Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Andy B. asked that I post my racing schedule for the upcoming season:
March 8: OC Chili Winter Trail Run Series at O’Neill Park
March 29: XTERRA REAL
May 2: XTERRA West Championship- Lake Las Vegas
June 14: XTERRA Snow Valley
November 15: Big Sur Half Marathon
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
If you’ve ever found yourself in San Luis Obispo, CA on the first Thursday of the month, you’re likely to have run into a motley crew of bikers overtaking the streets of the sleepy college town. A local filmmaker and Cal Poly grad has recently finished shooting a documentary about these “Bike Happenings.” For those of us who’ve experienced this and for those who plan to, this looks like a movie that is definitely worth seeing. Check out the trailer.
Mike Lawson
District of Columbia
outsideallday.com contributor
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
I came across this video today about biking in DC. It was made and submitted in response to the Project Report competition, which is a partnership between Youtube and Pulitzer that goes about telling different stories. This video was submitted for Round 2 of the competition, that being it was for telling the story of a local issue that also reaches into a more global realm.
“A Virtuous Cycle: Bicycling in DC” examines how Washington, DC is incorporating bicycling into its transportation infrastructure. Much like cities across the world, DC is feeling the effects of years of dependence on cars: pollution, congestion, obesity. This documentary takes a look at why DC sees bicycles as part of the solution to some of these issues and what challenges it is facing with the increased popularity of biking.
A Virtuous Cycle: Bicycling in DC
Smartbike has been rolled out in the District, and I have seen quite a few people on these bikes. I just hope that the local biking associations are doing all they can to protect riders by lobbying for new bike paths, etc, because I for one have had plenty of close calls.
Mike Lawson
District of Columbia
outsideallday.com contributor
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
…or else you might end up like this woman, with no one to pry a rabid fox from your arm! Gnarly story! Wish they had pictures! (But I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be better than the images I have generated in my head)
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) – With a fox locked onto her arm, an Arizona jogger ran a mile to her car, where she was able to dislodge the animal, throw it into the trunk and drive to a Prescott hospital. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said the fox, which later attacked an animal control officer, tested positive for rabies.The unidentified Chino Valley resident told deputies she was on a trail Monday at the base of Granite Mountain when the fox attacked, biting her foot. The woman said she grabbed it by the neck when it went for her leg and it latched onto her arm…
For the rest of the story go here:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D948V99O3&show_article=1
Mike Lawson
District of Columbia
outsideallday.com contributor
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
So we’ve been having the classic “Indian Summer” out here on the east coast and I’ve been loving it. Normally we’re seeing the temps dip around this time of year, but its been in the upper 70s to low 80s all week. Tuesday night after work a couple co-workers and I decided that early sunsets weren’t going to keep us from hitting a few, so we made a visit to Top Golf . Let me just reiterate, I love Top Golf. It’s like a giant video game for adults. Each ball has a chip inside of it, and it’s programmed with your information. You hit just like at a normal driving range, but the flags are in the middle of giant circles that give you points depending on how close to the pin you get. It’s great for practicing your accuracy, however, it also made me realize I need to have some extended sessions with my driver…
Top Golf
Mike Lawson
District of Columbia
outsideallday.com contributor
Monday, October 6th, 2008
The Tri-California Folks have sure found a beautiful setting for the Tinley races. Lopez Lake is tucked away in San Luis Obispo County closer to vineyards and wine tasting rooms than persistent fog of Morro Bay or the heat of Atascadero. These races were a Senior Project at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – and let’s hope the student got an A – because it was a great idea.
Yesterday the weather was beautiful. The rain of Saturday that we missed altogether by arriving near 3 PM for check-in had already come and gone. Becky and I found ourselves sitting in warm sun staring at a glimmering lake. Check-in was cheerful and I pulled the race bike out and took off to get a practice lap in. We met Stu after his on-road Tri awaiting the next day’s off road tri (by Sunday afternoon he was awash in race metals). Stu is awesome. On Sunday from the awards stand he said “there should be more parents and grandparents joining me”.
I got back to the Subaru and the seat post was still swiveling and I made a mental note to fix that later along with trimming my new running shoe laces. As I drove towards SLO on the 227 I was a bit frustrated that I couldn’t figure out my new Specialized bike computer, my throat was sore and I was tired. The computer was spitting out non-rational data and I was too. We had a big dinner and the shared a lovely evening catching up with my Aunt and Uncle overlooking Laguna Lake with Madonna and Bishop Peaks in the background into the night.
We left the house late and made in down Orcutt to the race with very few minutes to spare. I had no warm-up to speak of due to struggling with the seat post I had mentally noted to solve the day before. The laces never got cut. It is race time now and all that must go away. 26 weeks of training were complete.
With the help of the Eternal Timing system and my own watch, I put this together:
October 5, 2008 // Scott Tinley Extreme Tri // Bib #810
Swim Finish: 13:37
Bike Start: 15:57
Bike Finish: 2:02:00
Run Start: 2:02:43
Run Time: 54:09
Finish Line: 2:56:52
10th overall (of 31)
2nd in age group (of 7)
I got a bit confused on the swim forgetting that I needed to pass the marina to get to the Swim Out section. I made some of the time back by knowing the first two miles of the ride as well as anyone. That helped me pass one guy within 50 yards and hold off a charge until the last few yards of the first technical section.
Without a warm-up I was left gasping for air within the first 30 minutes. I had to slow, cough very hard and slow even more. The climb out of Boy Scout land was brutal. Very brutal. I remembered it pretty well from last year so it was easier this time but I found myself in no mans land. By slowing so abruptly during my gasping period I lost contact with the strong racers. I slipped from being third at one point to somewhere near 10. Second thoughts about training, sleeping and working filled my rapidly unfocusing mind. Now I was chasing two guys uphill off my bike and in the heat. I lost them and I took my eye off the trail and into the surrounding hill sides. Beautiful, stunning and serene. Soon I was descending. My new bike was still a bit new underneath me and I did my best to trust it. I stood to stretch my legs. I took a deep breath and relaxed my wrists. The trail was coming fast and soon I was sliding above my very fast tires that lacked many gripping knobs to slow my pace. I remembered some snowboarding techniques and made the delicate section.
Without anyone around my pace was solely mine. Probably great for Lance, Miguel or Greg – but not me. I gained focus into the second lap. Every section of the technical portion was made without touching down. I was able to pass slower racers from the sprint race in great locations. Thanks everybody for making that safe and easy.
On the run, I ran to chase down the next racer I saw: some sprinters, and hopefully one or two extreme distance riders. The finish line came up on time. Thanks Tri-California. Thanks Tinley.
Matt Smart
Outside All Day
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
This weekend I’ll be laboring through the 24th annual Army 10-Miler. This is the largest 10-mile race in America with a 2007 registration totaling 26,000. This may be due to the incredible course –it begins and ends at the Pentagon, passes by the Lincoln and the Jefferson Memorials, and crosses right in front of the Capitol building. I’ll admit, my training leading up to this run hasn’t quite been up to par, and I know I won’t be breaking any records. At least I won’t be running in combat boots.
Mike Lawson
District of Columbia
outsideallday.com contributor
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