Month: July 2016

Walls of Rain, Waterspouts and More

By Tyler Mayforth

On July 30, 2016

In New Orleans

Something outside recently caught my eye at work.

Back in February it was all of the Mardi Gras floats rolling by.

https://twitter.com/tylermayforth/status/693155988921135105

This time, though, it wasn’t something on the street. Rather, on the water.

From our vantage point on the 17th floor, we can see for miles and one of those views is Lake Pontchartrain (I can’t spell it for the life of me. Thanks, spellcheck).

On this day, a storm formed in the distance and a waterspout — a tornado on the water, if you will — popped up. Don’t worry: There aren’t any sharks in the lake, so Sharknado: New Orleans couldn’t have happened (Uh oh. Did I give them an idea?).

Unless you’re directly in the way of one, they’re harmless but incredible to see. It was the first time I ever witnessed one and I’m sure it won’t be the last one either.

A few weeks later, I was walking home from work and I glanced to my right and saw a wall of rain coming down the street. It was a literal wall of rain and closed quick.

“We’re about to get dumped on,” I told a guy walking in the opposite direction.

Luckily, I had an umbrella — because it storms every afternoon in the summer in The Big Easy (They don’t call it monsoon season for nothing) — and up it went. As soon as it snapped into place, the rain came down in buckets and lasted for 15 minutes.

Before last month, I had never seen a waterspout or been attacked by a wall of rain (but I have seen them cascade over the city). Both happened within weeks of each other. The weather in New Orleans is crazy. There’s no other way to say it.

504 Fitness Chronicles: Exhaustion, PRs And Tire Flips

By Tyler Mayforth

On July 21, 2016

In Athletic Achievements, New Orleans

I only felt complete, total-body exhaustion twice in my life.

The first? Back in 2010.

The second? Last weekend.

Six years ago I participated in The Avia Austin Triathlon. Held on Labor Day Weekend on Lady Bird Lake every year, entrants have a choice of either competing in the sprint or the Olympic versions. The sprint triathlon is comprised of a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a five-kilometer run. If you jump up to an Olympic triathlon, the distances are doubled (1500, 40, 10) — as is the pain.

Photo Credit: AustinDowntownDiary.com

I chose the latter to push my body and to atone for a mistake I made the previous year. In 2009, my parents came down to watch me take on the sprint version, but after I miscounted the laps I needed to do on the bike (two, instead of one), I auto DQ’d myself. I still “finished,” but wasn’t considered an official finisher.

Temperatures reached the mid-90s as I tried not to drown, pedaled my way through the streets of Austin and got enough feeling back into my legs to where I could make up some ground and time over the final 6.2-mile run.

Somehow I willed myself to the finish line in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 44 seconds. That ended up just four minutes longer than the average male finishing time.

I think 30 minutes passed before I moved from my spot on the ground in the hospitality tent after the race.

Fast forward to last weekend.

I stared down the 300-pound tire at 504 Fitness. We have our share of history.

I told Jon, who came up with the idea of The Endurance Board at 504 Fitness, that I wanted 70 flips to break my old personal best and put some distance between me and third place.

Humidity wasn’t my friend as I churned out flip after flip after flip… Let’s be honest, though: Is humidity ever anybody’s friend during the summer in New Orleans?

With less than 30 seconds to go in the five-minute time limit, I blew past 67 and topped 70. How many more could I squeeze out of my body?

71… 72… 73.

My body ached and constellations began to form in front of my eyes.

“Get near the tire,” Jon said. “I want a picture for my Instagram.”

“Give me a second.”

“No. I want to see the exhaustion.”

“No problem. I got you, fam.”

Jaws, The Big Screen And The Orpheum Theater

By Tyler Mayforth

On July 13, 2016

In New Orleans, Random Musings

Quick: Name the movie with this popular line.

“You’re going to need a bigger boat.”

Simple, right? That was Titanic.

All right. All right.

Any movie buff that’s worth his/her salt knows that’s from Jaws.

Until recently, all of my viewings of Jaws were restricted to a small screen. After all, I was negative-10 years old when it first came out in theaters way back in 1975.

That all changed on a recent Monday night when I saw Jaws — on the big screen, mind you — at The Orpheum Theater here in New Orleans. It was a free showing thanks to the Orpheum Summer Film Series presented by the Tipitina’s Foundation.

I’ll say this: There is just something about seeing a great movie on the big screen that seeing it on a regular TV doesn’t do it justice, no matter how big that TV is.

For the life of me, I can’t think of a movie someone my age could watch 30-40 years from now that would leave the same kind of impact.

The aforementioned Titanic? Possibly. Just because of how big the scale of it is.

Mad Max: Fury Road? As much as I loved it, I have a feeling it’s fine on a TV screen.

I honestly don’t think I can name one. If you can, let me know on Twitter and if you need my handle, just check on the right-hand side of the page (@tylermayforth).

I don’t want to sound like I’m waxing poetic, but they just don’t make movies like they used to. And yes, I’m saying that about a movie that came out 10 years before I was born.

One Year Ago: USTFCCCA And Taking Control

By Tyler Mayforth

On July 7, 2016

In New Orleans, USTFCCCA

It caught my eye like a beautiful woman wearing a red dress.

The headline on SportsJournalists.com read, “Communications Assistant – U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.”

The body included words and phrases like “writing” (It could have really stopped there), “producing video and/or audio content” and “social media platforms.”

All of that was up my alley and I was ready for a fresh start. I felt as if I neared the end of the line in Athens, Georgia and my itch to write, produce podcasts/videos and build a social media following again could not be ignored any longer. Plus, I had extensive experience competing in collegiate cross country and track, so it added up to be an opportunity I couldn’t let pass by.

This happened one year ago today. I had just returned to my apartment after a long day at work and fired up my computer because I knew better things were out there.

Cover letters are my arch nemesis, but something about that one flowed from my fingers. Yet I waited two days to send it to make sure it was exactly how I wanted.

To say things moved fast after I sent my application would be an understatement.

The following day I received a response and within a week they interviewed me for the position.

Not long after that, they offered me the job when I was on my way to Atlanta for the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal match between the U.S. and Jamaica.

I don’t know if they were desperate to hire someone or that my resume truly stood out among the other qualified candidates, but regardless, the offer was made.

I mulled on it for a while, debated the pros and cons and ultimately — like I stated before — it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I accepted the position to join the USTFCCCA staff and put the wheels in motion to move to New Orleans.

The rest, as they say, is history.

From New Orleans To Biloxi And Back

By Tyler Mayforth

On July 5, 2016

In Life Stuff, New Orleans

Sometimes it feels great to get away.

Easy, now: I’m not talking about bank robberies.

This past weekend was another festival weekend in New Orleans and unlike the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival or Voodoo Music & Arts Experience, the Essence Festival takes place right downtown. While most of the music is confined inside the Superdome, thousands of festival-goers spill outside and make getting around the city and/or eating anywhere downtown a chore.

Knowing this was the case, Amanda (my lady friend) and I decided to take a day trip to Biloxi, Mississippi to check out the sights — and more importantly, the pool at the Hard Rock Hotel. Biloxi is also right on the beach (with all the flesh-eating bacteria you could shake a stick at), so many opportunities to relax could be had.

To those not in the know, Biloxi is one of several towns on the Gulf of Mexico within driving distance (read: 2-5 hours) of New Orleans. It’s like if you’re up north among the Yankees in Delaware and you want to get to Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach or anywhere along the Jersey Shore (Stone Harbor, please).

Overall, the day trip was a pleasant experience.

The pool at the Hard Rock Hotel, while opened to families and children (placards said it was only available to those 21 and up), wasn’t too crowded and the swim-up bar added a fun wrinkle. Other guests were fun to talk to and stories were shared.

On the way back to New Orleans, we stopped at The Blind Tiger — a popular place to eat in Bay St. Louis that Amanda had heard a lot about in the past. Located right on the water, The Blind Tiger had a chill vibe to it, the sun felt great as you dined and the menu reminded me of Charlie’s in The Big Easy, where I had a delicious meal with impeccable company on my birthday.

Like I mentioned before, there are a ton of other cities within driving distance of New Orleans so I’m sure there will be more day trips coming up in the near future.