Getting Trashed (No, not like that)

You'll have to ask Amber if I looked like this when I got back from my ride last night, but I can assure you this is how I felt. I decided I'd ride with the fellas after commuting to and from work. Maybe not the best idea, but a good way to grind out some endurance nonetheless. I tried to take it easy on my work commutes, and still ended up averaging right around 18+ mph. In retrospect, I should be setting my MHR a little lower when I know I have a long day, just to stay fresher longer.

So everything was going great and we were cruising along (rather quickly, I might add) when I hear a shewwwww coming from my tires. Thankfully, I had realized I'd forgotten a spare tube on my commute and with my luck riding with the fellas (numerous mechanical/bike issues), I wanted to have it just in case.

Jeff and Casey were contending for county line and bridge sprints throughout the four counties we rode in yesterday. I usually attempt to do this when I'm fresh, but I just let them go today. I believe the score was Jeff 4, Casey 3, with Jeff pulling out a nice acceleration to take the last sprint.

Anyhow, around mile 55, Sam popped. The 20+ mph pace became too much and climbing became a thing of pain. We returned to Lexington (around mile 75), and I was a little scared I was going to pass out on my bike. For the first time since training for my half last year, I just wanted to lay down on the side of the road and take a nap. No questions asked. After I split off to head home, I decided I need to stop and infuse my body with some sugar. 44 oz. real sprite anyone? I got a couple of powerades as well, just to make sure I could ride the last mile home.

I was pretty much a zombie the rest of the evening, and thankfully my wife is pretty awesome, as she rubbed my legs for me (while reminding me that she didn't feel bad for me because I decided to ride "a billion miles" :D )

The main point is this: when you're riding off the back of the pack as much as I was yesterday, you have two choices. You can quit, pack it in, pull out the cell phone and get a ride (which is not always a bad decision), or you can fight the voice inside that's calling you stupid for trying to do more than you have before, for trying to keep up with people who are "better" than you, etc., etc., etc. I think everybody has it. You hear it often when people are worried about not feeling in control during a workout. I've learned from riding with these two ,who have much better fitness than myself, that simply accepting where you're at and not worrying about it is key to success. If you constantly beat yourself down about not being fast enough, bla bla bla, you'll never have the motivation to get out and do it the next day. Just know that in whatever area you might be working, playing, you're out there extending yourself, and it's a good deal better than sitting on the bench. I would also advise riding with some people who are weaker than you on a semi-regular basis to keep self-confidence high.

By the way, a link to an article about the pool in the last post can be found here.

In A Perfect World...

Every town would have one of these:

Even if it was only two lap lanes wide...

No more worries about flip-turns or open turns, and imagine how many people could share a lane...

Forced (by) Gas furnace

It seems like this happens regularly now, but the spring months are often tough for me to get consistent training in. Subsequently, it is the first day of Summer, and I just had the first good week in a long time. Saturday and Sunday are still available, and I've gotten in two runs, a swim, and 3 bikes. Riding the bike is becoming a bit more desirable now that fuel costs are growing. Both Amber and myself are embracing this a bit more. My goal is to grow into commuting an average of 2-3x/week and carpooling the other days. I have a nice 16-18 mi trip (depending on route) each way. It's good and hilly, so it forces fitness in pretty well.

I'm currently trying to set up a little race schedule and a training schedule that's realistic for every week. I also need to get off my arse and go to master's swimming. The wife seems to be warming up to the idea.

The author realizes this isn't much of a post, but starting to write again is kind of like recovery. Just a little bit at a time before you get back into full swing. I'm saving better stuff for later.

St. Leo Tri-umph

WOW- what a way to celebrate my 53rd birthday! I stayed calm and stuck with my game plan, passed at least one person in each portion of the race, AND finished each segment of the race faster than I had in training this past month!

I had hoped, if all went well, to come in under 2:30, with my "absolute best case scenario" sitting about 2:10. My official time was 1:38:11 - yaaay! I know that is slow to the young bucks, but I am thrilled with it!

Notes from a first-time tri-er:

• David endured a couple weeks of listening to me ruminate on how I would handle the race challenges and spent a sleep-deprived night on a too-soft mattress, but still good naturedly rode the bike course with me on Memorial Day and chauffered me back and forth to the race site this weekend and cheered me on at transition and the finish. Thanks, David.



• Pre-race intake: water, gatorade, black tea, banana, kashi bar, allergy med, glucosamine chondroitin for the joints and ginseng (to help maintain energy for the duration and lessen muscle soreness after).



• Our "first-timers" bike rack was right next to the transition entrance, so finding my bike was cake - that and the fact that very few bikes were left by the time I arrived from the swim - a fact my beloved had pointed out to me one time I was obsessing about being able to find my bike without my glasses on.



• The comraderie of the "first-timers" group of men around me while we waited for our swim wave to start was great - talk of how much training we'd had in preparation, which race segment gave us the most concern (swim) and which the most pleasure (bike), along with encouragement, smiles, and well-wishing.



• My warm-up swim informed me that SEEING the red triangular balloon course markers would be a challenge with tinted goggles replacing my "coke-bottle glasses". Thankfully the sun had come up enough by the time my wave entered the water, that I was able to stay reasonably on course except for the last leg where I wasted some strokes getting back on course.



• Checked my watch coming up the long hill after exiting the swim - 19:30 hooray!



• Running barefoot over parking lot - not fun but not as bad as I'd anticipated.



• My transition to bike? slower than 3 people who came in after me :-)



• Having biked the bike course 2 weeks ago helped alot in knowing where I could take advantage of those downhills and where I couldn't, but I was surprised a bit how much I struggled to keep a steady pace. I passed 4 women on the bike portion, 2 early on, and two in the last mile or two.



• My watch said 1 hour 4 minutes when I dismounted, which put my bike about 40 minutes for 10 miles



• The run was mostly on grass or dirt paths, which was great for me, but it was also very hilly - not so great for me. I hadn't been able to work in any steep incline work on the treadmill in prep as I had hoped. I had to walk alot of intervals.



• Just a few runners finished behind me, but that didn't mar my elation one bit as I chugged up the final hill to the finish chute at the top and looked at my watch.



• Post-race photo op with a giant inflated cow, picnic of delicious chocolate milk, turkey wrap, and fruit, and a VERY satisfied ride back to the hotel to shower and head home.

Sweat and Swimming

SWEAT

While menopausal sweat that wakens me at 11:30 and 1:00 and 1:20 and 2:40 and 3:30 and 4:00 and 4:30 (yep, 6 times a night is about right) is NOT a thing to feel good about, watching my sweat drip onto my bicycle pedaling legs or onto the mat when I'm doing push-ups is an mmmm....mmmm.....GOOD feeling of achievement.

Living here in Florida we learn to develop a higher tolerance for and appreciation of sweat. Since we're going to be doing it anytime we're outside in the summer for more than about 10 minutes, we might as well get our money's worth and sweat a bucketful while we're running so we can feel good when we're peeling off and wringing out our running shorts & shirts. Its the price we pay for the sunshine instead of gloomy grey and year round warmth instead of biting cold winters.

SWIMMING
Today I swam 40 laps/1000 yards/909 meters without stopping at the pool - my 14th swim work-out in prep for my first triathlon this weekend. I had to know that I could swim for 600 meters (the lenght in the sprint tri) plus a good bit more to accomodate a zig zag or outer perimeter course on race day. I expect to do 25-50% of the swim on my back, trying to avoid collisions and swim along a relatively expedient course. Survival with enough energy to do the bike and run is my goal for this one. Even today, after this many swim sessions, I had to fight back moments of panic once or twice when I felt I couldn't ta.ke in enough air in the first 200 yards. But I did, I kept swimming and can now see myself completing a half mile swim in the future.

Breaking It Down Brings a Question

This first part is minutae probably no one but me finds interesting. The question is at the end.

As part of my mental preparation for this first triathlon, I have tried to break down into manageable bits all the parts of the challenge I know to be new to me, and experience or simulate them as much as possible before the race, so I can hopefully sleep better the night before the race and thoroughly enjoy the event. So here are some of my "little bits of NEW".

• David and I rode the St. Leo bicycle course on Memorial Day morning. No blazing speed, but now I know I don't need to fear the hills -riding the overpasses on the Pinellas trail have been decent prep. Making the 90 degree turns at a high speed at the bottom of at least one of those hills is a challenge that will have to wait until race day.


• I've learned to shift into and out of the largest/greatest resistance front sprocket - something I had no need/desire for until I wanted to maximize the "flying-down-the-hill" energy.


• I've practiced riding most of my 15 mile prep bike course using the low hand grips on this first road bike I've ever owned.


• I've practiced drinking while pedaling - another thing I hadn't done at all on this bike prior to tri training.


• I got and have been wearing a pair of swim goggles to swim laps.


• I did an open water swim with Kyle in the Gulf of Mexico, staying in a depth where I had to swim or tread water for about 50 minutes. While the salt water made for a great bouyancy I won't have on race day, the wave swells made breathing air instead of water a challenge - I shouldn't panic at the beginning of the swim now when flailing feet and arms make the water churn. Thanks, Kyle and Michelle!

I also want to wear a cap for at least one of my swims and run later in the morning than I've been going, so I can give a "you've already done this, you can do it today" response to any negative self talk complaining about the heat and sun when I'm running. I also want to do one or two days of swim/bike/run in the order I'll be facing them.

So here's my question for the experienced triathletes, posed as I pushed the pedals on the return portion of my ride this morning, bypassing the bathroom in favor of an accurate time assessment: Have you ever peed while pedaling (after checking aft traffic, of course)? Did you regret it?

photo c.1997 Whetstone Photography Paul Jarrio 864-647-6500 (my first whitewater rafting experience)

St. Leo, Here I Come

Publix sponsors a series of Family Fitness Weekends across Florida, I've signed up to make the St. Leo Sprint Triathlon the weekend of June 14-15 my first triathlon, and I can already feel the nerves....

On the morning of Sam and Amber's wedding day, brother-in-law, Michael, found me on the treadmill at the hotel and we started talking fitness and triathlons - he and Dudley did at least one together years ago. Mike tells me the Cypress Gardens Triathlon is a great course for beginners because the swim portion has a rope along the entire distance. Since I hadn't been in the pool yet this season I appreciated that kind of thinking. So I check it out online and find it's a fall event around Sam's birthday....hmm...perhaps a family get-together?....

But then I notice the St. Leo event - not too far from home and a great way to celebrate turning 53 on the 13th - learning to do new things is supposed to help keep your brain young, and signing up for an event will get me in the pool - one of my fitness goals for the year. The downside is that its so soon and after 32+ years of almost no swimming (playing with the kids in the gulf or a pool doesn't count) I haven't been in the pool yet or transitioned to using my bike shoes and clips yet.

So a week ago I ran a 5k, swam laps (with many rests) totalling over 600 meters at the Seminole pool and, since the bike course description reads "hills, hills, and more hills" did a 15 mile bike ride on the only hills I have close by - the overpasses of the "south" portion of the Pinellas trail. A repeat of the bike along with a shorter run and swim the next day, a real rest day on Sunday, complete with pajamas and lots of sitting, and I plunked down the cash for registration.

I'm hoping to ride some of those Pasco County hills this holiday weekend because I am worried about my ability to push through 10 miles of them - I am definitely a flatlander. On the swimming, I've found that if I do a lap on my back after a lap of freestyle, I can recover enough to do another freestyle lap without a rest in-between, but I'm fighting toe cramps during every swim and trying to figure out how to stay on course if I have to swim 400 meters on my back. Surviving the swim with enough left to bike and run is my goal, not speed - if I am able to finish the sprint in 2.5 hours or less (it was in the 90's while I biked yesterday) I will be happy.

I'm doing reasonably well these past couple weeks working in about 3-4 runs , 3 swims, 3 bike rides and a little more rest per week. I'm keeping my mid-week weight workout, but dropping my weekend session in favor of the increased cardio. I'm hoping to work in a high incline session on the treadmill, a couple more pilates sessions to help my abs for swimming, and a "thrashing" session in the pool these next 2 weeks. I'm eating more bananas and spinach and walking around on tip toe to help with the toe cramps, and trying to find solutions to questions like: Since I won't be wearing my contacts (the meds I take for allergies dry my eyes out too much) will I be able to find my way to my bike without my glasses (hmm, steal the bright orange flag from the kiddie cruiser?) or should I try to find some goggles that can be worn over my glasses.

David teased me about my "anxiety" level yesterday as he was printing a bike course map for me so I can ride it this weekend. All I can say is, now I understand how the pre-triathlon prep that seems somewhat obsessive to non-participating friends and family members seems to be simply common sense to the one trying to prepare for the challenge.

The photo above is from a 5k race the summer of 1983, if I'm reading the shirt correctly. It was my 3rd 5k race, and my last until the turkey trot in 2007. Notice how enthusiastic my shirtless sons are to pose with sweat-drenched mom.

Defensive Cycling

Since the above happened to me about 5 weeks ago, I figured I'd post a PSA for all those beginning to ride in traffic or who still fear it. You have good reason. Dan Empfield wrote a good article regarding safety on the bike. Don't forget to remember how it should be isn't how it is. And how it is has a lot to do with whether you're safe or not. Enjoy

Who likes Climbing?

I do. It hurts like crap, especially when you're a bigger guy, but the fitness gains are remarkable (at least they have been in the past). Yesterday was a good ride. Beautiful day in the bluegrass, and we took it down the the river for some climbs at Clay's Ferry, T-burg Hill, and the climb up from Hall's on the river. There were some other tough ones in there too. I'm looking forward to doing this ride more. Only next time, I'll be throwing on the 12-27 cassette instead of the 11-23. If you don't know what that means, just e-mail me before you have to do any serious climbing, because you should know.

Is this mating season?

Yesterday was a perfect morning for me to enjoy my first ever full 6 mile loop run (still with some walk intervals) in Walsingham Park. Lots of strong rain Sunday which should have pulled the pollen from the oak trees and piled it into soggy masses on the ground , allowing me to breath easier than I have in weeks, and I did not totally "thrash myself" in my weight workout and rollerblading over the weekend. The overcast sky and early morning fog hanging over the lake makes running the path a visual delight.

So I've gone around the lake once, done the "front loop", gone past the dog park, and have just entered the narrow stretch of park between the fence next to the Warhawk youth baseball complex and the lake when I hear the LOUDEST, deepest alligator bellow/moan I have EVER heard, in all my years in Florida. RIGHT next to the running path - like 6 feet or less from the sound of it.

Immediately I go on full alert, moving closer to the fence, doing a rapid IFR scan through my fogged over glasses of the bank, the lake, the water plants, the man walking, in front of me, the bank, the lake, the bank the lake, listening intently for any rustling that will signal a gator moving out of the water, picturing other Florida women who've had gator encounters of the "too close" variety. I pick up my pace, looking back towward the sound the entire time. I spot two bumpy roughly rectangular protrusions, about 26-30" long, very close to one another, and incredibly close to the bank. Is that the source? If it is two of them, they seem too small to make the incredibly deep sound that put me on instant alert.

I slow down when I pass the older man with earphones to ask if he heard it. He definitely did. He admits to fear and visually searching, without success, for what he is certain, from the sound, was a very large gator, much larger than the protrusions I describe. hmmm

So, anyway, I enjoy the rest of the return loop, happy with what I'm accomplishing when I catch up to a dog-walking acquaintance from the past and mention the incongruity of the huge gator sounds coupled with the comparatively small to medium heads I think I spotted. Too small? "Not if it's mating season," she shouts as I run ahead.

"Not if it's mating season?!" Who knew?


PS: I grabbed my camera when I got home and headed back to the park to take a picture for the blog. I intended to photograph the exact spot. 50-75 yards before I reached it, a pair of knobby eye sockets protruded from the surface, about 10-15 from the bank. I moved a bit - just a bit- closer and started zooming in so the non-Floridians could get a good look. The gator spooked and submerged, the wave action seemed to indicate movement towards the shore, and I stepped back, turned around and headed out. There will be other photo ops. Of that I'm sure. One day, last fall, I came within 3-4 feet of tripping over a baby gator OUTSIDE the park fence, right next to the sidewalk I take every time I take the "back route" to the park.

PPS/PSS: If you've never read Peter Jenkins' account of nightime gator hunting with some bayou natives in Louisiana, you've missed out on some good stuff. Find it in "Walk Across America".

Hammering out Fitness

Cycling in the spring is one of the greater passions of mine. Beautiful days filled with 60+ mile rides is a good afternoon.

So today we had a bit of deja vu. We had a guy come out who had not been riding since the winter. We were supposed to get in a somewhat easy 50+ mile ride, but somebody forgot to tell one person. This singular person started leading out at about 5 miles and we hammered in a pace line for about 10 miles. We put at least a half mile into the poor guy who hadn't been riding. Why deja vu you ask? Because that was me two and a half weeks ago. Getting dropped really builds some fitness.

Yesterday was a 6 mile effort with some 1/2 mile intervals mixed in in the second half of the run. What's the point? Building base fitness is a great thing. It helps to be ready, but when you can't be ready, it's good to go ahead and thrash yourself a little bit every once in a while. First, it does actually build fitness. Second, it's great motivation to put in some training to get up to a level commensurate with your abilities. So if you need to get ready quick. Crush it a little bit. Just don't be stupid.

Rebel Man

Something like 6 or 8 weeks ago, I decided to put to rest all my excuses about not doing a triathlon, and sign up for the one that seemed most easily accomplished. Saturday the race came, but before I get into the actual race report, I’ve asked Sam to write a little introduction for me. This story (Sam loves to rag on me about it, for good reason), describes me almost perfectly.

The shortest tempo run ever

Let’s set the scene, shall we? Memorial Day weekend 2007. I flew up to Rochester, NY with my parents for the wedding of a cousin (Steve’s younger sister).

I went and hung out with Steve and Liz (Steve’s wife) for some coffee. Steve and I discussed getting in a little fun run the next morning before Steve had to fulfill family duties.

We decided to meet at a location on the Erie Canal trail. Pretty idyllic day: little cloudy, about 65-70 degrees F. I tell Steve before we start I’m thinking of doing about 5, and if he needs to turn back and just get in 3 before heading home, I’m cool with that. We discuss pace, deciding on about 8 min miles or thereabouts.

So we start going, and I look down at my Garmin to check the pace and we’re running about 7:40/mile. I think to myself “ah it’s a little fast, but it’ll calm down. Steve hasn’t been running much.” I also comment to Steve, “We’re going a little below 8’s right now, how you feeling?” “I feel great!” Says Steve. Over the next 5 minutes and approximately ¾ of a mile, Steve continues to lower the pace down to the fastest at about 6:20/mile. Mind you, I’d been training for a half ironman and doing speedwork, so it wasn’t really a big deal for me, I was just enjoying the fun, thinking “This won’t last long, right? Or maybe it will. Steve did run track in high school.” At right around a mile, Steve turns and says “I gotta slow down. Something’s not right.”

We ran a mile and walked a mile that day. And Steve has yet to live it down. I had to work in a run the next night to stay on schedule. I also kid Steve pretty mercilessly whenever we talk. Just for reference, before his tri, I must have warned him at least 5 times to go out easy on the swim and see how he feels on the bike before beginning the hammerfest. With that said, I’ll turn it over to Steve.

Now that I look a little hard-headed—Sam’s pretty much right, in my defense, I’ll only add that I hadn’t run consistently in years, and the running I did came in pick-up/intramural games of frisbee, basketball, or football, places where my ability to run fast for short bursts comes in handy.

The Swim (400yds in a lap pool, time-trial start)

Swim Time- 8:29

As Sam has alluded to, I threw down way too hard to start the swim the swim. Within 100yds, I caught the two people in front of me….they caught me by the 300yd mark. Needless to say, I was going SLOW by that point, and couldn’t seem to get going again.

On my way outside, I must have looked pretty pitiful—my wife cheered me on by asking, “Are you going to make it?”

Just for the record, even with the added time of getting to the chip pads (50 yds away from the pool), I have no idea how I went so slow, while training I didn’t even warm-up/cool down that slow.

T1

T1 Time- 4:03

On my way out of the pool I decided to take my transition easy. I pretty much blew my race in the pool, and figured it best to simply make sure I got on the bike. I did no running through this transition—not exactly the best way to a speedy time, but I wanted to finish the race.

The Bike (supposed to be a 21k, apparently the organizers decided to make it a 22k)

Bike Time-45:45/17.3mph

I finally get on the bike (about 3-4 minutes after I thought I might), and my chain decides (for 3-5 miles) that it really wants to flip-flop between the big and small rings. I try changing gears (hitting all of them I think), and it just doesn’t want to stick. Not wanting to break the chain, I proceed at a very slow 14ish mph. Finally, as I was going up a hill, the chain stuck in the big ring!

All that said, I came in on the bike with about the time I expected, so no big surprises. I only passed a few people, and got passed by probably 6 or 8.

T2

T2 Time-1:43

A bit more respectable than T1—it helps to run….

The Run (supposed to be 5k, if you weren’t in the top 3, you were told the wrong directions, and it turned into a 4k)

Run Time-21:11/8:29/mile

The run felt good, but it was a bit slow, as I was shooting for 7:45-8/mile. Not much to say other than I had too much left at the finish.

Total Time-1:21:10, 88th overall (I don’t know how many), 20/27 AG

My goal time was to come in around 1:30, and I beat that, so I’m trying to convince myself to be happy about it. I’m unhappy because I came in with a lot of energy to spare, and feel like I could have used it on the bike or run. The good news is that I’ve got better direction now for my training. Now I know to really work on sustaining my speed.

I’m still excited about the triathlon, and can’t wait for the next race. Feel free to give me any training tips for the next go-round.

Papa John's 10 miler Race Report

So I realize that I've become a fitness freak when I have racing traditions. This is my new one: a longer run to kick off the season and get me going. Last year it was a half mary pacing Mark, this year, a fun run with Mike at the 10-miler.

The other reason I know I'm a fitness freak is that I look at a race as training for something else. Seriously. I got to Lousville friday afternoon and was more excited about riding over to the stadium on the bike with Mike for packet pickup than I was for the race. I felt a little bad (and took a lot of crap) for pushing him a bit on the bike. There were some good hills and Mike was pretty exhausted by the time we got done with our ~23 miles. Sorry bud. We'll do it again next year and you'll be in shape.

It was a cold morning. High 30's. There was record attendance yet again for this event. Around 7500 people.

My plan was to go out along with mike pretty easy the first 3 miles until we got to Iriquois park. This is where the race begins. There were some solid hills out there. Nice long hills are really becoming something I enjoy more. But I especially enjoy it on the bike. The run, it's good, but not my favorite thing. However, I was killing it in the hills this day. I was able to have just a solid cadence, and I was passing people like gangbusters. After the first hill, I decided it was time to start pouring it on and let Mike run his own race and me mine. The last hill in Iriquois was pretty rough, but it felt good to have it over with and the downhill was a glorious break. I took in a gel before getting to the water station and then it was back to the stadium. Mostly a slight up grade and into the wind just a smidge. I was able to keep the cadence pretty high and at mile 9, just before the last hill ( a bridge over the RR), I started planning the finish. Halfway up the hill, some tall young dude caught me and went by me. He looked like a basketball player. I decided that with current conditions, I would use his apparent strength to my advantage. I slowed down a step and hopped in behind him. I'm so happy drafting is legal in running, because it just isn't fair that I used this poor sap the way I did. I was right on his heels and I'm sure he heard me, so he just kept pushing harder. I enjoyed it back there, just matching him step for step experiencing no wind. as we turned into the stadium at about a 1/4 mile to go, I pulled out around him and poured it on. I'm not sure how close he was, but I definitely wasn't letting him catch me.

It was a good finish. I went and got my chip taken off, grabbed a water and a powerade and went back to get Amber. I had done training runs with her, and we figured it would be fun to run in together. My knee and calves were hurting heading back. I saw mike coming in as I was going back out. Mike beat his time from two years ago by like 8 minutes. I found Amber around mile 8.5 (so I got in a half mary all told). She was running really well and ended up going sub 10-min miles for the whole thing. She had done the half mary last spring in over 11-min miles, so we were both pretty stoked; especially considering the amount of training she'd been doing. We've been pretty busy with weddings and moving and such lately.

Steve should have his first Tri race report up soon. Maybe we can get Mike on to do it too?

To Shave or Not to Shave?

Is it worth it?

As a former swimmer, I am almost positive that shaving would get me fired up for Saturday's race. I'm pretty sure it won't make me any faster, as I'm doing the race in running shorts and shirt (Not that I'm convinced it would make me much faster anyway). Right now, I'm leaning toward breaking out the razor tonight....give me a reason not to.

My First Tri. The REBELMAN.

You think its Iron-distance don’t you? No, I’m not that good, they’ve fooled you. It’s a (short) Sprint-distance (400m swim, 21k bike, 5k run), in Oxford, MS on Saturday. I’m all the things you’d expect from a tri newbie—nervous, excited, constantly crapping myself….

For something like a decade, I’ve been dreaming of doing a triathlon, always putting it off because of time and/or money. Now that it’s less than a week away, I am literally dreaming of triathlons. Last night, as I drifted to sleep, I was sitting in T2, trying in vain, to get my shoes on. They wouldn’t go on, it’s like someone switched them out with a smaller pair. They finally slipped on as Ella jolted me awake with a cry. Hopefully Saturday’s race goes better than it seems to in my sleep.

I’ve not finished the first race yet, and I’m already looking forward to my first Oly. This will be a good summer of racing….hopefully the move(s) don’t mess it up too much.

SMP

Mixing in Yoga & Pilates

After a year of consistent twice weekly weight training along with my cardio, I decided it was time to give yoga a try to see how much flexibility (aka injury resistance) I could gain through regular stretching. Increased flexibility is something I value much more at 52 than I did at 32.

This past year I didn't follow through in actually doing various pre-post running stretches I had found online, I hadn't found any TV shows or DVD's that focused solely on stretching(I have since located a title but haven't ordered the DVD), and I really felt I needed full body stretching to complement all the weight training I was doing. Whenever I talked with trainers about wanting to incorporate more stretching and flexibility work into my routines, they recommended a yoga class.

I had already tried the do-it-yourself-with DVD route but had apparently chosen DVD's not fully suited to giving this novice the detailed instruction and observation and feedback I needed to learn correct form. So I decided not to let the whoo-whoo spiritual emphasis get to me and to take some classes with an instructor two trainers I trust recommended. Though performing some of the poses was impossible for me and my range of flexibility was a world away from that of the instructor, at the end of my first hour class I knew this was something I had to keep doing - my entire body felt more stretched out and relaxed than it had felt for many months.

After a month of this once a week class, I discovered "Namaste Yoga", a half-hour show on Fit TV that was broadcast several times in each 24 hour period and began adding that stretching discipline to my day several days a week. I still cannot do some of the poses, but my performance of each pose is improving, my flexibility is gradually increasing, and I have found the emphasis on deep, focused breathing helpful in my weight training and cardio, in addition to its role in deepening the stretches I am able to do.

Then, a week and a half ago I took my first pilates/yoga fusion class, followed by a full hour of pilates the following week in addition to the combo class. Like the yoga, I'd been wanting to take a pilates class for sometime, but hadn't felt I was strong enough yet to keep up., having seen several classes in session. All I can say is WOW! These instructors have come up with beguiling ways of using resistance bands and large exercise balls to inflict torture on the novice student's core muscles group.

I am glad the classes are small - about 4-6 women - because I am struggling mightily to keep up, and on almost every exercise, the instructor is correcting my form faux-pas. I have become aware I adopted numerous "wrong-form" postures in my earlier years of exercising at home and aerobics classes that enabled me to keep up with the instructor and feel good about my achievement, but either didn't help the muscle groups for which they were intended, or courted injury.

All that said, I can see the yoga practice helping the pilates, and the pilates workout gradually producing more core strength needed to do the yoga poses, and both helping me to regain and hopefully maintain the flexibility I want for quality of life during this latter portion of my life.

So now, the next thing to add to my triathlon training mix is swimming - I believe our close outdoor community pools open up in April....on to the next adventure.

Working into Crossfit Shape

Last night I did half of the workout pictured above, but mixed in some presses (95 lb) when I could no longer breath from the burpee pullups. I would recommend using gloves as I tore up my hands a bit. (Also, there's some questionable language in the last 15 sec of the video-please stop before then if you have kids around)

In the quest to build power with endurance, and to become a better athlete, with a more well-rounded approach to health - and also to make me a better, faster triathlete - and because it's just cool to crush yourself in workouts, I've decided to work towards being crossfit.

The reasons:

1) Crossfit's simplified approach: Their definition of Fitness and Health in 100 words:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

2) It is undeniable that pushing oneself to the limits increases fitness in a way that walking from machine to machine, doing a slow regimented workout does not. It changes the mind, and has the ability to alter one's composition in a way far more strongly than does the big box gym method.

3) I enjoy pushing my limits.

4) Look around the crossfit site. Watch some of the videos. This is an ethically viable system which doesn't require failing your customers in order to gain a profit.

5) They have cool shirts. One even says "Smoke you like cheap crack" on the back. Gotta love it.

Running in the snow/ice/wet trails

So I decided last week that since it was February, I should probably start doing some training again. And since Febtober is usually the month we get more snow and ice than any other month here in KY, that it was time to construct the el cheapo saucony ice cleat. So I snagged about 50 6x3/8" sheet metal screws and drilled them into the bottoms of my shoes in much the same manner as you see pictured above (those aren't mine, but I liked his craftsmanship, and I think using his pattern on the asics is a good idea).

So last night, I was busy until about 8:30, but was hoping the snow and ice would keep coming, so I could give these pups a try. Mother Nature cooperated with continued snow, and halfway through my run (about 5 miles), it also began sleeting and icing. It hurt a bit on the face, but there's nothing like running in the snow. It's hard to beat.

How'd the el cheapos perform, you ask? Admirably, to say the least. I felt like I was running on an indoor track. Seriously. It wasn't much besides snow at the beginning, but at the end, the only track I left consisted of screw holes entering the ice, and I had great traction with zero slips. One suggestion though: if you're of the male persuasion, make sure you wear some form of insulation around the manhood, else (to borrow the phrase from moonpie), the tip of your bayonet might go numb.

I'm taking these babies camping with me this weekend too for a trail run. It should be muddy, so we'll see how they do. Happy running!

Crossfit

After a lot of reading and approximately a month of thought, I'm convinced that Crossfit is an excellent way to stay in shape, especially if done consistently.