Training Up (Part II)

Hey there everyone... been a while, huh? 

I've really been neglecting my "personal" blog a bit lately (is it just me, or am I always saying that these days?)  Of course, I've been writing plenty over at http://www.OregonFilmandTVDollars.com and if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I've been "sharing" plenty online... but I haven't really had the time to sit down and do much personal writing of late.

One reason for this (alongside the general "actor hustle" of going to auditions and networking events, and making time for family, and taking care of the house and family, and... and..) is the time I've been spending on my bike.  You might remember my post at the end of June where I talked about getting ready for the annual Portland Century bike ride.  Since that post, Dad and I have decided to go on the 70 mile ride instead of the 40 (because of construction, the 40 has been lowered to a 33 mile route, and I'm already riding 30 miles at a stretch, so there's not much challenge in that any more...) 

So, I've been hitting the trails a couple times a week, adding more and more miles to the routine as I try and get up to 70.  I've also been tracking my mileage, fitness, and diet on http://www.mapmyride.com (you can find me at "HaroldPDX" on that system if you want to see what I've been doing) - it's been a big help in training up.

The trick, of course, is finding the time to push the mileage up past my last ride... I only ride about 12 or 13 miles per hour, so the farther I go, the longer the ride takes... and that's less time I spend in the office, or chasing down connections that might bring work.  On the other hand, if I'm on the bike I'm not sitting in the office obsessing about the bookkeeping or the connections that might bring more work :)  In fact, I have to be honest here... if I didn't have the Century to train for, I probably wouldn't be spending so much time on my bike; it'd be one of those things I'd think I "should do" but never got around to doing... because I'm in training, I'm outside enjoying the air and the view and... well, getting more fit.  So, when I think about it, I'm probably doing myself more good than harm by getting out of my little cave and pedaling.

Anyway, if you care to track my progress and see the routes I've been riding, set up a free http://www.mapmyride.com account and become my "friend" on the system... or just watch the Twitter or Facebook feed; my rides should start posting on those services soon.

And if you don't care, that's ok too... I'm sure many of you are tired of hearing me jibber-jabber all the time :)

Hope you're all doing well...

Harold

Winthrop (Not Gary Indiana)

So, a couple weeks back Trish shot an independent film with Sage Bannick called The Evil Within up in Winthrop, WA. This is kind of a funny coincidence, because the first play I ever worked on was the Music Man, and one of the main characters is named Winthrop, and... well, ok, maybe it's just funny to me.

(Well, ok, maybe it's just funny to me...)

ANYWAY... the production flew Trish to Winthrop, and on the weekend I drove up to the Wolfridge Resort join her for the evening, and then drive her back the next day (after doing a short stint in the film myself as an airline representative... don't blink or you'll miss me when the film is actually released :) ) It made for long few days in the car... I had an industrial shoot down in Eugene the Friday before I left and the Monday after we returned... but it was worth it to spend some exclusive time with Trish on the way back down.

Most of the time up in Winthrop was spent working... but I did manage to snap a couple of vacation photos while we were up there...

My companions on the drive up... lots of coffee, water, and a Jack Reacher audiobook

Can't you tell how much Trish LOVES having her photo taken?

Well, ok, maybe these photos weren't really worth sharing... if we'd been in that "mode," we probably would have pulled off to the side of the road and taken some shots of the waterfalls and mountains we passed on the way back to Portland from Winthrop... but by that time we were just interested in getting home so I could get some rest before heading down to Eugene.  Still, it was a great opportunity to get something of a break in between our various projects...