Border to Border. Every other race is crap-shoot as to my participation or not. Actually, so is MN B2B...
• Which brings me to my next note: Still Job Hunting. If I land a job, particularly the one I want out in Las Vegas, then the race schedule will REALLY be up in the air. Who knows what kind of time I'll have off then, especially for a week-long race.
• In the mean time, still working the Installation Biz. It's been reduced to part-time since that's about all the business I get from all my sources. Unbelievable, but then I hear of friends in other industries losing 75% of their business, and I guess it makes sense.
• As a fail safe, I've started working at the RV place again. Selling RV's. 100% Commission. Not at all what I ever wanted to do again, but these are tough times.
• Training is an afterthought at this point. Getting in about one hour of running a week. Can't really call that training. 4 weeks until the Gasparilla half-marathon.
• Blink and Christie will be here (gosh, I'm sure I spelled her name wrong... crap...) for Gasparilla, as will my Mom and her husband Bob, and who knows, maybe even the Tac and Trimama. At least I've got the spare bedrooms ready! I'll be mostly concerned with jogging the half mary, and having a great weekend with friends and family. Gosh, maybe my Mom will beat me! I'd better get out there and run a bit more....
• Still lurve the Facebook.
  

Episode 17 - 2008 Wrap

Somehow we did it... we wrapped up 2008 on New Years day, and I'm just now getting it edited and published on Itunes. Hope you enjoy our last show of the year - we hope to do more in '09 and keep the laughs coming. Sometimes it's hard to find stuff to laugh about. But when you're good, you're good, right?

MN B2B is shaping up!

Holy Moley!  The Minnesota Border to Border, or MNB2B, is turning out to be quite the hotspot in the world of Blog-land.  Ok, it's got a few folks coming at least.  The teams are far from confirmed, but organization of the teams is developing.  Tentatively (and please please please read that last word - TENTATIVELY) it looks a bit like this so far:

Girls Team:

TriMama

Iron Jenny

Momo (who is still unconfirmed)

****open****

Boys Team:

Bigun (that'd be me)

Taconite Boy

Blink

***open***

Minnesota Mixed:

Jumper 2.0

Iron Girl Nyhus

Borsch

***open***

So there you have it.  3 teams so far with open spots on each one of them.  I'm sure there will be others wanting "in", and some who may have life get in the way.  It happens.  Some concern of logistics and transportation was mentioned...I'm sure that we'll be able to keep the "Team Vans" or RV grouped - I mean, how far apart will the teams get?  Plus, we'll be staying in the same hotel as each other each night - so the festivities will be very much a group thing.  

I don't know.  TriSherpaDi will undoubtedly be Super Sherpa-ing one team.  Perhaps with help from none-other-than Commodore.  Big J will undoubtedly cater the girls team.  Not sure who will Sherpa the Minnesota crew.  Obviously the names of these teams will need to be determined - they need to make a statement.  They need to be Bold!

Speaking of Bold, wouldn't it be a coup if perhaps the legend.....ary Bolder came out of retirement and joined a team?  I really hope we get enough interest to put more teams together.  Keep in mind, the teams can be 2, 3 or 4 man teams.  Just how big a stud or studette are you?

Base Canoe II

You guys think I'm funny!  This canoe shizzle is some serious stuff.  There are, like, races - marathon and ultra type races - across the country in canoes and kayaks.  There's an event that takes you AROUND FLORIDA....seriously, all around Florida - at the top, you have to do a 40 mile portage.  Portage, btw, is when you carry the boat, not paddle it.  Oh yea, I'm "in the know" now.

Since it turns out that this canoe aspect of my multisport career brings so much hilarity and entertainment to my triathlete brethren, I'll continue to enlighten you with exploits of my dry water exercise.  I think I've found a one stop shop for all my canoe training questions - believe it or not, there is a web site called Fitness Paddling.  I'm just excited to have yet another thing to train on - three just wasn't enough.  Sure, I could have picked darts, or horse shoes - but now that I don't have my lawn business anymore, I need to spend more time outdoors. 

And for those of you just tuning in - what is the need to do this canoe training?  Well I'll tell ya - the Minnesota Border to Border.  At the end of that 4 day relay, we have a 50 mile canoe leg.  And by "we" I mean - Me, Taconite Boy, someone else and someone else.  Yes!  That's right.  It turns out the girls we had on our team had decided to go "ladies only" (I know what your thinking - yes, I'm thinking it too...but stop).  TriMama and Iron Jenny may be teaming up with Momo and some other yet to be unnammed tri-hawtie.  Of course, there is no limit to the number of teams - the more the merrier.  I'm not in charge - I'm just bringing YOU, the interested reader, all the latest and greatest on what is sure to be an epically fun week.

If by fun, you think I mean lots of racing AND drinking / eating - you'd be right!  TriSherpaDi will be showing off her mixology AND driving skills as LEAD Sherpa of one of the teams.  If Momo throws her hat in the ring then Big J would likely bring the RV and head up the Sherpa duties of the all girl squad.  Lucky bastard.  Now I've heard rumblings of other folks that would be heading up and joining the fun (like Blink - who's not joining a team; he's just riding and running with us), but there has to be some semblance of rumor control (by control, I mean the only rumor will be of Momo and Big J's participation so far...) so I'll wait for more rumors before I leak any more possible participants.

Base Canoe

Today's workout:  4 mile Canoe on the Hillsborough River.  Did the same thing last year, but not with the foreboding B2B 25-mile canoe leg on the horizon.  Averaged 2 miles per hour today.  Took it waaaaay easy.  Call it a "base" canoe workout.  

Ol' Excel Man actually took his heart-rate monitor with him on this trip.  Sure, the Garmin is bad enough.  But he actually wore his Polar as well.  I was seriously out-teched today.  I gotta get a carbon-fiber paddle or something....

09 Season Map

Well, it looks like I'm finally getting back into it. I'm looking at races and schedules and calendars and getting excited again. This wasn't the case a few weeks / months ago. I've started to put together 2009. It looks good so far. I'm not trying to think past the Minnesota Border to Border - although perhaps a half IM like the Florida Challenge would cap off the year nicely.

What's changed? I don't know. Maybe looking at myself in the mirror. I'm afraid to step on the scale. Yesterday I gave up sodas. Completely. No more sodas - it will probably cut my daily calorie intake by a minimum of 1000 calories. No kidding. I'm also done with fast food lunches. No more Mickie D's quarter pounders for lunch. No more fries. Goodness. I've been pumping myself with that crap for too long.

Goals? Well, that's a tough one. My "A" race this year is a relay, with a strange series of events and distances. I'll most likely be doing 4 x 24 mile bikes, 13 x 1 mile runs, and 25 miles in a tandem canoe. I'll tell ya, training for that will be different - very much a speed oriented training plan. I'd like to think I can work up to 21mph average on the bikes, and 8:30's for the runs. We'll see how much training I can actually get in!

So the plan is set. Not in stone, of course, but a working schedule is out there. Except for MnB2B - everything is local around Tampa and Orlando this year. We are trying to keep it very much on the cheap. There are so many cool races Nationally, I hope things change through '09 so that we can get out and do more across the country - and visit our great friends!

IMCOZ

WHAT?  Nooooo! It's sold out!  I was just going to.... crap!  Oh well, maybe next time.

Facebook killed the bloggie star...

Well, not just Facebook - I've just not a lot to say.  This blog has been mostly about Triathlon and training, and some humorous other stuff along the way.  Not a lot of funny stuff going on lately.  Even less triathlon or training!  At least for me.  Some of you are training like crazy and getting ready for first Ironmans and what-not.  That's completely awesome...I lurk on your blogs and love to read your latest adventures.  

This isn't a farewell post by any means.  Just an explanation as to wassup in the life of Bigun.  The blog life.  My writing motivation is just diminished.  Sorry folks.  I do spend a ton of time on Facebook, and for those of you making the Facebook rounds, well, we know.  Facebooking is 10 times easier than blogging.  At least when you have just a little bit to say.

In time I'll be back.  I enjoyed blogging at one point, and will again.  I'll be training again, and getting ready for some new race.  In the mean time - you guys and gals keep up the good training and racing - and blogging!