You Had Me At $2800

(Liz Hatch, pro cyclist and unofficial icon of my gratitude to all our donors.)

With four whole days left before the race, I am thrilled to announce that we have EXCEEDED our fundraising goal of USD $2800!! This is, of course, thanks to all of you who have donated and supported our cause over the past few months. It really means a lot to Tamima and me that we have friends and family who are willing to help us help others. We had a fantastic fundraising party last Saturday night, and we have nothing but warm sentiments for everyone who showed up and/or donated.

In training news, last night (Wednesday) was my last swim workout, and tonight (Thursday) will be my last run workout before Sunday's race! It is likely that they will also be my last swim and run workout for a good long time, at least until I forget how nonplussed I am about swimming and running. Rest assured, I will always keep cycling. That is because bicycles are awesome, and riding them is fun. Anyway, it's been good to get out of my comfort zone for a while and appreciate the masochism of serious athletes.

The countdown continues... wish me luck! We can still raise plenty more cash for Israel's victims of terror; just because we reached our goal doesn't mean those victims don't need all the help we can give them. And if you're in the New York City Area this Sunday, come out and watch me flop my way to the finish line- the spectre of Liz Hatch compels you.

The Final Countdown

In twelve days I will take the plunge into the Hudson River and subject myself to the mercy of the triathlon gods (i.e. the faster, stronger triathletes who swim on top of their slower, weaker racemates).

Seriously, that's what happens in the swim portion of the race. Last week at practice, we did an "open water simulation" exercise in which the lane lines were removed from the pool and we all swam in a circle at once. It was every swimmer for his or her pathetic self. The only consolation to being kicked and jabbed multiple times, is that I too kicked and jabbed multiple people multiple times.

This, I suppose, is a metaphor for life. There will always be faster, wetter people grappling their way past you. The best you can do, as you briefly swim beside them, is to stick your elbow in their ribs ever so slyly and find joy in gliding along at your own pace.

Over the next twelve days I'll be making a final push for donations to Team One Family. This organization does so many good things for noncombatant people in Israel who have been cruelly victimized by senseless acts of terror. Check out this video, and don't forget to DONATE! Every little bit counts.

So, How's Your Training Going?

Many people ask me this question, and my answer is always along the lines of, "Well, I've been really busy until now. But it's going to be good!" With a little over a month to go til the Big Day, I guess I can finally say that my training is starting to pick up speed. (Mind you, only metaphorically.) I am either running, cycling or swimming every day, and my feelings of dread at the prospect of collapsing after mile two of the final stretch are slowly being allayed. Just like a sailor get his sea legs, I am getting my obligatory shin splints and blown-out knees, and loving every excruciating moment of it.

Last Sunday, I went on a forty-five (45) mile bike ride, which is the longest ride I've done since my high school bike racing days. Back then, we did several forty-five milers a week, and a fifty-to-seventy miler on Sundays. And that was in Chicago in February. Anyway, this past Sunday's ride was amazing- I rode from my abode on the Lower East Side up to Central Park's Engineer's Gate at 90th St. and 5th Ave. to meet up with the One Family group. From there we rode over to Riverside Drive, up and across the George Washington Bridge, and up New Jersey's Palisades Parkway to the New York state line, and back. The weather was cool and overcast, which is perfect exercise weather. The whole experience just reminded me why I have always loved cycling.

Oh, and running and swimming are okay as well. The advantage of running is that you don't need an external apparatus or special venue to do it, and the advantage of swimming is that you are rather unlikely to crash or blow out your knees. However, both lack the freedom, adventure and camaraderie of cycling. While I look forward to completing this triathlon for the worthy efforts of the One Family Fund, you may find me in the future doing more bike rides to support the other charitable causes I am passionate about.

In the meantime, don't forget to donate, and enjoy the summer!

Diet Tips and Eye Candy

Everyone who knows my wife knows that her name is practically synonymous with "well-balanced meals." Everything she prepares has a protein, a whole grain starch and a vegetable. Maintaining a healthy diet is very important while training for anything, since exercising and working out is a terrible strain on the body's natural resources. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that's true.

Anyway, my wife is an excellent culinarian. That is to say, she knows her way around a ladle. Tonight, to help me recover from this morning's chilly, tempestuous ride into ridiculous headwinds, she threw together a veritable feast of mesclun greens salad with slow roasted tomatoes, fresh golden beets, wild brown rice, brussels sprouts and, that's right, London broil. Ok, so I was less interested in imparting diet tips and more interested in bragging about how awesome my wife is.

Now, I know everyone is saying, "that's great for you, Jacob, but what's in it for me?" Well, here's something for you too. Bike porn.

(The full rig, with Sidi shoes and Specialized helmet.)

(Close-up look at the Look "crabon fribé" forks.)

(The "single-pump" on the downward-sloping shaft.)

(Some rear-view action.)

(And the "money shot.")

Ah yes, the pre-ConLaw exam run.

(My jogging grounds, "then and now.")

Tomorrow begins the end of my first year as a law student. I would normally feel elated after the end of classes, but this time the imminent threat of injury that is Prof. Weiner's Constitutional Law examination hangs over me like a giant tottering boulder. And the fact that the exam is closed-book and closed-note means that I stand under that boulder with little more in the way of protection than the miniature umbrella so often employed by desert canines.

So to clear my mind and get energized, I took a short run along the scenic East River, which is near my apartment. It was nice to get out and do some semblance of triathlon training after a day spent indoors with my nose in a book written by this guy. And as I ran I was indeed able to think clearly about the pendulum swing of the Supreme Court's Federalism jurisprudence from the pre-1937 bench to the New Deal-era 1937-1995 bench and back again. I pondered Justice Jackson's test of executive privilege in his dissent in Youngstown v. Sawyer and the substantial economic effects analyses in Wickard v. Filburn and Gonzales v. Raich. And by the time I stumbled home to my wife's delicious fresh-cooked dinner, I felt that maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Perhaps this time, the coyote will win.

Welcome to my training blog!

(My training/racing bike - Litespeed Natchez)

Hi everyone!

I am training for the Nautica New York City Triathlon, which will be held on Sunday, July 18. I'm racing with Team One Family, a fund that helps victims of terror in Israel. The team has nearly sixty members this year, and we are each trying to raise $2800 for the cause. Check out my fundraising page to donate today! No contribution is too small to help their worthy efforts.

So far I have only had time to train during the team's thrice-weekly scheduled sessions. I am starting final exams this week for the end of my first year of law school and have been studying most of the time. However, I did manage to take a beautiful bike ride yesterday up the West Side Highway to 90th St. and back down. (More to come on my favorite cycling routes.)

Here's where I currently stand viz. training: I can comfortably do the 25mi cycling portion. At worst, I can let the current in the Hudson River carry me most of the 1mi swimming portion. And at best, I can cross the finish line after the 6mi running portion without losing control of my bodily functions.

Follow me as I keep you abreast of my progress!