Sports

MoM

So, tomorrow, along with 30+ other men I’ll be a MOM – aka, “Man on a Mission” – collectively known as “Men on a Misson.”  I’ve done this now for 3 or 4 years now and it’s a blast.  The creative side of me really gets jazzed about it – and tomorrow is absolutely no exception.  It’s an event that benefits the Highland Food Pantry so that’s all you need, right?  This year’s theme is tailgating and all I can say is if you’re a Steelers fan, you may want to come check out my display.  There’s no way you’ll miss it.  That’s all I’m saying.

A couple links to more info:

Winchester Star

Highland Food Pantry

img_4703

You’re gonna want to see this…

Racing

It was more than cool to get reconnected to bike racing this past week.  I was able to offer my home to a top-level pro women’s cycling team that went on to kick some butt at their races in DC this weekend.  I’d like to think I had the tiniest sliver of something to do with their success.  We DID offer the tranquility and slower pace of rural Winchester and Frederick County.  A sort of zen if you think about it (compared to their more-than-hectic lifestyle).  Anyway, enough rambling – here’s my take on their race on Sunday in Crystal City, VA.

Mission Accomplished

Well, I did it.  I said I would and I did.  I went into panic mode in the first 200 meters of the swim because I started the race cold and my heart rate skyrocketed.  And you can’t really stop and rest when you’re swimming in open water.  I found my stride at about the 1/4-mile mark and shaved about 20 minutes off my swim time of my first (and only other) Olympic some 20 years ago.  The run was a little slow because I was favoring my leg from the surgery, but all in all I’m pleased with how I did and how far I’ve come since the end of January.


  

Challenge

I’m committing to competing in the Challenge Williamsburg this Summer.  I took an entire year off of racing and am itching to get back “in the saddle” so to speak.  I think I might be done (won’t really say “never”) with pure bicycle racing for now, but need/want to stay fit.  I think this is how I’ll do it.  I was looking over the course maps and sure enough, this is where it starts!

Jamestown Beach Park near Williamsburg, VA

Jamestown Beach Park near Williamsburg, VA

Icon

This time last year I was at Hollywood Studios shooting a Marathon.  I never made it back to the hat to get the night shot that I’ve always wanted.  Guess I never will.  Bummer.

Long live the sorcerer's hat.

Long live the sorcerer’s hat.

Running

I’ve posted all my images from the Battlefield Half Marathon last weekend on my gallery site, but I really wanted to get to the video that I shot that day, too.  There’s some awesome scenery in the surrounding county here.  Enjoy…

How It’s Done

And that, folks, is how it’s done.

Having some fun at the Rocktown Cyclocross Festical today in Harrisonburg, VA

Having some fun at the Rocktown Cyclocross Festical today in Harrisonburg, VA

Cross Season

Who thought I would ever be looking forward to cross season as much as I am this year?  Cyclocross season, that is.  I’ve shot cycling now for several years and am always looking for new ways to differentiate myself from other shooters.  A definite difference, IMO, is the fact that I shoot both still and video.  I’m leaning more toward the still side these days, but I produce both and I have a great time doing it.  I certainly created a buzz when I shot an aerial video in Page County earlier this year and plan to do more like it.  But what’s crazy to me is that when I look at a new piece of gear these days I find myself thinking “wow, that would be awesome for cross season.”  So, I may never race during cross season, but at least I’m out there supporting it.  That’s a start, right?  Can’t wait to put the new iPhone 6 through it’s paces this Sunday at the annual Winchester Applecross race.

Granted, this is a video of my dog, but think of all the amazing race footage I can get with it!

Tri-al Period

Something weird is happening.  I’m hating running less these days.  I’m not a runner and am not trying to be one.  I’d still always choose the bike over running.  But I don’t dislike it as much as I used to.  This is probably how I’ll remain in shape throughout the winter.  Perhaps next year I’ll focus on some sprint and Olympic distance triathlons.  Who knows?  I do know this though – my body hates running much more than I do.  I’m going for a ride.

IMG_0186

BMX

A little BMX action at the park today.  I’d never shot a BMX race before and I haven’t the first clue about the sport, but it’s cool that we have a track here in Winchester.

There will eventually be a BMX category in my galleries.

There will eventually be a BMX category in my galleries.

Down Time

There’s a lot of down time when I shoot a road race.  Even though there are 3 fields on the course at once, they pass by me within 10 minutes of each other leaving me a big gap of about 25-30 minutes until they come by again.  What do I do during those breaks?  These days I attract a lot of attention with the drone.

Whenever I shoot a race I’m always concerned about being on somebody else’s property because most road races are out in the country and the only place to park is along the road.  And when I’m in their way it’s even worse.  At my first location today I ended up blocking the entrance to a farmer’s field.  He needed to pull in and I was in the way.  Great!  Not a good way for me to start the day.  Fast forward to the last location of the day.  I had pulled over near a very colorful barn because I thought it would make a great background in my shots.  Next thing I know, a truck pulls up and I get that feeling that I’m about to get chewed out – you know the feeling.  But no, that same farmer (the one I had blocked before) pops out of his truck and excitedly asks about my aerial camera.  We get to talking and I discover that he’s in the Screen Actors Guild and he’s met some amazing people through that work.  He asks how long I’ll be there because he wants to go get his daughters to watch me fly.  Then he flags down a buddy to pull over and watch, too!  Party at Jimmy’s place!  He tops the day off by telling me that he respects all the riders in the races and thinks it’s a great thing for the county.  There are some awesome people in Page County!  Thanks Jimmy for letting me park on your property today.

Down Time

Click here for more race photos from today.

Mobile Office

My office “window” for the day (that’s Shenandoah National Park in the distance).  Today was the first race I shot with the new camera and it was certainly a challenge.  At times I was shooting with three different cameras almost simultaneously.  It’s a crazy concept to shoot with the quadcopter.  When I needed to shoot with my wide on the ground, I would simply elevate the drone and let it hover until I was finished shooting – weird.  I really only shot video with it because I didn’t want to miss an actual still shot from the ground.  It was photog multi-tasking to the extreme.  And loads of fun!

By the way, race photos are being posted here.

Order a print of this image.

Order a print of this image.

Tri It

What a great day for a triathlon!  The FCPRD hosted the second annual youth triathlon this morning and I think it was a big success.  I figured, at the beginning of the year, that if I wasn’t going to race this year that I would at least remain as connected to the sport as possible.  And shooting all sorts of races from Ironman distance to local youth tri’s is how I’m doing it.  Many more images to follow (and video at some point).

UPDATE:  Photo gallery

The pool was actually inviting once the kids realized that the water temp was warmer than the air.

The pool was actually inviting once the kids realized that the water temp was warmer than the air.