I am signed up for the Denver Danskin sprint triathlon which will be on July 15, in a little under three weeks. At the beginning of the training season this year I waffled a bit on this blog regarding my training goals and eventually settled for a triathlon in July, an offroad sprint triathlon with mountain biking and trail running in August, and a half-marathon in September.
My end-of-season goal is to try to break 2:00 for the half-marathon. This is not a lofty goal compared to most of the runners and tri-bloggers I know personally, but then, I live in Boulder which is the world capital of the stronger, faster, funnier, and just plain gooder. So I learned right from the beginning of this whole "let's do a race!" thing to set my own goals instead of being bummed that my top age-group competition is, um, about 30-45 minutes faster at that distance. If I break 2 hours, that would cut about 6 minutes 15 seconds off last year's time, and I'm training longer and smarter with a better base this year so I believe it's an achievable goal.
There have been a few roadblocks to the summer plan in general along the way, not least of which is that the August event appears to have been cancelled. That is, last year's race planner said he wasn't doing it and no one else is picking up the slack. So, I am not quite sure what my August training plan is going to lead to, but for the time being, I have July and the Danskin to think about.
This year's triathlon training has gone better in the water, about the same on the bike, and a bit faster with the running. I may yet do a Stroke and Stride at the Boulder Reservoir this summer--just the one-lap shorter version of the swim and a 5K--if I get my courage up and the temps stay hot so the water doesn't require a wetsuit. (Potential upcoming career change = I am CHEAP about acquiring any new gear at this point and would rather swim cold.) I have slacked a bit on the bike training largely by doing half my training on the trainer, which means I'm always pushing uphill. When I got on the bike for real, this had less negative impact than I expected; I'm faster than I was this time last year by almost 10 seconds per mile average. Hope that pans out on the day.
Anyway, my goals for next month are:
1) To finish the swim faster than last year, and to freestyle the whole thing instead of wimping out near the second buoy and alternating with backstroke;
2) To complete the bike strong and ready for the run, and to have smooth transitions in and out of the bike leg;
3) To run faster than last year's time, which with decent weather should be relatively easy. Last year it was 104 degrees with no shade on a concrete path pretty much blocked by other tired females who had all decided to walk.
I've got a few days left this week, then two more full weeks of training to go. I'll let you know after the race how things pan out, but wanted to post my goals to keep myself honest.
6.26.2007
Fever, inside and out.
It was just over 100 degrees yesterday in Longmont.
Coincidentally, that was also the nearest whole-number representation of the bug's temperature Sunday afternoon, mine Sunday evening, and Matt's Monday night.
The plague sets in for about 36 hours and then lifts, apparently. I'm back at work today catching up. My mom-in-law Pen just left this morning, and we're headed to see my family in Nebraska pretty soon, so postings may be sparse for a bit.
At least today it's cloudy and cool. I feel like the fever is breaking all over at last.
Coincidentally, that was also the nearest whole-number representation of the bug's temperature Sunday afternoon, mine Sunday evening, and Matt's Monday night.
The plague sets in for about 36 hours and then lifts, apparently. I'm back at work today catching up. My mom-in-law Pen just left this morning, and we're headed to see my family in Nebraska pretty soon, so postings may be sparse for a bit.
At least today it's cloudy and cool. I feel like the fever is breaking all over at last.
6.19.2007
Alumna reflections
Last night Matt and I went to the Denver Country Club to a Villanova alumni event. Former theatre department chair Fr. Peter Donohue is now Villanova's president, and he came to see the Denver alumni chapter last night. (Fr. Peter was on my dissertation committee and kept me honest and accurate regarding the Catholic aspects of my dissertation in addition to providing theatrical expertise.)
It was really excellent to see him, and he is clearly thriving in his new job. He's a master of the kind of minutiae that make a great president--fabulous with names, faces, and details of people's personal lives, very charismatic, and a smooth politician. Both Matt and I enjoyed watching a master at work. :)
Besides being bowled over by the beauty of the country club and the general wealth of the surrounding atmosphere, it was really cool to see and meet that many other alums. Apparently there are over 300 Villanova alums in the Denver metro area, fairly surprising since it's such a small school with a primarily Northeast-based (60%) population. Most of the people there were older than us by a good few decades, but there were a few alums younger than myself who were there with parents who were also alums.
I've been tapped into the Creighton alumni community for some time because my family pretty much all did their undergraduate work there or at the sister school of Duchesne back in the days before women were admitted. I've got pretty strong ties to my undergrad school, but this was the first time I've attended anything related to my graduate work. Since I work at CU I'm unlikely to participate in many of the CU alumni events because I already know what is going on around campus. Also, by working here I'm already serving (at lower than market wages) so I feel like I'm giving them time and talent instead of treasure, so to speak.
As someone who works at a Research One state school, I know how important it is to maintain good relations with alums because like it or not we depend on them partially for economic support since the state does such a crummy job of funding higher education. I could articulate the many ways CU doesn't fulfill its responsibilities toward alums but I think there are people who are working on those issues, so I don't want to critique before they have a chance to get reforms in place.
Last night was so interesting for me because it reminded me so much of why my Catholic liberal-arts background has made me so much of who I am. Listening to Fr. Peter talk about service, community, and other ideals made me realize why Catholic colleges are often so successful in their alumni relations. The day after we graduate, they treat us as though they'd be proud to hire us back, and make sure they're right there for help from recommendation letters to job placement services. My past schools and departments openly stated they were proud of my skills and felt they'd trained me sufficiently to be good enough to work anywhere, and they made me feel that way too. They treated me, when I was no longer a student, as a valued member of the community who still represented them in the larger world. Whether I stayed in the local area or moved far away to take a job, the support network was still available, both from Creighton and from Villanova.
CU and other state schools could definitely take a page from that playbook. My limited experience of Research Ones is that they divide their grads into the ones who "succeed" (move far away, get on the tenure track, become "famous" or wealthy) and the ones who "fail" (stay local/ regional, are 'exploited' by working for lesser-known or less prestigious schools and companies, remain in the middle class). They don't seem interested in students as human beings after graduation and do relatively little to encourage a sense of continued community. One "Homecoming" weekend a year doesn't do much, especially for people who could care less about football. Now, I maintain good relationships and even some friendships with my former academic department, and I have a lot of good things to say about my student experiences here. My larger point is: I'm a proud alum of my Catholic schools, but I'm less likely to participate here at CU as an alum.
What have other people's alumni experiences been like, love, hate, or neutral?
It was really excellent to see him, and he is clearly thriving in his new job. He's a master of the kind of minutiae that make a great president--fabulous with names, faces, and details of people's personal lives, very charismatic, and a smooth politician. Both Matt and I enjoyed watching a master at work. :)
Besides being bowled over by the beauty of the country club and the general wealth of the surrounding atmosphere, it was really cool to see and meet that many other alums. Apparently there are over 300 Villanova alums in the Denver metro area, fairly surprising since it's such a small school with a primarily Northeast-based (60%) population. Most of the people there were older than us by a good few decades, but there were a few alums younger than myself who were there with parents who were also alums.
I've been tapped into the Creighton alumni community for some time because my family pretty much all did their undergraduate work there or at the sister school of Duchesne back in the days before women were admitted. I've got pretty strong ties to my undergrad school, but this was the first time I've attended anything related to my graduate work. Since I work at CU I'm unlikely to participate in many of the CU alumni events because I already know what is going on around campus. Also, by working here I'm already serving (at lower than market wages) so I feel like I'm giving them time and talent instead of treasure, so to speak.
As someone who works at a Research One state school, I know how important it is to maintain good relations with alums because like it or not we depend on them partially for economic support since the state does such a crummy job of funding higher education. I could articulate the many ways CU doesn't fulfill its responsibilities toward alums but I think there are people who are working on those issues, so I don't want to critique before they have a chance to get reforms in place.
Last night was so interesting for me because it reminded me so much of why my Catholic liberal-arts background has made me so much of who I am. Listening to Fr. Peter talk about service, community, and other ideals made me realize why Catholic colleges are often so successful in their alumni relations. The day after we graduate, they treat us as though they'd be proud to hire us back, and make sure they're right there for help from recommendation letters to job placement services. My past schools and departments openly stated they were proud of my skills and felt they'd trained me sufficiently to be good enough to work anywhere, and they made me feel that way too. They treated me, when I was no longer a student, as a valued member of the community who still represented them in the larger world. Whether I stayed in the local area or moved far away to take a job, the support network was still available, both from Creighton and from Villanova.
CU and other state schools could definitely take a page from that playbook. My limited experience of Research Ones is that they divide their grads into the ones who "succeed" (move far away, get on the tenure track, become "famous" or wealthy) and the ones who "fail" (stay local/ regional, are 'exploited' by working for lesser-known or less prestigious schools and companies, remain in the middle class). They don't seem interested in students as human beings after graduation and do relatively little to encourage a sense of continued community. One "Homecoming" weekend a year doesn't do much, especially for people who could care less about football. Now, I maintain good relationships and even some friendships with my former academic department, and I have a lot of good things to say about my student experiences here. My larger point is: I'm a proud alum of my Catholic schools, but I'm less likely to participate here at CU as an alum.
What have other people's alumni experiences been like, love, hate, or neutral?
6.15.2007
Hawaii, part 2: Where to begin?
With a bug at the beach, of course!
That's a view of the beach roughly a half-mile from our hotel. The Ala Moana was inland about a half-mile from Ala Moana Beach, on the other side of Ala Moana Shopping Center. It featured many fine restaurants, some of which we visited during our trip, such as:
Those fine-looking people are (from left) Ignacio and Rose Alafanso, and their daughter Carol. Ignacio and Rose knew my in-laws when the Beasleys senior were in the Peace Corps in Chuuk, Micronesia. Carol and some of their other kids came to the States to go to high school in Wisconsin and live with the Beasleys. Matt taught Carol how to drive a stick shift, sort of. ;) Carol and her husband Zeke made us feel very welcome and we had the chance to see them a couple times throughout our stay and meet their kids too.
Carol's brother, Paco, his wife Nina, and their kids were also fun to meet during our visit. Paco came to our wedding five years ago so he was the only one of the family I'd met before. Unfortunately I don't have any great pictures that include us all except for one lovely 8X10 picture we got at the luau, which I need to scan before I can put it on the web. More on the luau in a later post. First, more bug fun:
She was quite enthusiastic about the beach and we tried to go just about every day. The beach nearest us was primarily an inlet so had very small waves, which was helpful in coaxing the bug to experience water that covered her toes:
The bug and I also went to the Honolulu Zoo but the camera was sadly left behind that day. However, the next time the three of us got out into the big city, the camera was at the ready. We went to see the Queen's Palace and succeeded in seeing at least the outside (the inside required a rather pricey tour fee and we just missed the last one of the afternoon anyway):
We also stood under the nearby banyan trees which were GINORMOUS, and I include a photo here to give you a sense of their scale:
After that, we visited the Hawaii State Art Museum, where we experienced art and played in the children's room. I have the t-shirt to prove it, and Matt and the bug have this photo out front:
The museum was close to Chinatown, where we took an afternoon snack break with some yummy pineapple and coconut baked goods that tasted, I swear, just like colaches with different fruit fillings. We stopped at the local market there and bought fruit for breakfast in the hotel, and then took the bus back to near the hotel.
The Honolulu bus system deserves props for being super-easy to use, and taking us within four blocks of just about anywhere we could wish to go in Honolulu. We were there almost a week before we rented a car to see the rest of the island. More on the few non-Honolulu days in the next post.
That's a view of the beach roughly a half-mile from our hotel. The Ala Moana was inland about a half-mile from Ala Moana Beach, on the other side of Ala Moana Shopping Center. It featured many fine restaurants, some of which we visited during our trip, such as:
Those fine-looking people are (from left) Ignacio and Rose Alafanso, and their daughter Carol. Ignacio and Rose knew my in-laws when the Beasleys senior were in the Peace Corps in Chuuk, Micronesia. Carol and some of their other kids came to the States to go to high school in Wisconsin and live with the Beasleys. Matt taught Carol how to drive a stick shift, sort of. ;) Carol and her husband Zeke made us feel very welcome and we had the chance to see them a couple times throughout our stay and meet their kids too.
Carol's brother, Paco, his wife Nina, and their kids were also fun to meet during our visit. Paco came to our wedding five years ago so he was the only one of the family I'd met before. Unfortunately I don't have any great pictures that include us all except for one lovely 8X10 picture we got at the luau, which I need to scan before I can put it on the web. More on the luau in a later post. First, more bug fun:
She was quite enthusiastic about the beach and we tried to go just about every day. The beach nearest us was primarily an inlet so had very small waves, which was helpful in coaxing the bug to experience water that covered her toes:
The bug and I also went to the Honolulu Zoo but the camera was sadly left behind that day. However, the next time the three of us got out into the big city, the camera was at the ready. We went to see the Queen's Palace and succeeded in seeing at least the outside (the inside required a rather pricey tour fee and we just missed the last one of the afternoon anyway):
We also stood under the nearby banyan trees which were GINORMOUS, and I include a photo here to give you a sense of their scale:
After that, we visited the Hawaii State Art Museum, where we experienced art and played in the children's room. I have the t-shirt to prove it, and Matt and the bug have this photo out front:
The museum was close to Chinatown, where we took an afternoon snack break with some yummy pineapple and coconut baked goods that tasted, I swear, just like colaches with different fruit fillings. We stopped at the local market there and bought fruit for breakfast in the hotel, and then took the bus back to near the hotel.
The Honolulu bus system deserves props for being super-easy to use, and taking us within four blocks of just about anywhere we could wish to go in Honolulu. We were there almost a week before we rented a car to see the rest of the island. More on the few non-Honolulu days in the next post.
6.05.2007
the island experience, part I.
So, I went to a conference in Hawaii for a few days. Since Matt also had a conference there in his field, we made an extended trip of it. I meant to post pictures as soon as we returned but am having difficulties doing that for a variety of reasons, so I want to start telling you about it even without the illustrations. I promise exciting beach and luau footage will be forthcoming shortly.
My conference was with the Oceanic Popular Culture Association. This was my first Pop Culture conference and I gave a paper on World of Warcraft and simiilarities between gaming and performance studies. Actually, it wasn't a paper; it was a powerpoint presentation, and included a Youtube video which I was petrified wouldn't work on the day of the presentation. In the end, all went well. It was a very small conference, about 35 people in attendance total. This turned out to be really cool, as the usual "three-papers-and-a-few-questions" format turned into really engaging discussions that continued into other sessions.
I met neat people from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and from Michigan State University, as well as scholars from local Hawaii schools who gave presentations on topics like "The Politics of Local Food" and "Surf Culture." It was really fun, the presentations weren't all jargony, and members of the public actually attended some sessions. The topics were so wide-ranging that it was impossible to get bored. I went to panels on the Sabbath and why we need time for play/rest/worship from three different religious perspectives; on academic computing and its impacts on classrooms and administration; on Lara Croft and the cubicle cowboy; and a variety of other topics. Not all the presentations exactly met my standards of scholarship to be honest but it was really interesting to see how people from other academic fields do presentations and papers. I learned a lot and had a good time.
Meanwhile, Matt and the bug frolicked on the beach and she built her first sand castles. Matt's extended family lives in Hawaii, and I'll write more about meeting all of them when I get a chance to post pictures. They welcomed us with open arms and were so friendly and fabulous to hang out with--it's hard to explain how cool it was to meet the brothers and sisters that Matt grew up with, and their spouses and kids. They even took us to a luau with dance performances and a fire juggler, which completely absorbed the bug's attention for the better part of two hours. It was really cool to spend time with them and I'm grateful we had the chance.
Matt's AAS conference was also presumably enjoyable for him. I was glad to have the time to explore some touristy attractions with the bug, such as shopping in Waikiki, the Honolulu Zoo, and the beach. Our hotel was actually attached to a huge mall, so it was rather surreal to have to walk through Macy's and the food court to get to and from the beach. We also got to spend some family time and the three of us took a day to explore the island, especially the North Shore of Oahu, which I would love to return to someday. Honolulu was a little urban/touristy for me so perhaps next time we'll be able to go somewhere a bit quieter and closer to nature. Still, it was neat to learn a bit about Hawaii's history and see some of the attractions in the area. And go to the beach.
more soon; i've missed you all. :)
My conference was with the Oceanic Popular Culture Association. This was my first Pop Culture conference and I gave a paper on World of Warcraft and simiilarities between gaming and performance studies. Actually, it wasn't a paper; it was a powerpoint presentation, and included a Youtube video which I was petrified wouldn't work on the day of the presentation. In the end, all went well. It was a very small conference, about 35 people in attendance total. This turned out to be really cool, as the usual "three-papers-and-a-few-questions" format turned into really engaging discussions that continued into other sessions.
I met neat people from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and from Michigan State University, as well as scholars from local Hawaii schools who gave presentations on topics like "The Politics of Local Food" and "Surf Culture." It was really fun, the presentations weren't all jargony, and members of the public actually attended some sessions. The topics were so wide-ranging that it was impossible to get bored. I went to panels on the Sabbath and why we need time for play/rest/worship from three different religious perspectives; on academic computing and its impacts on classrooms and administration; on Lara Croft and the cubicle cowboy; and a variety of other topics. Not all the presentations exactly met my standards of scholarship to be honest but it was really interesting to see how people from other academic fields do presentations and papers. I learned a lot and had a good time.
Meanwhile, Matt and the bug frolicked on the beach and she built her first sand castles. Matt's extended family lives in Hawaii, and I'll write more about meeting all of them when I get a chance to post pictures. They welcomed us with open arms and were so friendly and fabulous to hang out with--it's hard to explain how cool it was to meet the brothers and sisters that Matt grew up with, and their spouses and kids. They even took us to a luau with dance performances and a fire juggler, which completely absorbed the bug's attention for the better part of two hours. It was really cool to spend time with them and I'm grateful we had the chance.
Matt's AAS conference was also presumably enjoyable for him. I was glad to have the time to explore some touristy attractions with the bug, such as shopping in Waikiki, the Honolulu Zoo, and the beach. Our hotel was actually attached to a huge mall, so it was rather surreal to have to walk through Macy's and the food court to get to and from the beach. We also got to spend some family time and the three of us took a day to explore the island, especially the North Shore of Oahu, which I would love to return to someday. Honolulu was a little urban/touristy for me so perhaps next time we'll be able to go somewhere a bit quieter and closer to nature. Still, it was neat to learn a bit about Hawaii's history and see some of the attractions in the area. And go to the beach.
more soon; i've missed you all. :)
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