Today I ran the SARC Buckeye Half Marathon and felt awesome!  Set a new PR for myself for the half marathon - I believe the time was around 1:37.  I’ll post an official report as soon as I know the exact results.

Over a year ago, in July of 2009, I was training to do a fall marathon in 3:30.  During what should have been an easy 6 mile paced run, I had to stop and walk due to pain.  Here’s the post in case you’re interested.  That started an 8 month long journey through the first real injury I’ve ever had.  My recovery officially started in June, after I saw Dr. Keyes - who BY THE WAY IS A MIRACLE WORKER - and he fixed me up!  Since June I’ve been pretty conservative with my running, having done most of my runs around a 9-min or slower pace with the Smiths.  I really think this was key to my recovery going so well.  Running with them forced me to go slower than what felt ‘normal’ to me aerobically.  I think that this was instrumental for me not re-injuring myself.

Here’s my come back song from Scooter to make the event ‘official’.  Please listen to just the first 30 seconds of this song if you’ve never heard it.  Scooter is so freakin’ awesome!!!!!!!

Tribute to our fans - Tour 2006

Larry with me and Brittany

A few months ago, my pal Brittany told me about this trainer she had hired to help get her into shape for her wedding.  She said he had these things called ‘Buddy Sessions’ where you and a friend work out together with him and he gives a pretty good rate.  She said  I could come and do a workout with her and see how I liked it.  Well - after the first session I knew it would be worth it so I signed up for 12 weeks.  After about 6 sessions I could already see a DRAMATIC difference in the way my core and upper-body looked - specifically my arms and shoulders were looking RIPPED!  Right around the time I started working out with Larry I was also able to start running again, so I had a double whammy kick start to my fitness comeback.  I’ve never lifted weights or worked out with a trainer seriously before and I can honestly say that I’m impressed with the results.  My metabolism is definitely higher (I’ve lost over 10 lbs) and I guarantee it has to do with the increased muscle mass that I’ve obtained from our sessions.  I decided that I really wanted to focus on building strength in my hips and legs for running, so I added another day with Larry during the week where we focus solely on strengthening those areas.  Again: more than impressed with the results!!  After a little over a month I can tell that my stamina during running is improved.  I have more strength during longer runs and I’m confident that if I keep this up I’ll be back to where I was before the IT band injury within a few more months!

So I thought I would put together a blog post that talks about all of the fun we have during our hour-long buddy sessions on Saturday’s.  Here’s a recap of this week - I had my sister, Katy, also tag along so she could get the full Larry experience (since I’ve been telling everyone about the crazy workouts he has me and Brittany do every week)

We started off with a trio of fun:  1) Running sprints while pulling weighted sled; 2) Squats using resistance band; 3) Alternating lunges on slide with medicine ball.

Sprints pulling weighted sled

Brittany doing lunges on slide with medicine ball raises

Katy doing squats with resistance band

The way the buddy sessions work is you take turns doing the different activities that Larry comes up with.  Brittany and me usually just look at each other in disbelief when he tells us what he wants us to do next.  It’s like - where does he come up with this stuff??!!?  We did 2 sets of the above and then moved onto our next trio:  1)  Mountain climbers / kick outs on slide; 2)  Burpee’s and pushup with weighted sled pull; 3)  Step ups on bench.

Larry telling Brittany to keep going - the double leg slide outs were INTENSE!!!!

Katy doing step-ups

Me doing Burpee + pushup and weighted sled pull

We ended with lunges and shoulder presses with the weighted sled; medicine ball throwing / catching (really worked the forearms!!!); and something that I can’t remember.  (Towards the end of the workout I start getting delirious…)

I love our workouts because we aren’t in a stuffy gym and we typically incorporate whatever is around us into the workout.  (The other week Larry had us doing push-ups with our feet on swings at a play ground and angled pull-ups on the jungle gym!!)  It is an awesome workout and a lot of fun because Brittany and me are laughing and cheering each other on the whole time.  Another cool thing is that the other person feels obligated to work hard and not stop due to the fact that we’re both doing something at the same time.  So if I’m doing angled pull-ups while Brittany is sprinting with the sled my arms are getting tired and I’m telling her to move as fast as possible!

Check out these RESULTS!!!!

Multiple muscle groups engaged!

I didn’t realize my shoulders are REALLY getting ripped - check it out:

Whoa! Getting a little freaky-looking!!!! HARD CORE!!!!

I have some really good before shots of me in a bathing suit from this past winter when we went to Castaway Bay.  I’ll have to see if they are postable.  (They are pretty bad).  For now I’m going to try to keep up the workouts and hopefully continue to see results.  I still hate my butt and love handles, but at least they are getting MUCH smaller.  I just want to get strong and have endurance…if that means keeping a little flab then so be it.

Quick break to just say that Dr. TIM KEYES IS THE BEST!!!  If it weren’t for going to him and getting ART (Active Release Technique) on my IT band who knows the shape I would be in right now.  Probably the fattest I’ve ever been and incredibly out of shape.  If you are having issues with your IT Band and you haven’t tried ART I highly recommend that you do!  I took 8 months off of running and thanks to Tim I am confident in saying that I am BACK!

Racing these past few months hasn’t been very consistent.  I ended up doing the Pirate Tri (sprint) at Lake Metroparks.  I realized that I just don’t want to spend the ridiculous amts. of $$ triathlons typically cost.  I may do Portage Lakes, but unless a triathlon is less than $50 chances are I probably won’t be doing it.  This past Thursday I did the Twilight Trail 8k sans my original ‘Two Trail Freaks’ team mate, Elizabeth.  Instead I ran on a team with Bridget and we decided to call ourselves ‘2 Slow 4 Elizabeth’ since - in reality I really am too slow to be on a team with her!!  Plus, that name is just hilarious.  I was less than 2 minutes slower than the last time I did the race.  I had a time of 38:42 this year.  In 2008 I had a 37:01.  I guess that’s not all that bad considering I took so long off of running and I felt pretty good during the race and had enough energy at the end to pass the two girls who were in front of me.  I really can’t wait to be back into better shape and be faster and have endurance.  It’s just going to take time, though…I’m just SO THANKFUL that I’m able to run again!!!

Today I ran the longest I’ve done in well over a year:  18 miles.  And it was HOTTTTTTT!!!  I ran with Bridget and Addy (Addy for the first 6 - she was in the Bob stroller while we pushed).  Let me just state for the record that I was a sweaty disgusting MESS!  I CANNOT believe how much sweat poured off of me today!  We are talking dripping off and drenched clothes.  I brought my insulated container filled with a gallon of ice water plus a water bottle filled with gatorade AND I DRANK ALL OF IT!!!  Yes - the entire gallon container and my water bottle!  And I was STILL thirsty afterwords!  Bridget and me ran together for almost the entire time and then when we got to 14 I just decided I wanted to be done so I picked it up a little.  I think my last 2 miles were the fastest of the entire 18, mainly due to the sheer fact that I just wanted to be done running and get out of my soaked, nasty clothes!  I’m definitely excited to have completed 18, though.  Because running is so mental this is a nice next step for me after so long without running.  I’m confident now that I am a runner again!

We are building a deck in the backyard.  It is coming along nicely and I can’t wait to have it completed and ready for lounging!  We’re planning on also getting a hot tub which I’ve pretty much wanted my whole life.  I am so excited for this winter to come now!  Running in the winter is just SOOOOO cold, and now after I’m done running I can look forward to sitting in a luxurious spa!  I think it will really help me stick with my running over the winter.  Oh, and PS:  If you run with me over the winter you are also more than welcome to come back to my place afterwords and go in with me!

Photo from Will and Kate’s wedding.  Brian had two dates because Sharon didn’t have a date and Todd was in Poland for work.  Lucky guy!!!

Me, Brian, and Sharon at Will and Kate's Wedding

Some progress shots of the deck.  Here is one of the earliest before we excavated half of the yard and drilled all of the post holes.  BTW, if you have rocks in your yard good luck using a power auger.  Doesn’t work very well and you have to do it the old fashioned way with a manual post hole digger.

2-person auger for drilling post holes

It was pretty neat when they delivered the stuff for the deck.  This guy brought a lift to haul the stuff down the driveway!  Awesome!

Getting materials delivered

It’s crazy how much we had to dig out!  Todd took the sledgehammer to two of the concrete stairs leading off the back porch.

Progress shot of holes and excavation

Holes dug and posts in place with concrete drying

Posts in, working on the beams then the joists!

Shot showing joists nailed together

Nailing the joists together with those stupid plates was terrible!  If we knew then what we know now we would have ordered different types of materials.  It takes forever to nail all the nails into those plates and it’s so annoying!  Me and Todd both got blisters from hammering so many freakin nails!

You’ll have to stay tuned for pictures of the finished deck…

First Place woman (Janet) and 3rd Age Group (me)

Yesterday was exactly a year since doing my last triathlon.  I did the Munroe Falls sprint triathlon last year as one of my last races before succumbing to my IT band injury.  It’s fitting then that I’m using it (hopefully) as my entry back into the running / triathlon scene and as a CLOSURE to my IT band problems.

On Friday I went to see Dr. Keyes for my last scheduled ART session.  He told me the IT band was doing great - no more scar tissue and nice and loosened up.  Unfortunately I’ve developed a new problem - when I try to fully extend my knee there is discomfort and pain.  He told me this was likely my meniscus.  Argh!  How did my meniscus get messed up?  Possibly just from the jolt into running again without having tons of scar tissue - he said it may be irritated due to the new way I’m running (sans scar tissue and ITB issues).  The good news is that he said it should go away and that it’s not severe.  He did this thing where he straitened my leg and then pushed it to either side and asked me if it hurt.  Well, it felt uncomfortable, but not super painful…  So anyway - IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS ANY FAMILIARITY WITH MENISCUS ISSUES CAN YOU SEND ME SOME INFO?  Tim said to work on strengthening my hips/legs, which I’m working on doing, but it’s just soooooooo frustrating!  I want to finally be pain and injury-free!!!!

Onto the race.  This one is nice because it’s only about 20 min from where we live.  I love LOCAL races!!  Got there early and had plenty of time to setup.  While getting my things setup in transition, someone said hi to me that I didn’t recognize - she told me her name was Suzanne and she reads my blog!  I was so flattered that someone I don’t know reads my rambles and complaints about training.  I told her I would try to keep my blog more updated since now I know there is one extra person reading!

It was HOT and I didn’t see many people wearing a wetsuit.  I saw Adam and was chatting with him and he corrected me when I accidentally thought he was wearing one.  What he was wearing is apparently a SPEED suit.  Sheesh…I’ve been out of the scene for so long I don’t even know what type of gear people are wearing!!!  I opted not to wear the wetsuit (I was going to ask Janet what she was doing, but I couldn’t find her).  I don’t really think it mattered either way.  The swim was over so fast and I just kept getting kicked and punched (accidentally) by people.  I thought that sticking to the side ropes would be a good idea - BAD MISTAKE - people who are afraid of the swim apparently also stay by the ropes to hold onto them and then cause you to have to try to get around them.  So the swim wasn’t a great performance, but I definitely felt like I could have done better if it weren’t for getting stuck behind so many people in the log jam.

Coming out of the swim I felt good and was ready to get on the bike.  Uneventful transition except for the fact that I accidentally ran the wrong way out of transition and had to go back around.  (ooops!)  The bike was fine - the windy road out of the park is annoying because I am not good on turns and so I couldn’t really build up any speed.  I already had looked at the course online so I knew exactly where to go.  It was a big rectangle with 2 loops.  Some rolling hills, but not too bad.  Looking at the results compared to last year I did better (mph) this year.  T2 was good - didn’t take off my bike gloves (which I like because then I can use them to wipe the sweat off of my face during the run) and DID remember to start my watch for the run!  The run was the toughest part and I sure can tell I’m not quite in running-shape.  I just kept thinking to myself thank goodness this is only a 5k or I would DIE!!!!  I am SO HAPPY with my run, though!!!  Way slower than most sprint triathlons I’ve done, but I ran the whole thing and felt strong the entire time.  (AND NO KNEE PAIN!)

This race was just what I needed to give me the added confidence and boost to keep me training.  They also told me I was 3rd in my age group which was SUPER AWESOME!!!  (I hope it wasn’t a mistake!)

Swim (400 yards):  8:01
T1:  2:04
Bike:  37:01 (19.5 MPH)
T2:  (not sure - have to subtract from overall run time)
Run:  watch said 7:40 pace; T2+run = 25:42 / 8:01 pace
Total:  1:12:50

Here’s a link to the results:  http://champracing.org/files/2010SUMMITRI2.HTM

Has anyone else noticed a strange increase in the number of people holding cardboard signs standing on the side of the road (typically at an intersection where there is a stop light) begging for money / assistance?  Well, in Akron, where I live, I can tell you there has been an EXPONENTIAL INCREASE in people who are begging on the side of the road.  I’m not sure I believe most of them, though.  The one day I was driving in Cuyahoga Falls and I saw a younger girl and then about 1/2 mile later on the same road a younger guy.  Seriously?  They were probably around 19 - 22 at the oldest.  Dude!!!  You are young and strong!!!  Go get a job as a server or landscaper!  The money is great and it’s fun work!!  Then there are the more pathetic-looking one’s who stand down by where we live in the valley.  There are 2 or 3 different people who stand in the same place at the intersection where Merriman crosses with Portage Path.  The one guy does look pretty pathetic - but he looks strong - like he could definitely do some type of manual labor job if he was REALLY desperate.  The thing is - I don’t think these people actually WANT a job.  I think that they are just happy standing on the side of the road with their crumply cardboard sign and waiting for someone to give them money.  Argh…I don’t like to give them money, though, even though I feel bad for them.  I want to help them find a job or give them food or talk to them or listen, but I don’t know if it makes sense to give them money. 

Here’s something else:  have you noticed that they are only there in the spring / summer?  I have.  I don’t ever remember seeing them in the winter - or on any crappy-weather day for that matter.  I don’t know…I just thought I would put the statement out there and see if this was happening anywhere else other than by me.

Here’s a recap of the week’s training:

Monday: Bike 1 hour
Tuesday: Rest (gonna get to the track not this Tue but next!!!)
Wednesday: Bike 1 hour
Thursday: Run ~7 miles on trails 9:30 pace
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 1 hour workout w/ Larry the torturer
Sunday: 10 mile easy run w/ Bridget, Addy, and Steve

Going to hit the pool this week!!!!!!!

• Thursday:  Went to see Dr. Keyes and he told me that my knee was feeling really good and that I should go ahead and start increasing my running / training.  This was news that was skeptically received by me since I’m going on a full year of being injured, but it was exciting nonetheless! 
• Friday:  Went out with Brittany for dinner and drinks sort of as a ‘last single girls night out’ since she’s getting married in 2 weeks.  Had a great time - went to Lola’s for the first time (for dinner - I”ve been there for drinks before) and had an AWESOME meal.  We finished the evening at this Chocolate Bar where we both ordered ice cream concoctions larger than our heads, justifying it by stating that we would just burn it off during our personal training session the next day.
• Saturday:  At 9 am I had my weekly hour-long personal training session with Larry - a.k.a. my personal torturer.  He decided to have us do a pyramid of sprints with arm exercises in between. (Among some other fun torture exercises).  I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest and Brittany sort of turned white and almost barfed.  We were both DRENCHED with sweat when we were done, but of course that didn’t stop us from going to get breakfast!  The rest of the day Saturday I hung out with my mom and sisters and we made dinner and watched The Brave Little Toaster and sung along with the songs and argued about which appliance was who.  It was fun.  For the record I am not the freakin’ vacuum cleaner!  And Gretchen is DEFINITELY the blankey.
• Sunday:  Today Todd and I met Steve and Bridget at Boston Store for an easy 9 mile run.  They brought Addy in the Bob stroller and we took turns pushing her while we ran.  I found that for some strange reason my IT band didn’t act up as much while I was pushing the stroller and the only thing I can think is that it has to do with me not flailing my arm as much.  (Since I was holding onto the stroller it kept that side of my body more stable).  So - open invitation for anyone who has a running stroller:  I’ll run with you and push!  (Disclaimer:  must be flat terrain).  It was a good time and we managed to maintain a pace a lot faster than 10-min miles, which was the goal (I think we were at 9:40??)When Todd and I got home we were welcomed with a super nice surprise! (Not!!!)  Our 110 Gallon Reef Tank had decided to start leaking again (Todd sealed the leak when we first got the tank…) and Todd ended up spending about 6 hours (he’s still working right now) removing ALL of the fragile corals, live rock, snails, invertabrates, and fish to other temporary storage locations as well as draining the tank.  It is seriously my worst nightmare.  At least it was a slow leak and it happened on a Sunday when we were both home and had the time to figure out several temporary storage spots and get everyone moved safely.  I would say we had about 45-50 different animals total in that tank, possibly more.  Worth several thousands of dollars, by the way.  (No, that is NOT an exaggeration.)  Not a great end to a weekend, but it could have been so much worse.  I just feel terrible - it is going to be SO MUCH work to get things back to where they were with the tank.  I am pretty sure we will sell the leaky one, which we bought for $800.  (Obviously, we will sell it to someone who doesn’t want to use it for water).  If you know anyone who wants a really pretty tank and stand for super cheap let me know! 

Here’s a quick recap of the workouts this week:

Monday - Bike 20 miles
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - Bike 1 hour (Lifetime Spin Class)
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Run 4 miles (7:49 pace)
Saturday - 1 hour personal training
Sunday - 9 miles easy run (9:40 pace I think)

I’m planning on swimming tomorrow pm.  BRIAN IF YOU ARE READING THIS LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE GOING!!  WE’RE GONNA DO A MARATHON LADDER IF SO!

Today I was planning on riding in Peninsula w/ CTC but there was a crazy storm right when they were scheduled to start so Todd and me opted to just stay home and work on cleaning.  We might go later tonight but I think it’s supposed to storm again.  Boo.  (Riding in the rain and in storms is not safe…as it is I’m clumsy on the bike and I don’t need to risk hurting or killing myself).

Here’s a quick recap of the week:

Mon:  swim - super lame…probably only managed to do 1000 yards (Brian let’s do a ladder next time!)
Tue: Rest
Wed: 1 hour spin class
Thurs: 5 mile run in am (8:18 pace)
Fri: rest
Sat: 1 hour personal training
Sun: 8 miles easy (10 min pace)

The run on Thursday felt really good.  I decided not to look at my pace but instead just run a pace that felt like I was just bordering on getting out of my comfort zone (anaerobic threshold).  This is good because I’m not that far off from where I used to be (8-min pace used to be right where discomfort started).  I know that in order to get my running fitness back I have to - duh - run - but it’s SO FRUSTRATING when after every run my IT band is so stiff!  I’m gonna just go with it, though.  I see Dr. Keyes again on Friday, so we’ll see how things go until then.

I was totally planning on doing the Twinsburg Duathlon - but I just went to register and realized that it’s $60!!  (I need to purchase the USAT 1-day membership).  I don’t know if I can pay that much…not because I don’t have $60, but because it’s just the principal of paying $60 for such a short race. (2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run).  Bridget mentioned this yesterday while we were running and I didn’t realize it was so $$.

We’ll see.

1.  I need to be ULTRA CONSERVATIVE with any attempts at ’speed’ training

2.  I need to get back to see Tim so that I can work out whatever kinks I’ve still got

3.  I need to realize that it’s been almost a year of being injured and I’m not going to just spring back to where I was…This is probably the most difficult thing to deal with…knowing that I’m MONTHS out from being in the shape that I used to be in and not being able to visualize the end result of the slow road to fitness recovery.

In addition to trying to get back into running I’ve also been working out with a personal trainer every Saturday for an hour.  I do ‘buddy’ sessions w/ Brittany and our trainer, Larry - a.k.a. my personal torturer.  I don’t know where he comes up with the torturous things he has us do…but they are INSANE.  With the exception of last week EVERY session leaves me 100% exhausted and feeling like I was just taking part in a Fight Club scene.  He’ll show us what we’re going to do and we just look at each other like ‘are you kidding me??!!  We have to do 20 of those???!!!!!  I can’t even imagine doing 1 or 2!!!’  It’s good, though, and I can tell that it is definitely complementary to my running and biking (and swimming when I make it - I KNOW BRIAN I NEED TO GET TO THE POOL!!!)

Lucky for me I have several running pals who are willing to run with me (shout out to Martini Mike) and are helping me get back.  Running alone is not for me and I am someone who really needs a companion - which is what has made getting back into running shape so difficult for me.  (Most of my SERC friends are just way too fast).  Plus I have a fear of going out for a run and then having knee pain and having to walk back…which I wouldn’t want to make someone put up with.

So that’s where I am.  I’ve been trying to get to the gym during lunch but that hasn’t happened for several months now due to insane work loads and the inability to even take a lunch.  I have seen that this has started to take a toll on me mentally and I am going to make an effort to start hitting the gym again and take a lunch break.  Fitness is a huge part of being healthy and without your health you DON’T HAVE ANYTHING.  I refuse to go down the same path that happened when I was working at Aclara - which I believe ultimately is what caused my IT band injury.

Last week was the official end to my MBA experience at Case.  The diploma ceremony was very nice and the weather was gorgeous.  I’m glad that I went.  Afterwords we had a nice dinner at home with my family and Todd re-enacted giving me my diploma so that my grandma could see it (she couldn’t make it to the diploma ceremony).  Todd put on his old cap and gown and hood to present mine to me - it was hilarious!!!  (Sorry - I’m not posting the pictures!!)

The weather today is awesome and Todd and I just got back from a bike ride to Peninsula and back.  (Of course this wasn’t enough exercise for Todd and he had to go back out for a run…such a show-off!!)  I am too sore to run after yesterdays personal training/torture session so I didn’t go with him.

I need to get better at tracking my workouts so here is this week’s recap:

Mon- Spin Class @ LT - 1 hour
Tue - speed/tempo (ran 3.5 miles - had ITB pain )
Wed - rest (badmitton playing in the back yard w/ Todd)
Thurs - rest
Fri - 6.5 mile run ~8:35 pace
Sat - 1 hour personal training session
Sun - bike ~20 miles

This week I’m probably going to hit the pool at least once because I really need to work on my swimming - plus it’s just a great recovery activity.  I’m looking forward to doing some  outdoor swimming this summer at LT also.  Brian - if you are reading this let me know if you are going to hit the Highland Heights pool because I’ll plan on meeting you there a few times too!!

I AM planning on doing the Twinsburg duathlon on 6/6 which should be an easy entry into this year’s race season.  Let’s hope my IT band holds up!

PV modules

A majority of my new job has been focused around solar PV (photovoltaics).  As such, we decided it made since for the VP of Renewable Energy Technologies to attend some solar installation training to become more technically savvy.  I looked around for a good long while in search of a course that was 1) affordable 2) close and 3) had good credentials - IREC accredited and taught by NABCEP Certified installers.

I looked at Boots on the Roof but honestly, it was just too expensive (would have had to fly there and the price was over $3k).  There were a few local options at the community colleges, but their instructors weren’t NABCEP Certified nor did they have IREC accreditation.  I’m one of those people who insists on getting what they pay for (even if it wasn’t my money) so I did quite a bit of research.  I ended up choosing to attend Infinite Solar in PA.  The course was advertised as a 5-day entry level course.  While I wouldn’t really consider myself ‘entry’ level, I figured this course would be perfect for me because it would allow me to get the hands-on experience I was looking for.  Because the course was in Philly, I asked my good friend Chris if I could stay with him and his fiancee.  Of course he said yes and the planning began! So this meant I could drive AND wouldn’t have to pay extra for a hotel.  Double win. [NOTE: Due to a co-worker's concern I have decided to remove the sentences that used to be here.]

So…the week before Easter I was headed to Philly.  Chris planned out for me the most efficient routes for getting to Philly from Akron as well as my daily drive to the school.  It was soooo nice to have someone local to help with that kind of stuff.  I left for Philly Sat afternoon and stayed Sat to Sat.  We had a blast - Chris and Cathy showed me around Philly and we did a ton of really fun stuff including lots of AWESOME food and beer consumption.  (Hence my facebook status updates w/ beer and food pictures).  It would have been way more fun if I didn’t have to wake up at 6am every day, but we decided that I would just have to come back this summer.

Now onto the course discussion.  I guess when I read ‘entry-level’ I didn’t really think about it -  i.e. anyone - even if you didn’t finish high school - could possibly be one of the students.  The math portion of the class was beyond embarrassing.  Having spent over 6 years as an embedded software engineer I came to forget that not everyone has things like Ohm’s law memorized or that current times voltage = Watts (power).  Those things are just like second nature to me - kind of like driving or putting on my shoes.  I forget that maybe some people haven’t had to think about that since middle school.  Ok, so I’ll give you that.  Maybe you didn’t work on medical imaging equipment where you had to think about the kV and mA that were selected by the user in order to get the desired power settings for you CT scan.  Got it.  But there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO BASIC ALGEBRA.  We spent a good 20 min discussing the fact that if V=IR, it also magically means that I=V/R.  And there were people that didn’t get this!!!!!!  WTF!!????!!!!!  How can you get through life not understanding basic algebra??!!!  I seriously use algebra at LEAST once a week!!!  This course was a lesson for me in many ways…some of which had nothing to do with solar installation.  So I was beyond baffled by the fact that people didn’t understand how to do basic calculations.  Also - there was this guy that I think must have been mentally disabled sitting next to me.  He was asking THE DUMBEST questions…every time he talked I had to think about something sad so that I wouldn’t die laughing.  It got to the point where the instructor would look at me when he started to ask a question - like we both had this understanding that this guy was just a whack-o - and it would make me have to try even harder not to laugh.  He was asking things that were totally unrelated to the course.  I swear I thought he was going to ask if aliens existed next.  Just completely random stuff.

All in all the course was good, and I did learn some things that I didn’t know like info relating to the NEC (National Electric Code) and safety stuff.  The installations were very good and we got to install on an indoor roof as well as a standing seam roof, a ballasted system, and a pole-mount system.  Any question I had was able to be answered with a non-biased response.  I also networked with one of the instructors and he is interested in possibly coming on board as a technical consultant for Carbon Vision.

Pole Mounted system with micro-inverters

Rear view of pans used for ballasted flat roof system

PV installed on the indoor shingled roof

S-5 clips mounted to standing seam roof

I’m sure the pictures are probably boring to most people - but it was really neat to get exposure to so many different types of installations.  I’ve already used what I learned about mounting systems to talk with an engineer working on a mounting solution for a corrugated roof on a system that is in planning right now.

Bad news about the week was that I didn’t get any good training in.  I made the mistake of doing a run on the treadmill Friday and now my IT band is not happy with me.  Argh.  Lifetime has an outdoor run club that meets for the first time next week that I’m planning on going to and I’m going to start doing Solon track workouts on Tue evenings.  I am determined to get over this dumb injury!

Sunday April 25 - University of Akron Sprint Triathlon

Sunday May 16 - Cleveland Half Marathon (Yea, I know I vowed never to do it again after they ran out of water at the water stops the one year…but I’m going to do it with my friend B so it will be fun…plus then I won’t feel guilty going to the post-race party)

Sunday June 6 - Twinsburg Duathlon (Sprint)

Sunday June 20 - Maumee Bay Olympic Triathlon

Sunday August 8 - Greater Cleveland Olympic Triathlon

Sunday September 12 - Akron Marathon (Relay? I hope so!  Not sure if my fast lady friends will want to give it a go again this year - I can’t do it by myself!!)

Sunday September 25 - Revolution3 Half Iron Man (Yikes!!!  When I looked at the price of this one I almost passed out!!  At least it includes 2 Cedar Point tickets.  If I do this one, I’m going to DEFINITELY need the Red Bull and Vodka for afterwords!!)

What is everyone else doing?  Am I missing something fun that others are going to do?  I’ll put up a 2010 Race page soon - but wanted to get this post up.  (My internet at home has been horrible lately!  It goes out all the time!!!)