Paul Litwin's Personal Blog

ISTA North America: Institutionalized Unfair and Deceptive Utility Billing

2011-01-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

I am sick and tired of ISTA -- "...the world's leading company in the metering, billing and management of energy, water and ancillary costs..." that has institutionalized unfair and deceptive billing practices.

My apartment complex in Seattle used ISTA for billing and no matter how early I sent my payment ISTA never credited my payment correctly on the next bill. Always saying I hadn’t paid on the next bill because their screwed up accounting system. And making me use a calculator EVERY month to subtract out my ALREADY PAID ON-TIME amount.
Next I move into a condo in Bellevue and every they SEND US THE BILL LATE demanding payment within a day or two of receiving the invoice in the mail. Case in point, I just received the bill on January 29^th with the amount due on February 1.

These guys have lousy customer service and a horrendous track record of trying to cheat their customers.

Just a few of the long list of complaints turned up by a Google search on "ista complaints"...

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/ista-north-america-c323715.html

http://www.ripoffreport.com/utility-companies/ista-north-america/ista-north-america-ista-s-magi-9fdpd.htm

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/amco-and-ista-ripping-off-their-tenants-c155905.html

http://www.complaintnow.com/ista,-North-America-Complaints/complaint/business/Business_ID/display/150199

http://www.bbb.org/san-diego/business-reviews/billing-service/ista-north-america-in-san-diego-ca-14002057/

Exposing the Supposed Exposer

2011-01-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Comment I just posted after reading this online "health" article:

Exposed: 10 Facts about the Breast Cancer Industry You're Not Supposed to Know (opinion) by Mike Adams

I work for a cancer center (http://fhcrc.org) and find much of your article offensive and simply made up. I am no shill for the drug companies, many who I think are making insane profits at the expense of people getting the healhcare they need, but we do a lot of great research and we want to prevent or cure all cancers. Listen, I understand and can relate to some of your concern and skepticism. I am too; but the fact is that many of us in non-profit cancer orgs are working hard to help eliminate and reduce human suffering from cancer.

I also take great umbrage in those who question all western medicine at the same time promoting made-up or untested cures or prevention routines that are based on heresay and ad-hoc testimonials and lining the pockets of the supplement industry and quasi health care providers (your advertisers).

Your article has some good advice but also some unproven assertions: both negative towards western medical remedies and positive towards unproven non-traditional remedies.

I exercise, take a number of supplements and maintain a healthy skepticism towards all advice. I also manage a programing group at FHCRC that I believe DOES help.

Regards,

Paul Litwin

My Ride to Conquer Cancer

2009-07-08T23:48:00.001-07:00

I was very fortunate to be able to participate in the BC Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 163 mile (262 kilometer) mile bike ride from Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA held on June 20 and 21, 2009.

A Word About Fundraising

Before I tell you about my journey, let me mention that the purpose of the ride was to raise money for cancer research and care at the BC Cancer Foundation, Canary Foundation, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The ride raised an amazing amount of money. In fact, we raised 6.9 million dollars (Canadian) for cancer research and care. All of the money raised by Canadian riders will go to the BC Cancer Foundation. And, in fact, most of the money raised will go to this fine organization. Funds raised by U.S. Riders (47 riders) will be donated to the Canary Foundation to support early detection cancer research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Read more about the fundraising details.

The Journey from Vancouver to Seattle

Now back to the Ride itself…There were 1,701 riders there on the morning of Saturday, June 20th. Along with us, were numerous loved ones and of course the event organization staff and countless unpaid volunteers. These were the unsung heroes of the ride who made it all happen. All we had to do was ride…

It was cold that morning…

I arose at 5:30 AM, suited up in my ride gear, grabbed my bike that I had parked next to the window Friday night before I went to bed in my room at the Sheraton hotel in Surrey, British Columbia (that’s right, we didn’t actually start in Vancouver, but it was close enough), and my backpack and jumped on the elevator. I rode a couple of blocks to the Guildford Towne Centre mall where I dropped off my pack. At around this time, I ran into my co-worker Philip and his girlfriend Danielle that morning who were there at the event to take photographs and video.

Philip took a few photographs, after which I said goodbye, and made my way to the check-in tent. The ever cheerful and helpful volunteers handed me my ride packet, which consisted of an arm band, a name card, my Ride to Conquer Bike Jersey, some cable ties, and a few other items. A volunteer affixed the bracelet to my right arm along with a special green cable tie that signified I was to get the vegetarian meal plan. I affixed the name card to my bike and proceeded to breakfast, which consisted of a breakfast burrito, a bagel, a banana, and some coffee.

At some point I decided to go to the bathroom. The line to the porta-potties was long but a kind volunteer holding a Starbucks coffee cup mentioned there was a Starbucks not more than a block away. So, I put down my bike and proceeded in the direction of the Starbucks to accomplish two very important tasks: use a bathroom quickly and purchase and consume a split-shot, venti, non-fat latte. After I got back from Starbucks I ran into Damon and Tim (co-workers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) and Tim’s wife, Nancy. The four of us are pictured below right before the start (from left to right: me, Damon, Tim, and Nancy).

At 7:00 AM, the festivities started and various dignitaries, cancer survivors, and staff spoke about the ride, cancer, and fundraising.

The Start

At around 7:30 AM, the Ride began and after about 5 minutes or so we made it past the starting point and were able to mount our bikes and start riding. Unfortunately, during the waiting around, my muscles had tightened up, and after a couple of hills I noticed that my quads were quite tight and, in fact, they remained tight for most of the morning.

Regardless, I was excited, and although I had started pretty far in the back of the pack, I pushed myself and worked my way up towards the front during the first 20 miles of the ride. We proceeded south from Surrey towards the border via the “beach” town of White Rock.

The Border

At the border, we all queued up in two bike lines. Once again, we had a chance to get cold as we waited to get through the border. I was fortunate in having to only wait in line about a half an hour. Tim and Nancy who were towards the back of the pack ended up waiting 2.5 hours to cross the border!

Here I am pictured in line at the border. In the background is Canada.

While waiting in line, I chatted with lots of other riders, including Team BC, which stands for Barbara (on the right currently living in Seattle but who had previously lived in Vancouver where she met Christine) and Christine (on the left from Vancouver). You can see the border crossing in front of the these two women. Interestingly, Barbara was the only person I met on the ride (who I didn’t know prior to the ride) who was from the U.S. The vast majority of riders resided in Canada.

After crossing the border, we rode into Blaine and I stopped at mile 30 at my first pit stop, Birch Bay Park in Blaine, WA. You can see me with Birch Bay in the background in this photo taken by one of the great pit stop volunteers, who happened to be wearing a hula skirt!

My muscles started to loosen a bit as we proceeded along the windy Washington coast. At mile 42, we stopped in a parking lot in front of the Silver Reef Casino in Ferndale.

After Ferndale, we headed along the water towards Bellingham. Again, it was windy and I switched off between riding in the streamlined aero position to riding on top of my hoods (that is, with my hands on the tops of my brakes/shifters). I mostly rode alone at this point, occasionally popping in with a group for a while until either I tired and they rode ahead or I increased my speed an passed them. I do remember the miles at this point going quite slowly.

Lunching at Bellingham

Around 11 AM we arrived at the town of Bellingham for what I assumed was the Day 1 lunch break. Bellingham was pretty small and once we arrived there I thought we’d be at the lunch spot within a few miles. No such luck; what seemed like 10+ miles and several steep up hills later we finally saw the volunteers cheering and waving us into the lunch stop at Lake Padden (which was actually South of Bellingham).

The lunch break was a very welcome stop and the setting was almost perfect on Lake Padden at mile 55 for the first day. I was pretty tired at that point and a little cranky since I had expected lunch to be around the next turn for some time.

The staff was, of course, great, doling out lunch, beverages, praise, and sunscreen. My complaints were soon gone as I ate my lunch down by the lake and took a few minutes to bask in the sun on the grass. You can see me here with the lake behind me. I ended up breaking for about 50 minutes on Saturday.

And since it had taken so many miles to get to the lunch stop, it turned out that we had less than 30 miles to go till camp that day.

I took off after lunch and headed for the next stop, 14 miles later at Belfast Feed Store just north of Mt. Vernon in the town of Burlington. At this point, it had gotten rather sunny and so I grabbed some snacks and slathered on some more sunscreen at this last rest stop before we reached camp. I checked my phone and there was a message from Phil asking me where I was. I called him a couple of times and finally got through. He had just pulled into Lake Padden and was wondering as to my whereabouts. He asked me to wait and he would hurry there so he could get some shots of me that day.

So I waited…and waited…and waited. A 15 minute break turned into about an hour which hurt even more because I knew I only had 13 more miles to ride that day. But I impatiently waited for Phil. It was nice to see him and Danielle. After they took some photos at the rest stop and chatted a bit (and a bit more), they took off ahead of me in the car and shot a whole bunch of photos of me as I rode by including these next two.

We soon approached the now barren tulip and daffodil fields of Mt. Vernon. You could hear the cheering from fans and volunteers as we rounded that last turn and pulled into camp. What a rush realizing that I was done for the day!

Camp was pretty cool. A bunch of bike racks, a grub and beer tent, a massage tent, and 700+ sleeping tents stretched out in front of us.

I was certainly sore: I felt it the left side of my neck and my lower back but, to be honest, I felt great for a guy who had ridden 82+ miles that day.

Each rider got two free beers, snacks, dinner, and a free massages. I grabbed my 2 beers and chatted with Damon (my teammate). I also visited the Ride store where I purchased a couple of “Someone I know rode in the Ride to Conquer Cancer” t-shirts for Anna and Matthew.

I waited about 20 minutes in the massage line but it had barely moved and I wanted to get to my hotel room. That’s right, unlike 90% of the other riders, I had made a reservation at a local Days Inn hotel. I am glad I opted for the more comfortable sleeping arrangements.

I stopped off at a nice Italian restaurant in Mt. Vernon where I had some pasta and rode over to the hotel about 2 miles from camp.

After a welcome shower I crashed not too much later that evening but was awoken in the middle of the night with some sort of rash that had me various parts of my body very itchy. I managed to settle back to sleep; in the morning I found patches of red all over my body. I figure I was must of been allergic to the soap in the Surrey or Mt. Vernon hotel.

Day 2: Mt. Vernon to Seattle

After breakfast of waffle and coffee at the Days Inn, I rode back to camp for the beginning of Day 2. Other than the rash (which settled down with some Benadryl and cortisone cream), I have to say I felt great and was excited to start day 2. It had rained over night and it was again quite cold in the morning. When I got to camp I parked my bike near the entry/exit gate and jumped in line for the porta-potties.

After taking care of business, I grabbed my bike where I had left it and interestingly enough was positioned very close to the front of the group. Here I am right before the start. It was about 7:30 when they started everyone on Day 2.

Hanging with the Lead Pack

Here is a shot that Phil took of me coming off the Mt. Vernon bridge (in the bright rain jacket) about a minute into the Day 2 ride.

I really enjoyed the start of Day 2. Because of my fortuitous position at the start I got in with the lead pack. After the bridge I could see this huge lead pack of probably about 60 riders. At first I was a bit intimidated by it, saying to myself that they were going too fast. But then it dawned on me that a group of that size would produce a super draft that I could take advantage of, so I hung on and joined the back of the lead pack. It was great. We were just zooming along at a pace of probably 20 miles an hour (not that I would know because my bike computer battery died towards the end of Day 1 and although I replaced it, the wheel size got reset while replacing the battery and thus it was useless).

Anyway, being in that lead pack was a lot of fun. At one point at about mile 8 we passed this huge group of cows and totally spooked them. They started stampeding along the road (fortunately, there was a fence between them and us) and were charging forward in parallel to us for a few minutes. I was still hanging onto the lead pack when we blew past rest stop 1 at mile 14. A few people stopped, but 90% of the pack—including yours truly—decided to skip the stop and continue riding hard. About a mile later, a group of us lost the lead pack through the town of Stanwood, but I continued to work with several guys for quite a few miles with a reduced albeit still quite fast pace. It was another 18 miles before we arrived at rest stop 2 at the Centennial Trailhead in Arlington. Of course, since the road was wet I splattered with rain and road debris. At this point we were Day 2, mile 32.

Rest Stop

Here I am at that first (for me) rest stop on Day 2 in Arlington. After the rest stop the ride continued on the Centennial trail for another 7 or 8 miles. I kicked it down a notch at first, taking it pretty easy on the very pretty trail. A few miles into the trail, however, I kicked it back up, jumping in with a group and working the last few miles until we reached Lake Stevens and lunch at mile 42—pretty much half way for Day 2.

Lunch and a Latte at Lake Stevens

I pulled into lunch at 10:30. It was cold at lunch and I was freezing, especially after drinking some cold juice. I asked one of the volunteers if there was coffee available and they said no but there was a coffee shop just outside the park and across the street. I grabbed a latte at the coffee shop and chatted with the locals who had lots of questions about the ride and the route we were taking. Sitting down in a comfy chair didn’t help me get going again and all told I spent about 50 minutes at the lunch stop getting going again at about 11:20.

Hills

The Day 2 ride had been pretty flat until now but that was soon to change as we headed off towards Snohomish. The middle school where we stopped for the next pit stop was just past Snohomish so we were already starting to climb out of Snohomish when we stopped for a nice rest at mile 55. Here I am stretching at this rest stop.

After the rest stop we continued to climb out of Snohomish. And boy, was that some climb. In fact, the hills out of Snohomish continued for some time. I was beginning to feel quite tired and sore but I also was pretty jazzed that we only had about 26 miles left!

Sammamish River Trail

At around mile 60 we reached Woodinville and worked our way through town until we reached the Sammamish River Trail. I have to say I was very, very happy when we reached the Sammamish River Trail as I was now on familiar territory. I had ridden this stretch of trail many times while training for the ride and even though I was quite tired this immediately gave me a shot of adrenaline. At this point I saw Phil who took this shot of me on the trail.

After a few miles into the trail, we reached the final rest stop of the Ride at the Sammamish River Trail Park in Bothell, where I asked another rider take this photo of me.

Putting the Hammer Down

I didn’t linger long at this stop because with only about 14 miles left in the ride, I could taste the finish. And the excitement caused me to put the hammer down for the remainder of the ride. Not too long after the rest stop, the Sammamish River Trail ended and the even more familiar Burke-Gilman trail started. At this point, I cranked it up another notch. I was almost home in my mind even if it was 10+ miles. If truth be told I underestimated the remaining distance in my mind and have to say those last 10 miles felt like they would never end. But I kept pushing at a pretty crazy pace. I so wanted the Ride to be over and was determined to kick some butt during those last few miles on my home riding territory.

At this point it had been raining on and off but we were all quite surprised when sometime between 1:00 and 2:00—I think I was in the Lake City neighborhood of Seattle at the time—it started hailing. Yes, it hailed for about 15-30 minutes. And the hail was pretty big. Remember this was on June 21st!

During those last few miles my thoughts turned to my my cousin Paul Kunzinger who had died from Lung Cancer and the others I knew who had suffered by cancer. I also thought about my many amazing sponsors who had helped me raise an amazing $6,000. Wow, this had been so easy…

We made it through the hail, past 125th, 75th, 70th, 65th. Closer and closer. Past University Village mall. At this point it couldn’t be more than a couple of miles and I pushed even harder. I wanted that finish so bad and continued to fly by other riders on the somewhat crowed trail. Past Husky Stadium and the Montlake Bridge, and finally the last turn onto gravel and the last few yards past the finish line in front of University of Washington’s Drumheller Fountain. I got choked up and tears in my eyes as I crossed the finish line.

The Finish…And the Finish

This next photo was taken just a few minutes after the finish. I think you can see how tired I was at that point. But also so excited! I did it. We did it! 1,701 of us had ridden 163 miles from Vancouver, BC to Seattle and in the processraised 6.9 million dollars for cancer research. Wow.

A little while after I finished and half-way into my celebratory free beer I found Phil photographing away at the finish. “Did you get a shot of me at the finish” I asked, guessing he would say no. Indeed, he must have gotten there after me and he asked if I would mind riding across the finish line again. So, I hate to admit it, but I handed my beer to someone, grabbed my bike off the rack, and rode back another couple hundred yards so Phil could capture it on video.

So I circled around and rode across the finish line a second time, almost falling over as I waved my helmet for the video camera. Phil posted a video featuring me on the first day of the ride on youtube. So far he hasn't posted any videos that included the finish redux.

These next two shots were taken after it was all over. The first one with me posing about 20 yards before the finish line and then Phil, his son Will, and Brian Pendleton, the man who ran the whole event.

And Now a Word from My Sponsors

This ride would have been nothing if not for my sponsors. With the help of the following people, I was able to raise over $6,000. Thank you from the bottom of my heart my very generous sponsors. You guys and gals rock!

[One more thing: it's not too late to sponsor me. The Ride folks are still accepting donations until 60 days past the event, which would be until August 20, 2009. If you are interested, please go to My Ride to Conquer Cancer Website. Thanks.]

Kimberly Tripp and Paul Randal
Brad Kingsley
Don Kiely
Jungchan Hsieh
Bradley Millington
Lakeview Financial Group
Anne Kunzinger
Suzanne Litwin
Paul Schwaegler
Peter Vogel
Serge Baranovsky
Richard Campbell
Miguel Castro
Scott Cate
Frances Cerio
Ken Getz
Mark Mason
Michael Neel
Mary Pettinger
Stefan Schackow
Suresh Varghese
Stephen Walther
Bob Kunzinger
Victrinia Ensor and Eric Ridgeway
David Kunzinger
Stu Yarfitz
Andy Greendorfer
Thomas and Joan Litwin
Shirley Beresford
Buzz Brown
Star Dirette
Thomas Eberhard
Peter Kellner
Suzanna Moran
Shawn Nandi
Guy Page
David Rogers
Marty Schaeferle
Scott Sutherland
Craig Utley
Terry Wong
Robert Zelt
Geoff Litwin
Peter Litwin
Lisa Wood
Cathy Kirkwood
PJ Forgione
Alex Homer
Mija lee
Robert MacHale
John McGahan
Marquette Moore
Stephen Presley
Ben Robinson
Dan Wahlin
Paul Waters
William Marty
Dan Balter
Don Brown
Tony Goodhew
Dennis Hall
Linda Mickelberry
Faye Plum
John Durant

On Compromising One’s Values

2009-05-22T20:33:00.001-07:00

One of the things about Barack Obama that attracted me and so many others to him was his espousal of the belief that you never compromise on your basic core values.

Quoting from The Audacity of Hope, Barack wrote

And yet for all our disagreements we would be hard pressed to find a conservative or liberal in America today, whether Republican or Democrat, academic or layman, who doesn’t subscribe to the basic set of individual liberties identified the Founders and enshrined in our Constitution and our common law: the right to peaceably assemble to petition our government, …, the right not to be detained by the state without due process; the right to a fair and speedy trial…

But alas, Barack, barely 100 days into office has already drank the military state, war on terrorism Kool-Aid; he’s already compromised his basic core values for the sake of expediency. He’s taken the easy way out. Of course, Bush and his cronies did this for years but Barack Obama was supposed to be different.

How do we square the above quote with what he said in his speech on June 22, 2009:

…But even when this process is complete, there may be a number of people who cannot be prosecuted for past crimes, but who nonetheless pose a threat to the security of the United States. Examples of that threat include people who have received extensive explosives training at al Qaeda training camps, commanded Taliban troops in battle, expressed their allegiance to Osama bin Laden, or otherwise made it clear that they want to kill Americans. These are people who, in effect, remain at war with the United States.
As I said, I am not going to release individuals who endanger the American people. Al Qaeda terrorists and their affiliates are at war with the United States, and those that we capture - like other prisoners of war - must be prevented from attacking us again. However, we must recognize that these detention policies cannot be unbounded. That is why my Administration has begun to reshape these standards to ensure they are in line with the rule of law. We must have clear, defensible and lawful standards for those who fall in this category. We must have fair procedures so that we don't make mistakes. We must have a thorough process of periodic review, so that any prolonged detention is carefully evaluated and justified.
…And so going forward, my Administration will work with Congress to develop an appropriate legal regime so that our efforts are consistent with our values and our Constitution.

[Complete speech transcript.]

That last line is amazing in it’s audacity because you can’t create "a legal system of indeterminate detention without charge" that is consistent with the U.S. constitution! Any attempt to do so is a farce and Obama knows this. Shame on you, Barack! Is due process something that only the government can determine when and if it applies? (Aside: is the use of the word "regime" just a sad coincidence?)

We are nothing without a set of basic core values that are unwavering, unbending—especially in the face of difficult times.

A friend with an opposing view in referring to government and its treatment of “enemy combatants” said on twitter “..but I’d be willing to bet they know a lot of stuff we don’t know about.”

I answered “Nothing they know can abrogate the constitution or a person's basic inalienable rights nor our basic core values”. And that, for me, is what it comes down to.

Ben Franklin, as you probably know, said it best over 200 years ago:

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

No person is ever more important that any other person. Everyone on this planet deserves the same basic inalienable rights that our constitution is supposed to guarantee. Every human life is sacrosanct and we don’t get to play God. Ever. Even Charlie Manson, and Pol Pot and Adolph Hitler, if they were alive today, deserve due process. I can’t think that any of the individuals that are currently imprisoned indefinitely at “Gitmo” could possibly be worse that Adolph Hitler or the most horrible human being we could conjure.

An article in Salon by Glenn Greenwald frames the issues better than I can. I suggest you give that a read.

Of course, it’s not too late for President Obama to change his mind. I urge you Barack to set this straight. Stop listening to the war mongers, political opportunists, and those who would twist the constitution to their suit their needs. You are in charge (thanks to our votes)! It’s time to get back in tune with your core values and then get back to governing with them.

Update
If you too are upset about Obama's prolonged detention proposal, I urge you to blog, tweet, write, and speak up! Make your views heard; now! Take it directly to the president by sending a comment to the White House.

Dedicating My Ride to My Cousin Paul

2009-05-10T13:14:00.001-07:00

My cousin Paul Kunzinger and I share the same first name and were born within a year of each other in New York City. Paul’s father was my mother’s brother. His family moved to Elmira, NY when we were kids and our families would get together one or two times a year. As we got older, we saw less of each other, especially when I moved to Seattle and him to Texas after college. Paul received a master’s degree in geophysics from Wright State University, and worked as a geophysicist.

During the early 1980s, I was excited that Paul and his future wife, Annie, moved to Seattle and we got to know each other as adults. Not too long after, Paul moved back to Texas but we continued to exchange Christmas cards. Paul and Annie got married and had too little angels: Natalie and Amy.

Paul with Natalie and Amy, Christmas 2002

Natalie was born with cystic fibrosis and Paul and Annie formed a team for the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk, raising an amazing amount of money each year for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Then, suddenly Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 2006. Annie continues the story:

Paul was a non-smoker, who was diagnosed at stage 3B with non-small-cell lung cancer. From the moment he was diagnosed, he worried that he might not be here to help me raise our girls. He cried when he realized that he might not be there to walk them down the aisle on their wedding days. He worried about Natalie and her fight with cystic fibrosis.

So, Paul fought with everything in him. He fought for our future, for our dreams; and he fought for our girls. But his disease was too advanced for surgery, and too advanced for radiation. He did two rounds of traditional chemo, a double blind study, and a biological chemo. But, the cancer kept growing and eventually overpowered his strength and body. Paul’s body died, but his spirit and our memories live on. Cancer can’t touch that.

Natalie and Amy were 8 and 5 when their Daddy died; way too young to lose the most important man in their lives. But they are brave and tough, just like he was. Survivor types.

Amy and Natalie, Summer 2008

Paul was a warm, gentle, loving person and a devoted husband and father.

I am dedicating my ride to my cousin who lost his battle with lung cancer in January of 2007 at the age of 49. Cancer kills around 8 million people a year, including about half a million each year in the United States.

Of course, not everything about cancer is bad news. A lot of good progress has been in the areas of treatment, prevention, and early detection. All of the money I raise as part of my ride goes towards early detection research at the organization where I work – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Please consider sponsoring My Ride to Conquer Cancer. Together, we can make a difference and save lives.

Riding to Conquer Cancer

2009-04-21T16:07:00.001-07:00

Okay, I just signed up to participate in a bike ride to help conquer cancer. I am riding about 160 miles over two days (June 20-21) from Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA (back to where I live) to raise money for cancer research and treatment. All funds raised by myself and other US riders will go (after expenses) to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the world-renowned research center where I have had the privilege to work over the past 5+ years.

Won’t you please consider helping to cure cancer by becoming a sponsor? You can check out my progress at raising $2500 and donate by clicking on My Ride to Conquer Cancer Donation Page.

Thank you!

Paul

So You Want to Do a Triathlon. Part 5: Tips for Success

2009-04-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some tips that may help you in your quest to do a triathlon.

Start with a sprint tri. Train at least 3 months before your first race.
Get shoes at quality running store with knowledgeable salespeople.
Unless you are a great swimmer, get swim lessons and consider doing at least a couple of outdoor swims before your first race.
Unless you are a great swimmer or you are swimming in very warm water, get or rent a wetsuit.
Consider attending a triathlon clinic or camp.
Get a decent road bike, bike shoes and clipless pedals. Only the super competitive need a "tri bike".
Read up on the sport, especially on the transitions. Get a book or check out the many web sites including http://www.beginnertriathlete.com
Find a training plan (check out books and online plans such as those found at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com) and go slow. Start training in the winter or spring for a summer sprint race.
Do several brick workouts prior to your first race. A brick workout is when you do 2 of the three events in a race-like setting. This means swimming and then quickly jumping on your bike or biking followed by a run or a swim followed by a run. This will help condition your body for what to expect. It's especially important to do the bike/run brick workout. Also consider doing at least one tri workout where you do all three events back to back.
Set goals early in the season and space out your races. Get lessons in which ever event you are weakest.
Get a tri buddy or join a triathlon, running, biking or swimming group.
If you develop running or biking injuries, see a sports doctor, podiatrist, or a sports physical therapist. In Seattle, I’ve had good success with Real Rehab physical therapy (http://www.realrehab.com). Many of Real Rehab therapists are competitive athletes.

So You Want to Do a Triathlon. Part 4: Finding a Race

2009-04-01T21:18:00.001-07:00

Most triathlons are run outside with the swim portion of the race done in a lake. Occasionally, the swim will be in a river or the ocean. For a few races in the beginning of the season (typically, during May or June in the Northwest), the swim may be conducted in a pool. Most races in the Northwest will occur between July and September.

During the summer months, you can find one or more triathlons each weekend between Vancouver and Portland.

Popular races

Nationally, for women, the Danskin Sprint Triathlon used to be the women’s triathlon series. http://www.danskinwomenstri.com
These races tend to sell out very quickly, so if you are interested in one of these races (and you are a woman), you’ll want to check out their sites to see when they open for registration.
Gaining popularity is another all-women race series sponsored by Trek. http://www.trekwomenstriathlonseries.com/
For men and those women who either don't register in time or who prefer a smaller race, there are numerous other races from which to choose.
Some of my favorites in the Seattle area include:
- Seafair Sprint Tri. Seattle. July. http://www.seafair.com/events/triathlon
- Federal Escape Tri. Federal Way. July Sprint and Olympic events. http://www.trifreak.com/federal_escape.htm
- Escape from the Rock Sprint Tri. Mercer Island. September. http://www.envirosports.com/events/event.php?eventid=2329
- Kirkland Sprint Tri. Kirkland. September. http://www.racecenter.com/kirklandtri

Race information can be found at:

Running and cycling stores, triathlon stores and health clubs
Most triathlon clubs will post local races on their web site.
Online national racing sites:

Cost of Races

Race fees range from $40-$60 for a Sprint to $500+ for an Ironman race.

So You Want to Do a Triathlon: Part 3: Equipment and Where to Get It

2009-03-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Equipment You Will Need

You will need to be equipped for all three sports and more. At a minimum, you will need for training:

A good pair of running.
Running clothes.
If you are a woman, you will need a sport bra.
Swimsuit.
Swim goggles.
For outdoor (lake) swimming, you will also need a swim cap (men too; this is important for visibility)
For outdoor swimming, you'll probably want to get a wetsuit as well unless you will be swimming in a warm climate.
A comfortable bicycle that fits you. For the competitive triathlete, the bike can be a tri bike or road bike. For the less competitive, a mountain or commuter bike will do.
A bike helmet.

For the race, the following additional items are recommended:

One or two piece high-tech triathlon suit. The idea is to wear one outfit for the whole race to reduce transition times. If you are wearing a wetsuit, you would wear this under your wetsuit.
A race number belt. This makes it easy to attach your running number when you get off the bike.
Sunscreen.
Running hat.
Water bottle(s) and energy gels.
A watch.
Clipless pedals and bike shoes to match.
Special laces for your running shoes so that you can just slip on your shoes without tying them.

Important: Running is an impact sport that can be hard on your joints. Thus it's essential to get a good pair of running shoes. Running shoes come in various designs that are made for the way you run. Run in the wrong pair of shoes and you likely will injure yourself. Thus I strongly recommend buying your running shoes from a quality running store with knowledgeable salespeople. I do not recommend you purchase your running shoes from discount stores or chain stores that lack the knowledgeable salespeople who can fit you correctly.

Where to buy equipment?

First of all, you can get running gear in most running. Bikes and gear can, of course, be obtained from most bike shops and you can get swim suits in most sporting good stores. In addition, there are a few triathlon stores that cater to the triathlete. These are great places to find triathlon-specific gear, supplies, wetsuits (for purchase or rental), and advice.

For those living in the Seattle area, here are a list of some places I like:

Speedy Reedy. Located in the Fremont area of Seattle. Great, helpful staff. Lots of gear, free advice, and wetsuits for purchase or rent. http://www.speedyreedy.com
Triumph Sports. Located in Leschi neighborhood of Seattle. Similar to Speedy Reedy in what they offer. http://www.triumph-multisport.com
Most REI locations. You won't get the personal touch and as knowledgeable staff as Speedy Reedy and Triumph but most REI locations carry most tri gear, including wetsuits. http://www.rei.com

Cost of Equipment

So what will it cost to train and compete in a triathlon?

$80-$130 for a pair of shoes
$20-$50 for a swim suit
$30-$200 for a tri outfit.
$30-$40 to rent a wetsuit. $180 - $300 to buy one.
$500-$3000 for a decent road or tri bike.
Another $100-$300 for bike gear (lights, helmet, shoes, etc.)

So You Want to Do a Triathlon. Part 2: How and Where to Train

So You Want to Do a Triathlon, Part 1: Getting Started

So You Want to Do a Triathlon. Part 2: How and Where to Train

2009-03-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

It is the rare person who comes to the triathlon strong in all three events. More than likely, you are a runner, cyclist, or swimmer who is looking to round yourself out or challenge yourself. In fact, you may need help in all three sports plus putting all three together.

When I came to the sport, I didn’t know how to swim very well. In fact, I was afraid of swimming, especially in open water. I enrolled in a class recommended by a running buddy that was targeted at the novice triathlete. The class and the other classes and clinics I have taken since that time have made all the difference for me.

Another good resource is the local triathlon clubs. Search for “triathlon your-city-name” using any search engine.

Indoor swim lessons

Many athletes will need swimming lessons. I did! Where to go:

Many health clubs offer private or group lessons.
Most YMCAs and public pools offer private and group lessons. If you live in Seattle, start at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/pools.asp

Mary Meyer Life Fitness. Mary and company run an excellent series of beginner, intermediate, and advanced swim technique lessons targeted at the triathlete. Year round. http://marymeyerlifefitness.com/

Outdoor swim clinics
Since most triathlons are run outdoors, you will want to do some of your swimming outdoors in a lake.

Mary Meyer Life Fitness. Mary and company also offer outdoor swim clinics in the summer months. Highly recommended. http://marymeyerlifefitness.com/

There are lots of free group outdoor swims in the many areas of the country, especially those areas like Seattle that host a lot of triathlon races. If you live in Seattle, you can find many outdoor swims at http://seatri.org/. This is the website of the Seattle Triathlon Club.

Cycling lessons and group rides

Many bike clubs offer group rides. In Seattle, Cascade Bike Club offers group rides most days of the week starting from various locations. Most rides are free to non-members. http://cascade.org/

Many health clubs offer spinning classes which you may find helpful for building cycling muscles. (Though it's important to also get outside and practice your "real world bike" skills.)

Running lessons
Many communities have running groups. Some are coached, others are more loosely organized. The most important thing is to have others to run with, especially if you are training for longer races.

In the Seattle area, I have been a member of ChuckIt. (http://www.runchuckit.com/) This is a running group coached by Chuck Bartlett. Many triathletes are members too.
Free group runs from most running stores (including in the Seattle area, Super Jock 'n Jill, Seattle Running Company, Road Runner Sports, Nike Town, etc.).

Triathlon clinics and Brick workouts
While you need to practice the individual components of the triathlon, you'll also benefit from clinics and workouts that specifically concentrate on two or three of the components of a triathlon.

In the Seattle area during the summer, Mary Meyer Life Fitness coaches a number of different clinics and workouts including the triathlon clinics which help you put together all three events (http://marymeyerlifefitness.com/). Full disclosure: I help coach these clinics in the summer as a volunteer. Other areas of the country have similar coached programs.

Many communities have triathlon clinics or brick workouts sponsored by triathlon clubs. A brick workout is when you work on two of the three components of a tri during a single workout. This means that you either swim and bike, bike and run, or swim and run. I like to do at least one brickout workout a week when I am training for a triathlon. In addition, I like to do all three events (a tri workout) at least once before my first triathlon of the season. You don’t need to be part of a group to do a brick or triathlon workout, but if you are planning on swimming outdoors, you should never do a swim workout alone.

Cost of Lessons/Coaching/Clinics
Coaching can range in cost from free to expensive:

Indoor swim lessons: $10 to $50 per lesson.
Outdoor swim clinics: $20-$50 per clinic.
Outdoor tri clinics: $20-$60 per clinic.
Group swims: most are free or nominal charge.
Personal coaching: $30+ for each lesson .

So You Want to Do a Triathlon, Part 1: Getting Started

2009-03-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe it has been over three years since I started training for my first triathlon. I came to the sport from long distance running as a way to actively train and compete in a sport while recovering from running injuries. This post is meant to help those people who are curious about triathlons and have considered competing in one but have a few questions.

First of all, competing in a triathlon consists of completing three events in rapid succession: swimming, cycling, and running. Unlike most other sports you can't really do a triathlon without entering a race. Technically you still could do your own "personal triathlon", but that kind of defeats the purpose. Doing a triathlon is about training to compete in a race. Your goal might be just to finish a triathlon or it might be to finish competitively in your age class. My goal for my first triathlon was simply to finish it without drowning. Fortunately, I succeeded in meeting that goal and from then on was hooked on this challenging sport.

The Different Types of Triathlons

Though many people associate triathlons with the Ironman triathlon events, there are actually four major classes of triathlons:

Sprint Triathlon: This is the shortest of triathlons but contrary to its name the legs are longer than what most would agree was a sprint (e.g., the run is not a 100 yard dash). Unfortunately, the sprint is not standardized in its event distances. Generally, the swim is ¼ to ½ mile. This is following by a bike ride of 9-15 miles. And the race typically ends with a 5K (3.1 mile) run. If you've never done a triathlon, this is where you should start. For most competitors, a sprint tri will take from 1 to 3 hours to complete.
Olympic Triathlon: The Olympic distance race is the one—you guessed it—that they do in the Olympics. It consists of a 1500 meter swim (.9 mile), a 40 K bike ride (24.9 miles), and a 10 K run (6.2 miles). Expect the race to take 3 or more hours to complete.
Half-Ironman Triathlon: This distance essentially doubles the Olympic's bike and run portions of the race while increasing the swim only a tad. The half-ironman is exactly half of an Ironman event and consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run. This event is also known by a newer name: the Ironman 70.3, which is the sum of its event distances in miles. Competitors generally complete this event in 4 to 10 hours. While not as grueling as a (full) Ironman, this triathlon is nonetheless very difficult and should only be attempted by the athlete who has trained for 6+ months for a race.
Ironman Triathlon: This is the event many people associate with triathlons…and insanity. An Ironman event consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride (often over hilly terrain) and finishes with a marathon run (26.2 miles). Any one of these events might be considered an extreme challenge for most people. Now put the three events back to back, and you have one of the toughest events on the planet: the Ironman triathlon. This event should only be attempted by an athlete in excellent shape who has trained for 6 months to a year prior to the race. The race takes anywhere from 10 hours to over 24 hours (a day!) to complete.

So You Want to Do a Triathlon. Part 2: How and Where to Train

Welcome to My New Blogger Blog

2009-03-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

I decided to change how and where I blog. I used to have a single blog at aspadvice.com. You can still reach it by going to http://aspadvice.com/blogs/plitwin. I'm retiring that blog and moving to a two-blog system:

I will use this blog on http://plitwin.blogspot.com/ for more personal stuff.

I will use a new blog (which is not quite setup) http://weblogs.asp.net/paullitwin for my technical ramblings.

Hope this works out. Thanks for reading.

Paul