Team in Training Update: Putting On My Wetsuit

Team in Training Update: The Big Decision

I dubbed this past weekend "Decision 2008 Weekend," because I had to
choose which race to compete in, Olympic or Half Ironman, as well as
"recommit" to my fundraising goal. There was no doubt that I would see
this process through -- and with over 80% of my nearly $3000 goal
raised thanks to your generosity, I was confident I could do what I
promised for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society.

No, the question was this: Could I swim 1.5 miles, bike 56 miles and
run 13 miles on May 3 at the Wildflower triathlon in Monterey county?

Saturday was test number one: After a one-hour swim workout, I biked
42 miles through gorgeous East Bay hills (Danville, Lafayette, Orinda
-- you know, the 'hood). I finished strong, if second-to-last. I felt
darn proud.

Sunday was test number two. We began with a short clinic on
open-water sighting and breathing techniques. Also covered was how to
deal with a mass race start, where people are stepping on your head to
get out in front of you in the water. Then, we went for an 11-mile
run. I started out too fast at 8:30 minute miles for the first 3.5. At
the water stop, my quadriceps locked up. The group took off in front
of me and I began jogging very, very slowly and enjoying the scenery.
I finished the run in just under two hours, with walk breaks.

With the cumulative exhaustion of the previous day's ride, this was
the closest I'd come to my physical limit over the last seven weeks of
training. And all the coaches were warning me about when they close
the course to cyclists, when they close it to runners, etc. -- not
exactly what I'd hoped to hear ("You should go for it, you're an
undiscovered endurance sports talent!").

"You're like me -- hard-headed and Type A," said one coach. "I did
Half Ironman for my first triathlon, and I regretted it. Why not start
with a race you can feel good about?"

I don't think I'm Type A -- if I were truly Type A, I'd be getting
more done! But I did realize, come Monday morning, that there was no
need to turn this race into a referendum on my ability to endure --
yet. I can't boast about completing the Half Ironman if they close the
course on me! ("Oh, you wouldn't be dead last -- we train you better
than that at TNT," another coach said. "You'll be surprised when you
see some of these people who have no business being out on the
course!")

In the end, I opted for the Olympic distance. It's an excellent race
(.9 mile swim, 26 mile bike, 6 mile run) and the good thing is that
I've been training much longer distances in an effort to make the
Half-Ironman cut. (That said, my race record is distinctly middle- to
back-of-the-pack -- don't expect a photo finish.)

As for the fundraising, I appreciate your patience and encouragement
as I pursue this goal of melding stamina with a charitable mission
that has made dramatic strides toward curing blood cancers. Whatever
you can contribute, it makes a difference and it's tax-deductable.

Here's the link for easy and secure online donation.

http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/AlexaWeberMorales

Vallejo Music Theater Auditions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2008
Judith H. Brown, Managing Director


AUDITIONS FOR VALLEJO MUSIC THEATRE'S SUMMER MUSICAL
MEREDITH WILSON'S "THE MUSIC MAN"

Vallejo Music Theatre will hold auditions for "The Music Man
April 28 and 29 at 823 Marin Street, Vallejo, CA 94590. Children will be
auditioned from 7 pm to 8 pm; adults from 8 pm to 10 pm. Callbacks are
set for April 30 at the same location and time.
Appointments are not required; please bring sheet music not from the
show and dress accordingly for dance auditions. All roles are open.
The show is being directed by Michael Manley of Sacramento and
choreographed by Jo Nash of Benicia. Production dates are weekends opening July
11 and running through July 27.
For information please call 707.649.2787.
All roles are open and include Prof. Harold Hill (male, 25+-)
character singer, very strong actor, salesman type who can woo an audience as
well as Marian; Marian Paroo (female, 25+) strong singer, strong
actress; Marcellus (male, 16+) Character singer, dances, comic actor; Mayor
Shinn (male, 35+) comic actor, some singing in ensemble;
Mrs. Shinn (female, 35+) Sings, character actress; Mrs. Paroo (female,
35+-) must use an Irish accent, character singer; Winthrop (male, 7-10)
sings, and be able to speak with a lisp; Barbershop Quartet (male
preferably � 16+) must read music and be able to sing barbershop harmony;
Zeneeta Shinn (female, 10-17) Dancer, must act well; Tommie Djilas
(male, 10-17) Dancer, must act well; Amaryllis (female, 7-11) Sings, must
be able to act well; Charlie Cowell (male, 18+) Non-singing role, rival
salesman of Harold Hill
Plus an ensemble of boys & girls, men & women, dancers of from age 7
up.

Team In Training Update: Fundraising Home Stretch!

I am thrilled to report that donors have generously helped me meet 75% of my fundraising goal of just under $3000! We're at $2175 and counting. If you haven't donated, it's quick and secure at http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/AlexaWeberMorales!
You'll get an immediate receipt via email for your taxes.

As for training, Sunday's 18-mile bike ride went well. It was my first time out in the group with my bike--I've been training for the bike mainly in spinning class. I got lost driving to the Orinda Sports Park on San Pablo Dam Road so I was late. I set out with a few stragglers and they immediately left me in the dust. I momentarily caught up with them at a traffic light. "Ah, you're supposed to ride your bike fast, then?" I joked. The light changed and they zoomed out of view. I pedaled along, thinking this hybrid clunker idea of mine was perhaps not so good after all. But on the downhill I crouched over my too-high-handlebars and picked up some speed. At the water stop I passed two people on fancy carbon fiber triathlon bikes so I began to feel a bit better. Overall the ride took me about 1:40 to complete, and I didn't feel exhausted when it was over. The route is spectacularly beautiful, too.

Yesterday, I went back with my mentors to try to do the loop twice. Once again, they were ahead of me in no time, but I'd had my seat and handlebar heights adjusted at a bike store and it seemed to have an effect. I kept them in my sights with some difficulty. We met at the bottom of a long hill.

Standing as I spoke briefly with them, I forgot that my left foot was still clipped in the pedal, though my right was free. As I lost my balance to my left, I did a spectacularly clattering drop-and-roll into the street, causing a car to swerve away. I stood up and felt fine until Claire pointed at my leg. Impossibly, I had punctured the outside of my right calf with the crank in four neatly spaced holes. Further, I bruised my left leg in five places. Finally, I had broken my seat, wisely purchased at Wal-Mart, where all great bicycle racers score their components. I insisted I was OK despite blood pouring down my leg. We took off again. At the next turn, however, about 30 minutes later, I had to stop, unscrew my seat and see if I could fix it -- it felt like someone's fist was under one butt cheek, pushing my hip several inches higher. I insisted they go ahead, but warned them I might not be doing two loops after all.

Endurance-wise, I did well on the amazing hills of Bear Creek Road, but once Claire and Matt were out of my sight I slowed massively. I got back to my car (the ride took me about the same time, factoring in the stops for falling and fiddling with my seat). I stopped to buy gas and felt the eyes of wealthy Orindites staring at my crappy truck, rendered crappier by the previous night's smash-and-grab of the stereo. Briefly, I felt an intense dislike for rich people. Then I headed through the tunnel, got home and took a bath, feeling like a wimp for not doing two loops.

I Hate Robbers

It's really getting tiring having my car broken into if not stolen. Just last night a propos of nothing my son was asking how many times our cars have been stolen (three in the last two years, plus three unsuccessful attempts that destroyed the ignition). At 3 AM we heard someone driving fast and one of our dogs barked for a while and this morning Emilio's truck window is smashed and the interior (already spartan) is ransacked. Stereo is ripped out along with chunks of the dashboard, even though we had the faceplate inside the house! Part of me is happy that only our old trucks attract the attention (knock on wood) but of course it's never nice to realize that robbers are constantly roving through our neighborhood in search of a quick steal. Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if it were a neighbor, given the frequency. Never in my life -- and I've lived in worse places -- have I seen such a streak. Property crime is up, the police say. Not that I'll report this one to the police. Ah, maybe I will.

My Dinner with Archie Bell

Tuesday night I had the rare opportunity to join my bandmates from the San Jose-based funk cover band I've been singing with in dining with Archie Bell. Now, prior to performing with TYT I did not know who Archie was, but we often cover his biggest hit, Tighten Up, which came out in 1968 and sold 12 million copies -- while he was drafted and sent to Vietnam.

Archie arrived at the restaurant every inch a Texan, wearing a ten-gallon cowboy hat, a small African mask pendant, rings on his fingers, a button-down shirt, a denim coat and boots. In the Bay Area to work on a new recording, you would never guess that Archie, a cordial man with a friendly drawl and infectious laugh, had not only ridden the show business rollercoaster for over 30 years, he had seen its highest peaks. As our dinner progressed we began to pepper him with questions and he obligingly shared stories, nuggets of wisdom and jokes. Those of us who had CDs plied them on him, and he excused himself to get CDs out of his car and return the favor.

Here are, to the best of my recollection, some of the things he said:

"When I was in Germany [recuperating from an injury while in the army during Vietnam], I told them 'That's my song!' when Tighten Up came on the radio. 'You Texans do everything big, don't you, all the way to your big lies!' they said. But the next week the military gazette mentioned my band and from then on 40 guys were squeezing into my 10-man tent."

"Show business is 85% handicap. If you can overcome that [things never going as planned] you can make it." Archie told us how they dealt with collapsing stages, power outages, riots, nonpaying club owners, the mafia, competing bands and labels that cooked the books so as not to owe royalties.

"You've got to have spontaneity. If you have a plan, and it's not working, change it. One time Jackie Gleason walked into a club with three girls on each arm. He held out $500 and said, 'Do you know any bluegrass?' I took the money, put it in my wallet, turned around to the band and said, 'hit it, boys!' You should have seen him dancing a little jig!"

"There are plenty of great musicians whose recordings I bought but I wouldn't have paid a dime to see them play live."

"Sometimes you're on stage and it's like milking a duck. One time I had to play with a band that couldn't do anything but No Parking On the Dance Floor. Before I came on stage I was timing them, and I said, 'They've been playing No Parking On the Dance Floor for 30 minutes now.' Once I got on, turns out that's the only groove the drummer knew. Every song that night came out sounding like No Parking On the Dance Floor."

"Club owners would say sometimes, I want you to start with Tighten Up, and I want you to end with Tighten Up, and in between all I want to hear is Tighten Up!"

"You got to start strong. It's better to open a show for another band and make a great first impression than close it and come off worse than the opener."

"Some artists today go on too long. Leave 'em wanting more."

"One time in Texas, we were one of only two black bands that had played this particular club. A guy came up to me and said, 'You're the right string, but the wrong yo-you.' But they liked us."

"There are only 12 honest people in the music business, and I ain't met 'em yet."

And here is the coup de grace: The original Tighten Up on YouTube.

After the Gigs: What To Do?

The birds outside my office window are celebrating a gorgeous day. My gigs Friday and Sunday went well (a few good gig stories--I'll tell them later). The house looks like a band of disgruntled monkeys has been partying here for a week. The cat is sitting patiently beside me, purring and waiting for the first of her 7-10 daily meals (she's not content to pick from the bowl, she likes the ceremony of me pouring her more food throughout the day). Two bare-root roses and several bags of summer bulbs are on the front porch waiting to be planted. And I didn't work out this weekend, so I need to do something long and exhausting today. I also have some articles to finish for my freelance business. I feel semi-relaxed at the moment, but beautiful post-gig days sometimes paralyze me with options: Go out and garden? Go run? Clean the mess inside? Oh, and then there are taxes... (There was a great NYT article on the perils of trying to keep all your doors/options open recently.)

But at least there's this: I don't have to practice music today.

I will start with getting dressed. Maybe I'll put on k.d. lang's Absolute Torch and Twang in the meantime to get me moving.