A Typical Day in the Life of Ben Collins: Through the Eyes of Aaron Scheidies You all have read Ben Collin’s stories and accounts of his life. Well, I have been hanging around and training with him for the past weeks and I think I can give a pretty good account of what a typical […]
Category Archives: Guest Writer
Peggy MC in 140.6 Hawaiian Miles
Last year I posted my friend Peggy McDowell-Cramer’s race report from Kona. I was pretty sure last year that nobody could every do more ironman races than she had done (without being completely insane like Chet the Jet), but this year she did another full Ironman in New Zealand, and went to Vancouver for the […]
Vancouver ITU World Championships -The Insider’s View
Peggy McDowell-Cramer sent me an email a couple days ago. Whenever I see her name in my inbox I get excited. Like before Alcatraz I was whining about my fear of sharks in the bay. Peggy sent me a note that said:
ben, drop the shark thoughts. just race, keeping in mind how you want to do each leg thereof.
i had a sailing mishap (rudder broke, dumped me) in the bay 40 years ago this july 31/august 1. went over in the middle, directly out from the sf airport. boat then sank. i swam for about 15 hours. never felt a fish. thought about sharks only once, doubted sincerely that they came into the non-interesting bay, and forced myself not to think of it again.
peggy
Seriously, how can you argue with somebody who comes loaded with stories like that? This week it was Peggy’s race report from the 2008 ITU World Championships in Vancouver
How to Fill 24 hours
[I’ve put a lot of thought into how I can appropriately introduce my friend Brandon Basso. There’s the basic “bio data” (a term used by our Indian friends at Columbia. Apparently their parents did not think our bio data was sufficient for their daughters): 5’11” 145 pounds, blond, blue eyes, grew up on Long Island (and can’t wait to move back east)… None of that really describes him. He’s unique, but then I guess you have to be if you graduated in engineering with a minor in English, worked on the Mars Rover, then went back to school for a PhD in Control Theory (translate that as robotics).
The Sugar Bowl
I’m sitting at home today taking a practice MCAT, which means I have nothing to write about. Instead, I am going to show you a preview of the treat I have in store for tomorrow. My friend Brandon Basso, who is a graduate student in mechanical engineering at Cal, wrote an article about time management. […]
Reflections from the Other Side
Guest Writer Henning Fog writes: “I retired this week at the tender age of 21. After countless (well, ten) years of struggle, emotional turmoil, and weight fluctuation that would make even Jenny Craig blush, it was finally time to embrace an easier approach to life. Unlike my AARP card-holding counterparts, though, I’m not moving to Florida; just out of the pool. You see… I’m done swimming. For real. My career as a competitive swimmer has come to an end, and I couldn’t be happier. For starters, my hair is growing back; never again will I have to question my masculinity as I shave my legs. What else am I thrilled to leave behind?”
Blind Reincarnate
I had a plan for a post of my own for today. Actually, I was hoping Brian could share how exactly he managed to break his wrist and end up owing me $85, but he can’t type (or ride a bike over railroad tracks, apparently). Last night, while my wrist ached with empathy pains, I […]
Peggy McDowell-Cramer: You are an Ironman!
[This is the third and final of a series of posts by Peggy McDowell-Cramer (Be sure to check out #1 and #2). She’s a masters triathlete from Santa Monica, and a pretty cool person to hang out with. While I was off trying to kill a blind kid, Peggy was taking on her seventh Ironman […]
Peggy’s Post (#2)
I heard more from Peggy McDowell-Cramer. I asked for clarrification on how strong the “S” was when she said she had done IronmanS. “How many times? 6 times for kona, this is #7. It’ll be #11 total: 3 IMNZ, and 1 Florida.” Wow. I don’t even know how to respond to that, so here’s Peggy’s […]
Peggy McDowell-Cramer: 140.6mi in Kona (Part 1)
In 2006 I was in Kansas City for my first USAT Age Group Nationals. I had just found out the hard way that about 90% of the 1500 athletes who come to that event all think they should register within the first hour of an 8 hour registration period. The line was long, and I […]