I just hope I can live up to all of the hype one of these days.

-Jay-

SKYHAWK XC ALUM MCCURDY RISES UP TO NO. 1 IN SOUTHEAST COLLEGIATE TRIATHLON RANKINGS September 1, 2010 MARTIN, Tenn. – It has only taken around five years for Jay McCurdy to ascend up the national triathlon standings. Not bad for the former University of Tennessee at Martin cross country alum who is currently completing his PhD in agronomy and soils at Auburn University. In the latest Southeast Collegiate Triathlon Conference (SECTC) standings, McCurdy stands alone atop the men’s list. McCurdy and his girlfriend – Vicky Jones, who is rated as the top female triathlete in the same rankings – have led Auburn to the No. 1 coed team position in the Southeast. “Despite some success, I’m humbled by the fact that I’m still an amateur athlete,” said McCurdy, who ran cross country at UT Martin from 2003-05 and graduated with a degree in landscape and turf grass management. “I want to be doing this for a living. So personally, I’m happy with the present, but I’m hungry for the big time.” The way the last year has gone for McCurdy, the “big time” doesn’t seem too far away. After finishing third in the Music City Triathlon last July, he competed as an amateur at the International Triathlon Union World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. His winter training got off to a dashing start with a victory in the Powerman Duathlon in Alabama. McCurdy even met up with UT Martin head coach Gordon Sanders and the rest of the Skyhawk cross country team at the Natchez Trace Triathlon in Wildersville, Tenn., which was transformed into a duathlon at the last minute because of inclement weather. The last-minute change made no difference to McCurdy, who set an excellent example for the Skyhawk team by placing first by 34 seconds. This May, McCurdy took part in the Amateur Challenge in Memphis’ May triathlon, a sprint distance triathlon on Saturday and an Olympic on Sunday. The Dyer native finished sixth overall and second in the collegiate division. Currently, McCurdy is competing in the REV 3 series, which features three races at three distances – an Olympic in Knoxville, a half in Connecticut and a full in Ohio. Although he came down with a bout of food poisoning a couple weeks prior to the first leg in Knoxville, he still finished third in the amateur race. Next up was the half-distance race at Lake Quassapaug, Conn. – and although it was McCurdy’s first half-race, he brought home another first place overall finish – “perhaps my biggest result yet” McCurdy says. With that win, he earned a free entry into the full distance triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run) that will take place in Sandusky, Ohio on Sept. 12. A few weeks back, McCurdy finished second in the Elite-Amateur division in the Chattanooga Triathlon, which he says “earned me enough cash to pay for race expenses plus gas and dinner for my girl and I.” Any way you slice it, McCurdy – who says late starts aren’t that uncommon to triathlon because “it’s a sport which takes time to grow in to” – has left quite an impression upon the triathlon community in the last 12 months. “It’s been a good season thus far,” McCurdy said. “I have two great sponsors this year (Daddymart.com and Skin Sake Athletic) and they’ve given me a chance to compete in higher profile races for money and incentives. Overall, my weekly mileage has crept up from last year. My body has adjusted and I am healthy.” McCurdy’s rapid success in triathlons is evident, but the key to the achievement has been a healthy diet and efficient planning of his time. While he admits his diet “isn’t perfect”, McCurdy has worked hard on his nutrition -eating mostly whole grains and very few refined sugars. His typical day begins at 5:30 a.m. when he usually drinks a coffee and has a bran cereal and a banana before a workout. Before heading to his job, he enjoys a homemade smoothie or protein shake. Throughout his morning at his job or in class, he enjoys snacks like nuts and fruits. Most afternoons, he swims with his fellow Auburn triathletes before lunch, which is usually leftovers from the previous night’s dinner or a sandwich from Vicky, who “makes some really good tuna sandwiches”. After snacking on fruits throughout the afternoon, dinner comes around 5 p.m. before an early bedtime. In his second year as a PhD candidate at Auburn, McCurdy’s project is to evaluate the effects of legume inclusion in warm-season turfgrass scenarios. Legumes are plants like clovers that contribute nitrogen to the soil and associated plants. McCurdy and his associates hypothesize that by including legumes, turfgrass will be more healthy and sustainable. “Somewhere between eating, sleeping and graduate school, I manage to work out about 16 hours a week,” McCurdy said. “I have one main coach and a few advisors who shepherd me through a busy schedule. I have an understanding girlfriend and I have friends who don’t give me a hard time for going to bed early. Fortunately my advisor is a triathlete so he supports my ambitions. But when push comes to shove, work is most important. Also, being around young college students gives me an opportunity to work out with some very good athletes.” While the life of a triathlete and a working man combined with the pursuit of another degree in higher education may sound exhausting, it has all been worth it for McCurdy. “I’ve had a few breakthrough races this year and I believe I can earn my pro card next season,” McCurdy said. “I will compete as long as I’m having fun and staying healthy. I enjoy almost all of my workouts, and I like the people I hang out with. Being surrounded by healthy, happy people makes for a good life.” #SKYHAWKS#

As you all may have noticed, I’ve neglected my website.  I’ve let my readers and fans down considerably.  And I’m sorry.  Eric Turner (biggest fan) was first to bring it – that I’m lazy - to my attention.  So here I am, trying to write down something important or at least entertaining.  Let’s see …  what major milestones have occurred since I last wrote?  Well, I just submitted a take home final for my Experimental Design class.  It took me five working days and part of the weekend to complete it.  It’s not actually due until tomorrow at 5 o’clock, but I ran out of patience.  Mostly, I’ve got to catch up on all of the ”real science” that’s been left undone over the last ten weeks. 

In other news, I placed second at the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon.  See picture at right.

Some friends and I swam around the Big Island near Big Sandy.   That’s the short version.  The longer version is:  Gwin Anderson hosts an annual event (The BIG Island Swim) at his family’s lake house.  Boat rides, bike rides, long runs, beer drinking, cooking, eating, and very little sleep are all involved.  I was fastest around the Island, which won me a flowery hat.  This means that I’ll have to defend my title next summer.  It was Vicky’s first trip around the island.  Her swimming is getting faster.   

I’ve been training for an Ironman in September.  I’ve had three solid weeks since Chattanooga, with sixteen plus hours a week – mostly biking.  So anyways, I got up to ride this morning and was incredibly tired.  I got thirty minutes into my ride and had nothing, so I turned around and called it a day.  I was suppose to ride twice today.  Oh well. 

Next on the list:  I bought a scooter this evening.  See picture below.  I think I got a deal.  Hopefully I can get it licensed and insured in AL.  I was looking at another scooter that had no title two weeks ago, but it appears you can’t register a vehicle without a title. 

We’re going to Dyer this weekend.  Should be fun.

On June 2, I met with my committee to finalize a dissertation topic – “Sustainability of Legume Inclusion in Warm-Season Turfgrass Swards” – and to talk about my objectives for the next THREE to FOUR years!  The morning of the meeting I was up early and at work setting up the projector and finishing the slide show.  As a token of my appreciation, I bought Panera bagels and coffee.  Overall the meeting went well, with just some minor changes to some of the project methods.

This past weekend I took a trip up to CT for my first Half Ironman distance tri.  It was too short of a trip – left Atlanta Friday evening; few back Sunday night.  Good news is:  I was first overall amateur, 16th male and 17th overall – I was ‘chicked’ by Merinda Cafrae (a chick).  It was a fun 1.2 mile swim, a grueling 56 mile bike, and a tortuously hilly 13.1 mile run .

The tri was at Quassy Ammusment Park on lake Quassapaug.  It was certainly a very pristine lake compared with what I am used to around here; meaning I could see more than a few feet deep.   During the swim I tried to stay on the two leaders feet, but they were zig-zagging all over the place.  I finally swam alone for what must have been a quarter mile.  Then another swimmer took the lead, so I had a nice draft the last few hundred meters.

The bike was as hilly as any ride I’ve done.  It was truly unrelenting.  I think it was so hilly that the flattest part was a three mile climb.  Then the run….  The run was as hilly as the bike but with two miles of gravel roads and a lot of well needed shade.  There were aid stops about every mile, at which I usually drank Pepsi or water.  The Pepsi really helps get sugar into my system quickly.

Anyways, enough war stories.  It was a good weekend.  I’m glad to be back home.  I’ve worked today – mostly on statistics.  I am really sore; so sore that I’ve had to make sure not to moan or groan in public while walking down steps or standing from a chair. Anyways, all is good.

Jay

Nevertheless, Vicky drove me to the race site.  I put on my man face (and tights) and made my way to transition.  I was going to race no matter what.  But within 100 yards of the car, it quickly became apparent that I was through.  As the waves lapped against the beach, and the wind blew salty sea breezes through my hair, I was leaned, and at one point prostrate, beneath a palm tree heaving with all my might.

Fortunately I got my bike out of transition before race start.  Then, while I lay in the back of the car vomiting in plastic grocery sacks, Vicky drove us the nine hours back to Auburn.  Plug for Vicky:  don’t know what I would have done without her on this trip. I was completely incapacitated.

By 16:00 I was dehydrated and unable to keep anything down.  At the suggestion of my medical advisor (Aunt Kay), I went to the ER for an IV (a story by its self).  They had me in a room within an hour, which must be a record.  I got seen prior to about three patients complaining of chest pains, at least two children requiring stitches, and one boy with a fish hook stuck in his foot.

Also bizarre:  Talladega (NASCAR) was blaring from three flat screen TV’s in the waiting rooms.  Everyone was going wild, even the kid with the fish hook in his foot was yelling for “Jr.”

Summed up, that was the worst race day experience I’ve ever had…  Worse than flatting two years in a row at Chattanooga (cursed)…  Worse than being knocked unconscious and scraped up road-racing… and even worse than the Rebel Man Triathlon in Ole Miss, which was bad for many reasons…

On a positive note:  I’m still alive and kickin’… driving up to Knoxville for REV 3 triathlon this weekend.  It’s the first in a series of three (Olympic, Half IM, and Full IM).  I’m registered for the Half and have considered the Full.  Only time will tell.  Training is pretty good — if anything I’m under-trained.  But overall I’m healthy.

Additionally, I finished the Spring semester with two finals today.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo,

Jay

So I got a new phone, a smart-phone, a droid. I also got “data” on my phone. I can now check my email without opening the computer in the morning. Now I find that I’m easily distracted; my eyes are drawn to the screen. I check the weather, email, twitter (as you can see from the new widget to the right, I’m now tweeting).

But life goes on. I’ve got most of my contacts. Hopefully this is a long term relationship. My last phone lasted more than 3 years.

Call me.

Jay

I’ve spent the last four weeks trying to get some research started – wrong time of year to do that. And I’ve trained harder and longer this winter than in winter’s past.

I guess my life’s a mix and match between grad-school and training. My boss says “everyone’s got dragons to slay,” but none of us grad students quite know what that means. I think it means something about taking care of business so that we can have extracurricular activities.

So I’m slayin’ some dragons. This week we’re applying spring preemergence trials. Preemergence herbicides prevent germinated seedlings from becoming full sized plants – usually weeds in lawns. One can quite literally smell dinitroanaline herbicides all around town. It’s a wonder there’s not an activist student union against herbicide application on campus. There are huge movements throughout the nation (and globe) against such intense management practices. A couple of interesting reads (and websites) are Turf Wars, the Daily Green, Less Lawn, and LawnReform.org

Slayin' Some Dragons

It’s complicated, but my project lies along the same line.  It revolves around the idea that not all weeds are bad, particularly leguminous weeds such as the clovers (Trifolium spp). When it comes to purposefully including legumes in lawns, there’s a lot of good ideas floating around but very little data, especially in warm-season turf…

So we’re looking to change that by quantifying carbon and nitrogen sequestration within these systems and comparing them with mono-stands of turf.

At least that’s the plan.

For now, I’m “in clover,” which basically means good pasture.

Jay

Last January Vicky and I spent two weeks together in England.  I had a vacation from my job in Hong Kong; she had a few days off for holiday but worked while I explored York.  We rang in the new ye ar with friends in Leeds.   We saw Stonehenge, Hadrian’s Wall, and I spent the better part of a week exploring the surrounding country side, including a day trip to the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) in Bingley. 

In April, Mom, Dad, and Vicky met me in Beijing.  It was a joy to explore such a vibrant and exotic locale.  We returned together to Hong Kong where I entertained for a few days. 

I returned to the States in time to celebrate fourth of July.  Dyer is a fantastic place on the fourth.  The crew and I decorated a City Lumber truck for the Dyer Station Celebration Parade.  Our theme:  Christmas in July.

I celebrated my 25th birthday on July 21st then Mom and I visited Auburn, AL to look for suitable housing.  We visited well over fifteen before settling on a nice place near downtown Auburn and within less than a mile of my work. 

Vicky arrived in early August, so we spent a few days catching up in Dyer and packing all of our belongings into the old Tahoe –- there were five bikes between the two of us. 

We arrived in Auburn in the heat of summer, but it was no match to what I had experienced in Hong Kong over the previous months.  It was nice to finally be settling into a routine.  I was able to hire a triathlon coach and really build my time for some late season fall racing.  I did well at some local races (1st at Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal) and mediocre at larger venues (5th Local Elite in Dallas). 

Vicky and I are doctoral candidates at Auburn University.  She is studying biochemistry and molecular biology; I am studying Agronomy and Soils.  School work has been slow.  My project,  Sustainable Warm-Season Turfgrass Sward Compositions (working title), deals with the evaluation of biodiverse turf swards, mainly clover plus bermudagrass.  Here it is the beginning of 2010, and I’ve barely gotten the project off the ground.  There’s plenty waiting for me once I’ve returned back to Auburn. 

Vicky and I have enjoyed nearly two weeks back home in Dyer, TN.  We’ve spent time with family; we’ve gorged ourselves on holiday treats.  I even stacked some sod one day – ah, the glories of manual labor.  Last night Vicky and I brought in the new year Dyer-Style with our friends Justin, Allyson, Tori, Jeff, and Nathan. 

As I write this, we’re about to partake in Mom’s annual New Year’s Day lunch.  There will be black-eyed peas, cabbage, and hog jowl, all of which are supposed to bring good luck in the new year.  I hope all who read this are well. 

Happy New Year!

Jay

Autumnal is a word I’ve always liked.  The ‘null rolls lazily from my tongue.  The word autumn then, is by default also a nice word.  That ‘mnnn sound could only be improved by slapping a ‘null at the end of it.  Wikipedia reviews the word Autumn well.  Many North Americans say Fall.  I associate Autumn with the color change of many deciduous trees and plants, football, and most of all with the harvest of crops.  Growing up on a farm, the year was always built around reaping what we had sown earlier in the year. 

The entire season is a long episode of A Prairie Home Companion – slow and relaxed like Garrison Keiller’s voice. 

Despite having been sick this week, likely with the swine flu, I have enjoyed the weather.  It’s been cool in Auburn, with morning temps having been less than 55 at least twice.  The cool, moist air makes early-morning bike rides a bit tougher to wake up for.  This is my first weekend in Auburn in more than a month.  I’ve had some good races; I even won one.  I got 6th in my Age Group at World’s in Australia, 21st overall.  It was a fun week but the race was flat, fast, and there was lots of drafting on the bike – finished the bike with about 20 to 30 guys from my age group.  

Vicky and I spent a fun weekend at the Gulf Coast.  We travelled down with the Auburn University Triathlon Team.  They paid for our travels and room and were great company.  We raced the Brett-Robinson, Gulf Coast Triathlon.  It had an awesome ocean swim.  I’ve honestly never swam in that rough of seas, so that was a fun experience.  I had a strong bike in some wicked cross-winds then went out hard on the run. 

But the hard work is almost over.  Thankfully, my last race is next weekend.  My body seems ready for some rest.  Hopefully I can shake the rest of whatever’s got me down right now, and I can pull out a third overall in the Elite Amateur group. 

Well, that’s it for now.  I hope you’re all snug in your warm, autumnal sweaters. 

Jay

Ok, back to July 28th…  I spent that afternoon with Joseph, Natalie, and Christine in Nashville.  It’s always great to catch up with three of my favorite peeps.  They’re such well rounded people.  Highlights included:  Christine giving me a deep tissue massage, which was awesome.  She does a great job (wish she could start her own practice; I would be a regular client.).  And we ate some delicious Mexican food before I departed for the airport. 

Vicky’s flight was scheduled to arrive at 6:58pm from PA.  However, the flight continued to be delayed and rescheduled.  She finally arrived at around 12:45 Monday morning.  We arrived in Dyer by 4am. 

Vicky and I spent the next few days relaxing then made the move to Auburn.  We spent about a week living with our friends the Flessner’s.  They were kind hosts, and Chelsea is an excellent cook.  I raced at Mt. Lakes last weekend in Guntersville, AL, where I was second overall, and still bested by Andrew Hodges.  Vicky was kind enough to accompany me on the journey.  She even got a little driving experience.

School begins this week, so we’re busy stocking up on school supplies.  We’ve been getting the apartment fitted out.  Despite having five bikes, we’ve still got plenty of space for other stuff.

I’ve had some nice workouts since arriving in Auburn.  My body had long ago adapted to heat and humidity in Hong Kong, but I wasn’t sure how it would handle the increased cycling and running.  Thankfully, I’m finally starting to adjust.  I’m listening to my coach.  I’m putting forth a lot of effort, and getting plenty of rest, so we’ll see.  As long as I can avoid injury, I should pull off some nice races this fall.  Perhaps next year could be a break-through year. 

Biking has been my biggest challenge, as I was only on the bike four or five hours a week in Hong Kong.  Since repatriating, I’ve been hitting around double that.  Except for the first ten minutes it takes to get out of Auburn’s completely unjustified snarl of traffic, the riding is quite acceptable.  The surface quality is a bit lack-luster, but the routes are challenging and scenic.

Amateur US Nationals is next weekend in Tuscaloosa.  I’m dreaming of a top ten finish.  Keep a look-out.

Jay

It’s good to be home, especially from a cyclist’s standpoint.  It’s good to be back where the roads are less crowded and the people are in less of a hurry.  For such a small country as Hong Kong – one is never more than a 70 minute drive from anywhere – people drive entirely too fast.  And they zig-zag around cars and bikes like they were road cones.  So if you see a cyclist on the road, avoid hitting them.  And don’t get mad; they pay taxes for those roads as well.

I had hoped that upon my return, I would be able to have a few solid races before Amateur Nationals in Alabama on August 22nd.  Unfortunately, I had a flat at mile two of the Chattanooga Riverfront Triathlon two weekends ago, a triathlon which I felt prepared to “crush.”  This is the same course on which I flatted last year when I hit a recessed man hole in the pouring down rain.  So maybe I’m not meant to do that race next year. 

Now I am focused on this weekend’s Nashville Triathlon.  It’s a downtown venue starting at LP field.  The swim takes place in the shadows of downtown, so that should be unique.  And the bike goes out the scenic and flat Ellington Parkway.  Finally, the run winds around downtown.  Should be fun.  If you’re in Nashville on Sunday morning, come out and watch.  The race begins at 7:30.