A Savage Tuesday!

Good thing I chose not to swim Tuesday morning. I needed every ounce of energy for the two games of Summer League that night! Unlike the previous week where we had upwards of twelve men, only six showed up last night. Along with the rest of the team, I played savage (no subsittutes) the entire night. Shoot me now.

Since Rachel had to work, we were faced with the reality of playing down against Cici's team, which was quite stacked with Monte and Whit, quite possibly the most complete female player in Charlotte. Both Travis and Steve were walking wounded the entire night; our "Seven Minute Abs" team was rounded off with JB, Short, and Kai.

I think everyone on the field was genuinely surprised that we went up 8-6 at the half! I don't remember exactly what we were doing right, but I did catch a couple of points in this game. Before the half I was swinging wide in the endzone and would have been quite short, but Whitney errantly knocked my disc well into the air and I came out with the score. I *may* had made a big deal out of this, which was probably unnoticeable given the mammoth-sized egos of Monte and Cici. I later felt bad because I have a lot of respect for Whitney. I kept getting placed on Monte as well. Funny thing, my first few years I couldn't tell the difference between Greg and Monte. Marking an accomplished handler is usually a waste of energy, but at least it cut down on the deep running.

Lisa made her usual halftime appearance. Unfortunately our opponents really put the screws down on us, and late in the game hammered out five or six straight points. We even chose to end a little early, as we wanted to win the war. Besides, the less I have to hear Cici complain (yes, the second one was tenacious D) the better.

Following that loss we moved our rag-tag team across the way and had to remain in dark shirts for our next opponent. We were very well matched with Des' team most of the way, trading points well past the halfway mark. By this time the sun was burning bright on the horizon and causing some havoc - I had one very notable drop. The real stinker was our only real shot at a two point play (cross gender huck from midfield or back). I was involved (so obviously I was the recipient) swinging across from the always amazing Lisa A. Unfortunately for our team I had misjudged the skill level of my defender (and it was a face I knew well). I pull down another catch for our team, and ended the night with four pulls total. I seem to recall only one was terrible. That was stellar given I didn't have an opportunity to throw before the games start (this makes a huge difference!). I handled very shakingly, never flicking. Once again, this can be remedied but I misjudged the traffic coming down Tryon. Rachel did actually show up in time to play some points (Travis was completely out by then) but that was another game in the L column. I was just completely beat, my feet hurt particularly bad.

I then went back to my car in my cleats (despite being ridiculed last week and having TWO opportunities to get my sandals from home beforehand), I decided to definitely hit Moosehead despite being so utterly destroyed. I drove home in my socks and quickly changed, making sure to grab some sunglasses Steve left in my chair last week. The crowd and experience was fun - I was at the end of table and had a good opportunity to talk with Rachel and Steve. My two favorite people who I just LOVE were also there, but they were pleasant to deal with off the field. In fact, I talked some to Cici about playing disc golf. Apparently JB is into it, along with Steve. JB told me today he recognized from the MAP triathlon in 2007. Thus the word spread that I was an Ironman! In reality, I felt like I wanted to go home and sleep. Yeah, free beer and a rather great chicken sandwich. Home. tired. later.

A Summer Swim Stunner!

As I was rudely interrupted yesterday from my run to work and home, that evening I waited until twilight to head out for a route I dub the "Madison Park Long Run." Not really long, but following most of the bounds of South, Tyvola, Park, and Woodlawn that make up this neighborhood. My GPS had excellent reception and put me at 5.78 miles, which after looking at other data believe to be in the correct distance neighborhood.

Since I last ran clockwise, I opted for the more popular counterclockwise version. It would seem to be easier with the long drop along Tyvola before jumping into the woods, but if you look at the elevation profile from there it's basically a long climb before the Willow Oak steps and home. My PR for this run (and direction) was 44:39 in March of last year. It was pleasant running for the most part. I had neglected to turn of the 9:15 pace warning, but thankfully it beeped at me only a few times. I felt much stronger and huffed out a 46:31, which is about a 8:03 minute mile pace. This was my second best effort on this particular course - not too bad!

I mention the run because I came into today feeling like I had to hold off on today's swim, mainly because I was worn down from the run and that I would be playing Ultimate tonight. While I was in the "mini gym" Cliff asked me why I spent so little time there. Before leaving I weighed in at 181 pounds, which represents a slow drop since my high with the months following my Ironman Vineman.



There was a little hurry to jump in the water, but not much. I felt very comfortable with the strides and hoped I wasn't lulled into another monster session. That "fear" slowly began to rear it's "ugly" head at 700 meters when for the third time I broke 15 minutes, clocking in at 14:58. About five minutes later I became to think about the fact this could be the day I made it to 15 lap (1500 meters or 0.932 miles) territory! Of course I had not dared to take a real "halfway" mark at 750 meters! During that I was driven on by my wild fantasies. No my friends, not of beautiful women, but winning an Ironman with a world-record time. I can't see how the first fantasy would improve over my already questionable aerodynamic shape.

Sure enough I came thundering through at 29:22 for 14 laps; representing a monumental drop of 27 seconds! I finished the fifteenth lap for a total time of 31:26. If my estimate of 16:02 is correct for 750 meters, than means the second half improved to 15:24, or a 4% increase in speed. Each 50 meter leg averaged out to 1:03, obviously also a Publius best.

Not that I was too high on my horse. Most of the swim coaches hanging around probably think I'm some sort of flailing fool. No doubt my technique sucks, I've never really had any sort of teacher. But I tell you what. If I can consistently swim better at short distances than someone like Mona Baset who swims regularly and spends hundreds on classes and instructors, why shouldn't I feel good? Same thing for a naturally amazing athlete like Chris Cummins, who obviously works 8 hours a week and trains like crazy. I swam my 2.4 mile leg of my Ironman faster than him and probably put in 1/3 the effort. Damn I'm lazy. But the swimming is so relatively unimportant. Somewhere in the 75 minute range for 2.4 miles is solid. It'll never win you a race, but why spend all the extra effort and money? After yesterday it's clear I don't have any money, so that's a no-brainer.

I was thinking about all this as I drove out of the parking lot. As I went down McDowell I saw a man running that looked very familiar. Oh my &$% - was that DAVID HOGEBOOM?!?!? A later discreet inquiry to the my spy network revealed it was in fact the man who had vanished into the mists of Bank of America.

When it came time to change into my Ultimate gear, I realized I had forgotten my sandals. So I had to leave the office and come on the field in my ultra fancy brown suede shoes.


I had hoped nobody would notice but Trevor was right on me - "Hey Scott, nice fashion statement!" D'oh!

Anyway, temperatures were in the mid 80s with lots of direct sunshine. Definitely not as hot as last week. This past week our default captain had quit the team because of an injury. I am quite certain that given all the teams I've been on since 2001, not a single captain has ever "quit." Well, as far as I'm concerned, good riddance - she was very unfriendly to me and was not adding much. The replacement she promised never showed. Our other captain JB had an anti-cheer approach. For our first game we were pitted against Jeff's team. Jeff is VERY tall, at least six to eight inches on me! I used to be one of the few that could have any sort of chance against him. I have lots of memories from Pearl Street years ago of him beating me again and again in the endzone.

In the very first point I had to defend on him and he just beat me again and again. The difference of course was that Jeff has continued to play and continued to become quite good. I like the guy a lot, but it was humiliating, especially for one of the few that wasn't overly mismatched on height. It was a tough start, but then the weirdest thing began to happen - we were winning! I have a ton of respect for our woman Rebecca and Lisa. Rebecca seems to have to play savage for the first half hour until Lisa gets there. And then Lisa was not just a scoring machine, but handling extremely well. We ended up winning our first game 13 to 9!! Way to go Seven Minute Abs!!

We remained on our field and went white for our next game. This was the team with Nick Vincent, one of other few guys on the circuit taller than myself. The competition was much more stiff but we managed to hold 3-3 to half. During the evening I had several breakout plays. I took down one score on a short play thanks to some quick thinking to break my man. Then in the second game I broke long to chase down a long floater down the line. Unfortunately I didn't catch at the endzone, but I dumped back and then watched us score - yes! Later on I was running down the same corridor and had a chance for the score and a nice stretch move. I went up with my best Air Jordan using only one hand and ended up looking like Lisa Jacobellis at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Later on I had a few more frustrating plays. They made a series of questionable calls and the game slipped from our grasp. Thankfully I didn't leave the field in a bad mood. Our team continues to improve and I survived a tough swim today and an even tougher evening of Ultimate.

I'll leave you with some photos of my favorite league team so far.

TFDA Winter League 2002-2003 - the Kumquats (15-2!)

Here we are!

The Great Kwat Huddle - co-captain Mel/Momkwat/Melkwat looking back, I'm on the far left


Christoph going under to deny with co-captain JP watching


Herndon handling wih style!

Josh leaping for the catch!


JP flicking clear of "his greatness" Chris Hinkle

JP going low to get the job done

Mel with the stellar D!

Fellow Dukie Jon Remucal denying Hinkle

Fellow Dukie Megan Wargo with "Spaz" watching the action

Fellow Dukie and Ultimate instigator Dan Olstein (with hat) talking up his competition

I'm Back In The Game?!?

On Tuesday I came out of a two year Ultimate Frisbee hiatus and began league play in the 2008 CAUA Summer League. Really though, it's been longer than that. I last played in the 2006 summer league, but if you look at my pickup stats I really trailed off in 2005 as I began my focus towards marathons and longer triathlons.

I was really anxious about my "return." When I first came to Charlotte, Ultimate (as it is more frequently referred to), was my main social exercise outlet. We'd play Tuesday/Thursday nights at Pearl Street and then on Sunday at Dilworth Elementary (before the remodel). I first became interested in the sport due to my housemate Dan-O when I lived in Durham. The league in the Triangle (TFDA) is absolutely amazing!

I had never played a team sport before and it's always been a struggle. The game is invariably complex to me; reading teammates and opponents can really be tough. And it took probably three years before I could throw a decent flick. My handling skills are quite poor, but I am capable of being dangerous on the field due to the facts that 1) I am tall, 2) I can run fast, and 3) I will do whatever it takes (lay out, foul) to grab the disc.

The real question was how much I had lost during my Ultimate vacation. I was also curious how new the faces would be, how many people I would remember, and if anyone would remember me. I was also scared to death (one of the main reasons I stopped) of an injury hampering my triathlon goals. This especially applies to my tender hamstrings and various ankle/foot injuries. My worst Ultimate injury was back in 2001 (?). I laid out for the disc and really hurt my ribs.

So it was like both 1) showing up for the first day of school, afraid all the kids would laugh at me and 2) a high school reunion. The games are scheduled to be held every Tuesday for the next couple of months, two games a night at 6:30 and 7:30. The weather this week in Charlotte was on the upswing towards miserable, thankfully with some winds and twilight hours it was actually enjoyable out there!

It was mostly new faces to me - never heard of our captain. Only one face on my team that I really remember. He's been around for quite some time. I have a lot of respect for his playing abilities, but he is a real jackass. I remember back in 2004 to one Sunday where this unnamed individual parked his truck in some guy's driveway. His truck was SO precious he couldn't park it on the street like the rest of us. Sure enough later on the owner of the house came out to ask about the truck. This individual was in the middle of the play and kept him waiting. The owner got all angry and it escalated quickly. I was just stunned my Ultimate colleague was talking like the driveway was his to park in. It was really an amazing thing to witness.

Okay, so back to "the return." I put on my cleats, ran around the fields, then found some folks to toss with me. I was delighted to see that my forehand skills were still very precise. In addition, the flicks weren't too bad. Apparently they had not horribly degraded with their appropriate shelf lives. The two games that night were scrimmages (they didn't count) so everyone could start to work together as a team and get back into the picture. Our team, for now aptly named Team 7, seemed pretty coherent out of the gate. Our opponent was Nick's team. I was out for the first point, heart beating hard before I ran at all! Overall it was a positive experience! We trailed behind a couple of points the whole way and ending up losing, but I did pull down one disc for the score. I then used the opportunity to get in a pull. It went the distance but was definitely out of bounds. I did have a few dropped passes, and could only last 2-3 points at a time. I was given another opportunity to pull, so I intentionally chose going short versus out of bounds!

We then moved our camp to the adjoining field for our next game. I wasn't as active in the second game. I pulled down a nice pass right at the goal line and tried a forehand to our captain Bean but that went down in flames. Actually, anytime I am handling and at least have the opportunity to score IS a big deal, and of course even bigger if I connect. There was one defensive play in the end zone where I hit the ground and rolled up. I did have a few dropped passes, but otherwise at heavy twilight the games ended and I left happy.

I was worried about my left ankle and foot. They seemed to be some swelling, and I don't remember a particular crash or incident that would have caused it. I did opt out of the Moosehead party afterwards, this was enough of a social leap for me, perhaps I will branch out more in the future!