This was a better week. Except for a 30 minute run scheduled last Thursday, I made every other workout for the week.
Thursday, there simply wasn't time to do the 30 minute run. I had a 750 meter swim first thing but didn't have time to run afterwards. I thought I might get it in at lunch but my lunch ended up being taken up by an appointment and I had to skip lunch and eat something at my desk. Then I thought I might be able to leave work early and get the run in before my scheduled appointment to lift weights with a trainer but I just could not leave early. Finally following the weight training, I didn't have time because I needed to go to a holiday party for work.
Although it is still tight, I am getting used to getting two workouts in a day. The occasional day when there are 3 workouts scheduled are almost always nearly impossible. I can't beat myself up too much about this though. After all, it's not like I draw a paycheck from working out. Certainly, it is important to make training a priority but sometimes, it is simply going to have to take second priority to work and life.
I am told by my buddy Patrick, that the triathlon training is going to have to begin in earnest in January. I am looking to doing the Spring runs as part of the build up campaign. In some ways, it seems so far off but at the same time I worry about whether I have enough time to prepare for this. I'm excited but I would be less than honest if I didn't admit that I am also a little afraid.
That's all for now.
Feel free to drop me a line if you like. If you have any experiences or advice you would like to shar, I would love to hear it. Also, if you have any questions, I am happy to answer those as well.
Take care.
David
Monday, December 10, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Still in a lull - difficult weekend
After a fairly good week last week when it seems like things were finally beginning to click, it seemed that the wheels fell off the bus. Friday was a scheduled off day, so all was good there. Saturday was scheduled for a 20 to 30 mile bike. The weather was actually perfect, mid 60s and sunny.
I dutifully loaded my bike up in my truck and got all the way to the park ready to ride but as I sat in the car, I was just really really tired. I considered getting out and gutting it out which I have been known to do but I couldn't shake the notion that perhaps the best thing I could do for myself was to go home and take a nap. With the holidays and lots of people coming and going, my sleep schedule had taken a toll and I had been getting maybe 6 hours or less of sleep per night. So I skipped the workout and went home for a nap. Actually after the nap, I felt so much better and I was sure that I had done the right thing.
Today, I was supposed to do a light weight training and a 40 minute run. Once again I went to the gym and things started off okay. I did some chest exercises and some back exercises. On the first set of the second exercise for my back, my right arm started hurting. It has been giving me some problems so I decided that I probably needed to stop that exercise. Instead I started doing some leg exercises and again started having problems with my right knee which also has been giving me some problems lately. So I stopped that as well. Plan B was to go right in to do the 40 minute run but I started feeling a little nauseated. Bottom line, I aborted the rest of the workout.
As I sit here evaluating the evening, I feel like I did the right thing. Still it bothers me that I basically had a fail for all of the weekend workouts. One of the things I have to deal with on this journey is dealing with doubts. On one hand I need to be wise and not do things that might lead to injuries. On the other hand, I can't just skip workouts all the time and expect to be ready.
Today, I am wondering again if I am going to be up to this. In my mind, this is a big deal and I don't expect it to be easy. But I also know that if I am going to do this, I HAVE to keep a positive attitude. I have to remember my buddy and mentor who is always telling me, "You can do it! You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!" He is awesome and that really helps but today I am having my doubts.
Hope everyone has a great Sunday. I am having red beans and rice and watching Walking Dead.
As always, I am open to discussions. I would be happy to answer any questions and I would also appreciate any insights or advice. Leave me a comment if you are so inclined.
Thanks!
David
I dutifully loaded my bike up in my truck and got all the way to the park ready to ride but as I sat in the car, I was just really really tired. I considered getting out and gutting it out which I have been known to do but I couldn't shake the notion that perhaps the best thing I could do for myself was to go home and take a nap. With the holidays and lots of people coming and going, my sleep schedule had taken a toll and I had been getting maybe 6 hours or less of sleep per night. So I skipped the workout and went home for a nap. Actually after the nap, I felt so much better and I was sure that I had done the right thing.
Today, I was supposed to do a light weight training and a 40 minute run. Once again I went to the gym and things started off okay. I did some chest exercises and some back exercises. On the first set of the second exercise for my back, my right arm started hurting. It has been giving me some problems so I decided that I probably needed to stop that exercise. Instead I started doing some leg exercises and again started having problems with my right knee which also has been giving me some problems lately. So I stopped that as well. Plan B was to go right in to do the 40 minute run but I started feeling a little nauseated. Bottom line, I aborted the rest of the workout.
As I sit here evaluating the evening, I feel like I did the right thing. Still it bothers me that I basically had a fail for all of the weekend workouts. One of the things I have to deal with on this journey is dealing with doubts. On one hand I need to be wise and not do things that might lead to injuries. On the other hand, I can't just skip workouts all the time and expect to be ready.
Today, I am wondering again if I am going to be up to this. In my mind, this is a big deal and I don't expect it to be easy. But I also know that if I am going to do this, I HAVE to keep a positive attitude. I have to remember my buddy and mentor who is always telling me, "You can do it! You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!" He is awesome and that really helps but today I am having my doubts.
Hope everyone has a great Sunday. I am having red beans and rice and watching Walking Dead.
As always, I am open to discussions. I would be happy to answer any questions and I would also appreciate any insights or advice. Leave me a comment if you are so inclined.
Thanks!
David
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Hiatus
On a lark, I checked back to the blog today and noticed that it has been 2 months since I posted anything. Actually that is a good reflection of where I have been as far as training goes. In September, as noted in my last entry, I developed a sinus infection. Although I was not absolutely bedridden for most of the time, it definitely made it difficult for me to keep training consistantly.
Since overcoming that infection, I have been struggling with challenges due to the change of seasons. Biking in particular has been hard for me to figure out. During the Summer, I adapted to riding in the dark early in the morning before work, in order to get my bikes in. With the Fall Season that became much more difficult. Temperatures have dropped and I am still trying to figure out clothing so that I am comfortable in cool weather. I find that when the temps drop below 50 degrees, Iam just freezing on a bike. Add to that changes in traffic with school being back in and much less light as the days get shorter and I am finding it very difficult to figure out when I think I can ride safely and fit it into my schedule.
Although I find that it is much more enjoyable to train outside, I am finding that I am having to go back to the gym to be able to get the training in. Riding a stationary bike and running on a treadmill are incredibly boring for me, but it definitely makes it much easier to fit into my schedule and get the hours in.
I have also been struggling with how to train during the winter. It is the off season for triathlons and I thought that I would need this time to build endurance for the Ironman next August. But I have been advised that I would be starting the training too soon and it could work against me. So at least for the time being, I have been following a schedule that is really what I might call a maintenance schedule. In some ways it is much lighter than my routine during the summer although it is typically taking 2 workouts daily. I think the goal is to just keep me at a level that when things begin to gear up again in the Spring, I am not starting from scratch.
Working through all of this is a work in process for me. After reading this I am sure it will come as no surprise that I have been struggling to stay consistant all Fall. This week has been one of the better weeks but I suspect I will continue to struggle at least through the holidays to keep things on track.
I'm trying to do better and I will also try to do better about keeping up with the blog.
Let me know if you have any questions or if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Have a great day!
David
Since overcoming that infection, I have been struggling with challenges due to the change of seasons. Biking in particular has been hard for me to figure out. During the Summer, I adapted to riding in the dark early in the morning before work, in order to get my bikes in. With the Fall Season that became much more difficult. Temperatures have dropped and I am still trying to figure out clothing so that I am comfortable in cool weather. I find that when the temps drop below 50 degrees, Iam just freezing on a bike. Add to that changes in traffic with school being back in and much less light as the days get shorter and I am finding it very difficult to figure out when I think I can ride safely and fit it into my schedule.
Although I find that it is much more enjoyable to train outside, I am finding that I am having to go back to the gym to be able to get the training in. Riding a stationary bike and running on a treadmill are incredibly boring for me, but it definitely makes it much easier to fit into my schedule and get the hours in.
I have also been struggling with how to train during the winter. It is the off season for triathlons and I thought that I would need this time to build endurance for the Ironman next August. But I have been advised that I would be starting the training too soon and it could work against me. So at least for the time being, I have been following a schedule that is really what I might call a maintenance schedule. In some ways it is much lighter than my routine during the summer although it is typically taking 2 workouts daily. I think the goal is to just keep me at a level that when things begin to gear up again in the Spring, I am not starting from scratch.
Working through all of this is a work in process for me. After reading this I am sure it will come as no surprise that I have been struggling to stay consistant all Fall. This week has been one of the better weeks but I suspect I will continue to struggle at least through the holidays to keep things on track.
I'm trying to do better and I will also try to do better about keeping up with the blog.
Let me know if you have any questions or if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Have a great day!
David
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Sinus Infection!
I have been fighting a sinus infection which caused me to take off training on Saturday and Sunday. I started taking antibiotics on Saturday and got back on the bike yesterday afternoon. I started out a little rough but by the end of the bike, I was doing pretty well.
Today however, it is raining and I am supposed to do a 45 minute bike and a 30 minute run. With the sinus infection not completely over, I am concerned about this and am thinking about skipping it. But this does bring up the issue, how do I know when it is better to take off or if I should go ahead an do the workout?
Luckily, right now, there is nothing on the calendar which is imminent. So I don't think that it is a big deal right now but down the road, this could be a big issue. Also, now that it is getting cold again, I have to rethink how and when to do training outside.
So far the only advice my buddies have offered is not to swim if I have a sinus infection. (They don't want me to gunk up the pool. ) Always nice to have friends.
Hopefully back on track here soon.
David
Today however, it is raining and I am supposed to do a 45 minute bike and a 30 minute run. With the sinus infection not completely over, I am concerned about this and am thinking about skipping it. But this does bring up the issue, how do I know when it is better to take off or if I should go ahead an do the workout?
Luckily, right now, there is nothing on the calendar which is imminent. So I don't think that it is a big deal right now but down the road, this could be a big issue. Also, now that it is getting cold again, I have to rethink how and when to do training outside.
So far the only advice my buddies have offered is not to swim if I have a sinus infection. (They don't want me to gunk up the pool. ) Always nice to have friends.
Hopefully back on track here soon.
David
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Week in Review
I mentioned on Monday that I am sort of in an evaluation phase as I begin to look to next year. My training schedule for the week has been as follows:
Monday - 45 min swim / 45 min run at an easy pace. For the swim I alternated between breast and free style every 100m and I finished 1700m in that time frame. For the run, I actually did a very brisk walk, in fact a much faster pace than I have been able to do before as a walk. I did this because I was trying to keep my heart rate under 120 beats per minute. I find that when I am running, no matter how slow the pace, it is difficult for me to keep under this heart rate.
Tuesday - 60 min bike ride at an easy pace. I finished 12.5 miles in this time period which is quite slow for me. That was really more a reflection of having to stop several times for lights and traffic than my average bike speed. One of the things I have to work on for all of these sports is adjusting my pace. Right now, I am pretty much either on or off.
Wednesday - 5 mile run time trial / 1 hour of Yoga. I finished the time trial in 46.50 which was much faster than I expected. I beleive that this is the farthest I have run since my Marathon at the end of April. I really have not been running much this summer because I have been having to spend my time developing my swim. This was the first time I have been to Yoga in 3 weeks and I could tell. I was really sweating all the way through. I started Yoga earlier this year to help with my flexibility.
Thursday - 30 minute swim at an easy pace / 1 hour weight training. Because I was to do an easy pace, I elected to do breast stroke the entire swim. This turned out to be quite a surprise. My swim time for breast stroke was much faster than expected. My swim time for 50 m was about 1:10 which was about 20 seconds faster than I had been averaging. I swam 1350m in 30 minutes. The afternoon was weights pretty much for the full body. I kind of tweaked my left shoulder, tricep and bicep but I don't think I did anything too damaging. Just a little extra Advil for the next few days.
Friday - Off day - which I really enjoyed.
Saturday (today) - a BRICK - 15 mile bike (recording time) followed by a 5 mile run (recording time). I wanted to work this into my running group, so I went over to church, where our running group meets, and started my ride a little more than an hour and 15 minutes before our group run. I finished the bike in 59:36 I think and really felt like I could go on. I don't really feel fatigued on the bike like I do when I run.
That said, I still have several things to figure out on the bike. The biggest problem has to do with my transition from the bike to the run. When I make that transition, I feel like I can't breathe when I first start the run. It takes a mile or two before things seem to fall into place. (That is one of the reason for this brick this morning to try to get my body accomodated to that transition.) I still have to figure out food and fluid on the bike. For 15 miles, this is not an issue but for 30 or more miles, it is. I am also trying to figure out clothing. I am just freezing on a bike when the temperatures drop below 50 degrees. This morning the temp was about 53. I had made some adjustments - I bought some long padded bike tights and I had on a windbreaker, which helped a lot but I was still cold.
After the bike, I needed to change clothes because while 53 may be cold on a bike, it is not at all cold for a run. I really took more time than I should have to make all of these transitions but it worked out. I ended up running 5.6 miles with my running group in about 57:30.
My buddy Patrick invited me to go on another 26 mile bike with him later in the day and while I think I could have done it, I declined. As it turned out, I think that was wise once again mainly because of the food and fluid issue. A short while after I got home, I could tell that I needed to get some food pretty quickly.
Tomorrow finishes out the first week of assessment with a 45 minute swim of moderate difficulty.
Overall, this week has seemed pretty light compared to the workouts I have been doing most of the summer, which has been nice. Next week however, things ramp up a bit and it will be a little bit tougher.
After that I begin to put together the plan for next year and THEN things really start getting to be tough!
Really not much more to report than that for the day. Hope you had a great weekend!
David
Monday - 45 min swim / 45 min run at an easy pace. For the swim I alternated between breast and free style every 100m and I finished 1700m in that time frame. For the run, I actually did a very brisk walk, in fact a much faster pace than I have been able to do before as a walk. I did this because I was trying to keep my heart rate under 120 beats per minute. I find that when I am running, no matter how slow the pace, it is difficult for me to keep under this heart rate.
Tuesday - 60 min bike ride at an easy pace. I finished 12.5 miles in this time period which is quite slow for me. That was really more a reflection of having to stop several times for lights and traffic than my average bike speed. One of the things I have to work on for all of these sports is adjusting my pace. Right now, I am pretty much either on or off.
Wednesday - 5 mile run time trial / 1 hour of Yoga. I finished the time trial in 46.50 which was much faster than I expected. I beleive that this is the farthest I have run since my Marathon at the end of April. I really have not been running much this summer because I have been having to spend my time developing my swim. This was the first time I have been to Yoga in 3 weeks and I could tell. I was really sweating all the way through. I started Yoga earlier this year to help with my flexibility.
Thursday - 30 minute swim at an easy pace / 1 hour weight training. Because I was to do an easy pace, I elected to do breast stroke the entire swim. This turned out to be quite a surprise. My swim time for breast stroke was much faster than expected. My swim time for 50 m was about 1:10 which was about 20 seconds faster than I had been averaging. I swam 1350m in 30 minutes. The afternoon was weights pretty much for the full body. I kind of tweaked my left shoulder, tricep and bicep but I don't think I did anything too damaging. Just a little extra Advil for the next few days.
Friday - Off day - which I really enjoyed.
Saturday (today) - a BRICK - 15 mile bike (recording time) followed by a 5 mile run (recording time). I wanted to work this into my running group, so I went over to church, where our running group meets, and started my ride a little more than an hour and 15 minutes before our group run. I finished the bike in 59:36 I think and really felt like I could go on. I don't really feel fatigued on the bike like I do when I run.
That said, I still have several things to figure out on the bike. The biggest problem has to do with my transition from the bike to the run. When I make that transition, I feel like I can't breathe when I first start the run. It takes a mile or two before things seem to fall into place. (That is one of the reason for this brick this morning to try to get my body accomodated to that transition.) I still have to figure out food and fluid on the bike. For 15 miles, this is not an issue but for 30 or more miles, it is. I am also trying to figure out clothing. I am just freezing on a bike when the temperatures drop below 50 degrees. This morning the temp was about 53. I had made some adjustments - I bought some long padded bike tights and I had on a windbreaker, which helped a lot but I was still cold.
After the bike, I needed to change clothes because while 53 may be cold on a bike, it is not at all cold for a run. I really took more time than I should have to make all of these transitions but it worked out. I ended up running 5.6 miles with my running group in about 57:30.
My buddy Patrick invited me to go on another 26 mile bike with him later in the day and while I think I could have done it, I declined. As it turned out, I think that was wise once again mainly because of the food and fluid issue. A short while after I got home, I could tell that I needed to get some food pretty quickly.
Tomorrow finishes out the first week of assessment with a 45 minute swim of moderate difficulty.
Overall, this week has seemed pretty light compared to the workouts I have been doing most of the summer, which has been nice. Next week however, things ramp up a bit and it will be a little bit tougher.
After that I begin to put together the plan for next year and THEN things really start getting to be tough!
Really not much more to report than that for the day. Hope you had a great weekend!
David
Monday, September 10, 2012
Refocusing
As you may have noticed, in the beginning of this blog, there was a post every day. In fact there were some days when there were more than one. Lately, it has been more like once a week and some times longer than that.
In a way, I would say that the simple pattern of these posts is to some degree a reflection of the training. In the beginning, there was a clear purpose and goal, the Tom Sawyer Sprint Triathlon. I knew what it was, when it was and what I needed to do to accomplish it. There were other goals along the way - mainly working on swimming with my Mean Swim Coach, working a little on my biking, and swimming in open water. And there were some easy goals following like the Ohio River swim and the Bowling Green Sprint Triathlon. But since then, things have been less clear.
I know that next year I want to do more triathlons. If things are going well, I want to try to do Ironman Louisville in 2013. But I am at a point where the path is not as certain. I know to be able to do this, I will need to do several triathlons next year - some sprints, some Olympic, perhaps a half Ironman. Also I will need to do some individual evernts - probably at least one full marathon, also at least one or two 100+ mile bike events and I need to be able to increase my swim endurance to at least 2.4 miles. Add in the fact that I want to incorporate some of this into my running group and their planned events and it becomes a complex task.
I have been continuing to do workouts but they are less focused as I try to develop my plans for the next year. I am working on those plans right now. The next 2 weeks will be sort of a trial of things to get some benchmarks. Once I have those, I will be working with some trainers and advisors to work on a training plan for the next year.
This morning's task was to do a swim of moderate intensity for 45 minutes and record the distance. I swam for 1700m alternating between breast stroke and free style every 100m. This afternoon, I am to do a 45 minute run at an easy pace.
That's about all there is to report for now. Of course, if you have done this before and have some wisdom or experiences to share, I would love to hear them. Or if you are just curious about some of my experiences and have some questions, I am happy to respond to those as well.
Have a great day.
David
In a way, I would say that the simple pattern of these posts is to some degree a reflection of the training. In the beginning, there was a clear purpose and goal, the Tom Sawyer Sprint Triathlon. I knew what it was, when it was and what I needed to do to accomplish it. There were other goals along the way - mainly working on swimming with my Mean Swim Coach, working a little on my biking, and swimming in open water. And there were some easy goals following like the Ohio River swim and the Bowling Green Sprint Triathlon. But since then, things have been less clear.
I know that next year I want to do more triathlons. If things are going well, I want to try to do Ironman Louisville in 2013. But I am at a point where the path is not as certain. I know to be able to do this, I will need to do several triathlons next year - some sprints, some Olympic, perhaps a half Ironman. Also I will need to do some individual evernts - probably at least one full marathon, also at least one or two 100+ mile bike events and I need to be able to increase my swim endurance to at least 2.4 miles. Add in the fact that I want to incorporate some of this into my running group and their planned events and it becomes a complex task.
I have been continuing to do workouts but they are less focused as I try to develop my plans for the next year. I am working on those plans right now. The next 2 weeks will be sort of a trial of things to get some benchmarks. Once I have those, I will be working with some trainers and advisors to work on a training plan for the next year.
This morning's task was to do a swim of moderate intensity for 45 minutes and record the distance. I swam for 1700m alternating between breast stroke and free style every 100m. This afternoon, I am to do a 45 minute run at an easy pace.
That's about all there is to report for now. Of course, if you have done this before and have some wisdom or experiences to share, I would love to hear them. Or if you are just curious about some of my experiences and have some questions, I am happy to respond to those as well.
Have a great day.
David
Monday, September 3, 2012
Louisville Ironman 2012
Sunday, August 26, I went downtown to 4th Street Live so that I could watch people completing the Ironman Louisville. It is unbelievably inspiring to watch people cross the finish line after finishing a full marathon (26.2 miles), a 112 mile bike and a 2.4 mile swim. Time after time I found myself choked up watching people finish this amazing achievement. Friends, families and well wishers screaming and clapping as the competitors finish. Competitor after competitor crossed. Some carrying flags, some doing Tebows as they crossed, some doing pushups, some collapsing in tears into a volunteers arms.
Louisville is a qualifier for the Kona Ironman which is the world championship. Because of this, we get competitors from all over the world. The Louisville event has about 3,000 athletes participating and about 4,000 volunteers. Many people do not seem to understand that hosting this event is really a big deal.
Congratulations to all of the athletes who finished and especially to my buddies Patrick Ryan and Whitney Ryan for finishing their 2nd Ironman!
AND next year, come out and watch these guys. Whether you ever decide to try something like this or not, you will be inspired.
Have a great day, everyone!
David
Louisville is a qualifier for the Kona Ironman which is the world championship. Because of this, we get competitors from all over the world. The Louisville event has about 3,000 athletes participating and about 4,000 volunteers. Many people do not seem to understand that hosting this event is really a big deal.
Congratulations to all of the athletes who finished and especially to my buddies Patrick Ryan and Whitney Ryan for finishing their 2nd Ironman!
AND next year, come out and watch these guys. Whether you ever decide to try something like this or not, you will be inspired.
Have a great day, everyone!
David
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Louisville Underpants Run
They say confession is good for the soul. And after all, who among us hasn't had an indiscretion or two? So, here goes. A couple of years ago, the day before the Louisville Ironman, I was wandering around the waterfront taking in the sights and was approached by volunteers who asked if I would consider running in a short charity event. There was a catch. It was the Louisville Underpants Run, which meant that everyone would be running in their underwear.
First I made sure it was legal. (I didn't want to be arrested, especially if it would be on TV.) Then I made sure that I wouldn't be the only one running. Turns out, the event is organized by one of the local triathlete clubs and many of the triathletes would be running, including several people planning to be in the Ironman Louisville the next day. The inspiration for the event comes from Kona where a number of years ago, they started a similar run the day before the Kona Ironman contest.
Soooo, I gave them $10 and stipped to my skivvies. I have to admit it felt a little funny standing around on the waterfront in front of the Belle of Louisville in my underwear. But before I knew it I was joined by about 100 or so co-exhibitionists. Many had come prepared with all sorts of underwear being displayed. Others like me were completely unprepared, as I heard a few folks confess in their invitation to run in their underwear, that they weren't wearing any. Some of the ultra-prepared runners offered them extra pairs that they had brought and they disappeared into a trailer to change and join the run.
I managed to finish that run in anonymnity. I tried to avoid getting my picture taken and while I did show up in the videos on the news, I was in a crowd and no one would have recognized me, if they weren't looking for me.
So, I am sure you are wondering why on earth I would confess this now. After all, who would ever know?
Wellllll, 2012 was a different year. I may have mentioned this to my buddy Andrew, and I may have challenged him to do the event, and I may have even showed him my 1.5 mile sticker I had hidden in my console of my truck.
Andrew was psyched! Andrew invited everyone he could think of to participate. Andrew went out and bought Batman underwear with a cape on it for the run. Andrew had his sister paint his chest with a big Batman symbol and put all kinds of Batman art on his back.
As you might have guessed, when Andrew showed up, he stood out among the crowd. I was in some of my running underwear, subtle black but with a blue waistband. But because I was with Andrew, I was in a lot of pictures. I was in pictures for the Courier Journal and for the Voice. Luckily, I didn't show up in the Courier but I am in pictures on-line.
So anyway, there is a pretty good chance if you saw a picture that looked like me and maybe even was labeled as being David McCoy, that it was me. I considered telling the reporters that my name was John Doe and when I didn't do that I considered trying to start a rumor that a guy named John Doe was trying to steal my identity. But truth is, I really don't like to lie and after all, if I'm gonna do it, I might as well own it.
Truth is, it was a lot of fun. The money went to the Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies. I got to run with a bunch of fun people including a number of ironmen participants. It definitely wasn't X rated. In fact, it really wasn't even PG-13. It was just a lot of fun. In fact, I would encourage you to participate in years to come.
AND I got a new water bottle (which I really needed) and another 1.5 sticker (which is hidden in my truck console with my other one.)
Have a great day!
David (reluctant exhibitionist)
First I made sure it was legal. (I didn't want to be arrested, especially if it would be on TV.) Then I made sure that I wouldn't be the only one running. Turns out, the event is organized by one of the local triathlete clubs and many of the triathletes would be running, including several people planning to be in the Ironman Louisville the next day. The inspiration for the event comes from Kona where a number of years ago, they started a similar run the day before the Kona Ironman contest.
Soooo, I gave them $10 and stipped to my skivvies. I have to admit it felt a little funny standing around on the waterfront in front of the Belle of Louisville in my underwear. But before I knew it I was joined by about 100 or so co-exhibitionists. Many had come prepared with all sorts of underwear being displayed. Others like me were completely unprepared, as I heard a few folks confess in their invitation to run in their underwear, that they weren't wearing any. Some of the ultra-prepared runners offered them extra pairs that they had brought and they disappeared into a trailer to change and join the run.
I managed to finish that run in anonymnity. I tried to avoid getting my picture taken and while I did show up in the videos on the news, I was in a crowd and no one would have recognized me, if they weren't looking for me.
So, I am sure you are wondering why on earth I would confess this now. After all, who would ever know?
Wellllll, 2012 was a different year. I may have mentioned this to my buddy Andrew, and I may have challenged him to do the event, and I may have even showed him my 1.5 mile sticker I had hidden in my console of my truck.
Andrew was psyched! Andrew invited everyone he could think of to participate. Andrew went out and bought Batman underwear with a cape on it for the run. Andrew had his sister paint his chest with a big Batman symbol and put all kinds of Batman art on his back.
As you might have guessed, when Andrew showed up, he stood out among the crowd. I was in some of my running underwear, subtle black but with a blue waistband. But because I was with Andrew, I was in a lot of pictures. I was in pictures for the Courier Journal and for the Voice. Luckily, I didn't show up in the Courier but I am in pictures on-line.
So anyway, there is a pretty good chance if you saw a picture that looked like me and maybe even was labeled as being David McCoy, that it was me. I considered telling the reporters that my name was John Doe and when I didn't do that I considered trying to start a rumor that a guy named John Doe was trying to steal my identity. But truth is, I really don't like to lie and after all, if I'm gonna do it, I might as well own it.
Truth is, it was a lot of fun. The money went to the Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies. I got to run with a bunch of fun people including a number of ironmen participants. It definitely wasn't X rated. In fact, it really wasn't even PG-13. It was just a lot of fun. In fact, I would encourage you to participate in years to come.
AND I got a new water bottle (which I really needed) and another 1.5 sticker (which is hidden in my truck console with my other one.)
Have a great day!
David (reluctant exhibitionist)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Bowling Green Sprint Triathlon
On Sunday, August 19 the Bowling Green Sprint Triathlon was held. As its name suggests, this was another sprint triathlon. This time the distances were 400m swim, 14 mile bike and 5K run.
My buddy Andrew Chinn and I drove to BG Saturday evening where we met my son Jason and celebrated his 29th birthday with my granddaughter, Emmy. Before dinner, we found the swim center and drove the bike course just so we would know what we were in for. After dinner, we checked in for the triathlon registration at the hotel and went to have some birthday cake.
We excused ourselves early to get a good night's sleep. Once in the room, Andrew and I were sitting around talking about nothing in particular when SUDDENLY Andrew jumped up and ran over to my bike. My front tire was FLAT and it was after 10 PM. Andrew went on to bed while I jumped in the car to try to find someplace open that might have bike innertubes. Thanks to TOM TOM, I was able to find a Target, but unfortunately Target did not sell tubes that would work for my bike. Next I was able to find a Walmart, which had exactly 2 inner tubes for tires like my bike although neither one was exactly the size listed on my tire. Having no other options, I bought both tires hoping that one would work. I also bought a small tire changing tool kit AND an inner tube repair kit just in case all other options failed.
I got up around 5:30 to see if I could salvage my triathlon. Luckily, one of the inner tubes looked like it would be a close enough fit to save the day, if I could only get the tube changed without damage. All went well, albeit slowly and I was thanking my lucky stars that Andrew had noticed that the previous night rather than this morning which would have ruined my race.
Starting to feel a little time pressure, I took a quick shower to wash off the tire grime. I got dressed. Andrew got dressed. We were again talking about the race and other miscellania when SUDDENLY Andrew jumped up and ran over to his bike. HIS front tire was FLAT. Unbeleivably, the other tube that I happened to grab was exactly the right size to fit his bike! Andrew went about getting his tire changed as well. Crazy luck.
We got to the aquatic center for check-in in plenty of time. Having one triathlon behind me, things were much easier to figure out. We got our bikes and equipment set up in the transition areas and wandered over to the pool to figure out how things were going to work.
There were right around 300 participants and the weather was perfect. Once again we had a 50 m pool. We were dropped in every 10 seconds. I had a better idea of my time this time around and was much closer to where I needed to be in the swim. I still passed several people but did not get bunched up behind others nearly as much as at Tom Sawyer. I was out of the pool in about 9 and a half minutes. Andrew not knowing what his time would be had severely over estimated his time. He had to pass several people and got out of the pool about 9 seconds faster than me.
Onto the bike. This time I opted to bike and run without a shirt, which was really a lot more comfortable. It took a second to find my bike because I didn't have my glasses when I was swimming. Cleats on. Helmet on. Number on. I was off. The course was fairly hilly with one particularly long and steep uphill and also one particularly long and steep downhill. Once again, on the whole I was passing people. Really only one person passed me on the bike. With Andrew being 23 and having a whole lot more bike experience than me, I kind of expected Andrew to catch me here but he did not.
Back for the run and off the bike. At this point, I was a little concerned because I had not had any fluid. I didn't bring any with me (at Tom Sawyer, I had found it was not allowed). So I did not have a water bottle on the bike. To this point there had been no water stops and I really wasn't sure there would be any. Sooooo, (I'm not proud of this) I took a big swig from someone's gatorade bottle that was sitting on the ground near my bike. Then I put on my shoes and started to run.
The transition from bike to run is the hardest part for me. Once again, I felt like I couldn't breathe. It took about a mile again to feel right and I never really got into the rhythm I usually do with my morning runs. Luckily though, there was water on the run section. I was awfully glad to see that although it did make me feel guilty for taking a gulp of my competitor's gatorade.
By and large the run was fairly flat. But the run is where all of my competitors caught up with me. I was running a little slower than my usual pace, at just a little more than 10 minute miles. And here with only about a half mile left to run, Andrew passed me. Actually, he literally and figuratively spanked me, giving me a big slap on the behind as he ran past.
So the final results - overall finish 132 male - swim 9:27; bike 47:37 (18mph); run 31:42 (10:14 min miles); overall time 1:33:48
Andrew's results - overall finish 101 male - swim 9:18; bike 47:08 (18.2mph); run 26:44 (8:38 min miles); overall time 1:27:16
Congrats to Andrew on his first triathlon and for beating me by more than 6 minutes!
In terms of overall performance, I am right in the middle of the pack on the swim and the bike. Maybe even a little ahead of them. In the run, I am in the lower quarter. I have room to improve in all areas but it looks as though the run is really my Achilles heal and I am not really sure that will change.
At this point, I have to stop and assess where to go from here. I haven't really planned any other triathlons for this Fall. I may still get another one or two in but at this point, I am thinking it is time to work on the bigger plan of doing an Ironman next year.
All for now.
Have a great day!
BTW - it has been a while since I mentioned this but please feel free to make any comments. If there are questions, I am happy to respond. If you have an experience you would like to share, I would love to hear it. If you have advice, beleive me, I could use it. The only thing I ask is that comment be appropriate. Thanks.
David (aka lazy triathlete - aka ROGIOP - "ridiculously old guy in obvious pain" - suggested caption of my picture running in the BGST)
My buddy Andrew Chinn and I drove to BG Saturday evening where we met my son Jason and celebrated his 29th birthday with my granddaughter, Emmy. Before dinner, we found the swim center and drove the bike course just so we would know what we were in for. After dinner, we checked in for the triathlon registration at the hotel and went to have some birthday cake.
We excused ourselves early to get a good night's sleep. Once in the room, Andrew and I were sitting around talking about nothing in particular when SUDDENLY Andrew jumped up and ran over to my bike. My front tire was FLAT and it was after 10 PM. Andrew went on to bed while I jumped in the car to try to find someplace open that might have bike innertubes. Thanks to TOM TOM, I was able to find a Target, but unfortunately Target did not sell tubes that would work for my bike. Next I was able to find a Walmart, which had exactly 2 inner tubes for tires like my bike although neither one was exactly the size listed on my tire. Having no other options, I bought both tires hoping that one would work. I also bought a small tire changing tool kit AND an inner tube repair kit just in case all other options failed.
I got up around 5:30 to see if I could salvage my triathlon. Luckily, one of the inner tubes looked like it would be a close enough fit to save the day, if I could only get the tube changed without damage. All went well, albeit slowly and I was thanking my lucky stars that Andrew had noticed that the previous night rather than this morning which would have ruined my race.
Starting to feel a little time pressure, I took a quick shower to wash off the tire grime. I got dressed. Andrew got dressed. We were again talking about the race and other miscellania when SUDDENLY Andrew jumped up and ran over to his bike. HIS front tire was FLAT. Unbeleivably, the other tube that I happened to grab was exactly the right size to fit his bike! Andrew went about getting his tire changed as well. Crazy luck.
We got to the aquatic center for check-in in plenty of time. Having one triathlon behind me, things were much easier to figure out. We got our bikes and equipment set up in the transition areas and wandered over to the pool to figure out how things were going to work.
There were right around 300 participants and the weather was perfect. Once again we had a 50 m pool. We were dropped in every 10 seconds. I had a better idea of my time this time around and was much closer to where I needed to be in the swim. I still passed several people but did not get bunched up behind others nearly as much as at Tom Sawyer. I was out of the pool in about 9 and a half minutes. Andrew not knowing what his time would be had severely over estimated his time. He had to pass several people and got out of the pool about 9 seconds faster than me.
Onto the bike. This time I opted to bike and run without a shirt, which was really a lot more comfortable. It took a second to find my bike because I didn't have my glasses when I was swimming. Cleats on. Helmet on. Number on. I was off. The course was fairly hilly with one particularly long and steep uphill and also one particularly long and steep downhill. Once again, on the whole I was passing people. Really only one person passed me on the bike. With Andrew being 23 and having a whole lot more bike experience than me, I kind of expected Andrew to catch me here but he did not.
Back for the run and off the bike. At this point, I was a little concerned because I had not had any fluid. I didn't bring any with me (at Tom Sawyer, I had found it was not allowed). So I did not have a water bottle on the bike. To this point there had been no water stops and I really wasn't sure there would be any. Sooooo, (I'm not proud of this) I took a big swig from someone's gatorade bottle that was sitting on the ground near my bike. Then I put on my shoes and started to run.
The transition from bike to run is the hardest part for me. Once again, I felt like I couldn't breathe. It took about a mile again to feel right and I never really got into the rhythm I usually do with my morning runs. Luckily though, there was water on the run section. I was awfully glad to see that although it did make me feel guilty for taking a gulp of my competitor's gatorade.
By and large the run was fairly flat. But the run is where all of my competitors caught up with me. I was running a little slower than my usual pace, at just a little more than 10 minute miles. And here with only about a half mile left to run, Andrew passed me. Actually, he literally and figuratively spanked me, giving me a big slap on the behind as he ran past.
So the final results - overall finish 132 male - swim 9:27; bike 47:37 (18mph); run 31:42 (10:14 min miles); overall time 1:33:48
Andrew's results - overall finish 101 male - swim 9:18; bike 47:08 (18.2mph); run 26:44 (8:38 min miles); overall time 1:27:16
Congrats to Andrew on his first triathlon and for beating me by more than 6 minutes!
In terms of overall performance, I am right in the middle of the pack on the swim and the bike. Maybe even a little ahead of them. In the run, I am in the lower quarter. I have room to improve in all areas but it looks as though the run is really my Achilles heal and I am not really sure that will change.
At this point, I have to stop and assess where to go from here. I haven't really planned any other triathlons for this Fall. I may still get another one or two in but at this point, I am thinking it is time to work on the bigger plan of doing an Ironman next year.
All for now.
Have a great day!
BTW - it has been a while since I mentioned this but please feel free to make any comments. If there are questions, I am happy to respond. If you have an experience you would like to share, I would love to hear it. If you have advice, beleive me, I could use it. The only thing I ask is that comment be appropriate. Thanks.
David (aka lazy triathlete - aka ROGIOP - "ridiculously old guy in obvious pain" - suggested caption of my picture running in the BGST)
Friday, August 24, 2012
The Ohio River Swim
On Saturday, August 11, my buddy / mentor Patrick Ryan coaxed me and another friend / pastor Chris Caldwell into doing the Ohio River Swim. As you might guess, the swim was in the Ohio River, more specifically at the Cardinal Harbor subdivision dock in Goshen . People could swim one half mile, 1.2 miles or 2.4 miles.
By this time, I had already done a couple of swims in the Ohio but I still had some butterflies. The projected morning air temperature was 52 degrees and I wondered if I would need a wetsuit. As it turned out the actual temperature was 61 degrees and it was far more comfortable than I had expected. In fact, after being marked, I stood around in my trunks without a shirt the rest of the morning.
A lot of the wait time, my buddy Chris and I were trying to blend in with all of the triathletes. Many of them were here for the 2.4 mile swim and were training for the upcoming Ironman Louisville in a few weeks. Standing around with these guys, you probably never would expect to hear things like, "You know what really scares me??? - River Otters." I was incredulous at this because after all River Otters are cute and I thought it was probably far more likely that I would drown or have a heart attack in the swim than face an angry River Otter. Still wanting to be accepted by these uber-studs, I may have said something like, "yeah, when you're swimming but it's the bunnies that are the real threat on the marathon."
Oops. Went on a tangent. Back on point -
This was an organized swim. I think the North Oldham High School and Blairwood were the main organizers. The marking was different from the triathlon. My number was marked on each arm/shoulder, my neck and on each calf. In addition, we all had to wear swim caps with our numbers. I'm not sure the reason but it was comforting to think that if I somehow got dismembered, they could match up all of the parts.
They started us in groups. The first group was the triathletes who were swimming 2.4 miles. After about 5 minutes, they started the group Chris and I were in which was swimming the 1.2 mile. The water temperature was about 86 degrees and was very warm. We all started at once and at first I was running into some other swimmers. So, I stopped to let several of them get ahead so that we would not all be bunched up together.
I got a little nervous again this time. I'm not really sure why. I think that even though there were a lot of swimmers, this time I was in essense swimming along. I had to calm myself down a little and remind myself that there were lots of people around me and there were several people in kayaks keeping watch. Then I was able to get down to business.
We started out going against the current which was pretty strong that morning. I was having some problems navigating because I couldn't always see the buoys without my glasses. In order to calm my nerves and to try to see better, I settled into a pattern of breast stroke for maybe 20 - 30 strokes followed by free style for 20 - 30 strokes. That worked well for me, although I knew that it would hurt my overall time.
The rest of the blow by blow isn't important. I made it to the turn around buoy and made it back. I hit a couple of obstacles along the way but manage to negotiate those appropriately. I made it to the dock and the finish in just under an hour. Not bad but I would have predicted my time would have been about 50 minutes. (By comparison, the fastest swimmers, finished their 2.4 mile swim in just a little under the time it took me to swim 1.2) Once again, I know that I will never win any of these competitions. I wasn't the first but I also wasn't the last. The main goal here is to get comfortable doing these swims in open water.
Following the swim, I felt great. I came home and lied down for a second and the next thing I knew it was 2 hours later. Still I felt great. Then on Sunday, I felt tired all day but still no soreness. Monday again, no soreness but again felt tired and THEN all at once Monday evening, I CRASHED! I fell asleep at 7 PM and stayed asleep until 6 AM.
The swims are just deceptive. They are far more taxing than I realize during the swims and for that reason, the swim will continue to be the most difficult part of training.
One more down, next up is the Bowling Green Spring Triathlon.
Have a great day!
David
By this time, I had already done a couple of swims in the Ohio but I still had some butterflies. The projected morning air temperature was 52 degrees and I wondered if I would need a wetsuit. As it turned out the actual temperature was 61 degrees and it was far more comfortable than I had expected. In fact, after being marked, I stood around in my trunks without a shirt the rest of the morning.
A lot of the wait time, my buddy Chris and I were trying to blend in with all of the triathletes. Many of them were here for the 2.4 mile swim and were training for the upcoming Ironman Louisville in a few weeks. Standing around with these guys, you probably never would expect to hear things like, "You know what really scares me??? - River Otters." I was incredulous at this because after all River Otters are cute and I thought it was probably far more likely that I would drown or have a heart attack in the swim than face an angry River Otter. Still wanting to be accepted by these uber-studs, I may have said something like, "yeah, when you're swimming but it's the bunnies that are the real threat on the marathon."
Oops. Went on a tangent. Back on point -
This was an organized swim. I think the North Oldham High School and Blairwood were the main organizers. The marking was different from the triathlon. My number was marked on each arm/shoulder, my neck and on each calf. In addition, we all had to wear swim caps with our numbers. I'm not sure the reason but it was comforting to think that if I somehow got dismembered, they could match up all of the parts.
They started us in groups. The first group was the triathletes who were swimming 2.4 miles. After about 5 minutes, they started the group Chris and I were in which was swimming the 1.2 mile. The water temperature was about 86 degrees and was very warm. We all started at once and at first I was running into some other swimmers. So, I stopped to let several of them get ahead so that we would not all be bunched up together.
I got a little nervous again this time. I'm not really sure why. I think that even though there were a lot of swimmers, this time I was in essense swimming along. I had to calm myself down a little and remind myself that there were lots of people around me and there were several people in kayaks keeping watch. Then I was able to get down to business.
We started out going against the current which was pretty strong that morning. I was having some problems navigating because I couldn't always see the buoys without my glasses. In order to calm my nerves and to try to see better, I settled into a pattern of breast stroke for maybe 20 - 30 strokes followed by free style for 20 - 30 strokes. That worked well for me, although I knew that it would hurt my overall time.
The rest of the blow by blow isn't important. I made it to the turn around buoy and made it back. I hit a couple of obstacles along the way but manage to negotiate those appropriately. I made it to the dock and the finish in just under an hour. Not bad but I would have predicted my time would have been about 50 minutes. (By comparison, the fastest swimmers, finished their 2.4 mile swim in just a little under the time it took me to swim 1.2) Once again, I know that I will never win any of these competitions. I wasn't the first but I also wasn't the last. The main goal here is to get comfortable doing these swims in open water.
Following the swim, I felt great. I came home and lied down for a second and the next thing I knew it was 2 hours later. Still I felt great. Then on Sunday, I felt tired all day but still no soreness. Monday again, no soreness but again felt tired and THEN all at once Monday evening, I CRASHED! I fell asleep at 7 PM and stayed asleep until 6 AM.
The swims are just deceptive. They are far more taxing than I realize during the swims and for that reason, the swim will continue to be the most difficult part of training.
One more down, next up is the Bowling Green Spring Triathlon.
Have a great day!
David
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Big Event! - Tom Sawyer Triathlon 2012
Saturday was the big day! I was a little bit nervous and my knee although better was still not quite right. I had been instructed to check in before 6 AM but I really didn't know when they would open or how many people would be there. I got up at 4:30 AM, got dressed and loaded up my bike, trying to make sure that I had not forgotten anything. By 5:15, I was on the road to Tom Sawyer Park and I got there about 5:25 or so. I was surprised to find that I was one of the first to arrive. But that worked out well for me because I really had no idea what to do or how to do it.
A couple of fellow participants, who appeared to be veterans, got there about the same time as me. There was some lightning and I was cautioned not to mention it or draw attention to it, so that it wouldn't hold us up.
No one mistook me for a veteran. I didn't know how to register. I had to go to my car a couple of times to retrieve things. I didn't know how or where to set up things for the transition area. But as it turned out, none of these things were nearly as big a deal as I had worried they would be. I got my shirt. I got my timing band. I got my number (551) for the run and also marked on my shoulder and calf for the swim and bike. It really was pretty simple once I was there.
A 6:30 I was pacing around the pool because I had been told that we would start swimming but no one else was in the pool yet. After checking around, I found that the swim was not going to start until 6:45ish. Finally around 6:40, everyone began to make their way to the pool and the organizers made some announcements and gave some very helpful instructions.
As instructed, we lined up along the fence by the pool in numerical order. With just a few exceptions, our numbers had been assigned more or less according our projected swim time. When I signed up, I really had no idea how long it would take me, so I estimated 30 minutes for the swim, which put me near the end of the line. I was happy to be there though, so I could watch the people in front of me to figure out how this was going to work.
They started dropping us in the pool, one swimmer every 20 seconds. One swimmer would start; the next swimmer would get in the pool. The timer would count down from 5 seconds and you were off. Tom Sawyer is a 50m pool. The lane lines were up and there were 8 lanes. You swam up and back and then switched to the next lane. 800m later, you had finished the swim.
It was kind of a carnival atmosphere. Everyone was excited and while waiting in line for the swim, there was a lot of chatting, joking and encouraging among the participants. Most of the people there had done triathlons before. Thomas, a powerfully built former marine was in line next to me. Thomas and several others around me were members of the Louisville Landsharks, a local triathlon club. They discussed how they had swims in a local lake to prepare.
The swim has been my biggest concern this whole summer. And really, I think that it was a good thing that I was so concerned. But as I observed everyone in the pool, it was obvious that there were all levels of ability for the swim. The fastest people were able to swim this half mile in around 10 minutes. On the other end of the spectrum, one lady literally walked in the pool the entire way, sort of paddling with her arms as she went. People took a breath at every turn. Most people literally stood up to step over the lane lines to be able to move to the next lane. Had I known this, I would have been much less stressed. It just wasn't nearly as rigorous as I had feared. But I am glad that I didn't know. Had I felt that way, I may not have prepared well enough.
The biggest problem for me in the swim turned out to be getting tied up behind other people. You are allowed to pass and most people are very kind and considerate and try to make it easy for you to do so. But in each lane, there are people coming and going, so timing is an issue. I ended up passing several people and really had no one pass me. In future triathlons, I should be able to do better in the swim simply by being more accurate about my time. Being in the right spot would keep me from being held up by slower people in front of me. For my first triathlon, I think I was right were I needed to be. I could have swum faster, but I think it really helped my confidence to be in a spot where I was able to pass some people instead of having everyone pass me.
From there, you get out of the pool and run to the parking lot for the transition area. As you go, you run over the first timing mat that ends your time in the pool and starts your first transition time. Once again the transition was easier than expected. It was really pretty simple. Put on your shirt / number. Put on your shoes / cleats. Put on your helmet. Go. I probably wasted 30 seconds to a minute just worrying about whether I had forgotten something.
On the way out of the transition area, you cross another mat that ends your first transition time and begins your bike time. The bike wound 14 miles through Anchorage over to Chamberlain Lane and turned around in front of the Ford Truck Plant. Some people considered it to be a hilly ride. To me, it seemed relatively flat. The course was monitored by volunteers and some police but it was an open course. For me that meant that I would slow down at intersections, ready to stop if needed; slow down on turns and curves, and signal my turns. Many people did not think that this was necessary. One fellow passed me in traffic (both bikes and automobiles) and then rode into on-coming traffic to pass autos that he felt were going too slow. I guess I could have logged a better time, had I done this as well but I wouldn't change the way I rode.
Riding back into the park to the transition area, you are instructed to dismount and you walk / run your bike over the mat to end your bike time and begin your second transition time. This transition is simpler. You put your bike on the rack, remove your helmet, remove your cleats, put on your running shoes, and go out of the transition area, again over a timing mat to end your second transition time and begin your run time.
Switching from the bike to the run was probably the hardest part for me. I guess that the breathing mechanism for biking is just different from that of running. After feeling really great on the bike, as I began the run, I just felt out of breath and felt like I was having a hard time getting things going. Also, of all of the events, the run was hardest on my sore knee. After about a mile, things seemed to fall into place. However, I was concerned about food and fluid. There was a water stop at mile 1 and mile 2 on the run. I stopped both times to take some water and walked for a while as I drank it. I really felt like I was running extraordinarily slow. I remember thinking at the time that I thought I was running 12 to 13 minute miles.
The last half mile or so, seemed to just fuel the adrenaline. My knee stopped hurting. Although I was hot, I felt like my breathing was working. AND I could see the finish line. I certainly didn't spring across the finish line but I did pick up the pace.
Since everyone starts at a different time, there is no clock at the end. Based upon my training times, I had expected to finish in about 2 hours. I knew that I had done better than that. But it wasn't until late afternoon that the results were posted to the website for review.
Final results - I finished 71st out of 119 participants! Overall time 1:44:45.67.
My mean swim coach (my daughter Ginny) and my trainer buddy Cody Eubank deserve the credit for getting me ready. Ginny and her husband Dan were there to cheer me on as was my buddy Rob Benefiel came out and took some pictures while I was on the bike.
Later that afternoon, we went to VO2 to get a triathlon sticker to put on my truck. Then we had a ceremony that involved alcohol where we put the sticker on the truck, sand the National Anthem and drank an adult beverage.
Putting things in perspective, I know that this was just a sprint triathlon. I didn't set any world records and never will. I am sure I can improve but I have no illusions that I could ever win. But I got to tell you, that was an amazing feeling. It wasn't harder than a marathon but it really felt great.
These last several years have been tough for me personally and financially. Much like that first swim in the Ohio a week or two ago, in all of that turbulance, I lost a lot of confidence. I was making my way along but it was really hard and I was often worried about getting by in life in general.
After finishing this event (especially doing so much better than expected), for the first time in a long long time, I felt like I could do just about anything if I put my mind to it. The little TRI sticker on the back of my truck reminds me of that. And that was the greatest reward of all.
BTW - Congrats to all of my co-participants and thanks also for being kind to me as I learned this process.
Also, so you know, this is not the end. This is the beginning. Next Saturday, I swim in the Ohio River swim and the following weekend, I am in my second triathlon in Bowling Green. Cross your fingers and wish me luck!
Thanks all and have a great day!
David (lazy swimmer BUT now a Triathlete!)
A couple of fellow participants, who appeared to be veterans, got there about the same time as me. There was some lightning and I was cautioned not to mention it or draw attention to it, so that it wouldn't hold us up.
No one mistook me for a veteran. I didn't know how to register. I had to go to my car a couple of times to retrieve things. I didn't know how or where to set up things for the transition area. But as it turned out, none of these things were nearly as big a deal as I had worried they would be. I got my shirt. I got my timing band. I got my number (551) for the run and also marked on my shoulder and calf for the swim and bike. It really was pretty simple once I was there.
A 6:30 I was pacing around the pool because I had been told that we would start swimming but no one else was in the pool yet. After checking around, I found that the swim was not going to start until 6:45ish. Finally around 6:40, everyone began to make their way to the pool and the organizers made some announcements and gave some very helpful instructions.
As instructed, we lined up along the fence by the pool in numerical order. With just a few exceptions, our numbers had been assigned more or less according our projected swim time. When I signed up, I really had no idea how long it would take me, so I estimated 30 minutes for the swim, which put me near the end of the line. I was happy to be there though, so I could watch the people in front of me to figure out how this was going to work.
They started dropping us in the pool, one swimmer every 20 seconds. One swimmer would start; the next swimmer would get in the pool. The timer would count down from 5 seconds and you were off. Tom Sawyer is a 50m pool. The lane lines were up and there were 8 lanes. You swam up and back and then switched to the next lane. 800m later, you had finished the swim.
It was kind of a carnival atmosphere. Everyone was excited and while waiting in line for the swim, there was a lot of chatting, joking and encouraging among the participants. Most of the people there had done triathlons before. Thomas, a powerfully built former marine was in line next to me. Thomas and several others around me were members of the Louisville Landsharks, a local triathlon club. They discussed how they had swims in a local lake to prepare.
The swim has been my biggest concern this whole summer. And really, I think that it was a good thing that I was so concerned. But as I observed everyone in the pool, it was obvious that there were all levels of ability for the swim. The fastest people were able to swim this half mile in around 10 minutes. On the other end of the spectrum, one lady literally walked in the pool the entire way, sort of paddling with her arms as she went. People took a breath at every turn. Most people literally stood up to step over the lane lines to be able to move to the next lane. Had I known this, I would have been much less stressed. It just wasn't nearly as rigorous as I had feared. But I am glad that I didn't know. Had I felt that way, I may not have prepared well enough.
The biggest problem for me in the swim turned out to be getting tied up behind other people. You are allowed to pass and most people are very kind and considerate and try to make it easy for you to do so. But in each lane, there are people coming and going, so timing is an issue. I ended up passing several people and really had no one pass me. In future triathlons, I should be able to do better in the swim simply by being more accurate about my time. Being in the right spot would keep me from being held up by slower people in front of me. For my first triathlon, I think I was right were I needed to be. I could have swum faster, but I think it really helped my confidence to be in a spot where I was able to pass some people instead of having everyone pass me.
From there, you get out of the pool and run to the parking lot for the transition area. As you go, you run over the first timing mat that ends your time in the pool and starts your first transition time. Once again the transition was easier than expected. It was really pretty simple. Put on your shirt / number. Put on your shoes / cleats. Put on your helmet. Go. I probably wasted 30 seconds to a minute just worrying about whether I had forgotten something.
On the way out of the transition area, you cross another mat that ends your first transition time and begins your bike time. The bike wound 14 miles through Anchorage over to Chamberlain Lane and turned around in front of the Ford Truck Plant. Some people considered it to be a hilly ride. To me, it seemed relatively flat. The course was monitored by volunteers and some police but it was an open course. For me that meant that I would slow down at intersections, ready to stop if needed; slow down on turns and curves, and signal my turns. Many people did not think that this was necessary. One fellow passed me in traffic (both bikes and automobiles) and then rode into on-coming traffic to pass autos that he felt were going too slow. I guess I could have logged a better time, had I done this as well but I wouldn't change the way I rode.
Riding back into the park to the transition area, you are instructed to dismount and you walk / run your bike over the mat to end your bike time and begin your second transition time. This transition is simpler. You put your bike on the rack, remove your helmet, remove your cleats, put on your running shoes, and go out of the transition area, again over a timing mat to end your second transition time and begin your run time.
Switching from the bike to the run was probably the hardest part for me. I guess that the breathing mechanism for biking is just different from that of running. After feeling really great on the bike, as I began the run, I just felt out of breath and felt like I was having a hard time getting things going. Also, of all of the events, the run was hardest on my sore knee. After about a mile, things seemed to fall into place. However, I was concerned about food and fluid. There was a water stop at mile 1 and mile 2 on the run. I stopped both times to take some water and walked for a while as I drank it. I really felt like I was running extraordinarily slow. I remember thinking at the time that I thought I was running 12 to 13 minute miles.
The last half mile or so, seemed to just fuel the adrenaline. My knee stopped hurting. Although I was hot, I felt like my breathing was working. AND I could see the finish line. I certainly didn't spring across the finish line but I did pick up the pace.
Since everyone starts at a different time, there is no clock at the end. Based upon my training times, I had expected to finish in about 2 hours. I knew that I had done better than that. But it wasn't until late afternoon that the results were posted to the website for review.
Final results - I finished 71st out of 119 participants! Overall time 1:44:45.67.
- Swim time 21:34.05
- T1 time 3:12.35
- Bike time 47.48.80
- T2 time 1:35.71
- Run time 30.34.70
My mean swim coach (my daughter Ginny) and my trainer buddy Cody Eubank deserve the credit for getting me ready. Ginny and her husband Dan were there to cheer me on as was my buddy Rob Benefiel came out and took some pictures while I was on the bike.
Later that afternoon, we went to VO2 to get a triathlon sticker to put on my truck. Then we had a ceremony that involved alcohol where we put the sticker on the truck, sand the National Anthem and drank an adult beverage.
Putting things in perspective, I know that this was just a sprint triathlon. I didn't set any world records and never will. I am sure I can improve but I have no illusions that I could ever win. But I got to tell you, that was an amazing feeling. It wasn't harder than a marathon but it really felt great.
These last several years have been tough for me personally and financially. Much like that first swim in the Ohio a week or two ago, in all of that turbulance, I lost a lot of confidence. I was making my way along but it was really hard and I was often worried about getting by in life in general.
After finishing this event (especially doing so much better than expected), for the first time in a long long time, I felt like I could do just about anything if I put my mind to it. The little TRI sticker on the back of my truck reminds me of that. And that was the greatest reward of all.
BTW - Congrats to all of my co-participants and thanks also for being kind to me as I learned this process.
Also, so you know, this is not the end. This is the beginning. Next Saturday, I swim in the Ohio River swim and the following weekend, I am in my second triathlon in Bowling Green. Cross your fingers and wish me luck!
Thanks all and have a great day!
David (lazy swimmer BUT now a Triathlete!)
Friday, August 3, 2012
Payback Time
As planned, I made it to my afternoon weights session with Cody yesterday afternoon. Because of the triathlon Saturday, we decided to keep things light. But as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. For no reason at all, my right knee made a loud pop during the workout. Now, I don't know about you, but my joints are popping all the time. Cody asked if I was okay and I said, of course I was and didn't think any more about it.
Unfortunately, I guess things weren't okay. I still do not think that I injured myself but my right hip and right knee didn't feel right the rest of the night. Cody tells me that was probably my IT band. In any case, Cody got me in first thing this morning for some Muscle Activation Therapy to see if we could fix things up. Things are definitely better but I would not say that they are quite right.
I don't expect this to cause any problems for the swim and probably not for the bike. It might be a little bit of a problem though for the run. But luckily, the run is only 3 miles. So, we will see.
Tomorrow is the big day. Still don't really know what I am doing but I guess I will figure it out as I go.
Wish me luck!
David (lazy swimmer, slow biker, bum kneed runner)
Unfortunately, I guess things weren't okay. I still do not think that I injured myself but my right hip and right knee didn't feel right the rest of the night. Cody tells me that was probably my IT band. In any case, Cody got me in first thing this morning for some Muscle Activation Therapy to see if we could fix things up. Things are definitely better but I would not say that they are quite right.
I don't expect this to cause any problems for the swim and probably not for the bike. It might be a little bit of a problem though for the run. But luckily, the run is only 3 miles. So, we will see.
Tomorrow is the big day. Still don't really know what I am doing but I guess I will figure it out as I go.
Wish me luck!
David (lazy swimmer, slow biker, bum kneed runner)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mid Week Report
Once again, I am earning a reputation of being lazy. Sunday afternoon, I ended up skipping the bike in the heat of the day thinking I would go back to it later. I did make it to the gym and did some weight training. That turned out to be a lot of fun because for some reason, a bunch of my buddies happened to be there at the same time. All in all, Sunday afternoons are fun days to go to the gym. It usually isn't very crowded and there aren't a lot of time pressures.
Diet wise, also not so hot, I'm afraid. I had a coupon for $20 off on dinner for 2 at Stony River Steak House. I called Mom and we went and watched the Olympics while we ate. I had a 12 oz Prime Rib but I did at least get broccoli for my side.
Monday, up early to start a bike ride at 6 AM. First time trying out the bike and lights while it was still dark. Went better than expected. In some ways, it was very nice. It was still nice and cool and there was very little traffic, especially at first. Finished 14 miles before work. That is probably about as much as I can reasonably expect to do in the morning before work.
AND to make myself accountable, on Monday, I signed up for my second sprint triathlon in Bowling Green on August 19 and an Ohio River swim at Cardinal Harbor on August 11.
In the early afternoon, I got some very frustrating news regarding my on-going divorce. I won't go into a rant or anything but I will say that I was VERY upset the rest of the day. So, it worked out well that I went to Tom Sawyer on Monday night to swim, and swim, and swim. I swam 2000m, which is my longest continuous swim to date - about 1.2 miles. This is the length of a swim for a Half Iron Man and also the length of the Ohio River Swim I signed up for on August 11.
It felt great to get rid of some frustration and aggression by swimming but that was a long way. I didn't notice anything until I stopped swimming when my right calf started cramping terribly. I had to jump back in the pool to apply pressure to my toes to stop the cramp. It did pass but the rest of the night I had practically every muscle of my body trying to cramp on me.
Tuesday, I had big ideas but really no big plans. I convinced myself that I needed a day off from the bike. It also wasn't a great day to do weights again. After 3 contiguous days in the pool, it seemed like I needed a break from swimming. So, it seemed like a perfect day for a run - maybe after work. Maybe on a treadmill because it is so hot. As I was pondering these things I got an invitation to dinner and you know what? I don't get a lot of dinner invitations. So, I totally ditched training for the day and went to dinner at my sister's house to wish my nieces well before they returned to college.
Maybe I needed a day off because I just loved it and when I started up again on Wednesday, I really enjoyed my bike ride. I started off maybe 15 minutes earlier than Monday and finished before 7 again. I seem to be getting accustomed to the dark and I wasn't as nervous as I have been.
Later in the day, my buddy / mentor Patrick grabbed me, Chris Caldwell, Scottie Collier and another triathlon friend of Patrick's for another Ohio River swim. Scottie followed along side us in a canoe to make sure everyone was okay while the rest of us swam a mile in the Ohio. This time, it went really well. I was much less anxious. We swam about a half mile with the current and returned against the current. I actually did best on the return swim. I was able to "find my groove" and was able to maintain free style for the entire way back against the current. The total time for the entire mile was under 40 minutes, which I thought was a pretty good time for open water. It was actually very relaxing. By the time we finished and all got back to our cars and home, it was past 9:30 pm.
Now down to 2 days before the triathlon. Today the plan is for weights only. It seems that when I bike I do best with a couple of days off in between. Likewise with the swim. I suppose I really could run some but I really am not concerned that I will not be able to do a 5K. Probably the bigger issue now is to figure out the race courses for the bike and run and to figure out how to do the transitions.
Have a great day!
David
Diet wise, also not so hot, I'm afraid. I had a coupon for $20 off on dinner for 2 at Stony River Steak House. I called Mom and we went and watched the Olympics while we ate. I had a 12 oz Prime Rib but I did at least get broccoli for my side.
Monday, up early to start a bike ride at 6 AM. First time trying out the bike and lights while it was still dark. Went better than expected. In some ways, it was very nice. It was still nice and cool and there was very little traffic, especially at first. Finished 14 miles before work. That is probably about as much as I can reasonably expect to do in the morning before work.
AND to make myself accountable, on Monday, I signed up for my second sprint triathlon in Bowling Green on August 19 and an Ohio River swim at Cardinal Harbor on August 11.
In the early afternoon, I got some very frustrating news regarding my on-going divorce. I won't go into a rant or anything but I will say that I was VERY upset the rest of the day. So, it worked out well that I went to Tom Sawyer on Monday night to swim, and swim, and swim. I swam 2000m, which is my longest continuous swim to date - about 1.2 miles. This is the length of a swim for a Half Iron Man and also the length of the Ohio River Swim I signed up for on August 11.
It felt great to get rid of some frustration and aggression by swimming but that was a long way. I didn't notice anything until I stopped swimming when my right calf started cramping terribly. I had to jump back in the pool to apply pressure to my toes to stop the cramp. It did pass but the rest of the night I had practically every muscle of my body trying to cramp on me.
Tuesday, I had big ideas but really no big plans. I convinced myself that I needed a day off from the bike. It also wasn't a great day to do weights again. After 3 contiguous days in the pool, it seemed like I needed a break from swimming. So, it seemed like a perfect day for a run - maybe after work. Maybe on a treadmill because it is so hot. As I was pondering these things I got an invitation to dinner and you know what? I don't get a lot of dinner invitations. So, I totally ditched training for the day and went to dinner at my sister's house to wish my nieces well before they returned to college.
Maybe I needed a day off because I just loved it and when I started up again on Wednesday, I really enjoyed my bike ride. I started off maybe 15 minutes earlier than Monday and finished before 7 again. I seem to be getting accustomed to the dark and I wasn't as nervous as I have been.
Later in the day, my buddy / mentor Patrick grabbed me, Chris Caldwell, Scottie Collier and another triathlon friend of Patrick's for another Ohio River swim. Scottie followed along side us in a canoe to make sure everyone was okay while the rest of us swam a mile in the Ohio. This time, it went really well. I was much less anxious. We swam about a half mile with the current and returned against the current. I actually did best on the return swim. I was able to "find my groove" and was able to maintain free style for the entire way back against the current. The total time for the entire mile was under 40 minutes, which I thought was a pretty good time for open water. It was actually very relaxing. By the time we finished and all got back to our cars and home, it was past 9:30 pm.
Now down to 2 days before the triathlon. Today the plan is for weights only. It seems that when I bike I do best with a couple of days off in between. Likewise with the swim. I suppose I really could run some but I really am not concerned that I will not be able to do a 5K. Probably the bigger issue now is to figure out the race courses for the bike and run and to figure out how to do the transitions.
Have a great day!
David
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Open Water Inauguration
Yesterday morning, my buddy / triathlon mentor Patrick and my pastor at church Chris teamed up on me and convinced me to meet them in the morning for a swim in the Ohio River. Patrick has been telling me for a while that it was time for me to give it a try. Chris on the other hand, I suspect, has always thought that my baptism way back when didn't quite take and in my case may require another several good dunks to be effective.
In any case, they met me at the Ohio River behind Tumbleweed at 8 AM. It was a good time to try it out because one of the local triathlon clubs had organized a training for the swim and the bike for the upcoming Louisville Ironman Triathlon. They had some volunteers in kayaks for safety and there were several dozen swimmers, so you weren't alone in the river.
If you have been following for a while, you know that I have been working on the swim now for almost 3 months. I have swum a mile continuously, although in a pool, on several occasions now. So, I thought that I was prepared for this. While I was a little nervous, I did not hesitate to jump in and start swimming. But it was quite different than I had expected.
The water temperature was fine; actually I would guess that it was pretty close to 82 degrees which is the temperature of the pool I have spent most of my time in. The water being river water and is brown and you cannot see through it. I was always close to shore or a dock but I also knew I could not stand up if I wanted to. Also, for the initial part of the swim, I was fighting a current.
None of these things bothered me too much at first. I just started swimming until, I accidently ran into someone swimming ahead of me. I had to stop and then I realized that I really had not been paying attention to where I was going so I tried to adjust my stroke. The result was that I never felt like I could get anywhere. I would swim a few strokes and then stop to see where I was and what was going on and this was taxing me more than I expected. This feeling was enhanced by some of the small debris in the river that I was running into.
As I look back at it, I realize that I was never in any kind of distress or danger. I was always near the shore. There were people all around me including people in kayaks to help if needed. I was never too fatigued to continue. I just lost my confidence and it took me a while to overcome that. To calm myself, I switched to all breast stroke and quit worrying about how fast I was going. I kept an eye on where I was going at all times. But I kept that uneasy feeling for the rest of the swim. When we turned around, I had the current on my side and I made it back to the starting point in no time.
This is just one of those things I am going to have to get used to. I will also need to consider whether I need a better plan for when I am in open water.
I decided not to try to bike with the groups following the swim. I wasn't sure I was prepared for it. I later discovered that they had set up several sag stops for the bikes. Had I known that, I probably would have tried it. Sixty miles would have been a stretch for me but if there were stops for some food, water and repairs if needed, I think I could have made it.
I did go biking later in the day. I went to Seneca and Cherokee Parks around 5:30 and biked for about an hour for about 15.3 miles.
Since this was more or less a day dedicated to learning about triathlons, I also ventured into a triathlon store to ask one of the questions that has been bothering me ever since I started working on this: "What do you wear?" That may seem like a silly question BUT remember first you swim, then bike, then run. You can't wear padded bike shorts to swim in, because the padding will get wet and you will be sitting in a puddle for the entire bike. A swim suit on the other hand doesn't necessarily seem like the best choice for a bike or a run.
Turns out the answer is that there is no definitive answer. It depends. I am told some people simply buy a speedo and do the entire thing in a speedo. There are some "tri" shorts, which are designed to accomplish everything. They are supposed to work fairly well, although I am told that for the longer races, some guys just like to change for the particular sport or pull on additional bike shorts for additional padding. You just have to see what works well for you and for a particular race. I decided to buy some "tri" shorts and a "tri" top to try them out. My current plan is to use the shorts for the race this Saturday and maybe bike and run bare chested.
Six days and counting! Got a swim in this morning of 1800m. Hoping to add a bike and either a trip to the gym or a run to that this afternoon as well. We'll see how it goes.
Have a great day!
David (lazy swimmer)
In any case, they met me at the Ohio River behind Tumbleweed at 8 AM. It was a good time to try it out because one of the local triathlon clubs had organized a training for the swim and the bike for the upcoming Louisville Ironman Triathlon. They had some volunteers in kayaks for safety and there were several dozen swimmers, so you weren't alone in the river.
If you have been following for a while, you know that I have been working on the swim now for almost 3 months. I have swum a mile continuously, although in a pool, on several occasions now. So, I thought that I was prepared for this. While I was a little nervous, I did not hesitate to jump in and start swimming. But it was quite different than I had expected.
The water temperature was fine; actually I would guess that it was pretty close to 82 degrees which is the temperature of the pool I have spent most of my time in. The water being river water and is brown and you cannot see through it. I was always close to shore or a dock but I also knew I could not stand up if I wanted to. Also, for the initial part of the swim, I was fighting a current.
None of these things bothered me too much at first. I just started swimming until, I accidently ran into someone swimming ahead of me. I had to stop and then I realized that I really had not been paying attention to where I was going so I tried to adjust my stroke. The result was that I never felt like I could get anywhere. I would swim a few strokes and then stop to see where I was and what was going on and this was taxing me more than I expected. This feeling was enhanced by some of the small debris in the river that I was running into.
As I look back at it, I realize that I was never in any kind of distress or danger. I was always near the shore. There were people all around me including people in kayaks to help if needed. I was never too fatigued to continue. I just lost my confidence and it took me a while to overcome that. To calm myself, I switched to all breast stroke and quit worrying about how fast I was going. I kept an eye on where I was going at all times. But I kept that uneasy feeling for the rest of the swim. When we turned around, I had the current on my side and I made it back to the starting point in no time.
This is just one of those things I am going to have to get used to. I will also need to consider whether I need a better plan for when I am in open water.
I decided not to try to bike with the groups following the swim. I wasn't sure I was prepared for it. I later discovered that they had set up several sag stops for the bikes. Had I known that, I probably would have tried it. Sixty miles would have been a stretch for me but if there were stops for some food, water and repairs if needed, I think I could have made it.
I did go biking later in the day. I went to Seneca and Cherokee Parks around 5:30 and biked for about an hour for about 15.3 miles.
Since this was more or less a day dedicated to learning about triathlons, I also ventured into a triathlon store to ask one of the questions that has been bothering me ever since I started working on this: "What do you wear?" That may seem like a silly question BUT remember first you swim, then bike, then run. You can't wear padded bike shorts to swim in, because the padding will get wet and you will be sitting in a puddle for the entire bike. A swim suit on the other hand doesn't necessarily seem like the best choice for a bike or a run.
Turns out the answer is that there is no definitive answer. It depends. I am told some people simply buy a speedo and do the entire thing in a speedo. There are some "tri" shorts, which are designed to accomplish everything. They are supposed to work fairly well, although I am told that for the longer races, some guys just like to change for the particular sport or pull on additional bike shorts for additional padding. You just have to see what works well for you and for a particular race. I decided to buy some "tri" shorts and a "tri" top to try them out. My current plan is to use the shorts for the race this Saturday and maybe bike and run bare chested.
Six days and counting! Got a swim in this morning of 1800m. Hoping to add a bike and either a trip to the gym or a run to that this afternoon as well. We'll see how it goes.
Have a great day!
David (lazy swimmer)
Friday, July 27, 2012
Where does the time go?
I just checked the blog thinking that I hadn't posted the last day or so and was amazed to find that I had not posted since Sunday! Where does the time go???
Well, let me see what has happened this week?
Monday -
Monday I swam 1600m early before work but changed up the warm-up a little, by adding 300m with pull buoys to my warm up. So the warm-up was 800m and then I did 4 sessions of 200m. Monday afternoon, I decided to work out inside and did 45 minutes on the stairmaster at the gym.
Tuesday -
Tuesday morning plans were to bike before work but I chickened out when I got up to find it was still dark. It was actually light enough for me to see but I was very concerned that cars could not see me. I aborted the bike BUT I went to buy lights for the bike later in the day. In the evening I went to Tom Sawyer Park again with Andrew to swim. Things were going along until there was thunder and lightning and the guards cleared the pool. I'm still glad I went there because I need to get used to the pool but the total swim ended up only being 700m.
Wednesday -
Up early. Lights installed on the bike. Tires inflated. Went for a 14 mile bike before work. Went better than expected. Now I feel like I can manage some biking before work, at least until it gets too dark or too cold in the Fall and Winter. Evening workout was Yoga, which I feel like I really need right now. Been feeling really stiff.
Thursday -
For some reason just exhausted in the morning and didn't make it for an early swim. Instead I did a shorter swim at lunch time. Swam 1000m. Limited the warm-up to 100m breast, then 800m free style and finished with another 100m breast as a cool down. Now that I have worked on my endurance and know that I can swim a mile continuously if I need to, I think I can start incorporating some shorter swims into the regimen. That ought to allow me some room to work on endurance for the bike and run again. In the afternoon, I had weights again with Cody, which went really well. I was telling Cody that the swimming seems to have really increased my upper body strength. Unfortunately, later in the evening, I twisted or bent a little funny and had my lower back act up.
Friday -
Today is a rest day, which was perfect considering my back was acting up. I called Cody Eubank for an MAT session to see if he could figure out what was going on with my back and he got me all straightened out. That was fortuitous because my buddy and triathlon mentro Patrick started facebooking me to swim in the Ohio in the morning and possibly bike with him. Only problem is the bike that they are planning is 60 miles. I might be able to gut it out but that is quite a bit further than I have gone so far this year.
The triathlon is one week from tomorrow and I have a lot to accomplish next week to be ready.
That's about all for now! Have a great evening!
David (lazy swimmer)
Well, let me see what has happened this week?
Monday -
Monday I swam 1600m early before work but changed up the warm-up a little, by adding 300m with pull buoys to my warm up. So the warm-up was 800m and then I did 4 sessions of 200m. Monday afternoon, I decided to work out inside and did 45 minutes on the stairmaster at the gym.
Tuesday -
Tuesday morning plans were to bike before work but I chickened out when I got up to find it was still dark. It was actually light enough for me to see but I was very concerned that cars could not see me. I aborted the bike BUT I went to buy lights for the bike later in the day. In the evening I went to Tom Sawyer Park again with Andrew to swim. Things were going along until there was thunder and lightning and the guards cleared the pool. I'm still glad I went there because I need to get used to the pool but the total swim ended up only being 700m.
Wednesday -
Up early. Lights installed on the bike. Tires inflated. Went for a 14 mile bike before work. Went better than expected. Now I feel like I can manage some biking before work, at least until it gets too dark or too cold in the Fall and Winter. Evening workout was Yoga, which I feel like I really need right now. Been feeling really stiff.
Thursday -
For some reason just exhausted in the morning and didn't make it for an early swim. Instead I did a shorter swim at lunch time. Swam 1000m. Limited the warm-up to 100m breast, then 800m free style and finished with another 100m breast as a cool down. Now that I have worked on my endurance and know that I can swim a mile continuously if I need to, I think I can start incorporating some shorter swims into the regimen. That ought to allow me some room to work on endurance for the bike and run again. In the afternoon, I had weights again with Cody, which went really well. I was telling Cody that the swimming seems to have really increased my upper body strength. Unfortunately, later in the evening, I twisted or bent a little funny and had my lower back act up.
Friday -
Today is a rest day, which was perfect considering my back was acting up. I called Cody Eubank for an MAT session to see if he could figure out what was going on with my back and he got me all straightened out. That was fortuitous because my buddy and triathlon mentro Patrick started facebooking me to swim in the Ohio in the morning and possibly bike with him. Only problem is the bike that they are planning is 60 miles. I might be able to gut it out but that is quite a bit further than I have gone so far this year.
The triathlon is one week from tomorrow and I have a lot to accomplish next week to be ready.
That's about all for now! Have a great evening!
David (lazy swimmer)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Running out of Time
Now less than 2 weeks until the triathlon and here is my assessment. If I can keep doing 3 to 4 swims a week, I ought be able to maintain the swim. For this first triathlon, I think I will be okay for the bke and the run as well.
But here is the thing, today, I got up early and did a swim. Following church and lunch, I made a trip to the gym and waited to do a bike until it was a little cooler. I bike about 15 miles in just a little more than an hour. I know that sounds like a lot but really in all it was only about 3 hours of exercise and not all at once. Three months ago, 5 hours of continous exercise was a lot but really not a game ender.
What I am realizing is that while I feel confident that I will finish, it will be harder than expected. Also, the jump to the next level will take some work. The extreme focus on my swim has cost me endurance in the run and the bike. It will take more work than I originally expected to get all of these up to par at the same time.
So here is the report for the last few days. Friday was my off day and I enjoyed every minute of it. Saturday, I had two workouts planned and had a terrific quick and lazy 3 mile run through Seneca Park. I had planned a bike in the afternoon which was aborted because I wasn't feeling well. In fact, I spent much of the afternoon in bed until about 7 PM.
Luckily I am feeling my better today. I think I am where I am supposed to be but there is definitely a need for a plan to be able to go forward.
Cross your fingers for me. Have a great evening!
Side Note: One of my buddy's sons did the Lake Placid Iron Man today. Very Very Cool!
David
But here is the thing, today, I got up early and did a swim. Following church and lunch, I made a trip to the gym and waited to do a bike until it was a little cooler. I bike about 15 miles in just a little more than an hour. I know that sounds like a lot but really in all it was only about 3 hours of exercise and not all at once. Three months ago, 5 hours of continous exercise was a lot but really not a game ender.
What I am realizing is that while I feel confident that I will finish, it will be harder than expected. Also, the jump to the next level will take some work. The extreme focus on my swim has cost me endurance in the run and the bike. It will take more work than I originally expected to get all of these up to par at the same time.
So here is the report for the last few days. Friday was my off day and I enjoyed every minute of it. Saturday, I had two workouts planned and had a terrific quick and lazy 3 mile run through Seneca Park. I had planned a bike in the afternoon which was aborted because I wasn't feeling well. In fact, I spent much of the afternoon in bed until about 7 PM.
Luckily I am feeling my better today. I think I am where I am supposed to be but there is definitely a need for a plan to be able to go forward.
Cross your fingers for me. Have a great evening!
Side Note: One of my buddy's sons did the Lake Placid Iron Man today. Very Very Cool!
David
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes
Things are changing. Although I am exercising quite a bit more, I have also gained weight, about 8 pounds, in fact. I think it is the swimming. My chest seems to be bigger, my waist seems to be smaller although I do not look nearly as lean as when I was running all the time for marathon training. It feels a little strange.
The triathlon is 2 weeks from Saturday, so time is getting close. I am waiting to hear, but I may do my first open water swim in the Ohio this Saturday with my buddy / mentor Patrick.
Today was a very busy day at work. Luckily I only planned weight training with Cody. Today, we did dead lifts, Romanian dead lifts, lat pull downs, dips, bar bell bench press, and leg press. I may have forgotten some. I just know I was really tired when I was done and very sweaty.
Yesterday, was a 2 work out day. At lunch, I did a 1700m workout that included kick boarding and pull buoys. It took less than an hour which was awesome. I have no illusions of winning anything but it is really gratifying to see that I am getting faster.
My second workout was Yoga. My buddy Andrew and his buddy John joined me for the first time. They actually both did really well. They are definitely much more flexible than me but of course I am 30 years older than them. I'm still much more flexible than I was when I started.
Still a lot to figure out in the next 2 weeks.
That's about it for the day. Have a great evening!
David
The triathlon is 2 weeks from Saturday, so time is getting close. I am waiting to hear, but I may do my first open water swim in the Ohio this Saturday with my buddy / mentor Patrick.
Today was a very busy day at work. Luckily I only planned weight training with Cody. Today, we did dead lifts, Romanian dead lifts, lat pull downs, dips, bar bell bench press, and leg press. I may have forgotten some. I just know I was really tired when I was done and very sweaty.
Yesterday, was a 2 work out day. At lunch, I did a 1700m workout that included kick boarding and pull buoys. It took less than an hour which was awesome. I have no illusions of winning anything but it is really gratifying to see that I am getting faster.
My second workout was Yoga. My buddy Andrew and his buddy John joined me for the first time. They actually both did really well. They are definitely much more flexible than me but of course I am 30 years older than them. I'm still much more flexible than I was when I started.
Still a lot to figure out in the next 2 weeks.
That's about it for the day. Have a great evening!
David
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Catching up Again
Good news this afternoon. I had another breakthrough day in the swim! I skipped the warm-up and did a continuous swim of 1600m (1 mile.) That is the longest continuous swim to date. I would like to claim that it was all free style, but the shallow end of the pool there is too shallow for me to do free style, so I had to swim breast for part of every length of the pool. Still, it was great to be able to complete a mile swim.
Now things were just a little chaotic getting started. My buddy Andrew and his buddy John went to Tom Sawyer pool with me, which was nice. It's a little more fun when you have some company. When we got there, the swim team had half the pool and some sort of water aerobics class was going on. It turned out that on Tuesdays, the lap swim doesnt start until 7:15. Of course, some of the kids apparently did not get the memo and one young man in particular kept jumping into the lap lanes to splash around AFTER the half of the pool was opened for lane swim. Unfortunately, I also forgot my goggles tonight and right now my eyes are scarlet red, dry and itchy. But the biggest hassle was some elderly lady for whatever reason, decided that she liked my lane to swim in. Now I do not mind sharing lanes with people when necessary but there were several other lanes available, she just wanted my lane. Several times I had to swim around her when she nearly swam right into me because she wasnt looking and she was in MY lane. Still, I made my mile swim, so all in all, I would classify the night as a win.
Yesterday I was playing catch up all day long. I overslept and really did not have time to work out so I did an abbreviated swim in the morning. I skipped the warm-up completely and only did a total of 1100m consisting of 100m breast, 50 breast, 100 free, 150 breast, 200 free, 200 free, 150 breast, 100 free, 50 breast. In the afternoon, what I really needed to do was some sort of a run. But it was Luau day at the gym and the movie in the cardio theatre sucked, so I did upper body weights instead.
Tomorrow, Yoga in the evening possible swim in the morning, but the swim is to be determined.
Right now, I am recovering from too large a meal and too much gatorade following my workout. And then it will be time for a good night's sleep.
Have a great evening.
David
Now things were just a little chaotic getting started. My buddy Andrew and his buddy John went to Tom Sawyer pool with me, which was nice. It's a little more fun when you have some company. When we got there, the swim team had half the pool and some sort of water aerobics class was going on. It turned out that on Tuesdays, the lap swim doesnt start until 7:15. Of course, some of the kids apparently did not get the memo and one young man in particular kept jumping into the lap lanes to splash around AFTER the half of the pool was opened for lane swim. Unfortunately, I also forgot my goggles tonight and right now my eyes are scarlet red, dry and itchy. But the biggest hassle was some elderly lady for whatever reason, decided that she liked my lane to swim in. Now I do not mind sharing lanes with people when necessary but there were several other lanes available, she just wanted my lane. Several times I had to swim around her when she nearly swam right into me because she wasnt looking and she was in MY lane. Still, I made my mile swim, so all in all, I would classify the night as a win.
Yesterday I was playing catch up all day long. I overslept and really did not have time to work out so I did an abbreviated swim in the morning. I skipped the warm-up completely and only did a total of 1100m consisting of 100m breast, 50 breast, 100 free, 150 breast, 200 free, 200 free, 150 breast, 100 free, 50 breast. In the afternoon, what I really needed to do was some sort of a run. But it was Luau day at the gym and the movie in the cardio theatre sucked, so I did upper body weights instead.
Tomorrow, Yoga in the evening possible swim in the morning, but the swim is to be determined.
Right now, I am recovering from too large a meal and too much gatorade following my workout. And then it will be time for a good night's sleep.
Have a great evening.
David
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Weekend Fun
I got to spend some time catching up with my mentor Patrick this afternoon. Patrick has done several marathons and several triathlons, including the full Louisville Iron Man last year. When you look at Patrick, you would notice that he is fit but you probably would not think that he is ripped. But let me tell you, I sure can't keep up with him. He really is amazing and he also is really a great friend and a great motivator. He is full of fun and encouragement. Anyway, he spent quite a bit of time with me this afternoon and was answering some of my questions. Based on this, it looks as though I may be about to venture into some open water swimming, which makes me a little nervous.
This weekend was a great weekend too. I have to admit, I really was not enthused about getting up to run yesterday morning, especially because I couldn't find any buddies willing to run with me. I hesitated getting out of the car but I ran 4 miles in Seneca Park and like it often goes, I felt great when it was over and was really glad I had done it.
THEN, it was time to take my buddy Andrew to the pool to swim with me. Andrew wants to do the triathlon with me and we are three weeks away as of yesterday. This was Andrew's first time in the pool. I have to call him here when I am done because I have not heard or seen him today and I need to make sure I didn't kill him. It was a hard day for Andrew but he got through it. Luckily, Andrew is in his early 20s, so while it would probably be impossible for someone at my age to be ready to take this on in 3 weeks, Andrew has a pretty good chance. In the pool I did a 450m warm up and then a 300m pyramid and a 50m cool down. Total distance was 1700m.
Normally, that would be all she wrote for the day. Two workouts in one day is normally my limit but Andrew wanted some payback, so he made me go to the gym with him later in the afternoon to lift weights. I'm not really good at resisting peer pressure, so I went and actually it went better than expected. In many ways, it was great because it made today so much easier.
On Sundays, I often try to get in 2 workouts, usually a run or a bike and a trip to the gym. But because I went to the gym yesterday, today I limited my schedule to a single bike ride of about 19 miles. It looked a little like it might rain and I nearly aborted. But as it turned out, it never did rain and I reminded myself that you have to take the workouts when you can get them.
Either before I go to bed or first thing in the morning, I need to plan my week. This coming week is sizing up to be a very busy week and I need to get a plan for work and for my training if I am going to be able to make everything work.
Have a great evening!
David
This weekend was a great weekend too. I have to admit, I really was not enthused about getting up to run yesterday morning, especially because I couldn't find any buddies willing to run with me. I hesitated getting out of the car but I ran 4 miles in Seneca Park and like it often goes, I felt great when it was over and was really glad I had done it.
THEN, it was time to take my buddy Andrew to the pool to swim with me. Andrew wants to do the triathlon with me and we are three weeks away as of yesterday. This was Andrew's first time in the pool. I have to call him here when I am done because I have not heard or seen him today and I need to make sure I didn't kill him. It was a hard day for Andrew but he got through it. Luckily, Andrew is in his early 20s, so while it would probably be impossible for someone at my age to be ready to take this on in 3 weeks, Andrew has a pretty good chance. In the pool I did a 450m warm up and then a 300m pyramid and a 50m cool down. Total distance was 1700m.
Normally, that would be all she wrote for the day. Two workouts in one day is normally my limit but Andrew wanted some payback, so he made me go to the gym with him later in the afternoon to lift weights. I'm not really good at resisting peer pressure, so I went and actually it went better than expected. In many ways, it was great because it made today so much easier.
On Sundays, I often try to get in 2 workouts, usually a run or a bike and a trip to the gym. But because I went to the gym yesterday, today I limited my schedule to a single bike ride of about 19 miles. It looked a little like it might rain and I nearly aborted. But as it turned out, it never did rain and I reminded myself that you have to take the workouts when you can get them.
Either before I go to bed or first thing in the morning, I need to plan my week. This coming week is sizing up to be a very busy week and I need to get a plan for work and for my training if I am going to be able to make everything work.
Have a great evening!
David
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Importance of Rest
Always learning - I was pleased to learn in my Triathlon's Training Manual, that rest and sleep were very important parts of a training regimen. SO, this morning I decided added a little extra sleep to the ole training regimen instead of a morning swim.
The timing seemed to be good. For no apparent reason, I was just tired today. I still did my afternoon weights with Cody which actually made me feel great. Tomorrow I have another rest day scheduled.
Now that I have developed the endurance for the swim, I need to juggle the workout. So, now we have a project to work on.
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Have a great evening!
David
The timing seemed to be good. For no apparent reason, I was just tired today. I still did my afternoon weights with Cody which actually made me feel great. Tomorrow I have another rest day scheduled.
Now that I have developed the endurance for the swim, I need to juggle the workout. So, now we have a project to work on.
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Have a great evening!
David
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Catching Up
Missed my blogging yesterday afternoon. Normally on Tuesday, I try to get in 2 workouts. Usually a swim and then a short bike. Yesterday, I did the 2050m swim I had planned for Monday but my heart wasn't in it for another workout. (My mean swim coach has been cutting me some slack because of the situation with Rocky Dog.)
Today, I did my swim early and elected to do a 1600m swim consisting of 100m breast, 300m kick board, 100m breast, 1000m freestyle, and 100m breast. Today perhaps for the first time, it was obvious to me that I am getting faster. I finished the entire mile workout in less than an hour.
Then tonight, I got to go back to Yoga for the first time in a month. Three weeks ago, my instructor (the one who refers to me as that chubby guy from Yoga) was on vacation . Two weeks ago, Rocky Dog was sick and I stayed home with him. Last week was the July 4th holiday.
I've taken a fair amount of heat from my buddies for doing Yoga. I will tell you though that Yoga has been really good for me and I would recommend it. I believe it is improving my flexibility and strength in ways weight training can't.
Almost to the 3 week mark for the Tom Sawyer triathlon and it looks like I am going to be okay for the swim. Right now I am okay with all of the distances individually for the swim, bike and run. I just need to be sure I can do them all at once.
Cross your fingers for me! Have a great evening.
David
Today, I did my swim early and elected to do a 1600m swim consisting of 100m breast, 300m kick board, 100m breast, 1000m freestyle, and 100m breast. Today perhaps for the first time, it was obvious to me that I am getting faster. I finished the entire mile workout in less than an hour.
Then tonight, I got to go back to Yoga for the first time in a month. Three weeks ago, my instructor (the one who refers to me as that chubby guy from Yoga) was on vacation . Two weeks ago, Rocky Dog was sick and I stayed home with him. Last week was the July 4th holiday.
I've taken a fair amount of heat from my buddies for doing Yoga. I will tell you though that Yoga has been really good for me and I would recommend it. I believe it is improving my flexibility and strength in ways weight training can't.
Almost to the 3 week mark for the Tom Sawyer triathlon and it looks like I am going to be okay for the swim. Right now I am okay with all of the distances individually for the swim, bike and run. I just need to be sure I can do them all at once.
Cross your fingers for me! Have a great evening.
David
Monday, July 9, 2012
Making Room for Life
I certainly can't claim that I it would be a good idea to do a triathlon without training. Having a training schedule, at least for me, is essential to be able to show up ready. The other side of the coin is that training should not be your entire life. Still it is hard to balance.
With that in mind, I ended up with a second free day this week yesterday. Some of my very best friends' daughter was married yesterday. So I went to her wedding and took the entire day off for training.
Then today, my training again had to be adjusted. My sweet, sweet puppy Rocky was very sick and ultimately died this afternoon. We had him since he was a little puppy and unfortunately he died probably of leukemia at 7 1/2. My original plan was a 2050m swim and a trip to the gym for some weights. But I stayed with my dog until he passed away.
After Rocky died I went to swim some laps. It was good therapy for me. It was also very instructional. For the first time, I went to the pool where I will be swimming in the triathlon. I would highly recommend this if at all possible before races. I have been working my tail off working on my freestyle for the 800m swim. Tonight I discovered that the pool is only 3 feet deep in the shallow end and my arms are simply too long to do freestyle there. So I will have to do some breast stroke. All said and done, I did 1600m with one continuous stretch of 800m of freestyle (with breast stroke in the shallow end).
So, life happens. BTW - Rocky Dog was a good dog. He was a wonderful companion and I will miss him terribly. When I came home tonight to an empty house, I realized how much I took him for granted when he greeted me at the door every day. God Speed, Rocky. I love you and you were a good dog! Thank you for taking such good care of me for so many years.
Take care all.
David
With that in mind, I ended up with a second free day this week yesterday. Some of my very best friends' daughter was married yesterday. So I went to her wedding and took the entire day off for training.
Then today, my training again had to be adjusted. My sweet, sweet puppy Rocky was very sick and ultimately died this afternoon. We had him since he was a little puppy and unfortunately he died probably of leukemia at 7 1/2. My original plan was a 2050m swim and a trip to the gym for some weights. But I stayed with my dog until he passed away.
After Rocky died I went to swim some laps. It was good therapy for me. It was also very instructional. For the first time, I went to the pool where I will be swimming in the triathlon. I would highly recommend this if at all possible before races. I have been working my tail off working on my freestyle for the 800m swim. Tonight I discovered that the pool is only 3 feet deep in the shallow end and my arms are simply too long to do freestyle there. So I will have to do some breast stroke. All said and done, I did 1600m with one continuous stretch of 800m of freestyle (with breast stroke in the shallow end).
So, life happens. BTW - Rocky Dog was a good dog. He was a wonderful companion and I will miss him terribly. When I came home tonight to an empty house, I realized how much I took him for granted when he greeted me at the door every day. God Speed, Rocky. I love you and you were a good dog! Thank you for taking such good care of me for so many years.
Take care all.
David
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Plan B kind of Day
Planned workouts for the day - 3 mile run and about 2050m swim. BUT today was a plan B kind of day.
I got a late start and missed my running group but I ran any way for 4.5 miles in Seneca / Cherokee parks. I ran the hills and luckily thanks to Patrick Ryan, I was running by 7:15 and it was only 80 degrees. Actually it was a very nice run. When the temperatures hit 106, I was very grateful that I had gotten out early.
I was trying to get both workouts out early in the day and turned right around to go to the pool. Unfortunately, due to the heat, the swim team had taken over the indoor pool for the day and there was no lap swimming. So the swim is out until at least Monday. Plan B again was to go for a bike.
Came home to change and load up the bike and went back to Seneca / Cherokee parks for a ride. By this time, the temps had gone up to 92. Although it was hot, it is just a lot easier on a bike than running. I finished the bike after 22.6 miles. By the time I finished it was 98 degrees.
So, bottom line is I got in two workouts as planned but now I need to refigure workouts for the next week or so.
Normally on Sundays, I make it to the gym and maybe a bike. But tomorrow, I have a wedding in the afternoon. So I may end up with 2 off days this week.
In the mean time, I am working on a plan to get out of this cycle of simply winging it AND I am also working on building a group of friends to train with. I'm getting my workouts in but it is just a lot more fun to train with other people.
So another day and the EP Tom Sawyer triathlon is 4 weeks from today.
Have a good day!
David
I got a late start and missed my running group but I ran any way for 4.5 miles in Seneca / Cherokee parks. I ran the hills and luckily thanks to Patrick Ryan, I was running by 7:15 and it was only 80 degrees. Actually it was a very nice run. When the temperatures hit 106, I was very grateful that I had gotten out early.
I was trying to get both workouts out early in the day and turned right around to go to the pool. Unfortunately, due to the heat, the swim team had taken over the indoor pool for the day and there was no lap swimming. So the swim is out until at least Monday. Plan B again was to go for a bike.
Came home to change and load up the bike and went back to Seneca / Cherokee parks for a ride. By this time, the temps had gone up to 92. Although it was hot, it is just a lot easier on a bike than running. I finished the bike after 22.6 miles. By the time I finished it was 98 degrees.
So, bottom line is I got in two workouts as planned but now I need to refigure workouts for the next week or so.
Normally on Sundays, I make it to the gym and maybe a bike. But tomorrow, I have a wedding in the afternoon. So I may end up with 2 off days this week.
In the mean time, I am working on a plan to get out of this cycle of simply winging it AND I am also working on building a group of friends to train with. I'm getting my workouts in but it is just a lot more fun to train with other people.
So another day and the EP Tom Sawyer triathlon is 4 weeks from today.
Have a good day!
David
Friday, July 6, 2012
Weight training
As I have settled into this routine, Friday has become my normal weekly rest day. So today, I had ice cream. Actually as I think about it, I had ice cream three times today. A small blizzard in the afternoon (because it was so hot and I have the 90 degree Blizzard rule), a skinny cow after dinner (because I forgot about the blizzard earlier) and a little ice cream for a snack while watching TV (probably because I got a little bored). Normally, I couldn't get away with this.
Thursday was training day with Cody Eubank. It was also a weights only day. With the fatigue for the week accumulating every day from the swim, I decided that it should be a no swim day. My next swim is to be Saturday. I am waiting to hear from my Mean Swim Coach what the program will be but I am expecting it to be a long swim again.
There is never a dull moment with Cody and Cody hates to disappoint me. Accordingly, he loves to put in all of my favorite exercises. Probably my all time favorite is step up / lunges. After all, nothing makes you feel alive like feeling like you are going to die. You can imagine how thrilled I was to hear that Cody was going to let me experience this one more time. I also got to do what Cody likes to call Australian pushups, cleans, something like cleans but more for the shoulders, inclined bench press, another chest press machine, pull ups, and some others I can't recall right now.
Soooo, looking all of this over makes me realize that I really need to get busy and plan my workouts. I can certainly tell when I am simply winging it both in training and in the diet. I can get away with this every now and then BUT not indefinitely.
I have now passed the 1 month out mark. The actual triathlon will be 4 weeks from tomorrow.
That's all for now! Have a great evening and if you happen to hear from my Mean Swim Coach, tell her I am still waiting for my schedule for tomorrow and next week.
David
Thursday was training day with Cody Eubank. It was also a weights only day. With the fatigue for the week accumulating every day from the swim, I decided that it should be a no swim day. My next swim is to be Saturday. I am waiting to hear from my Mean Swim Coach what the program will be but I am expecting it to be a long swim again.
There is never a dull moment with Cody and Cody hates to disappoint me. Accordingly, he loves to put in all of my favorite exercises. Probably my all time favorite is step up / lunges. After all, nothing makes you feel alive like feeling like you are going to die. You can imagine how thrilled I was to hear that Cody was going to let me experience this one more time. I also got to do what Cody likes to call Australian pushups, cleans, something like cleans but more for the shoulders, inclined bench press, another chest press machine, pull ups, and some others I can't recall right now.
Soooo, looking all of this over makes me realize that I really need to get busy and plan my workouts. I can certainly tell when I am simply winging it both in training and in the diet. I can get away with this every now and then BUT not indefinitely.
I have now passed the 1 month out mark. The actual triathlon will be 4 weeks from tomorrow.
That's all for now! Have a great evening and if you happen to hear from my Mean Swim Coach, tell her I am still waiting for my schedule for tomorrow and next week.
David
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Winging It
I still haven't sat down to plan my training for the week. And it is obvious that I need to plan it for the next several weeks. My Mean Swim Coach let me sleep in a little longer today since I was off work and we went to the pool at 9:00 AM instead of 6:00 AM. Today's workout was a total of 1650m which consisted of my 450m warmup and a pyramid of freestyle to 300m (100m, 200m, 300m, 300m, 200m, 100m).
I still learning about all of this so I can't tell you why but once again today, I felt like I couldn't make it through the 200m and 300m while on Monday I swam 1000m+ continuously with no problem. Best I can tell, there is a fatigue factor that accumulates over the week. Accordingly, I have decided to take Thursday and Friday off from the pool. Next pool workout will be on Saturday.
Once again I had planned to get a bike in today. Temperatures were around 100 degrees again and I really felt like it was too hot. I may still set up my wind trainer or ride my airdyne before the end of the day inside but I may just as likely eat my Chinese food and take it easy.
My Mean Swim Coach is leaving tomorrow, so I will no longer have her in the pool with me to call me lazy. But she promises to e-mail me my weekly workouts and to do virtual chastisement as needed.
If you have questions, comments, suggestions, tips, or stories, I would love to hear them. Also, my Mean Swim Coach tells me that she would be willing to answer questions as well.
Happy 4th of July everyone! Stay safe!
David (aka that Chubby Guy from Yoga, aka Lazy Swimmer)
I still learning about all of this so I can't tell you why but once again today, I felt like I couldn't make it through the 200m and 300m while on Monday I swam 1000m+ continuously with no problem. Best I can tell, there is a fatigue factor that accumulates over the week. Accordingly, I have decided to take Thursday and Friday off from the pool. Next pool workout will be on Saturday.
Once again I had planned to get a bike in today. Temperatures were around 100 degrees again and I really felt like it was too hot. I may still set up my wind trainer or ride my airdyne before the end of the day inside but I may just as likely eat my Chinese food and take it easy.
My Mean Swim Coach is leaving tomorrow, so I will no longer have her in the pool with me to call me lazy. But she promises to e-mail me my weekly workouts and to do virtual chastisement as needed.
If you have questions, comments, suggestions, tips, or stories, I would love to hear them. Also, my Mean Swim Coach tells me that she would be willing to answer questions as well.
Happy 4th of July everyone! Stay safe!
David (aka that Chubby Guy from Yoga, aka Lazy Swimmer)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Pyramind Scheming
Well, it looks as though the rest of this week will be simply winging the workouts. At least that is how things started off this morning. My Mean Swim Coach (my daughter Virginia), her husband (my reader's son) and I went to swim at the break of dawn. We were in the pool by about 6:20. I had no plan at all. I was simply relying on my Mean Swim Coach to tell me what to do. Likewise, there was no plan for the afternoon. Thinking through a normal week, it seemed like it might be a good day for a bike ride but nothing definite was on the books.
Now maybe it was fatigue from my breakthrough 1000m swim yesterday, or maybe it was the enormous helping of spaghetti and meat sauce last night at Bistro 42 but today's swim seemed much harder than yesterday. The farthest I had to swim continuously today was 400m BUT my Mean Swim Coach introduced me to Pyramids. So today, after my normal 450m warm-up, I swam 100m breast stroke, 200m freestyle, 300m breast again, 400m free, 300m free with a pull buoy (meaning no kicking), 200m freestyle, and finally 100m free with a pull buoy. Total swim was 2050m.
If you have never done pyramids (like me until this morning), pyramids are designed to humble you. When first introducing me to pyramids, my Mean Swim Coach instructed me to swim as follows: 50m followed by 100m, then 150m, then 200m, 250m, 300m, 350m, 400m. Then the same in reverse order. Of course the appropriate thing to have done would have been to simply jump in and start swimming. However being lazy, I decided instead to first do some math and pointed out that the total there is 3600m. Including the 450m I had already swam would total more than 4000m or roughly 2.5 miles. My Mean Swim Coach relented and assigned me the 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m pyramid I mentioned above but she also has now labeled me as her Lazy Swimmer.
As the day wore on, I remembered that tomorrow is a holiday and I would be off all day AND Yoga would be canceled. With that in mind, I decided that I would give myself this afternoon off and work on a swim and a bike ride tomorrow when I have the whole day. After all, I am winging it this week and since no one (other than my reader Dave Leonard) reads this blog, no one will ever know...
Have a great evening.
David (aka Lazy Swimmer, aka That Chubby Guy from Yoga)
Now maybe it was fatigue from my breakthrough 1000m swim yesterday, or maybe it was the enormous helping of spaghetti and meat sauce last night at Bistro 42 but today's swim seemed much harder than yesterday. The farthest I had to swim continuously today was 400m BUT my Mean Swim Coach introduced me to Pyramids. So today, after my normal 450m warm-up, I swam 100m breast stroke, 200m freestyle, 300m breast again, 400m free, 300m free with a pull buoy (meaning no kicking), 200m freestyle, and finally 100m free with a pull buoy. Total swim was 2050m.
If you have never done pyramids (like me until this morning), pyramids are designed to humble you. When first introducing me to pyramids, my Mean Swim Coach instructed me to swim as follows: 50m followed by 100m, then 150m, then 200m, 250m, 300m, 350m, 400m. Then the same in reverse order. Of course the appropriate thing to have done would have been to simply jump in and start swimming. However being lazy, I decided instead to first do some math and pointed out that the total there is 3600m. Including the 450m I had already swam would total more than 4000m or roughly 2.5 miles. My Mean Swim Coach relented and assigned me the 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m pyramid I mentioned above but she also has now labeled me as her Lazy Swimmer.
As the day wore on, I remembered that tomorrow is a holiday and I would be off all day AND Yoga would be canceled. With that in mind, I decided that I would give myself this afternoon off and work on a swim and a bike ride tomorrow when I have the whole day. After all, I am winging it this week and since no one (other than my reader Dave Leonard) reads this blog, no one will ever know...
Have a great evening.
David (aka Lazy Swimmer, aka That Chubby Guy from Yoga)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Breaking Through
Today's workouts were actually unplanned. I'm getting bad about that. I knew I needed to do a swim but I had not finalized a plan for this week with my Mean Swim Coach. I also knew I needed an afternoon workout, probably a run or something. But really today I just winged it.
Luckily, my Mean Swim Coach got up at the crack of dawn to swim with me this morning at Blairwood. She made sure that I didn't slack off and in fact, she probably is responsible for today's break through. She had me do my now regular 450m warm-up. Then it was time for a long swim
Now I am going to have to admit that she would have let me off with an 800m freestyle swim. I however decided that it would be too confusing (because I lose count) to do 800m and decided that swimming 1000m would make counting easier. So, I swam 1000m (but maybe 1200m - I don't know. I lost count anyway.) Then another 50m breast. Then 100m with the pull buoy. So, once again I swam about a mile (or maybe a little more - like I said, I lost count)
Recovery today went much better than Saturday. We went immediately to Starbuck and got lattes and a scone and that seemed to help.
The second workout today followed work. It was above 100 degrees again and I decided to do some light cardio inside in the gym. Once again, my Mean Swim Coach and her husband accompanied me to make sure that I didn't slack off. So I chose to go to the cardio theatre even though there was a terrible movie playing. It is cool and dark and no one could see that I was being a slacker. (I'm basically lazy) In essense, I did a recovery run like I used to do every Monday following a long run for my marathon training. After 35 minutes, I finished and went home.
This is where all that training goes to waste or perhaps I should say to waist. Following our workouts, we went to Bistro 42 with Phyllis Jean to eat very large portions of Italian food.
Tomorrow is again unplanned. But right now, I am thinking that we (Mean Swim Coach and I) will go to the pool early once again BUT I do plan to avoid standing on the scale for a few days. And maybe if I don't forget, I will spend some time to get my workouts planned again and get myself back on track.
Let me know if you have any questions, comments, tips, advice or stories. I would love to hear them.
Have a great evening.
David (aka that chubby guy from Yoga)
Luckily, my Mean Swim Coach got up at the crack of dawn to swim with me this morning at Blairwood. She made sure that I didn't slack off and in fact, she probably is responsible for today's break through. She had me do my now regular 450m warm-up. Then it was time for a long swim
Now I am going to have to admit that she would have let me off with an 800m freestyle swim. I however decided that it would be too confusing (because I lose count) to do 800m and decided that swimming 1000m would make counting easier. So, I swam 1000m (but maybe 1200m - I don't know. I lost count anyway.) Then another 50m breast. Then 100m with the pull buoy. So, once again I swam about a mile (or maybe a little more - like I said, I lost count)
Recovery today went much better than Saturday. We went immediately to Starbuck and got lattes and a scone and that seemed to help.
The second workout today followed work. It was above 100 degrees again and I decided to do some light cardio inside in the gym. Once again, my Mean Swim Coach and her husband accompanied me to make sure that I didn't slack off. So I chose to go to the cardio theatre even though there was a terrible movie playing. It is cool and dark and no one could see that I was being a slacker. (I'm basically lazy) In essense, I did a recovery run like I used to do every Monday following a long run for my marathon training. After 35 minutes, I finished and went home.
This is where all that training goes to waste or perhaps I should say to waist. Following our workouts, we went to Bistro 42 with Phyllis Jean to eat very large portions of Italian food.
Tomorrow is again unplanned. But right now, I am thinking that we (Mean Swim Coach and I) will go to the pool early once again BUT I do plan to avoid standing on the scale for a few days. And maybe if I don't forget, I will spend some time to get my workouts planned again and get myself back on track.
Let me know if you have any questions, comments, tips, advice or stories. I would love to hear them.
Have a great evening.
David (aka that chubby guy from Yoga)
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Mean Swim Coach goes National
I don't want to disappoint my reader, although my sister pointed out today that a blog with one reader is really more correctly called an e-mail.... I'm going to ignore her though and proceed.
Today's planned workout was an hour in the gym with weights and about an hour on the bike. And today, I stayed with the plan.
There really is not a lot to say about the weights. I spent an hour lifting weights which I try to do twice a week. Since my primary focus now is triathlon training, all of my weight days are full body workouts with fairly low volume. Today I did 3 chest exercises, 3 back exercises, 3 leg exercises, 2 arm exercises and ab exercises. 3 sets of each. I have been surprised that my upper body strength seems to be increasing. I am guessing that this is due to the swimming. I had the opposite occur when I was doing marathon training.
Likewise the bike today was mainly wanting to get in about an hour on the bike. I stayed close to home, making loops through the neighborhood and finishing a total of a little more than 14 miles.
The nice thing about the weekend all together is that i basically did everything that I will need to do on August 4, for the first time: 3 mile run yesterday morning in the park; 800m continuous swimming in free style yesterday morning; and 14 mile bike this afternoon. Still need to work on putting them all together at once, but I know that I can do them all now.
The other significant thing today is the my Mean Swim Coach (my daughter Virgina) has now gone national. My buddy Andrew who plans to do the triathlon with me, may be consulting with her. I found out today that my nephew Mitchell is also planning to do an Olympic triathlon soon in Texas and he plans on connecting with her to work on training. ALSO, my reader, Dave Leonard is making noises like he may be in for a triathlon and she may be working with him in Indiana. SO, it looks as though she will be working with people in at least 3 states.... so far.
If you have questions or comments, let me know! I would love to hear some of your stories. ALSO, if you have questions for my Mean Swim Coach, I will happily forward them on, as well.
Have a great evening everyone!
David
Today's planned workout was an hour in the gym with weights and about an hour on the bike. And today, I stayed with the plan.
There really is not a lot to say about the weights. I spent an hour lifting weights which I try to do twice a week. Since my primary focus now is triathlon training, all of my weight days are full body workouts with fairly low volume. Today I did 3 chest exercises, 3 back exercises, 3 leg exercises, 2 arm exercises and ab exercises. 3 sets of each. I have been surprised that my upper body strength seems to be increasing. I am guessing that this is due to the swimming. I had the opposite occur when I was doing marathon training.
Likewise the bike today was mainly wanting to get in about an hour on the bike. I stayed close to home, making loops through the neighborhood and finishing a total of a little more than 14 miles.
The nice thing about the weekend all together is that i basically did everything that I will need to do on August 4, for the first time: 3 mile run yesterday morning in the park; 800m continuous swimming in free style yesterday morning; and 14 mile bike this afternoon. Still need to work on putting them all together at once, but I know that I can do them all now.
The other significant thing today is the my Mean Swim Coach (my daughter Virgina) has now gone national. My buddy Andrew who plans to do the triathlon with me, may be consulting with her. I found out today that my nephew Mitchell is also planning to do an Olympic triathlon soon in Texas and he plans on connecting with her to work on training. ALSO, my reader, Dave Leonard is making noises like he may be in for a triathlon and she may be working with him in Indiana. SO, it looks as though she will be working with people in at least 3 states.... so far.
If you have questions or comments, let me know! I would love to hear some of your stories. ALSO, if you have questions for my Mean Swim Coach, I will happily forward them on, as well.
Have a great evening everyone!
David
Red Letter Day
Running a day behind on blogging responsibilities -
Yesterday's planned workouts were 3 mile run and a 2700m swim. Yesterday's actual workouts consisted of a 3 mile run and a 1600m swim.
With the temperature at 105 on Friday and predicted to be over 100 again Saturday, I woke up working on all kinds of reasons why it probably would not be healthy to get out and run. Unfortunately, the temperature was a very comfortable 76 degrees, it was sunny and clear and everything was absolutely beautiful. So, when I could not come up with any reason not to run, I got out of the car at Seneca Park and did a 3 mile loop. And while I was dreading it, I ended up loving it. It was a very comfortable and very enjoyable run.
Later in the morning it was time for my swim and this time, my mean swim coach (my daughter, Ginny) was in town. She and her husband Dan accompanied me to the pool. I had planned on adding another 500m to my distance for the day but my swim coach had other ideas. I did the usual 450m warm-up. THEN rather than doing several sets of 500m free style, for the first time I swam 800m continuously. So, now I know that I can make the swim for the triathlon in 5 weeks. Following that, Ginny made me do 200m with a swim buoy. This is an exercise where you put a buoy between your legs so that you do not kick and instead work only your arms in the stroke. Then we finished out a mile with breast stroke.
At FIRST, I thought that my mean swim coach was going soft on me. I got out of a full 1100m from my planned swim and the total amount of free style for the day was 800m instead of 1500m. I felt great and was feeling cocky for about 2 hours. THEN I needed food in a bad way and immediately following food, I needed a nap. I was basically unconscious for about 2.5 to 3 hours. Luckily, I do not have to swim today and mean swim coach's reputation is safe.
When I was running I couldn't help but worry a little about my distances. The furthest I have run since the KDF marathon 2 months ago is 7.5 miles. Lately, 3 or 4 is about it. Much of this is because I am having to dedicate so much of my effort to gaining endurance on the swim. But once I get the swim up to where it needs to be, I will have to juggle everything around and work on building my endurances for the run and the bike again.
So anyway, this brings me to smack down time for my reader, Dave Leonard. Now that I have conquered the 800m swim, the race is on. I am sending the registration form and saving you a room for August 4!
Today, plans are for weights, biking, laundry, probably another nap.
Have a great day!
David
Yesterday's planned workouts were 3 mile run and a 2700m swim. Yesterday's actual workouts consisted of a 3 mile run and a 1600m swim.
With the temperature at 105 on Friday and predicted to be over 100 again Saturday, I woke up working on all kinds of reasons why it probably would not be healthy to get out and run. Unfortunately, the temperature was a very comfortable 76 degrees, it was sunny and clear and everything was absolutely beautiful. So, when I could not come up with any reason not to run, I got out of the car at Seneca Park and did a 3 mile loop. And while I was dreading it, I ended up loving it. It was a very comfortable and very enjoyable run.
Later in the morning it was time for my swim and this time, my mean swim coach (my daughter, Ginny) was in town. She and her husband Dan accompanied me to the pool. I had planned on adding another 500m to my distance for the day but my swim coach had other ideas. I did the usual 450m warm-up. THEN rather than doing several sets of 500m free style, for the first time I swam 800m continuously. So, now I know that I can make the swim for the triathlon in 5 weeks. Following that, Ginny made me do 200m with a swim buoy. This is an exercise where you put a buoy between your legs so that you do not kick and instead work only your arms in the stroke. Then we finished out a mile with breast stroke.
At FIRST, I thought that my mean swim coach was going soft on me. I got out of a full 1100m from my planned swim and the total amount of free style for the day was 800m instead of 1500m. I felt great and was feeling cocky for about 2 hours. THEN I needed food in a bad way and immediately following food, I needed a nap. I was basically unconscious for about 2.5 to 3 hours. Luckily, I do not have to swim today and mean swim coach's reputation is safe.
When I was running I couldn't help but worry a little about my distances. The furthest I have run since the KDF marathon 2 months ago is 7.5 miles. Lately, 3 or 4 is about it. Much of this is because I am having to dedicate so much of my effort to gaining endurance on the swim. But once I get the swim up to where it needs to be, I will have to juggle everything around and work on building my endurances for the run and the bike again.
So anyway, this brings me to smack down time for my reader, Dave Leonard. Now that I have conquered the 800m swim, the race is on. I am sending the registration form and saving you a room for August 4!
Today, plans are for weights, biking, laundry, probably another nap.
Have a great day!
David
Friday, June 29, 2012
FREE Day!
At least as far as the schedule goes now, Fridays are my free days. That's right, no work out at all scheduled for today. That works out rather nicely today because it is about 102 degrees today.
When I first started this journey, my overzealous self wanted to work out at least an hour every day. No pain, no gain sort of mentality. I have since learned that while it is important to put in the hours, it is also important to have some time off scheduled into the training. IN FACT, not having some recovery time in the training schedule will actually reduce your gains.
I have come to cherish these off days. I think that part of this is that mentally, it helps my attitude. After all, it is supposed to be fun. Sure it is challenging and sometimes I have to make myself get out there BUT if it is only misery, why would I want to do this? The other part is physical. I have learned that truly, your body cannot fully recover from workouts without some rest time figured in.
SO today I get to rest and I will probably also have a nice big dinner and MAYBE even a frozen adult beverage or two.
Have a great weekend!
David
When I first started this journey, my overzealous self wanted to work out at least an hour every day. No pain, no gain sort of mentality. I have since learned that while it is important to put in the hours, it is also important to have some time off scheduled into the training. IN FACT, not having some recovery time in the training schedule will actually reduce your gains.
I have come to cherish these off days. I think that part of this is that mentally, it helps my attitude. After all, it is supposed to be fun. Sure it is challenging and sometimes I have to make myself get out there BUT if it is only misery, why would I want to do this? The other part is physical. I have learned that truly, your body cannot fully recover from workouts without some rest time figured in.
SO today I get to rest and I will probably also have a nice big dinner and MAYBE even a frozen adult beverage or two.
Have a great weekend!
David
Thursday, June 28, 2012
More Exercise BUT Less Diet
Today's scheduled workout - 2100m swim and an hour lifting weights with Cody
Deja vu on the swim, except for the time of day. Today's swim was a repeat of yesterday's. Another 2100m consisting of a 450m warm up and a 3 sets of 500m free style followed by 50m breast stroke. Other than that not much more to report about the swim. It is finally getting easier. AND now that it is getting easier, I can say with much more certainty, that I hate kick boarding!
For my second workout of the day, I lifted weights with Cody Eubank for an hour at Blairwood. Basically a total body work out - squat lifts, clean and jerks, bent over rows, decline bench presses, ab machine, and a few creative exercises Cody invented just to torture me.
Score for the day - +2 for exercise BUT probably -3 or 4 on diet and THAT I will blame on George Coleman. George called me today and we went out to dinner at Bistro 42 where I got a giant helping of spaghetti and meat sauce, zucchini and squash, and garlic bread. Delicious but I may skip standing on the scale in the morning.
Tomorrow is my Off Day! Everyone needs a day of rest.
Have a great evening.
As always, I would love to answer questions or get tips or comments.
David
Deja vu on the swim, except for the time of day. Today's swim was a repeat of yesterday's. Another 2100m consisting of a 450m warm up and a 3 sets of 500m free style followed by 50m breast stroke. Other than that not much more to report about the swim. It is finally getting easier. AND now that it is getting easier, I can say with much more certainty, that I hate kick boarding!
For my second workout of the day, I lifted weights with Cody Eubank for an hour at Blairwood. Basically a total body work out - squat lifts, clean and jerks, bent over rows, decline bench presses, ab machine, and a few creative exercises Cody invented just to torture me.
Score for the day - +2 for exercise BUT probably -3 or 4 on diet and THAT I will blame on George Coleman. George called me today and we went out to dinner at Bistro 42 where I got a giant helping of spaghetti and meat sauce, zucchini and squash, and garlic bread. Delicious but I may skip standing on the scale in the morning.
Tomorrow is my Off Day! Everyone needs a day of rest.
Have a great evening.
As always, I would love to answer questions or get tips or comments.
David
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
I'm a Super Slacker
Today's scheduled workout was for a 2100m swim and an hour of Yoga.
Another busy day. So I got the swim out of the way first thing. In the pool by 6:20 and out about 7:30. 2100m as planned. So far, so good. (Side note: Kick boarding, still S-U-C-K-S! Just saying.) (Second side note: You would think that all this chlorine would kill all kinds of germs and creepy crawly things. In may case, however, it seems to make my chest and shoulder break out.) I digress. Anyway, the swim went very well and I added 500m from yesterday.
The plan after work was to go to Spanish night at Salsarita's and then to Yoga. Unfortunately, when I got home I discover that Rocky dog was sick again. Now Rocky and I have an appointment with the vet on Friday and Yoga and Spanish will have to wait another week.
The decision for tomorrow is whether to swim when I am lifting weights with Cody later in the day.
Oh well. One day at a time, I guess.
Have a great evening!
David (aka Super Slacker0
Another busy day. So I got the swim out of the way first thing. In the pool by 6:20 and out about 7:30. 2100m as planned. So far, so good. (Side note: Kick boarding, still S-U-C-K-S! Just saying.) (Second side note: You would think that all this chlorine would kill all kinds of germs and creepy crawly things. In may case, however, it seems to make my chest and shoulder break out.) I digress. Anyway, the swim went very well and I added 500m from yesterday.
The plan after work was to go to Spanish night at Salsarita's and then to Yoga. Unfortunately, when I got home I discover that Rocky dog was sick again. Now Rocky and I have an appointment with the vet on Friday and Yoga and Spanish will have to wait another week.
The decision for tomorrow is whether to swim when I am lifting weights with Cody later in the day.
Oh well. One day at a time, I guess.
Have a great evening!
David (aka Super Slacker0
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
I'm a Slacker
Training Schedule for the day was a mile swim and a 3 or 4 mile run this afternoon.
The swim was on at lunch. (1600m consisting of a warm up (100m breast, 300m kick board, and 50m breast), 2 sets of (500m freestyle and 50m breast) and finishing the mile with 50m breast) Time for the total workout was a little less than an hour. The only reason time matters is that the triathlon starts are determined by your estimated swim time. So, it is looking like my estimated swim time for the half mile is about 30 minutes.
The problem with Tuesdays is that it is also half price movie night which leaves me with a choice and I chose the movie. But it gets worse. The movie was Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. So the run didn't happen but I finally understand everything about the Civil War.
This brings me to the crux of my search for my triathlete identity. I have run. I have cycled. I have swum. But as of yet, I have not done all three at the same time. So the question is, can one be a triathlete and a movie lover? We'll see.
Looks like the run is going to have to wait until Saturday again.
Signing off for the night. Have a great evening.
David (the Slacker)
PS - In addition to questions, training tips, or other triathlon advice, it looks as though I should also be open to general derision and chastisement and of course, advice to make better choices.
The swim was on at lunch. (1600m consisting of a warm up (100m breast, 300m kick board, and 50m breast), 2 sets of (500m freestyle and 50m breast) and finishing the mile with 50m breast) Time for the total workout was a little less than an hour. The only reason time matters is that the triathlon starts are determined by your estimated swim time. So, it is looking like my estimated swim time for the half mile is about 30 minutes.
The problem with Tuesdays is that it is also half price movie night which leaves me with a choice and I chose the movie. But it gets worse. The movie was Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. So the run didn't happen but I finally understand everything about the Civil War.
This brings me to the crux of my search for my triathlete identity. I have run. I have cycled. I have swum. But as of yet, I have not done all three at the same time. So the question is, can one be a triathlete and a movie lover? We'll see.
Looks like the run is going to have to wait until Saturday again.
Signing off for the night. Have a great evening.
David (the Slacker)
PS - In addition to questions, training tips, or other triathlon advice, it looks as though I should also be open to general derision and chastisement and of course, advice to make better choices.
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