Fear and Loathing

We've got issues dude. 1) I think my running on saturday with not so great form might have tweaked something in my knee. I've been in a great deal of pain this week at the point on my medial meniscus where I have stage 2 (maybe worse now) arthritis. I can really feel it at strange angles, and I'm just hoping I haven't torn anything else.

In other news, I can run pretty fast now. I went hard 3 out of my 6 miles last night and averaged about 6:04/mile. Pretty insane for a former fat kid. Biking home about 25 miles tonight. Looking forward to a little alone time away from a stressful work week.

We just got the "work extra hours until further notice" blast today in a meeting. The bad: less time for sleep/training/relaxing. The good: a little extra cash for tri toys.

It's gonna be a good long (and painful) road.

My first workout of the program got pushed back by two days due to some necessary engagements. Thanks to Charles Ford Photography for the picture. You can visit his site at http://www.charlesford.com/

Rule #1: Don't forget your watch on a speed day
Rule #2: Don't do your speed day on a day it's raining.
Rule #3: Don't try to do a workout from memory.

All 3 of these are now rules. Why? I broke them all last night. Breaking the first two simply necessitated that I do the work on a treadmill inside. Breaking number 3 had me do each interval about 3-4 seconds slower than I should have. That said, 12-400m repeats at just below 90 sec per (6 min/mi pace) is still pretty solid for a workout.

I need to catch up and get back on shedule so I can go speed workouts Tuesday, Tempo Thursday, and long run on saturday. I'm attempting to make it up over the course of two weeks.

Weight post workout: 193 lbs. So long sweet Clydesdales, I might never see you again.

Marathon Training Starts Today

Today marks the beginning of my marathon training, and I am a couple pounds fat from this weekend (on purpose) 400-m repeats tonight.. Bring it!!

Here's a link to the program that I'll be using:

http://www.furman.edu/first/firsttofinish.pdf

I'll be doing the speed work for the first two weeks until the Bluegrass 10k, and then substituting some extra hill work for 2-3 weeks post-race (for the speed days). A couple of the longer runs, I plan on going a mile or two longer, as my body seems to function better once I've done said distance. Anyhow, enjoy. It's time to run...

The Law, Freedom, and Open-Water swimming

You know what can really get somebody fired up? Karst Topography. That's right, it's a geological term describing a system where most of the water in an area is contained underground in sinkholes, caves, and aquifers. The problem is that if you've got an aspiring triathlete who wants to work on his open-water swimming, Lexington is a crappy place.

Back where I grew up in FL, I could just go hop in the gulf (or a lake if I was feeling frisky to fight some gators) if the need for an open water swim hit. But now, my only nearby option is the picture attached. It's a reservoir for Lexington's public water supply and is fenced off around almost the entire perimeter. The one weak point is a private fishing club (ya I know, right) with a pier out into the water where the arrow is pointing.

I figured this out on an out-of the way bike ride home yesterday (little recon for the kids). Now here are the issues: 1) the fencing off of the area is an unspoken "don't you dare swim in here", but there are no signs posted. However, the only entry point is the fishing club, which does have signs posted like "members only beyond this point" going out to the pier and such, but no explicit signs are posted. 2) I don't want to get arrested, and 3) I would swim in the KY river, but there was a news report yesterday to avoid the river because Meth Labs (yes, I'm serious) upriver are dumping their effluent into the river.

Soooo, the question is, do I risk it and just run out there at some point and hop in and start swimming? More to come on this later. I think I need to move to the beach, hurricanes be da&*ed.

Mark, Erik and me after the finish (R to L). Mark got 4th in his age group, and Erik won his. They both beat me by over a minute.


So a fitting beginning to this log is triathlon #1. The 2006 Wendy's Ultrafit Sprint Triathlon. The race took place at Alum Creek State Park north of Columbus, OH. I was a little concerned about the 800 meter (1/2 mile) open water swim. I ate half a protein bar, half a CLIF bar, a banana, coffee and plenty of water before six in the morning. The water was cold, but it was colder outside the morning of the race. I'm guessing about 55 degrees and definitely overcast. Thankfully for me, the water was shallow, and I was able to stop, stand up and take a peak to the next buoy a few times during the swim. Swim Time: 12:50

T1 was not bad, but I just wasn't super prepared. I jogged in, took a gel, a little water and changed into the bike shoes and helmet. Slow time: 2:49

The bike was a bit strange at first. I realized I was in my small chainring and couldn't get it to shift at first. Thus, I was spinning like a mad cyclist. I also couldn't really feel much of anything on my legs as it was still pretty cold. Only one person passed me on the bike. Another big guys with legs the size of a linebacker. We chatted for a minute when I caught him on a hill, and then he began slowly building a lead. I think I would've got him were it not for some slow people riding slowly through an offset turn that made me slow down a ton. Passed numerous people with cool tri bikes and all kinds of gadetry. I saw some people drafting, but they weren't too speedy as I was coming from behind. Probably more of an issue with the guys tete and moonpie were seeing. Not a windy day probably helped me a lot too. I believe a more hilly course would have benefitted me, as my legs never really got tired on the bike. I think HR was pretty low too. Couldn't tell as I was only sporting the wrist watch. Took in a half bottle of Gatorade and two gels on the run. Bike: 45:51 (22 mph)

T2 was quick, as I threw on the pre-tied asics, and set out.

The run felt pretty good, and 3.1 miles feels dang short compared to long runs that I've done in the past few months. Passed numerous people on the run (same as bike), and only got passed by one female who looked like a very competitive runner. About .3 miles from the finish, I saw the last guy I thought I could get in my division, and I put the missile lock on him. He was a big dude, and was kind of lumbering. I determined I'd cut the gap in the first 2/10, and then smoke him the last 1/10. I executed my plan, and then he tried to sprint me the last 50 or 60 yards. I decided that just wasn't going to happen, and thus all-out sprinted to the finish. Run Time 5K: 19:39.7 (6:18min/mile)I finished at 1:22:43 and 4th in the Clydesdale division. In retrospect, I should've done my age group, as that time would have netted me 4th in the 25-29. Oh well, there's always my second triathlon for that. 800 m swim, 16.8 mile bike, and a 5K run. I am officially addicted. I loved almost the entire thing, felt like I had some left in the tank (regrettably), and have much learning and improving to do. All in all, a great experience, and something I certainly want to do again, ASAP Did I mention it was dang cold in that water without a wetsuit?

Check out Moonpie's Race report at the bottom for final results with rankings.