I was 557 of 1014 participants.

• Total time: 1:48:48.
• Swim time: 13:28 (*cough*, 400 meters)
• Bike time: 57:50 (20 kilometers)
• Run time: 31:02 (5 kilometers)
• Mile pace on run: 10:01

The swim totally whipped my ass. I got cramps in my lower abdominal region (just above my hip bones) that would NOT go away. Not sure if it was pre-race jitters or what. I also was  little wigged out at a 50 meter pool with water over my head vs. my training pool, which was 25 meters and four feet deep. I think unconsciously, I always knew that I could put my feet down and rest. Not having that “security blanket” during the race was a little daunting. I definitely need to practice my swimming. I should have done it in about seven minutes. Quite frankly, I’m lucky I didn’t drown.

I rode a high-end mountain bike (my new bike) for the race. My cadence was just about identical to the other athletes, but the fatter tires and the heavier frame were working against me. It cost me roughly ten or fifteen minutes all told. (And as a fellow athlete said when I passed him going up a hill: “Gently rolling hills, my ass.” I couldn’t agree more.) I feel good about my effort here, but I think the difference in equipment showed. Would I do my purchase of a mountain bike over again? Absolutely not. I prefer mountain biking to road biking. Should I decide to compete more often next summer, then I might invest in a tri-bike, but I’ll have to see.

I felt really damned good about my running. After an hour on the bike and fifteen minutes in the water, I felt like I shone. The first half mile or so I don’t even remember, but once I passed the first turn, things got better. My muscles flowed, my pace was strong, my breathing was nice and even. I really should have pushed a little harder on the front end to break the ten minute mile pace, but it goes to show that I can still keep it fast and loose after all the other effort.

The end result is that I’m down over thirty pounds from where I started at the beginning of the year, and muscles feel great. I’m approaching the best shape I’ve been in my life (arguably better than when I was a high school athlete?), and I can only go up. I have to work on the swimming, figure out what to do about the bike situation, and shave a minute and a half off the run time.

I finished.

What more could I really ask?

• Sam Sykes’ Tome of the Undergates - It’s getting strong reviews from multiple sites right now. Besides, how could you not like a book that opens with the main character telling you what a bad person he is?
• S.M. Stirling’s The High King of Montival – Why am I not reading it right now? Because I’m reading…
• Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings.  Folks, this book is the real deal. If you’re looking for the replacement to Jordan’s epic (which is ending in the capable hands of Sanderson himself) or for Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (I will refrain from any comment here), this is it. Period. Sanderson writes as well (or better) than either, and he doesn’t have the (*ahem*) problems with getting books to market. In fact, Sanderon’s productivity is little short of astounding. Sure, many writers could turn out the word count he does, but I don’t know anyone, either inside or out of the genre, that can consistently turn out fiction of this quality. I fell into the book like it was a Pete-shaped hole. I walk around the house with it glued to my face. My wife even said: “Will you put that book down and interact with your children?” That’s how good it is. Patrick Rothfuss said that Sanderson is so good that it pisses him off. I agree.

I have many others, but those are the ones that are begging me to read.

Sort of.

It turns out that only two of my four teeth could be removed. The bottom tooth was so heavily impacted that it took them a while to “break” it out since I have “incredibly dense bone”. That’s good news for me. That means all the Dr. Pepper I drink is going to have difficulty leaching the calcium out of my body and I figure I’ve got another ten years of wanton soda consumption before osteoporosis becomes an irreversible fact.

The top tooth exposed my sinus(es), so they had to seal it not once, but twice. By the time all the trauma and drama was done, I had been under for almost three hours, and they decided (thank the LORD) to only go for two. Had they gone for four, I would probably have died already.

Since I’m an old geezer (mid 30′s), I was told not to expect a recovery like a teenager or a college student, since my ancient jaw had already ossified beyond all reason. They were right. Today is Day Four of Hell Week (caps intended), and this is the only day where I felt like I could actually get along without a little pick-me-up from hydrocodone.

My co-workers are amused at my already fat face being swollen out of proportion (the inspriation for the picture at the left), but they are more amused by the interesting conclusions I’ve been drawing while looped out on painkillers. Being a chemist does not mix well with post-op recovery, but I’ve stayed (mostly) out of the laboratory and limited my activities to analysis and summary.

In the meantime, I hope you were entertained with Kate’s podcast. That is the start of my next project–a novel set in a post-apocalyptic future run amok with religious fanatics, old-West sensibility, and limited future tech. If you have a second, drop a little bit of feedback into the comments section. I’m interested in thoughts/criticisms even at this early stage of the project.

Given the fact that I suffer from bad headaches of one variety or another (migraines as well as sinus headaches), I’m no stranger to pain. However, the thought of having four holes in my jawbone where there used to be teeth is somewhat daunting.

I ate steak tonight since I knew I wouldn’t be eating anything that wasn’t pre-chewed for the next couple of days. I’ll probably eat the other steak that I cooked for lunch tomorrow, right before I go into the dentist’s office. I thought about licking a skunk before I went in, just to make sure that my breath was appropriately fresh for the representative of the Spanish Inquisition surgeon doing the work, but I would have to live with the taste, and it’s not worth it, even as a practical joke.

Everyone wish me luck. It’s a solid bet I won’t post for a couple of days. If the revisions on the novel don’t go well tonight, I may schedule up some future dated posts, but don’t count on it. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve moved the (weekly updated) quick hits section to the sidebar, so that should provide some entertaining reading for the nonce.

Not really. But these guys look they have LOADS of fun with this event.

Link provided by GK.

Click the option to watch in high quality. You can see the bullet holes a lot more clearly. Take that, punk!

This excerpt is taken from book two of Lee Stephen’s EPIC Series entitled “Outlaw Trigger”. We follow a stressful battle in progress through various perspectives, against the Ceratopians on the streets of Khatanga.

All throughout the month of November, in an effort to raise Diabetes awareness, Lee Stephen and I have collaborated in some very special podcasts. Excerpts of chapters taking from the EPIC series of novels are for your enjoyment and to ultimately engage you in this wonderful story. If you are interested in purchasing the two books (the third will be published soon), now through the end of this month, Lee will donate 60 percent of all profits from the book purchases to the JDRF. (The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

If you would rather make a donation yourself, we highly encourage you to do so as well.

As always, thanks for listening and let us know what you think.

—–

Every year, over 180,000 Americans die due to complications with diabetes. It affects over 16 million people in our country and over 100 million people worldwide. It is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral nerve and autonomic dysfunction, amputations, and many other health problems. Every year, more people die from diabetes than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

Like many Americans, I was unaware of the intricacies of this disease until I saw how it affected the person I love most. As the husband of a type-1 diabetic, I witness the challenges my wife faces on a daily basis. Terms like “having a high” and “suffering a low” have become part of my permanent lexicon. I have been introduced to a world of needles, insulin pumps, and blood glucose meters. Experiencing her struggles and her triumphs has shown me just how much I take for granted.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. The purpose of this podcast is to bring attention to diabetes through literature, and to implore those who find this to consider donating to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) during this very important month. Because of the JDRF, diabetics have a network of international support and an organization dedicated to confronting and conquering this disease. There are two ways you can help.

First, you can go to www.jdrf.org and donate to the JDRF’s fight for a cure personally. Just click on the “donate now” tab located at the top-right of the menu. You can give any amount you wish as either a one-time donation or a monthly commitment. No amount is too large or too small—every bit goes toward finding a cure.

For those science-fiction fans in the crowd, we’re giving you another option. In honor of this important month, 60% of Epic’s November sales will go directly to the JDRF. Every book purchased, whether for personal enjoyment or as a gift, will assist in the cause. It’s an opportunity to contribute to something good and discover a new science fiction series at the same time.

The goal is awareness, whether through literature or personal charity. What’s important is that people take action. Diabetes is a devastating disease, but one we are on the brink of curing. Please join us in this effort to raise awareness and make a difference!

If you donated because of this message, whether by contributing on your own or by purchasing a book, please let us know! We would love to know how much we were able to raise through this effort. I would also love to thank you personally for joining the fight. I can be reached at lee(AT)epicuniverse(DOT)com.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read!

Sincerely,

Lee Stephen
Author, Epic Series
www.epicuniverse.com

We visit Scott Remington once more in this excerpt from Chapter 13 in Dawn of Destiny, written by Lee Stephen.

All throughout the month of November, in an effort to raise Diabetes awareness, Lee Stephen and I have collaborated in some very special podcasts. Excerpts of chapters taking from the EPIC series of novels are for your enjoyment and to ultimately engage you in this wonderful story. If you are interested in purchasing the two books (the third will be published soon), now through the end of this month, Lee will donate 60 percent of all profits from the book purchases to the JDRF. (The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

If you would rather make a donation yourself, we highly encourage you to do so as well.

As always, thanks for listening and let us know what you think.

—–

Every year, over 180,000 Americans die due to complications with diabetes. It affects over 16 million people in our country and over 100 million people worldwide. It is the leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral nerve and autonomic dysfunction, amputations, and many other health problems. Every year, more people die from diabetes than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

Like many Americans, I was unaware of the intricacies of this disease until I saw how it affected the person I love most. As the husband of a type-1 diabetic, I witness the challenges my wife faces on a daily basis. Terms like “having a high” and “suffering a low” have become part of my permanent lexicon. I have been introduced to a world of needles, insulin pumps, and blood glucose meters. Experiencing her struggles and her triumphs has shown me just how much I take for granted.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. The purpose of this podcast is to bring attention to diabetes through literature, and to implore those who find this to consider donating to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) during this very important month. Because of the JDRF, diabetics have a network of international support and an organization dedicated to confronting and conquering this disease. There are two ways you can help.

First, you can go to www.jdrf.org and donate to the JDRF’s fight for a cure personally. Just click on the “donate now” tab located at the top-right of the menu. You can give any amount you wish as either a one-time donation or a monthly commitment. No amount is too large or too small—every bit goes toward finding a cure.

For those science-fiction fans in the crowd, we’re giving you another option. In honor of this important month, 60% of Epic’s November sales will go directly to the JDRF. Every book purchased, whether for personal enjoyment or as a gift, will assist in the cause. It’s an opportunity to contribute to something good and discover a new science fiction series at the same time.

The goal is awareness, whether through literature or personal charity. What’s important is that people take action. Diabetes is a devastating disease, but one we are on the brink of curing. Please join us in this effort to raise awareness and make a difference!

If you donated because of this message, whether by contributing on your own or by purchasing a book, please let us know! We would love to know how much we were able to raise through this effort. I would also love to thank you personally for joining the fight. I can be reached at lee(AT)epicuniverse(DOT)com.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read!

Sincerely,

Lee Stephen
Author, Epic Series
www.epicuniverse.com[podcast]http://anaedream.com/wp-

My usual modus operandi for a plane trip is to read until the plane reaches altitude, then break out the laptop for a brief foray into editing or to watch part of a movie. I also typically sit on the aisle (due to control issues that I am well aware of). On this flight, we were on a plane that had two seats on one side and three on the other. I had the aisle seat on the side of the plane with two seats. I noted that I was sitting beside a young man in uniform, but I don’t generally press conversation on someone on a plane. If someone initiates a conversation, I’ll evaluate how interesting I think they’re likely to be, and then give the appropriate non-verbal signals that either stops or continues the conversation.

So the guy next to me, dressed in his BDUs, opens up the conversation by commenting on my book (Steven Brust’s Jhereg anthology). We talked about science fiction before we moved on to deeper topics. I encouraged my companion to speak freely, asking questions that left room for him to take a different conversational track if he chose. I do know his name, but I’m going to have him remain anonymous since I didn’t ask his permission to talk about the encounter here. For purposes of this article, we’ll call him John.

John is a Specialist (E-4) serving in the National Guard. His day job is as a chef at a moderately high end (non chain) restaurant. He attended culinary school for two years (earning his associate’s degree); he has a wife and two children (one of his own, one step-child). His wife works as an LPN in a local hospital. She’s attending night school as she is able to earn her RN. Due to John being deployed twice over his tenure in the Guard, her own career has been put on hold since she becomes the primary care-giver in his absence.

John’s role in the Guard is as a medic. He’s been through several courses (and was attending another one at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio) that give him the skills equivalent to a highly skilled paramedic. He’s taking every opportunity to get training from the Guard that makes him both more marketable in the civilian world (for a potential change in career) and that makes him more valuable to the USA’s mission abroad.

As far as John was concerned, there was no question that the lives of the Iraqis are better. He has seen the changes over two deployments. He mentioned schools that teach science, engineering, and medicine, as well as the history, religion, and culture. He mentioned public service projects that provided irrigation systems and clean water as well as agronomy services to maximize yields from crops. Normal, everyday people are being given the knowledge to feed themselves. They are discovering empowerment and personal responsibility. I pointed out the irony of this, given that his homeland was experiencing a reversal in both while he and his brothers were abroad. He disagreed with me, saying that most Americans will work to better themselves and feed their families when pressed. His comments, and his disagreement, brought my own cynicism into sharp focus.

He admitted to being scared on some days and bored out of his mind on others. He watched a friend die due to an IED, and he was on combat missions where his unit fired on enemy combatants. The most terrifying moment for John was in a “danger close” artillery mission. To this day, he says he cannot abide the deep bass from overdriven speakers because it reminds him too much of being almost underneath an artillery barrage.

I asked John if he was getting out of the Guard. His reply was an emphatic negative. He knows he might be deployed for a third time, but he counts it as a small cost. He told several stories about his experiences in “the sandbox.” He repeatedly emphasized that our military works with “good people” but their mission is complicated by poverty. Those who are desperate to feed their families will “work” for the insurgency, muddying the waters on the classification of good and bad guys. One of the most valuable works that John’s unit performed, in his opinion, was distributing aid packets to Iraqi civilians that contained food staples and basic hygiene products.

Despite all of this, John firmly believes in our mission abroad in both Iraq and Afghanistan–spreading freedom. To hear this from one who has been there twice, who has been taken away from his family and his day job, makes me wonder how the major news networks and the politicians could get this so wrong. What war, exactly, is CNN reporting? Why in the world is Barack Hussein Obama demanding unrealistic timelines for pulling our troops out of a country that is advancing by leaps and bounds? Why are we not listening to the men and women on the front lines of this conflict, who see the Iraqi people on a day-to-day basis? 

I was impressed with John. He’s a father, a husband, and a chef…and he’s a soldier who does his part by putting his life on the line to defend the ideals that make this country great. My own gripes about career position and my comfortable suburban life pale in comparison to this young man. I can’t guess what the future holds for him, but I know the whatever he does, he will succeed because of his work ethic and his selflessness.