Life of Riley

I'm baaaaaack...

After a very brief test period over at Wordpress I have decided that Typepad is for me and some things are indeed worth paying for. It was the look and feel and ease of use that did it for me. Wordpress certainly isn't as easy to use as I would have liked. There may have been a post or two in there somewhere that isn't here. I'll look into migrating those over here. Now the trick is figuring out all of the places where I have already updated my blog URL...

For now I am contemplating how to utilize this platform a little bit more often. We'll see what happens with that...

I'm Moving...

...to Wordpress. I don't know why I've stayed here on TypePad for so long when the Wordpress platform is free to use at the most basic level and fairly cheap for some upgrades, which I may be taking advantage of. For now I will be available here as well as at ryandahlstrom.wordpress.com. I am hoping to upgrade to a custom URL, so I'll update everything once I do...for now I'm off to LinkedIn and Facebook, and everywhere else I have directed to this site...

Lake George 2009

Yesterday I competed in my first Olympic distance triathlon, the Lake George Triathlon. An Olympic distance is composed of a 1.5k swim, a 40k bike ride, and a 10k run. The event was held at Lake George in Upstate New York. This was by far my biggest undertaking since starting doing triathlons a year ago.

I had my whole training regimen worked out and I did pretty good at following it...until I hit vacation time at the end of August. I was swimming and running pretty regularly and was even biking in my apartment when I could. My training schedule fell apart when I cam back home for Travers and labor day. The most I did was run 3 miles (once) and ride 30 miles (once). I did run last week once in preparation...but I certainly wouldn't say that I was in tip-top shape.

Well, race morning came and I was up and at 'em early as could be...about 5am or so. It was a lovely 40 degrees outside and still dark. I had a little bit to eat, got my stuff in the car and we were off...yep, Caroline made the trek with me bright and early.

By the time 8:30 rolled around, which was race time, it was up to probably 45 degrees or so and the lake temp was just shy of 70 degrees. I was in for a cold one and I knew it. It was so cold that I didn't want to get into the water until I absolutely had to...so I stood at the back of the pack while everyone else took off. The swim was...well, the swim. It was fairly easy for me, though my time wasn't as fast as I would have liked. The water was really choppy and they had us swimming against the current...both ways. Fun...but not really.

Then came the bike. I got out of the water, adrenaline pumping, and then I realized how incredibly cold it was. I started to shiver, which made it tough to get my socks, shoes, helmet & gloves on. I managed...finally...and was off on the bike. I felt pretty good...accept for the occasional shivers as I dried off. At about mile 9 or 10 it became extraordinarily hard to pedal my bike and I felt like I was lugging a million pounds behind me. I kept hearing a funny whirring sound, but I didn't want to stop to check it out, so I continued on. Well...come to find out, I rode the final 15 or so miles with a flat tire. Yep...completely flat. So that million pounds I felt like I was tugging along...it was just me and the back half of my bike. The course was tough...not gonna lie. There were plenty of fairly steep hills that made me want to get off and walk (I'm sure the flat didn't help here). It was pretty scenic as well...would be nice for a nature ride when the leaves change...in a car!

When I finally got in from the bike there were already folks finishing. It was a real-deal race, so I wasn't surprised. I was off on the run. Nothing too special here...some little hills here and there but a nice run course around the Village. The first loop was a little tough, but once the determination kicked in, I was able to kick it up a notch or three and finished strong. I was probably averaging about a 10 minute mile (or a little more) for the first loop and probably got that down to about 8 1/2 or so for the final 3 miles. I was happy with that performance...especially since I didn't stop to walk at all as so many others did.

All-in-all I had a blast. The race was so well organized and the folks at the Adirondack Tri Club put on an awesome time. The MC of the day did a great job keeping everyone in the loop...whether it was keeping us in check before the race started or anouncing everyone as we crossed the finish line, he was on point. The atmosphere was great after the race as well. It was nice to see that so many people stuck around after the race to hang out and enoy the food and music.

This race was probably the hardest thing that I have done to this point in my life. I am sore as sore can be today...my knees hurt, my hips are sore, my shoulders are sore...but I am totally looking forward to the next one! It was a great end to a great racing season. My goal for next year is quality over quantity. I finished 5 races this summer with respectable times at each. Next year I am going to tone that down by a few races and shoot for better times and better finishes.

Now it's off to football season...hopefully I can keep the activity level up there while I watch my 'Boys!

Trouble is brewing...

The Lake George Triathlon is in less than one week and I have not worked out or trained in well over a week. While I was home on vacation my training was basically put on hold in lieu of golfing, tv, and hanging with pups. I tried running a couple of times when I was home...the first time I felt like puking after 2 miles or so and the second time I was sore for three days after (a simple 3.1 mile workout). Seeing as how this is my longest race to date and I have sore quads after yesterday's Diamond Dash, I am extremely nervous for this race...extremely nervous!

Some pretty big changes...

It is official...the rumors are confirmed...Caroline and I are getting married. I proposed on the 30th of August and she agreed to spend the rest of her life with me. Awesome!

One of her first requests was a website...so I obliged and put together RyanAndCaroline.net. It'll be our digital presence and everyone else's way to keep track of what is going on with our wedding planning and our lives together. Check us out...

Twitter Update & Some Typical Randomness

So I have decided that I will be using my twitter account to track my training progress leading up to next year's Iron Man 70.3 in Rhode Island. I have been updating my account after each workout, but I always forget to hash-tag the post so that I can go back and pull everything up later on. That seems to be the trickiest thing for me...140 characters is no problem...it's the stupid hash-tag that I always seem to forget.

Aside from still not agreeing with twitter as a mainstream communication platform, I am starting to take to the service as an information gathering tool. The people that I follow all provide me some sort of information that is all conglomerated in one spot...which is nice. I follow some on twitter, but also am a "fan" or "friend" on facebook...and it is interesting to see how different the two services are utilized.

So far this is what I have noticed...NYRA gets it and US Soccer doesn't. NYRA uses its facebook account to post articles and news stories about what is happening at the track or within the organization. It then uses its twitter account to update followers on trainer standings, results of big races, and other breaking news. It is great since I am not at the track every moment of every day, but am still interested in knowing what is going on. NYRA does a really nice job seeding conversations on Facebook and engaging with fans through twitter.

US Soccer doesn't get it. I am also a fan on facebook and follow US Soccer news on twitter. They use facebook to post starting lineups and provide other interesting news articles. Each posting has hundreds of comments and "likes." The fans are obviously engaged and desiring of this information. The use of twitter is poor at best, however. Last night the US Men's Team played El Salvador in what was more or less a must win game. Not a single tweet from US Soccer throughout the entire game...not at the start, not after a goal, not at half time, not after the game even. It wasn't until about 2 hours after the game ended that the following was posted "by now everyone knows USA beat El Salvador 2-1. USA should have had several more goals. poor finishing is the story." Poor...very poor way to stay on top of things.

Some other thoughts...TO loves himself a little too much and tweets way too much...as does Lance Armstrong. The biggest difference is that Lance will throw out some interesting links every now and again. I am borderline ready to dump TO from my list. Shaq is a clown. I like the little tidbits here and there outside of their blogs from Mark Cuban and Fred Wilson.

Bottom line so far...I will continue to give this whole twitter thing a try. If nothing else it is keeping track of my training for me.

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Some random notes: I didn't compete in the Crystal Lake race on Travers' morning. It was a torrential down pour and, with the course the way it is, I just didn't want to risk getting hurt. If I didn't have Lake George in a couple of weeks I probably would have raced...probably. I feel like a bum for not doing it, but I am slowly accepting that it was the wisest decision. Vacation has been great! I miss it up here so much...it is so quiet and relaxed compared to the City. The air smells clean, there is grass and birds, and, of course, my puppies! I haven't been away from the city for this long since I have been down there...it is going to suck going back. Oh well. Finally...I am debating on switching over to Wordpress. It only makes sense to me...free blog versus paying fifty bucks a year to host this on Typepad. Any thoughts on making the switch? Aside from copying and pasting manually, is there a way to migrate all past content over to Wordpress? Lake George...2 weeks from yesterday...getting excited...nervous, but excited!

Twitter me this...Twitter me that...

About a month or so ago I caved and signed up for a Twitter account. I signed up, not for my own use, but purely for work. I didn't get Twitter and I honestly thought it was a bad thing. I still don't really get it and am not really sure that it is as good as everyone makes it out to be...but I am thinking that I might give it a try.

I am trying to figure out what to use my Twitter account for, though. I use this blog as a personal history to track the going-ons in my life and to record accomplishments and whatnot that I would like to remember. I use Facebook to communicate with friends and keep track of what is going on. I am thinking that Twitter may be a good way to track my workouts while I continue to train for Iron Man 70.3 next year.

I am just not sure how I feel about joining the Twitter masses and supporting the service. Ultimately I still disagree with the premise of Twitter...I feel as though it is contributing to the degradation of communication skills. I get the value behind it, but I don't think that there is enough emphasis on getting our kids to understand that they need to speak as well as tweet. Texting and tweeting and other communication is almost creating a new language that we all must learn. But that is for another time...

For now, the debate continues...what to do with this Twitter account?

Bored, Bored, and more Bored

I have my next race in less than one week and I find myself sitting here on my butt! I haven't exercised at all since Thursday and I don't know if I'll get more than a couple of miles in prior to the race on Saturday. Most things were or are my choice, but I am going a little crazy at this point. I am hoping that I will be able to slip my sneaks on in the morning and be able to get at least a few miles in before work. The new piece on my foot may hamper those plans a bit, though, as I am still a little swollen and running may not be as easy as I would like. The real trick will be getting through the race this weekend. I am not sure what I was thinking...wait, yes I do...Johnny is an amazing artist, he had an opening, I knew what I wanted, sold. Mind over matter all, mind over matter.

I am working on a few things right now. Some on hold, some waiting for other's input, and some just waiting until I feel like getting there. Life is good and I'm happy...truly happy!

New Netbook

After a long period of back and forth between do I or don't I, I finally decided to get myself a new computer. The last time I purchased a new computer was prior to starting my MBA program...back in 2004. When that one kicked the bucket back in October...literally 3 days after moving to NYC...I purchased a used ibook off of ebay.

Since starting the new job I have become a real Mac fan. I think that Macs are much more intuitive to use and seem to not have as many issues. So, needless to say, I was bummed when my ibook stopped booting up about a month and a half ago. Since then I have been on the prowl for something new...I just wasn't sure what to get.

At this point I really only use my home computer to browse the web, read the news, check email, and chat with friends. No real need to write papers or compose presentations anymore. There is no need to huge screens for web design anymore. So I wasn't sure which way to go...Mac, PC, desktop, laptop, netbook.

After debating everything and doing quite a bit of research I settled on the Asus Eee PC, which is Asus' baseline netbook. I bought it at BestBuy and paid just over $300 after taxes. I would say that setup took less than 20 minutes total. The thing is tiny...which is taking some getting used to for me and my fat fingers, but it is also very light...something like 2.5 lbs. The screen is small, but bright and crisp. I figure I can hook it to my TV when I want to watch Hulu or NetFlix...I just need to remember to pick up that cord one of these days. The speeds online are also pretty impressive.

I am a bit disappointed to be running a Windows OS again. Hopefully this time I don't encounter all of the crashes and whatnot that have always plagued me and my computers. I think that I'll give the Google OS a try once that is released next year. At this point that is my only complaint...hopefully it remains that way.

If you are looking to get a new computer, want something light and fast, and don't want to spend too much money I would certainly recommend the Eee PC...I'm glad that I did.

it's been awhile...quick updates

It's been a bit since I last managed to log in and share some thoughts with the world...

Since my last posting I have been keeping quite busy. At work I have been spending much time working with Darren to build out a search group from the ground up. It's been a lot of work, but also a great learning experience. After a couple months of research and many iterations of my recommendation I was finally able to present it yesterday. I am doubtful we'll be fully up and running for April, but I have my fingers crossed that we can get everything implemented by May.

I am also busy trying to plan out my summer months with travel, fun, and tris, My bike is still all screwed up, so I need to get it into the shop before I try anything too serious. A few weeks back, however, I did take it around Riverdale and the riding here sucks! I miss the open roads and views in and around TogaTown. I have been told that there is a nice bike path around me, but I couldn't find it. Darren also filled me in that the Bronx Parkway is closed on Sundays for biking...I'll have to figure out how to get over there. I am sick of riding in my apartment.

And now the randoms...I am excited to get down to Raleigh one of these days to see Mom & Dad...it has been awesome having the pups with me this week and I am very much looking forward to next week; I miss them so much...going to Detroit for the NCAA finals...house is finally on the market (fingers crossed it goes quickly!!)...Islander's on Thursday...not much else going on...