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Okay, now that it is over with, what’s next? Here’s the current plan: July 17, 2008:- Cherry Pickers Trot – 4 mile run August 9, 2008:- Coeur d’Alene Triathlon (Olympic triathlon distance) – ~1 mile swim, ~25 mile bike, ~6 mile run September 27-28:- The Berryman Adventure Race (36 hour course) – 50-70 mile mountain biking, 20-40 mile trail running, 15-30 miles canoeing. After that, I am not committed to anything but I hope to do the Spokane Half-Marathon and a marathon such as the Tri-Cities Marathon . A little something that will motivate me to keep fit at least. © Copyright 2005-2008 Mark Michaelis Read More...
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I cannot say enough about how wonderful the support from family and friends was. Undoubtedly, Elisabeth has been stuck with providing the most support. Obviously, this wasn’t just on race day but throughout the year as I trained for the race. Some training days were as many as 8 or 9 hours. Time was not just in training but researching/purchasing equipment, reading and learning, logging my training, and an endless myriad of other time consuming items. Elisabeth even put together a document of information on various topics relating to the Ironman. Thanks so much Sweetie! Several weeks before the race I asked Bryan McLelland to help coordinate where people should be when. Towards this effort, I printed out the bike and run maps and combined these with my locator spreadsheet , which the two of us reviewed a couple weeks before. Thanks Bryan!!! The day before the race, my mom, dad, and brother came down with me and I pointed out to them where I was going to be passing through the transition area. (This not only communicated to them what I would be doing, but it also helped solidify it in my mind.) Note: Give map of transition and finish area to family and friends and walk it through with them. On race morning, Bryan drove me down to the race and helped with dropping off special needs bags and other miscellaneous items. This was a huge help in reducing stress. He also took pictures and adopted Elisabeth, Benjamin, and Hanna when they arrived at the race. Unfortunately, I didn’t see them before heading to the beach. Thanks to Elisabeth and Neely, each of my kids had handmade shirts and they were awesome! My kids were very excited about having them (they still wear them after the race), and I was proud of them too. If that wasn’t enough, Elisabeth made me a shirt for the run as shown below. Wow!!! Everyone I saw in the run seemed to have one of those fancy tri-shirts. Really, it was rare I didn’t see one. Even when it wasn’t a tri-shirt, there were no other shirts I noticed that were “homemade.” I got tons of comments both from other runners and from the spectators. I love the shirt and it made me feel loved and cared for. Next time I want to find a white bike shirt so that I can have something similar for the bike. Also, it was mentioned that I needed something distinguishable on my helmet. Consider painting it perhaps? By the way, use your first name on your run number and your last name on your bike number (use only your first name if you are not switching numbers). Read More...
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One of our core products, Gama System eArchive was accredited last week. This is the first accreditation of a domestic product and the first one covering long term electronic document storage in a SOA based system. Every document stored inside the Gama System eArchive product is now legally legal. No questions asked. Accreditation is done by a national body and represents the last step in a formal acknowledgement to holiness. That means a lot to me, even more to our company . The following blog entries were (in)directly inspired by the development of this product: Laws and Digital Signatures Reliable Messaging and Retry Timeouts Approaches to Document Style Parameter Models XmlSerializer, Ambient XML Namespaces and Digital Signatures Security Sessions and Service Throttling Reliable Message Delivery Reliable Message Delivery Continued Durable Reliable Messaging We've made a lot of effort to get this thing developed and accredited. This , this , this , this , this , this , this , this and t h o s e are direct approvals of our correct decisions. Read More...
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Day Before Met Eric at Mountain View Cyclery in Post Falls . He was getting new tires and tubes. Remarkably, every time a new tire was put on it popped at about 120 PSI. What gives? Went through replacement tape, tire, still no luck. Eventually, left the wheel there and went to go check in the bikes (minus one wheel). Turns out, after putting the tube onto a replacement wheel it still popped. 7 tubes later, it was determined the tubes were faulty. Interestingly, it would have been okay to check the bike in race morning if it came down to it. Plus, that would have avoided the rain. Took my bike in to get new tires and the bike guru (Jefferson) pointed out that I had significant scraping in the hub. Arghh!! How is this possible? I took it to Wheel Sport East the Monday before and they had checked it out saying that it was all set to go. :) I scrambled to rebuild the hub but Jefferson, at Mountain View Cyclery in Post Falls was absolutely awesome. He rebuilt my hub, replacing the bearings in no time. Unfortunately, he didn’t have an replacement spindle so there was still some roughness in the rotation but it was certainly better. Jefferson is awesome! Only purchased a rear tire, $70, and pumped it to 140 psi – a lot higher than anything I had in training. Front tire was 120 psi. Don’t worry about not turning in your bags the day before if it is a problem. You can easily bring them the day of as long as you come early enough. I had some gear (my family was decorating my shirt) that wasn’t quite ready and it was frustrating having only most but not all because it meant incomplete lists. I prefer just having all the swim to bike gear, etc, in one place. Have a check list . This was great. I made it a week or more before and it was a huge help. Had only one Endurance Gatorade bottle but this turned out not to be a problem. My aero bottle was plenty big enough for enough liquid between approximately 10 mile food stations. Wow, lots of folks have the really junky aero bottles that I originally purchased but returned. These things are terrible. The yellow splash guards fly out (3 times on my very first ride) and, since there is no lid, you and your bike get covered with Gatorade by the end of the ride. Absolute junk… how come so many people have them? Wow… lots of money in that bike coral. Perception is a majority of folks have ZIPP wheels. It appears that most bikes are worth well over $2,000. My bike was borrowed so I can’t say, but $2,000*2200 people = $4,600,000. Read More...
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Abbreviated Race Summary: :) I finished :) Swim and bike went better than expected :( I knew within a few 100 feet of the run that something was wrong, and I wouldn’t be able to meet my goal of 8 min/mile – I am fairly disappointed about this. :) I had an incredible group of supporters that were a huge encouragement. :) I had the best running shirt out there – thanks to my family :| I think I will wait until I can walk normally again before I consider another one – regardless, it won’t be next year. I will re-post more later, but for now, here are the stat’s that folks have been asking me for. SWIM BIKE RUN OVERALL RANK DIV.POS. 1:18:33 5:51:09 4:53:51 12:15:36 697 154 LEG DISTANCE PACE RANK DIV.POS. TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:18:33) 2:04/100m 957 203 BIKE SPLIT 1: 34 mi 34 mi. (1:40:54) 20.22 mph BIKE SPLIT 2: 90 mi 56 mi. (2:58:12) 18.86 mph BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi 22 mi. (1:12:03) 18.32 mph TOTAL BIKE: 112 mi 112 mi. (5:51:09) 19.14 mph 480 122 TOTAL RUN 26.2 mi. (4:53:51) 11:12/mile 697 154 TRANSITION TIME T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE 7:01 T2: BIKE-TO-RUN 5:02 © Copyright 2005-2008 Mark Michaelis Read More...
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Training Summary: Training Period 6/12/2007 – 6/20/2008 Average Hours of training per week 6.47 hours/week Average hours per week in last 3 months 8.79 hours/week Total miles swum 40 Total miles run 975 miles Total miles biked 1588 miles Note that the time spent per week doesn’t include getting equipment ready, recording training, finding routes, driving to rides/runs, extra showers, etc. In other words, this is just exercise time not all the additional time (and this was significant) spent getting ready fro the Ironman Graphs Below are some training graphs for what it took for me to train for the Ironman: Average and Total hours per week: The week with over 30 hours included a 29 hour adventure race. If you just look at the 3 months prior, the average jumps to 8.79 hours/week: Total Workout Time by Activity (percent): Run 40%, Bike 31%, Swim 11%, Other 18% Distance by Activity: Total Workout Time by Activity (hours): © Copyright 2005-2008 Mark Michaelis Read More...
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A few weeks ago I crashed while in a line (drafting) and cracked my helmet. I had a relatively inexpensive Giro Havoc helmet , which is the second from the bottom of the mountain bike helmets on the Giro.com site. Before I started training for the Ironman, I hadn’t road biked since high school so, I wasn’t sure whether I should purchase a road bike helmet or a mountain bike helmet. (Will I go back to only mountain biking once the race is over?) It turns out that the only difference between the two is in whether there is a visor or not. Mountain bike helmets have visors, road bike helmets do not. This is amazing to me since you could always just remove the visor (yes, you can just remove the visor from a mountain bike helmet). REI disagrees this assessment with the statement, “Road bike helmets tend to stress lightness, ventilation and aerodynamic styling.” However, the table below (which uses REI’s specs for weight because Giro.com doesn’t include weight ironically) shows this is not the case: Helmet Type Weight (grams) Vents REI Cost Ionos Road 275 21 $230 Atmos Road 275 26 $175 Pneumo Road 290 19 $145 Monza Road 265 24 $105 Stylus Road 290 26 $84 Xen Mountain 298 17 $130 Animas Mountain 289 27 $105 Hex Mountain 310 21 $84 Havoc Mountain 282 27 $64 Indicator Sport 285 20 $38 Transfer Sport 270 20 $30 Note: The difference between the cheapest and the most expensive helmets in terms of weight was 5 grams (.18 oz) while the cost difference was $200. The $105 Monza road helmet was 20 grams (0.7 oz) lighter than the Ionos at $230. My Havoc mountain bike helmet is 6 grams (0.21) heavier than the $146 more expensive Ionos road helmet. The number of vents presumably is not a true indicator of much since the cheapest helmet has only one less vent than the most expensive and frequently (Havoc versus Ionos for example) cheaper models have more vents. When it comes to vents, size is what matters, not quantity – and the difference is only significant in hot weather. It wouldn’t make sense for Giro.com to show helmet weights if they want to sell there most expensive models. All the Giro helmets in the sport/road/mountain category used in-mold construction. Here are some other things I learned: All helmets are the same when it comes to safety. To test helmets the drop them from various heights onto an anvil. In the end, “ at the high end, you will still find big vents and high prices, but no verifiable advantage in impact performance . Consumer reports bike helmet ratings Read More...
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Given the fact that the 2008 Coeur d’Alene Ironman is 140 miles and there are road/lane closures for the bike and run courses, people have been wondering where they can go to see Eric and I most effectively (well… we are hoping that is what some people are wondering.) A cheering crowd will sure help when I am pooped out and lacking motivation (probably after the first 1.2 mile swim lap :). Towards this effort, I put together a spreadsheet that has our speed/time estimates on it (it is a little faster but just in case). The left column has mile markers and these correspond to the mile markers on the swim , bike , and run maps (we do each course twice which is why the maps only show half of the full distance). Please email mark at michaelis.net if you plan on coming out. Bryan McLelland will be tracking me during the race and updating the spreadsheet as he sees me as well as sending out email/text messages to those that sign up. © Copyright 2005-2008 Mark Michaelis Read More...
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So the race is less than two weeks away and conditions are not improving. I did the run loop of the course on Sunday and there were white caps on the lake (not quite like last year's Ironman but white caps none the less). I chatted with a couple brave souls taking a dip and they had nothing but grumbling. :) Temperature on the lake Coeur d'Alene is about 50 degrees. Not exactly balmy. To top it all off, the current weather forecast (I am heading out to do the bike loop shortly) is for Snow! Hmm... says me, I am struggling to see how water temperatures are going to rise with this kinda weather. To accommodate the temperature, as posted on the website: Special Information regarding the Swim at the 2008 Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene June 6, 2008 As many of you are already aware there has been great deal of speculation regarding the swim at this year’s event focusing on cold water temperatures. Due to a record snowpack in the Bitteroot Mountains, which is the source for Lake Coeur d’Alene, we anticipate that the water on race day will be colder than normally encountered. In order to ensure the safety of our athletes, NA Sports is going to make the following changes to the standard Ironman swim rules for this event only: 1. At temperatures below 60°F wetsuits are MANDATORY. 2. Neoprene booties (aqua sox, swim sox etc) will be allowed below 60 F°. ABSOLUTELY NO FINS. 3. We encourage athletes to consider a neoprene hood worn under the issued swim cap for additional warmth. NA Sports will continue to closely monitor the water conditions and always reserves the right to make changes as we deem appropriate with athlete safety the primary factor in our decisions. Well..., I don't see 60°F happening any time this month. :( © Copyright 2005-2008 Mark Michaelis Read More...
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Mark Michaelis' Challenge I am participating in the 2008 Couer d’Alene Ironman Competition on June 22 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In this event I will attempt to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a marathon (26.2 miles). Using this event, I want to increase awareness for the issue of global hunger and poverty and, through Janus Charity Challenge , I am raising money for World Relief . If we look back on history, we are repeatedly horrified by atrocities like the Holocaust and flabbergasted by the fact that so many who could have done something, instead stood by on the sidelines and watched. As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, I believe that future generations will look back on this one with the same horrified view. In a time where globalization has flattened the world, why is it that in the last 24 hours approximately 30,000 children die due to hunger and easily preventable diseases – extreme poverty. Deaths like this are from simple problems like dirty drinking water or the unavailability of a 20 cent pill that is common place in the U.S. What is remarkable is there are ample resources to solve world poverty – this planet does not have a supply problem, there is no shortage of land or water. To put it coldly, this world has a distribution problem. Fundamentally, however, this is a justice problem. The wealthy few control the rules of the game and the poor are powerless to change that equation and the disparity between the rich and poor is increasing, not decreasing. In Haiti, you can be horrified by the glaring disparity between the rich on the top of the hill and the slums down below. It causes one to ask, how can the rich be so cold, selfish, and calloused. However, this confronts us with our own hypocrisy: just because we can’t see the poverty, doesn’t make our comfortable life any less unjust. Even if we harden our hearts and ignore how most of the world lives – they still live that way. The fact is, three million people still live on $2 a day and about half of those (1.2 billion) live on less than $1 a day. What does a parent do on $1 a day when it is time to buy a sweater for one of their two children, take their child to the hospital on the bus, or buy food for the family? If I saw a documentary on my lifestyle in comparison to those in most of the third world, I would be horribly embarrassed. Just because no one has done that documentary, doesn’t make the injustice any less ghastly (just less embarrassing). As a Christian, Read More...
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By the morning of the next day after the race (when I could think just a little more clearly), I suspected this had to be a major issue and it was. Below is a listing of what I consumed on the bike (before I started running). I don’t really know what I consumed while running except that I only drank (no eating). Mostly I had Gatorade, a few times it was Cola during the run. Calories through Swim & Bike (not run) Item Amount Calories Protein Bars 0.25 145 Perpetuum (scoops) 12 1560 Gatorade Endurance (24 fl oz bottles) 6 900 Banana 1 170 Power Bar 0.5 120 Shot Bloks (bloks) 5 167 Food Total 3062 Swim (miles) 2.4 -616 Bike (miles) 112 -7316 Exercise Total -7932 Grand Total -4870 Verification of this problem appears in my weight loss. The day before my weight was 183.8 and after the race it was 176.8 revealing a difference of 7 lbs. Presumably, some of this is water weight although I didn’t feel thirsty so I don’t think liquids was the most significant part of the equation. I didn’t feel hungry either so perhaps “feelings” are not the best indicator - dahhh. I have racked my brain and I can't come up with anything else. Even if I have forgotten some things I ate, it couldn’t have been even 1,000 calories, never mind the 5,000 I was short. (Also, after the race I had roughly 4 pieces of pizza.) Why so little food? Initially (within the first 10 miles of the bike) I just didn’t feel like eating. My taste buds rebelled against the first bar that I ate. The problem was, I didn’t force it down. Perpetuum and Gatorade tasted fine so I relied on those heavily. I mixed the Perpetuum to a strong, slightly less than a paste type consistency – 6 scoops to a 20 fl oz container. The front compartment of the aero bottle had Perpetuum, which I refilled from my special needs bag. (I didn’t take anything else from the special needs bag – throwing back all the bars/bloks/etc that were in the bag.) Even when I started my run I didn’t feel like eating. I don’t know why for sure, but I suspect one of the problems was consuming Perpetuum with Gatorade rather than water? Perhaps my stomach wasn’t able to absorb the concentrate of calories? Doesn’t seem probable but I am grasping for something. I didn’t use Perpetuum in much of my training (it’s kinda pricey), perhaps my stomach just wasn’t used to it. I recall running 4+ miles after one 3 hour ride that I did use Perpetuum and I did have the feeling of food sitting in my stomach rather than being absorbed. I had the same feeling Read More...
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Well, today was Bloomsday and Eric Brady and I did the usual (bike to Bloomsday and then run the race). This year Eric Edmonds and Andy Anderson joined us. My time was a personal best: Finish Time: 0:50:17 Overall Place: 416 out of 42,761 Ran with a pace of 6:44 per mile The average pace for 37-year-olds was 14:55 Placed 8th among 797 people the same age Placed 10th among 2,443 people from Spokane Valley, WA Placed 281st among 33,995 people from Washington Placed 1st among 2 people with the same last name Placed 369th among 17,496 males Placed 5th out of 292 among 37-year-old males One thing that has become extremely evident for me is that racing is a bit like money. It takes effort to be content and not want to be faster (more). My goal was to be under 7 minute miles. However, I was so close to 50 minutes, that there is a twinge of disappointment that I didn’t get there. Oh well, there is always next year. Following the race, Eric Edmonds and I biked to the YMCA and swam 1 mile before completing our 100 mile ride for the day. © Copyright 2005-2008 Mark Michaelis Read More...
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While picking up my packet for Bloomsday , I stopped by a booth where they measured body composition using a few questions and a “fancy” scale . Here are the results: Weight 191.8 lb % Body Fat 11.7% % Body Water 58.9% Muscle Mass 161 lb Physique Rating 6 ( Standard muscular ) BMR 2225 calories Metabolic Age 12 Bone Mass 8.4 Visceral Fat 4 Looks like I am still carrying 21 lb of fat. Hmmmm… © Copyright 2005-2008 Mark Michaelis Read More...
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Wow, Stephen . This is one of the best ideas I've heard of hedging against the dollar in terms if IT outsourcing cost. And I mean it. I'm not in a position of valueing the description made, but I am willing to take the pill, no matter what. What everybody needs is only to get to one million sterling project, taking half a year. That's it, hedging done or not. Read More...
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Mr. Lawrence Lessig is a founder of Stanford Center for Internet and Society . He's also a chairman for the Creative Commons organization. Lessig is one of the most effective speakers in the world, a professor at Stanford, who tries to make this world a better place from a standpoint of stupidity in terms of the copyright law. The following is published on the CC 's site: We use private rights to create public goods : creative works set free for certain uses. ... We work to offer creators a best-of-both-worlds way to protect their works while encouraging certain uses of them — to declare “some rights reserved.” Therefore Creative Commons stands for the mantra of some rights reserved and not all rights reserved in terms of meaningful usage of digital technology. Being a libertarian myself, I cannot oppose these stands. Balance and compromise are good things for content and intellectual products, such as software. Watch his masterpiece , delivered at TED . Read More...
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