It's the Politics, Stupid!

I first started paying attention to elections, debates and policies about 10 years ago. I know, I probably should have been more aware earlier in life but, hey, I'm just being honest. At that time, I was amazed at the machinations of campaigns, wowed by the orations and offended by the attack ads. I suppose not much has changed, except that I'm more amazed at the audacity and wowed by the outright extremism that I see - not only in the candidates but also in their supporters.

A week or so ago, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about the dip in the national unemployment indicator. This indicator is often referenced as a bellweather, if you will, on our economy. The article - written by Jack Welch - questioned both the timing and the validity of the number - but not just this month's number ....he questions the process and oversight of the number overall. I felt they were valid questions that required some discussion, so I posted the article on LinkedIn and Facebook. Heck, if nothing else, it at least gets us THINKING about the numbers that supposedly reflect our country's economic status.

The posting on Facebook was relatively uneventful, with a couple of comments but no real discussion. The posting on LinkedIn, however, garnered some discussion until one gentleman decided to politicize the comment thread, attacking me, the author of the article, accusing the group (VA Society of CPA's - can we get any more innocuous?) of becoming right-wing etc. I tried to diffuse the gentleman, despite his attacks, by bringing him back to the real questions to be answered but was told, in no uncertain terms, that I can not post any article during an election period without it having a political motive. Seriously. About 5 other people posted thoughtful replies until he started attacking them, as well. Finally, I got a message from the group moderator that the entire comment string/posting was being removed.

The group moderators were very cool - they called to let me know that it wasn't anything I did or the article that I posted - it was the political vitriol and personal attacks that caused the removal. They encouraged me to re-post the article to start a new thread (I thanked them but said I'd save us all the trouble). They also noted that they contacted the poster that caused the issues to let him know that his contributions were unwelcome - they didn't exactly say it that way but that's how it came across. I appreciated their time and the effort they made to ensure that I knew the reasons behind the decision and that it was through no fault of my own.

The thing that really gets me, though, is that this guy essentially "won" - the article link was removed and the discussion was poisoned by his attacks and rants prior to removal. Is everyone really that extreme, that sensitive that we can't have a reasonable discussion - or even debate - about REAL issues without bringing politics into it to the degree of poisoning the discussion and, more importantly, missing the entire point?

The unemployment % is misleading, if not flat-out wrong - it doesn't include those that have given up on looking for work, those that are under-employed, or those that respond to the week-long phone census that they're babysitting a few hours a week for enough cash to give their kid lunch money. There is human error in the system and built in assumptions regarding missing data or misinterpreted data. This is not new, not under the Obama administration, not under the W administration, nor any prior administration. Yes, the fact that the unemployment number went significantly down the month before the presidential election is suspect - but the bigger questions I asked were about the ongoing accuracy (or lackthereof) of this very important number. Who is overseeing the process? What exactly IS the process and is there a margin of error built in? Who is ensuring accuracy of the data? Why isn't this transparent to the public?

Is it true that I will have to wait until after Nov 6th to have a rational, adult-like discussion without political epithets? Or will it be possible even then?

I guess it really is all about politics. What a sad statement on society in these extreme times.

The Gran Fondo

Yeah, that's me. It's fun to be on the Podium!

So ... it's been a while. I can't remember the last time I posted - at least a month ago? With race season over, what else could I possibly ramble about?? Well thank you for asking, I promise not to disappoint!!

I believe the most interesting thing I've done in the past month is the Jeremiah Bishop Gran Fondo. I honestly don't remember who suggested it first or how a half-dozen of us found ourselves in some parking garage that smelled like cat food in Harrisonburg, Virginia - which, incidentally, is not the best way to start a long day in the hills. The boy chose to ride with the big boys while the rest of us chose to keep it real with the "Medio" ... a meager 78 miles. Which was a shock to all of us when we hit the last pit-stop and they told us we had at least 18miles to go when we thought we had about 10. We were so shocked that we made them look again, and then made them show us the map. I'm not kidding. Remember that whole "know your route" thing ... yeah.

The ride started off with very cool temps, a very strange handwashing station outside the portajohns and a very disorganized registration line. Thankful to be out of the kitty-kibble garage, we rolled out en masse. For some reason, I thought they let the big boys (104miles) go first while we little people rolled out with our own groups. Not so. No idea how we managed it, but we all managed to find each other in the chaos and commenced to riding at a pretty nice clip. We were warned that there were essentially three "features" on our route (thank you to the boy for mini-mileage-cue-sheets for the climbs!). The first happened to be the King and Queen of the Mountain competition. Our little group of 5 separated to ride our own pace. Kelley and I kept each other honest after watching Phil ride away from us and knowing Gwenn and Tania were hot on our heels - or wheels, as it were. We came across the "finish" line nearly hand-in-hand ....only that would probably end with us on the ground given our collective coordination, so we did our best to roll across even.

No worse for the wear after that climb!

Following the K/QOM, there was a nice downhill - lots of switchbacks and ... open roads. Sigh. We rolled down pretty well until we encountered some guys who weren't keen on getting dropped on a downhill. They actually turned around, saw us and then proceeded to cut across the YELLOW LINE on a BLIND CURVE to make sure we couldn't pass. We hit the brakes and let them drift away. Idiots.


The second and third "feature" were pretty much the same climb with a short interlude in between. This was a doozy. Again, Kelley and I paced each other, took some pleasure in passing some guys, laughed at some other guys who killed themselves not to be passed by the girls and generally encouraged each other to keep up a respectable pace. I celebrated a little (with my inside voice) when we crested the top and started going down again. On that downhill, I had a lot of time to think. Hmmm... there are alot of warning signs for trucks to slow down. Oh, 9% for the next *4* miles? Wonder why I haven't seen any cars? Is Kelley still behind me - a quick turn on a straight away assured me she was keeping a safe distance behind. I could get up a lot more speed if not for these pesky turns. What's that - ah, a truck run-away ramp. Always a good sign. Ok, finally coming to a flat - whoops, nope, still down hill. At what point does a downhill become un-fun?

Anyway, we all made it down the hill and regrouped at the aforementioned last pit stop. We probably could have skipped it but it was such a gorgeous day and, well, the pitstops had Starbucks Frappachino and we couldn't turn our noses up at that!

Starbucks to keep us going. Cool.

The last leg of the ride should have been noted as a "feature" as well. First there was that gravel road. We all know my issues with hitting the deck and I don't mean to add extra obstacles to the mix. It wasn't a short stretch, either. We finally turned back onto asphalt and I swear the rest of the run-in was all hills. There was one point when Phil and I were climbing next to each other when we turned the corner and I said "Oh, now they're just being MEAN". I like to think he agreed given his silence.

FINALLY we rolled in, all classy and stuff because they announced our names as we came through the finish "gate". After congratulating each other and laughing about the adventure, we grabbed a table and settled in to wait for the boy to finish. I have to admit that I was surprised to see him rolling in very, VERY shortly thereafter ... SUPERSTAR! I believe he was, like, 7th across the line for long route. SuperAwesome!

Meanwhile, Gwenn goes to check our finish times and returns to the table announcing that we had each won. As in, we were each QOM for our respective age category. How cool is that? We each got a fantastic jersey with polka dots on the top and Prostate Awareness all over the rest. Ok, so prostate cancer isn't a laughing matter but - you have to admit that's kinda funny.

As previously posted on facebook - Polka Dot Girls!

This week begins two new "phases" for me ... first, I've committed to do the P90x program again. It did awesome things for me when I did it almost 2 years ago and after a long road race season, I'm ready for some cross training. I won't be able to do the whole program straight through because the off-season isn't long enough (remind me I said the off season wasn't long enough in, oh, February, when I'm whining about when the weather and races will start to shape up) but I'll do enough to make it count.

In lockstep with the P90x program, I've also started back on the Paleo thing. Someone I care about very much recently told me (after stepping out of swinging-range) that weight is holding me back in races. I think I took it well but said person continued to stay at least an arm's length away the rest of the evening. Anyway, the fact of the matter is that besides the gains in racing (as if there's anything worth considering beyond that...), there's enough health evidence to show benefits of cutting out sugar, grains and pretty much anything outside of responsibly raised meat, fresh veggies, some fruits and nuts and ... well, that's about it. There's an athlete-adapted version of the lifestyle that gives some leeway to accounting for the non-caveman-like needs of an endurance athlete and there are tons of Paleo/Primal/ Just eat what's good for you - kind of resources out there so ... I'm gonna give it a go.

I shoulda just stayed in bed

Yeah, it was that kind of weekend. It started out with grand plans and a massage and went down-hill from there.

Early in the week I planned to go down for the Chesapeake races - the age-graded champion crit, which looked fun last year when I watched the boy do it, and the 2nd 2012 edition of the PLTT

At my coach's advice, I scheduled a massage for Thursday - my first one in almost a year since I left Baltimore. The massage was relaxing, though not near as good as the ones I got from Yuri at Well-Being Massage Studio in Columbia, MD. Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, I start the short drive home. I'm sitting at a light in Clarendon and I notice smoke coming from somewhere in front of me and assumed it was the exhaust from the car ahead. Then the light changed and as we started moving I realized, no, smoke is still in front of me and the car is not. I hear a ding - the warning system in my car saying the engine is overheating. I look at the dial in the dash and the needle is all the way right with the red lit up. I'M GOING TO BLOW UP MY CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF CLARENDON. The panic that set into me was indescribable. So much for the stupid massage. I willed the lights to stay green and traffic to keep moving - I was less than a mile from home and I had no idea what to do. I manged to get the car home ... and now what? I begged a ride from the neighbor to get some coolant after speaking to the boy. Who knew Walgreens carried coolant but the local Exxon doesn't? I pour it in the correct reservoir and go to sleep with the hope that it solves the issue.

It didn't. I drove the car to the parking garage near work - a whole 1.5 miles away. By the time I pulled in, it was overheating. Dammit. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm lost without my car. Lost. AAA graciously came and took the car to my mechanic and I metro'd to and from work. I appreciated the metro more that day than I ever have before. I get home on Friday and hop on my bike to retrieve my fixed car. $550 later, I roll out. Relieved. Planning my trip to Chesapeake. Happy it was relatively easy.

It wasn't. By the time I got home - about 4.5miles - and pulled in the parking lot, it was dinging and smoking for me again. I pick up the phone to call the shop and - they're closed. And they don't open again until MONDAY. Reality sets in that 1) no Chesapeake racing for me and 2) I'm stranded in Clarendon all weekend. Ok, so being stranded here isn't such a bad thing but if I'm going to skip races, there are other things I need to do that, unfortunately involve a car.

At the last minute I secured a ride up to the hill climb. I wasn't going to do it but I'm winning the 35+ BAR and the girl in 2nd place was doing it so ... off I go for a 2.5 hr hitched-ride for a 5min "race". Sigh. Worrying about the weekend, I didn't get much sleep and my friend (and local strong-girl-racer) showed up right on time at 6:30am. I felt horrible and was less than enthused but humbled and grateful that someone cared enough to go out of her way to help me. Long story short, I got beat by 1 second. I was gracious to the winner - being a poor loser sucks for everyone - but I was not all that happy about my showing. My chauffeur won one race and got 3rd in another, so that was cause for cheer. All I wanted to do was go home and go to bed. 

Later that evening, my next hitched ride was on the way. Another friend willing to go out of his way to help me get down to the TT in Chesapeake, which should have been a test run before the Church Creek TT this coming weekend. Our 3 hour drive turned into an almost-epic 5.5 hour hike, complete with pouring rain at the end. And our TT bikes were on the roof of the car. We all know how I dislike my bike being in the out-of-doors unless I'm on it. And he - well, he had his DISC on the bike on the roof. Blasphemy, I tell you!

Arrive at the hotel late but another fantastic friend had already checked into our room earlier in the day and secured a roll-a-way bed for today's chauffeur. Wake up was 5:45 - the chauffeur had an alarm on his phone that shocked you out of bed. Disapprove. Free Holiday Inn Express breakfast and we were on our way. Plenty of time to warm up and I had explicit instructions from the boy on various preparations for the bike/disc wheel etc. I got in a decent warm up and made sure everything was working. I was the first rider off to go the full course (juniors and older masters did the short course). As I chatted with the holder and the chief ref I was assured that all the turns/intersections were attended by cops or road marshals. We briefly looked at the map of the revised course and it was time to go.

I had a decent start - good power numbers, solid position - I did lower my saddle just a bit and I'm not sure I should have power-wise but the upside was that I didn't feel like I was being impaled by it for an hour. I stand up off the ramp and hear my brake rub. Not ideal, but as long as I don't stand up, it should be ok. Anyway, I've got a Nickleback song in my head as it was the last song I heard on my iPod during the warm up (does everyone else do that? do you get a "theme song" for each time trial?) and I'm cruising right along, feeling pretty good about myself, despite hearing the brake rubbing every time I pedaled too hard. All seemed on track until I realize that, by this mileage, I should have taken a sharp left. I risk a glance behind me and realize there's no one in sight. I'm going fast but I'm not THAT fast. My stomach sinks as I turn around. About 2.5miles later, I encounter the missed turn, now manned by a cop. I asked "where were you when I came through here 10mins ago?" He responded with apologies, there was a mix up. I do my best not to flip out as I've got another 10 miles to go and, honestly, it's not the cop's fault. I see people in front of me and I start passing them, observing their numbers as I go by and doing the math that tells me that I'm at least 15mins off pace. I run through scenarios as to how this was going to go down with the promoters and refs as I realize that my day is shot.

I cross the line with almost 26 miles on my computer. For a 21.2miile TT. I hold back the anger and tears as I inquire as to who to talk to about course issues. I explain my plight to the ref that greets me and am given the fallback position of "It's the rider's responsibility to know the course". I'm so sick of hearing this. First, the intersection was around a blind curve. If I HAD made the turn at speed, there's a real chance that I could have been a hood ornament instead of a slightly emotional and angry racer. Second, they changed the course and hey, I just drove 5 hours to get here so it's not like I could pre-ride and/or have previous knowledge of the roads. Third - I'm paying $32 to race. What are the entry fees going toward if they can't at least put up a sign to direct the course - not to mention having someone to halt traffic on blind turns? If I wanted to memorize a course and take a solo ride, I can do that just fine with my garmin instead of paying someone for the pleasure of hearing "sorry, it's your responsibility to know the course". I know some will argue, and that's fine, but at least admit the safety issue, if not the fact that TTs are money-making ventures given that there's virtually no prize $$, medals and volunteers are cheap and this particular one didn't even have the expense of porta-johns. What exactly are we paying for?

I pull a 1:08 for my effort - extra mileage, stopping and rubbing brakes and all. I then proceed to have a complete meltdown in the parking lot. Sorry, you had to witness that, Evo friend ... Anger, sorrow, worry about what I'm going to do with the car situation, pent up anxiety given the recent streak of bad luck, disappointment in the previous day's result and the unfairness of today's result. Yeah, I won, by virtue of my one competitor not showing up. But even that didn't work out - they had already packed it in before I got my medal. Really.

Thank you to those kind and generous friends who offered to help in some way, shape or form. Thank you to Evo for the concern and encouragement (and for not freaking out when I had a meltdown). Thank you to my two chauffeurs, without whom this comedy of errors could not have occurred. I know life happens and sometimes you have to roll with the punches. I just wish my punches came in intervals - not in a barrage.

The car was towed back to the mechanics this morning and after some debate with the shop, I essentially paid half price for the eventual resolution (it wasn't the coolant reservoir, it was the cooling FAN - but I got a coolant reservoir whether I liked it or not!).

Anyone want to recommend a masseuse or masseur near the Clarendon/Rosslyn area? This stress-stuff does a number on a girl like me.