Vacationing and training.

Got back a week ago from two weeks at Edisto Beach. Sun, sand, relaxing, reading... and training for the Greater Cleveland Triathlon which is only a week away.

A beautiful sunrise at Edisto

Ditto, sunset.

A little relaxation with mom on the deck of the house we rented.

Edisto is the perfect place to train. Except for the absence of hills, swimming, running, and biking are all easily accomodated. Although, I still have this unreasonable fear of sharks when swimming by myself even a short distance from shore. Some days, I combined two of the events. I was able to start each day with at least one of the three with perhaps a little "yoga on the deck" thrown in for good measure.

I think I'm ready. Just have to taper down this week and stay loose. Next sunday is the big day.

Another grandchild on the way

Found out a few weeks ago that my second oldest daughter is pregnant with their first... my forth... grandchild, that is. :-)

Taking shelter in Harrison's tomb

Yesterday, I joined my brother and some of his friends on his 100 mile bicycle "Le Tour de Hamilton County". Much of the charm of these long distance rides is in dealing with the unexpected, like getting lost (which we do at least once in every ride) or dodging thunderstorms. The weather around Cincinnati yesterday was characterized as "isolated violent thunderstorms". Ok, sounds interesting. Intrepid bicyclers that we were, we decided to go for it anyway.

Our first downpour hit at around 25 miles and was very quick, just enough to get us thoroughly soaked in time for breakfast. For the next 50 miles or so, the weather was ideal. We thought, mistakenly, that we had pretty much dodged the thunderstorms for the day. Not so...

We were about 80 miles into the ride near North Bend, Ohio, when it hit. The sky darkened quickly and shortly after that the rain began to pour. The tough thing about rain like that, besides the fact that it makes the road rather slippery, is that it reduces visibility for those of us who wear glasses. Anyway, when the lightning started hitting a little too close, we took shelter on the side of the road. As the rain continued to pour, making us ever more cold, wet, and somewhat miserable, we noticed that about 200 yards up the road was the tomb of William Henry Harrison (9th president of the United States). Harrison has the dubious distinction of being the president to have served the shortest term in office - 32 days. He died after contracting pneumonia on his inauguration day. Bummer!

Be that as it may, his tomb now served as an excellent shelter for 3 weary, wet, and cold travellers. Once we were safely inside, I called my daughter to say we were safe and to get an updated weather report to see how much longer we might be delayed. 20-30 minutes later, the sky cleared and we were on our way.


Here are the 3 intrepid travellers after about 103 miles on bicycles. 7 started, 3 finished. All in all, a great day!

Evan and Me...

Swimming in the lake...

I joined the TNT group that is going to the Nation's Triathlon in an open water swim last evening. We were in Lake Erie at a place called "Columbia Park". That place is a magnet for open water swimmers. I saw my roomie from the Philly Tri at the swim. He is planning to do the Nation's Tri. It was good to see him again and catch up on his plans. Maybe we'll get together for a bike ride some time.

Wetsuits

I attended a free wetsuit fitting and demonstration last evening. Tried on a $600 "Zoot" brand wetsuit. Very nice. Very expensive. I took my two "Team In Training" wetsuits to get an opinion from the "experts" on how they fit. Their conclusion was that my long sleeve wetsuit that I wore last year in the Philadelphia Triathlon was one size too loose. Of course, "too loose" in a wetsuit still means that it is very difficult to squeeze into. The sleeveless wetsuit that I wore for Wildflower was judged to be the proper size. That's actually good because I prefer the sleeveless suit anyway.

Saving turtles...

Watch out for the snapping turtles!

Riding a stretch of road through Mentor Marsh, I came upon a turtle making slow progress crossing the road. Not wanting to see it squashed by a passing car, I reached down to pick it up and deposit it on the side of the road. I expected it to retreat into its shell when I reached down but... It attacked! I didn't think a turtle could move so fast. I narrowly avoided having it bite into my finger. I managed to nudge it gently to the side of the road with my foot.

The moral of the story is verify a turtle's intentions with a stick before deciding on the correct "Good Samaritan" strategy. :-)

Le Tour de Hamilton County

My brother has just set the date for his annual century ride, June 28th. I'm planning to join in the fun.

The Gobi March...

A very interesting race started yesterday. I signed up for updates...

12:44 am, 7 June 2008, Kashgar, China: Competitors, staff and volunteers have now arrived in Kashgar, anxiously awaiting check-in early in the morning. Competitors will depart for the first campsite in the Gobi Desert at 3 pm, with a large cultural show expected by the locals later in the evening. The bidding for the hot showers continue with a bid reaching US$2130. The Gobi March (China) 2008 website is now live.

12:53 pm, 7 June, Kashgar, China: Check-in is now almost complete. The competitor with the lighest backpack was Juan Encina of Chile weighing in at 6 kg., and William Calarese of Team Microsoft Unlimited Potential had the heaviest backpack weighing in at 17 kg. Competitors will depart for the Gobi Desert in just two hours.

2:30 pm, 8 June 2008, Taxpuxkha: Ryan Sandes of South Africa has won Stage 1 of the Gobi March followed by Siu Keung Tsang of Hong Kong in second, and Juan Encina of Chile in third place.

15:24, 8 June, Taxpuxkha, China: Lia Farley of the United States was the first female to cross the finish line of Stage 1, while Team Lieda of Spain was the first team to cross the finish line. Carlos Dias of Brazil is struggling through Stage 1. Temperatures are around 35 C (100F). Tonight competitors will stay with local Kirghiz families.

1:45 am, 9 June, Tashpushka, China: Competitors are now resting. Two competitors are expected to withdraw before the start. Stage 2 will contain one of the most difficult sections of the stage. The temperatures were very hot for Stage 1, and several competitors required I.V.s.

Check out the 4 deserts series website.

My "baby" is home from China

She returned to Columbus, Ohio, last tuesday, and back to Mentor for the summer on Wednesday. Her dad is so glad to see her. :-)

My "Jury Duty" ends

Not with a bang but a whimper. :-)

Ok with me. I was basically "on call" for three weeks. I had to "check in" each monday evening after 5PM. Turns out they didn't need any of us. Never even went to court. Just had to be available. :-)

More news from my (20 yo) "baby" in China...

Hey daddio, I'll let you forward this to everyone else. :P

I'm in Xi'an and absolutely amazed by the history here! It is astonishing. Xi'an has a 600 year old city wall, which is not at all old in comparison to ruins from 1,500+ years ago. I am really excited to go out and see all the sights... including the terracota warriors.

I'm sure you heard about he 5.8 aftershock that hit earlier. Xi'an did feel it, but no damage. I was actually in the air when the aftershock hit. So all is well :)

So I have to say, nobody mentioned how hard it would be to climb the Great Wall. That thing climbs into the mountains, and there are portions of it where it feels like the steps are going straight up. I had to brace myself on the slippery rocks a few times :P But the view is spectacular, I got a little emotional because I was just so excited to finally be there.

Oh, and Tianamen Square is not all its cracked up to be... it just has a 15 foot picture of Mao (I took lots of pictures). It was interesting though because when we all got there, people wandering around stopped and gathered around us because I don't think they are used to seeing so many foreigners in one group. One old woman actually stood in front of our circle and had her picture taken.

After Tianamen Square we went to the Forbidden City. the history of that place is simply fascinating, and the architects put so much thought into how to properly construct it to show respect to the emperor and his consorts. It is absolutely huge; they weren't lying when they said it had 9,999 rooms.

Ok, so after we did all our stuff in Beijing, we went to this little village about 4 hours outside of Beijing called Gengcun. this village is famous for its storytelling. When we got there, the villagers were all waiting for us and the women of the village started dancing for us. It was a pretty easy dance so many of us joined in, including myself. It was a blast. The villagers were all so welcoming, and all the little children were so excited to see foreigners. It was funny though, we were split up into separate groups to go to different households with interpreters to hear the villagers stories. These stories were so amusing and inventive. I'll tell them to when I get back. Now the funny part was that after the women had told a few stories, they asked us to tell a story. We could not think of one and decided to tell The Three Little Pigs. It seemed like they enjoyed and politely clapped afterwards. Later our interpeter told us, the villagers already knew the story. We were completely owned :P Oh and when we were leaving, a little old lady came up to and said "huai lai" repeatedly, which means "come back." The people here really are beautiful, and really any people who can come back from the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and still have so much spirit.... truly amazing.

So I get to look forward to digging for artifacts (maybe), exploring the history of Xi'an, and then going to Guilin. Oh it'll be so much fun.

I miss everyone, and can't wait to get home. Hope all is well.

Transitions...

There's something exciting about watching the transition area fill up on the day of the race.

Empty transition area the day before the big race.

Filling up, the day of the race.

Graduation day.

One of the software engineers on my team at Mako Surgical graduated this spring with a PhD. from the University of Miami. Smart guy! Since I was on his committee, I was invited to don the professorial attire and participate in the ceremony. I had a great time. I always get a little choked up over the serious tone and the history that underlies such events. But beneath all that regalia...


Beats the heart of a Triathlete! 'Nuff said! :-)

Use it or lose it!

It's my new philosophy of living. I am discovering more and more about my physical (and mental) self as I am pulled inexorably deeper into my fitness craze. Several years ago, after I had surgery on my lower back for a badly herniated disc, I thought that my active fitness days were behind me. The surgeon advised me to "take it easy" since I only had half a disc left. Well, I'm happy to report that the disc has regenerated. I know that from a recent X-Ray. And despite the fact that I no longer make "bend-at-the-waist" and touch your toes part of my regular exercise routine, I am certainly flexible enough to do that easily thanks to a regular Yoga regime.

My left knee, which is missing the top third of the knee cap, and which I had scoped some years ago for a torn meniscus, is feeling just fine these days thank you very much! Running and bicycling has proven to be just the thing to keep it limber and pain free. If I don't use it regularly and vigorously it will tend to stiffen up on me. So, "use it or lose it".

"Take it easy, you're getting older"? No sir, not me!

One more cool picture.

The start of the Wildflower Triathlon:

Nothing more to say. :-)

My "Baby's" trip to China...

My youngest is on a two week tour of China. Here is what she writes about her first day:

Hey everyone!
My goodness, China is way cool... once you get past all the pollution :P Beijing is absolutely beautiful with roses everywhere. When I first arrived, jetlag was kind of slowing me down, but once I got over that I was able to get excited and really enjoy the scenery. I have taken so many pictures, so be prepared.

*sigh* Today we went to see the Temple of Heaven, famous for the Echo Wall. The architecture is very interesting, and it is just amazing to me how much thought was put into the design of the whole thing, and the scale of it is simply astonishing. Then for dinner, we had the famous Peking Duck... so good! I was worried about the food, but so far it's been very good. Also, I don't think you'll believe this... but after dinner we were walking through Beijing, and their were street vendors selling varying kinds of shishkabobs... and I tried scorpion and cricket (very crunchy and salty, but not bad), and I attempted silkworm, but it was a little too juicy, I had to spit it out :P

We also went to a very famous silk store (it was huge!) and learned how the silk was made while watching the whole process. So expect some silk souvenirs, as this was probably the cheapest place I could buy silk in the world.

I may not write in awhile as internet access is kind of expensive, but I miss and love you guys.

The Akron Aeros vs. the Altoona Curves

Last evening my wife and I joined two of our friends at Canal Park in Akron at a baseball game pitting the Akron Aeros and the Altoona Curves. This is the first I've heard of either minor league baseball team. When I first heard the name of the Akron team I thought they were the "Arrows" not the "Aeros". We had a great time!

We parked the car with plenty of time to see the start of the game at 7:05PM. But, we hadn't seen our friends for several years so we decided, "the game can wait", and went to dinner. After a pleasant time and great food at a slightly upscale restaurant we slipped into the ball park noticing that the Aeros were down 3-0. I immediately recognized the ball park as the venue for the finish of the Akron Marathon where I competed in a relay race last september. Small world! I remember running into the park to the finish line which must have been near where home plate was this evening. Cool!

Anyway, we must have brought the Aeros luck since shortly after we arrived they started scoring. The game ended with the Aeros winning 5-3. All in all a very enjoyable evening!

Jury Duty?

Well, my "jury duty" started on tuesday last week. We have been instructed to call a number at the court house after 5PM on monday to find out if we will be serving on the following day, tuesday. Last monday I called the number to discover that our services were not needed last week. The instructions continued to say that I should call the same number the following monday (week two) to find out if I was needed the following day. So, I called the number last evening. I will not be needed tomorrow.

I'm starting to get the picture here. Being on jury duty means being "on call" and available for three weeks on the chance that there is a trial which needs your services. One more week to go. I will call the number next monday to see if they need me at all next week.

I feel like I'm going through "southern Florida" withdrawal. I am so used to travelling there every other week that it seems strange to be home for even two weeks in a row, let alone three. I have scheduled a trip for the first week in June. We'll see what happens next week with the jury duty.

Cleveland Marathon

I went to the Cleveland Marathon today. Not to run, to volunteer at the Team in Training tent to welcome team in training people after the race. We had competitors in the half and full marathon. The weather was great if you were running - not so great if you were standing around, like I was. The temperature was in the low 50s most of the time, raining at the race start but partially cloudy later. I saw one person from the Philadelphia Triathlon last year and another person who did the Chicago Triathlon last year. It was a wonderful time spent with wonderful people.

Another 1/2 Iron Man

I've signed up to do another half iron man. It's on august 10th and it's about 5 minutes from my home. I'll be racing in the Greater Cleveland Triathlon. Should be fun. :-)

Wildflower wrapup - fund raising

Thanks to the support of many generous people my Northern Ohio Wildflower Triathlon Team in Training group raised a total of $78,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Nationally, the Team in Training groups participating in Wildflower this year raised $1.7 Million. That's just for one event!

In the 20 years since Team in Training was started participants have raised over $850 Million for Cancer research.

Wildflower wrapup - with pictures!

Final tally, $5142 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Thanks!

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
- Goethe

The weekend was amazing. We flew out to San Francisco on Thursday, 5/1, rented two vans, stuffed everyone with luggage in the two vans, and headed south on the 3 hour drive to Lake San Antonio. Stopped half-way to eat lunch and pick up food and other essentials. My two "critical" supplies turned out to be a set of ear plugs (for sleeping) that I brought from home and a $15 air mattress that I bought at Target (as an afterthought) on one of our stops. Both items ensured several full night's sleep particularly before my event on Saturday. Very important!

On Friday we went for an early morning swim after posing for a team photo and picked up our bikes which had been shipped from Cleveland. I tried out my bike on a couple of the steep hills near the lake and judged it "ready for action" for the following race day.


After a good night's sleep thanks to my ear plugs and air mattress, it was time for me to head down to the transition area from the camp site to get ready for the start of my race. The temperature in the morning was cool, in the 40s, but warmed up pretty quickly once the sun burned off the morning fog before the 9:05 start of my group. The race started at the end of a boat ramp into Lake San Antonio. The swim start was on the left side of the ramp and the swim finish on the right.

Our campsite.

The transition area filled with contestants readying for the race.

Triathlons are an individual sport. In general, the "rules of the road" specify that the athletes stay to the right, pass quickly on the left, and above all not interfere with the progress of the other competitors. This applies easily to the bike and to the run. It does not, however, apply at all to the swim. The triathlon swim is generally recognized as a "contact sport". You can see what I mean in the two photos of the start of one swimming wave. My strategy was to get away from the crush of bodies as quickly as possible even if it meant staying toward the back and swimming more slowly at the start. About 5-10 minutes into the swim I found some room and was able to make steady progress toward the far buoy. Before I reached the far buoy, the wave of women that started 5 minutes behind us started to catch up to me and the water got a little more crowded again.



43 minutes and 1.2 miles after the start of my wave at 9:05AM I am regaining my footing and starting up the ramp to remove my wetsuit and get into my bicycling gear. I grabbed my helmet, put on my shoes, socks, and gloves, and about 6 and a half minutes later headed out to the 56 mile bicycle course. The course is notoriously difficult consisting of several very challenging climbs one of which, "nasty grade", is a 1,000 foot continuous climb over a 4 mile stretch. I hit the course hoping that the hill work during my training was sufficient to keep me going.




One big difference between the Olympic distance and the Half Iron-man distance is that you have to eat during the race. In my Olympic distance race last year I just needed to stay hydrated. In the longer race you must replace the 400-500 calories per hour that you burn during the bike race. I'm not sure what all I shoved down my gullet during the almost 4 hours I spent on the bike. I do know that I learned to peel a half banana while pedaling at about 15 MPH. Bananas, oranges, goo, power bars, all are standard fare for the triathlete on a bicycle. I tried everything!

The hills yielded to my efforts. I was pleasantly surprised that "nasty grade" was not as difficult for me as I had thought it would be. I even enjoyed the large pink bunny positioned near the top to cheer us on. 3 hours and 53 minutes later I was back in the transition area ready to begin the third and final leg of the race.

In and out of the second transition in 5 minutes and I'm off on the 13.1 mile run to finish the triathlon. The run was about 40% roads and about 60% trails with an elevation change of about 400 feet. I started the run and immediately knew it was going to be trouble. The swim and the bike went by pretty easily compared to the run. I battled muscle cramps in my calves and a charlie-horse in my right quad through much of the race. Luckily, there were water stops about every mile and my race ended up being a series of 1 mile run/walks between water stops. But, of course, I made sure to run every time I saw a camera. 2 hours and 36 minutes after starting I was approaching the finish line for a "photo" finish and one final pose wearing my finisher's medal to show that I was still standing.




After the race we all walked back up to the camp site. This last picture is a beautiful view of the venue. Lake San Antonio is in the background with the start of the swim in the center of the picture. We had to walk up and down this hill when going to and from our camp site.


On Sunday, I screamed myself hoarse cheering for my teammates (and everyone else) in the Olypmic distance race.

I did it!

On May 3rd I completed the Wildflower long course race in 7:23:35!

Evan and me

Less than 1 week to go! Over $5000 raised!

Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals - what you will become is the winner you were born to be!
Zig Ziglar

On tuesday, I ran my last 13 miler before the triathlon. Each time I finish that distance I feel a little better and I recover a little faster. This time, I walked the day after this long run only attempting a second long run on the second day following. 8 miles on thursday went smoothly and 5 miles on friday left me a little tired but my muscles felt fine, definite progress!

This coming thursday, I will be flying with my team to California to participate in the Wildflower Triathlon long course next Saturday. The training for this event is over. My goal this week is to stay loose, pack up, and prepare mentally. Our team has a total of 15 participants, 9 women and 6
men. We will meet at the airport.

My race will start next Saturday at 9:05AM Pacific time, 12:05PM Eastern. That's when my group, 50+, will enter the water and begin the 1.2 mile swim in Lake San Antonio. Some time later, I will grab my bike and begin the 56 mile ride over the hills of Monterey County California. After the ride, I plan to complete the race with a 13.1 mile run over some of those same hills.

Next Saturday, I expect to be competing for over 7-1/2 hours, but I hope to enjoy (nearly ;-) every minute of it.

I received this timely advice from a friend who has been there:
"Don't be nervous, you've done all the hard work. Relax and have fun. You know you can swim the distance, the bike is down-right fun and you can always walk some of the run if you have to. Its that simple Louie.
Remember to hydrate on the bike even when you don't think you need to. Have a blast and remember the race is always easier than the training. Luck is for the ill-prepared Louie, break a leg!"

Thanks!

13 days to go and I have collected $5112!

"If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise."
P. Z. Pearce

Today, while packing my bike to be shipped to California, I actually heard about a, possibly, crazier event. It is 3 days of triathlons. The first day is a sprint distance triathlon. The second day is two Olympic distance triathlons (32 miles each). One in the morning and one in the afternoon. The third day is a half-ironman triathlon (70 miles). The guy I talked to was planning to race all four. Crazy? You tell me!

Wildflower is just around the corner and, man, has this been an eventful week! It all started friday a week ago when I received a summons in the mail to appear for jury duty this tuesday, 4/22. This is not something you can just ignore. I immediately saw my plans for Wildflower going straight down the drain. I started thinking about a plan "B". I promised to complete a half-ironman for all my wonderful donors and, by golly, I am going to complete a half-ironman - even if it ends up being the Cleveland triathlon in August instead of Wildflower in May. Well, I may still sign up for the Cleveland triathlon but I WILL be going to Wildflower afterall, thanks to an understanding judge.

Early tuesday, while I was waiting for word from the judge about my jury summons, I went for my third 13 mile run while in south Florida. The run went well and I felt like I was recovering nicely so I ran 3 miles the next morning and 5 miles the morning after that, Thursday. Well, the 5 mile run was a little more than my legs were ready for. And my left quad let me know it in no uncertain terms. Seems like bicycling, not running, is the best way for me to recover from a long run. Anyway, the best I could handle on friday was a 3 mile walk.

In the mean time I got word on Wednesday that my oldest daughter had gone into labor with my third grandchild, a boy, Evan Louis. Mother, father, and new son are all doing just fine. She left work at 3PM and Evan was born at 7PM, just 4 hours later!

Yesterday, back home in Mentor, I got together very early in the morning with some of my half-ironman wildflower teammates for a 56 mile bike ride. We were riding in the Cuyahoga valley on a beautiful, warm spring day. The ride included a number of sizeable hills which were good training for the Wildflower course. My left quad, still a little injured from the long run early in the week did not give my much trouble at all but I had to beg off on the run (after the ride) because I was afraid of doing more damage. That's now looking like a very good decision because an easy 12 mile bike this morning has me almost fully recovered from yesterday's long ride and my left quad is feeling pretty good. Although, I do think I detect a touch of tendonitis in the back of my left knee. Better get the ice pack!

As I said, it has been a VERY eventful week.

Evan Louis has arrived!

My third grandson, Evan Louis, was born on wednesday, 4/16, at 7:04 PM. At birth he weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces. Unlike his grandfather, he has a full head of hair. :-)

Jenny left work at 3PM and Evan was born at 7PM the same day!

My third 13 miler

Yesterday, I ran my third 13 miler. It was a cool south florida morning. I was up at 5AM and on the road a little before 5:30. I ran for just a little over 2 hours. It's still a bit of a struggle to complete that distance but the real news is that I am recovering much faster after the run. My quads were not very sore at all after this run. I still have a small knot (trigger point) in my left quad but with the massage it is holding up fine. A few twinges in my right calf are also responding to the massage. I have time before the triathlon for one more 13 miler next week. The following week will consist of very easy training since that is the last week before the event.

Today I did yoga and ran an easy 3 miles. Feelin' good!

Here come 'da Judge!

Last friday I received a summons in the mail to appear for jury duty... on April 22! I have no problem fulfilling my civic duty and serving on a jury. But, the timing definitely threatened to kill my hopes of competing in the Wildflower triathlon. At times like these I start by getting philosophical and try to put some perspective on my problems. In the grand scheme how bad is it? My "not going" to Wildflower is trivial compared to what the people I am raising money for go through on a daily basis while battling cancer. But I really want to go! In another year, what will it matter? But I really, really want to go!

After I received the summons I called the judge's office and spoke to a very nice lady who told me to fax a letter to the judge explaining my situation along with copies of my plane tickets. She said she would present the information to the judge and he would decide. So I faxed the information right away last friday and waited... The waiting is hard and I began thinking about alternatives. What if I have to appear on the 22nd? That's the day my bike is supposed to ship to California for the race. If I send the bike and don't make it to California, will they store the bike and ship it back? Or, do I just keep the bike here and can the whole thing? At times like this it's probably better not to think at all. On the other hand, should I have provided more details in the letter? Is that my only shot? Or, will I be able to argue my case. Stop thinking!

Yesterday morning after jumping every time my cell phone rang on monday I finally received the answer from the judge's office. The judge would grant my request for a delay in my service. Besides that, however, the judge would like to know how much advance notice I would need to be able to appear. I thought, "I'm dealing with a very reasonable person here. Not at all the heavy-handed attitude I was half dreading." So, the same very nice lady said there was a summons going out for May 13th. I replied, "I'll be there." And it was done. I'm looking forward to meeting the judge!

20 days to go and I have collected $5112!

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking."
-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes)

Monday evening TNT hosted a "transitions" workshop. They talked about how to shave seconds off your time in the transition between swim and bike and between bike and run. I listened attentively and pretty much kept my mouth shut. In Philadelphia I spent 7 minutes after the swim and about 4 minutes after the bike legs. In the triathlon world, that's practically having a picnic! But, I figure I want to make sure that everything is "just so" before I hit the road on the bike or on the run. If I hurry out of transition and I have forgotten something or am not completely ready, it's going to be a long and probably more painful leg. So, I say, take your time and get it right. But, I didn't say that at the workshop. :-)

My goal is to finish the triathlon (70 miles total). To that end I am concentrating these last three weeks on building my stamina. Since the run is the last leg of the triathlon, maintaining my stamina through that segment is crucial. So...

After taking monday off, just a little yoga and a half hour walk, I tackled my second 13 miler on tuesday. This time, my recouperation lasted no more than about 2-3 days. At the end of the run, I was walking kind of slow since both quads were "screaming" at me. I could tell I have developed a "trigger-point" in my left quad and my right quad was just overall sore. six to twelve mile bike rides on wednesday and thursday along with a lot of massage - mostly using the "stick" and my thumbs on the "trigger-point" trying to knead out the knot - cleared up the soreness in short order. Now, that's progress!

This is one of the few weeks in which I have actually trained in all 3 sports. Bicycling formed the core of the training. This is usual when I am at home. But I also had the long run and this morning I had the last swimming workshop before the race. I am one of the slowest swimmers in the workshop but I am able to complete the hour and a half workout strong. As I said, I'm all about finishing this thing.

I've started thinking about what, and how, to pack for the trip to the race. I went shopping at Dick's sporting goods and picked up a good bike lock and a small flashlight. I mounted two water bottle cages on my bike since our coach said for the 56 mile bike it's best to have two water bottles especially if you miss one of the bottle exchanges. Finally, I mounted my small "flat fix" pack under my saddle. It has a spare tube, tire levers, patch kit, and a CO2 trigger with two cartridges. I really should try that CO2 trigger out at least once before the race.

My second 13 miler

After my "day off" yesterday, I decided to attempt another 12 to 13 mile run. My previous run went well but left me with about a week long recouperation. After a rather tentative start, I gained confidence as the miles slipped by beneath my feet. I was starting to drag about an hour and a half into the effort but I knew that as long as my muscles held out the effort I put into the latter stages of this long run would pay off. I finished in two hours and 9 minutes with my energy pretty well spent but no serious problems with my muscles. My quads are very sore but I can already feel them starting to recover. The next 3 days will be easy ones for me, alternating running and riding. I hope to shoot for another 60 mile ride on saturday.

27 days to go and I have collected $5082 so far!

"Runners like to train 100 miles per week because it's a round number. But I think 88 is a lot rounder."
Don Kardong

Well, I hit 133 miles for the week - 3 walking, 23 running, 107 bicycling. That's not a round number any way you look at it, but I think it's a good number.

It has been a busy and a fun week on the training front. Monday, I was travelling so I took the day off. No time, really, to run. I have to do my running very early in the morning when I am in Florida. My training week started on tuesday with a 10 mile run in about an hour and a half. The important thing about this is that I am getting much smarter about recovering from these long runs, understanding and compensating for the extra stress they put on my muscles. I no longer dread the effects of a long run on the rest of my training week. With that in mind I ran a modest 3 miles on wednesday to recover, asking a co-worker to punch me in the nose if I ran farther. I didn't, so my nose is still intact. :-)

Thursday was a fun day! We had a large group from my company attending the annual "Corporate Run" in Ft. Lauderdale. Mako set up a tent and had a great spread of food and "munchies" catered. At least a couple dozen people showed up with friends and family. Not wanting to wear myself out for the event, I "walked" 3 miles in the morning just to loosen up. The Corporate Run is a 5K (3.1 mile) run/walk and is heavily attended. I took the opportunity to "tri" out my "triathlon" outfit. Pun definitely intended! It was not my best time, but it was the best I was going to do for this specific event. I finished in 25 minutes, 54 seconds. I was struggling from the opening gun - not really sure why. The fun for me actually started after I finished when I quickly downed some water, grabbed two cups and doubled back on the course to offer water and cheer on my colleagues. I had a great time! The next morning I went for a "leisurely" 1 hour run.

Now for the "real" miles. The time till the triathlon is growing short. It's lss than one month away. I have resolved to experience at least the full distance for the bike and the run. So, yesterday, I decided to try for a 60 mile bike in around 4 hours. I was approaching 45 miles in about 3 hours when a poor split-second decision landed me in a pot-hole. I managed to "jump" the hole with my front tire but for the back tire, there was no avoiding it. The back tire went "spongy" on me almost immediately and I knew my ride was finished. Still, not a bad effort.

I had resolved to try again next weekend, but what the heck! Although I was nursing a very saddle sore posterior, I changed my plans to take advantage of today's excellent weather. I wasn't sure how long I would last, but I held on for the full distance, riding a little slower than the day before. Saturday's ride had sure taken it's toll, but today's ride turned into a good "mental toughness" test for me. I am now recouperating.

Think I'll take the day off tomorrow. Maybe just do some yoga or go for a short
walk. :-)

I did it!

It wasn't pretty, but I did it. Another nice day found me on the bike at around 10 AM planning to do a 60 miler despite the "saddle-soreness" from the yesterday. The first 30 miles where not too difficult although I was pedalling at a slightly slower pace than yesterday - around 14 miles an hour. Yesterday's ride had definitely taken a toll. The second 30 miles were a real struggle, but the farther I got the more determined I became to finish the 60 miles. I definitely limped through the last 6 miles but made a total distance of 62 miles in 4 hours, 23 minutes - an average speed of just over 14 miles per hour.

The interesting thing was that, except for part of the last 6 miles, I was able to "charge" all the hills. Stepping up the effort and the pace to climb quickly and steadily. It actually felt better when I hit the few short uphills on my route. The other interesting thing is that the course is pretty flat - there are no real hills in Mentor - so my effort throughout the 60 miles was pretty constant. If there are no uphills you can't coast down any downhills.

I'm recovering now.

45 miles in 3 hours

It was supposed to be 60 miles in 4 hours but I had a flat. Beautiful sunny day in the 50s with dry pavement, perfect for my first attempt to conquer the half ironman bicycling distance (56 miles). Alas, it was not to be. Bad judgement and a pothole in the wrong place pinched a small hole in my rear tire. I could tell immediately that the tire had gone "spongy" on me. It had a slow leak that did not leave me with much remaining riding time. It's ok. The ride left me just 11 miles short of the triathlon distance and well within reach of my 60 mile goal. I definitely feel strong enough to complete it on my next attempt.

I should be able to reach that goal by next weekend.

34 days to go and I have collected $5052 so far!

Predawn ride, I pass my neighbor on a run. "Why are you riding a bike?" he asks. "Running gets you in shape faster." It's not about that. It's about how riding makes me feel. The speed. Leaning into gentle curves. Charging up hills. How strong my legs feel. Riding gets me fit. But thats just luck. I don't ride to get fit.
-R. Todd Barker

37 miles. That's about how far I rode today. Took me a little over 2 and a half hours. That works out to about 14 miles an hour. 37 miles is about two-thirds of the 56 miles I will be riding for the triathlon. Yesterday, I rode about 25 miles. I felt strong after both rides, although I did feel a little stronger on yesterday's ride since I had rested the day before. I was planning to go for longer yesterday, I stopped a little early when I could no longer feel my toes. The temperature for most of the week has been in the low 30's so I have not been able to ride for more than an hour and a half on any given day. Today it got into the 40's and I had planned to ride for longer but decided not to push it to the point where my legs got too sore. I will probably shoot for the 56 miles next weekend. Looks like it will continue to warm up. It is, officially, spring afterall!

My legs seem to have fully recovered from the 12-13 miler I ran almost 2 weeks ago. I have been using "the stick" to massage not only my calves but my quads as well. This seems to have done some good.

My strategy continues to be one of gradually building up my mileage for the bike and for the run. I have, maybe, two more swimming workouts I can go to. I think the swim will take care of itself. I will have to prepare myself mainly for the bicycle and running courses. Tomorrow will be a day off since I will be travelling to Florida for the coming week. I am looking forward to "warm weather" runs while I am down there. I will try to add one or two longer runs as well.

Since the triathlon is only about 1 month away, I will also have to prepare for the trip. I got a box for my bicycle which will have to be shipped to California in about 3 weeks. I will also have to shop for a mattress to go with my sleeping bag. That will be an experience, trying to get enough sleep for the triathlon while camping out for the weekend. So much to think about - so little time. :-)

41 days to go and I have collected $5052

"If you are always allowed to stop training whenever you feel discomfort, you will find it too easy to give yourself permission to quit."
- Attributed to Jet Li

I bit the bullet and pushed myself to a 12-13 miler on Monday. Just had to see that it was possible. Trying to exorcise the running demon from my mind. That last leg of the triathlon still seems the most challenging. It was a long slog and I felt the strain through the second half of the run but I completed it. That was a big step.

The following day, I was determined to get back out to prevent my muscles from tightening with the mild injury I undoubtedly induced the day before. The weather was absolutely miserable but I got out on my bike for about a half hour. I was riding well but returned home soaked to the bone. My left quad is still feeling the effects of Monday’s run, but with regular massage is healing nicely.

Wednesday and Thursday were off days for me. The weather was terrible on Wednesday and on Thursday we drove to Cincinnati for Easter. I dropped of my new bike on the way for its first tune-up to be ready for the triathlon. I took my other bike to Cincinnati for the weekend, planning to ride with my brother on Friday. It’s wonderful having a second bike!

My brother and I toured Cincinnati on our bikes for almost 3 hours on Friday. This is the really fun part of training. Most of the riding was pretty easy, but we threw in a few tough hill climbs. I can tell the effect of my training since the hills are actually getting easier. Hills which I used to dread facing are still tough, but not the killers that I remember. We also stopped to get a little “culture” at the Art Museum.

Bicycling around the town...

Whenever I go to Cincinnati for the weekend to spend time with my family I always check with my brother to see if he wants to go bicycling while I am in town. He always does. So, yesterday, I met him around 1 PM at a neighborhood restaurant and we headed down to the Ohio River. With all the recent rain we have had in the midwest the river is running at about 25-30 feet above "pool" stage. The serpentine wall at the river front only had the topmost step visible above the river level. Normally, there are about 10-15 2 foot steps visible. We rode along Sawyer Point for a short way until we couldn't continue because of the high water level.

Then we headed inland and up a sharp hill (about 300 feet) to the top of Mount Adams. The picture above was taken at the top of Mount Adams. You can see the Ohio River well below us in the background. That was a steep climb and good practice for me leading up to the Wildflower Triathlon. While we were in the area, my brother suggested we stop at the Cincinnati Art Museum. We parked and locked our bikes and walked around for about a half hour. This proves that two sweaty guys out for an afternoon ride can actually absorb a little "culture" along the way.

We continued the ride back to my brother's house covering about 25 to 30 miles and ascending several more challenging hills along the way. The final hill, as usual, is a street called Glenview which is about 250 feet and always ends the days ride. It is my nemesis, although on this day it felt like a good climb. A definite (and necessary) confidence builder for my Wildflower adventure.

Recovering from my 12-13 miler

The recovery actually went quite well. Yesterday, I rode for about a half hour. The weather was miserable, drizzling and in the upper 30's. I got home soaked through and through and miserably cold. The ride, however, did a nice job of loosening up my quads from the long run the day before. Today, my legs feel very good with only a little residual soreness in the quads. My calves feel great!

12-13 mile run

I started thinking about this yesterday. I wanted to do a run that was long enough to convince myself that I can complete the last leg of my upcoming triathlon. So, I settled on completing two circuits of my 10 kilometer route (12.4 miles). Add the few tenths at the start and finish and I have a run which is closer to 13 than to 12 miles. Good enough.

I woke up around 7 this morning. The temperature was in the low 40s. There was a very light drizzle which persisted throughout the run. It's all about persistence, toughing it out even though the conditions are not ideal. And, they were definitely not ideal! Anyway, I persisted for nearly 2 hours and covered the distance I had set out to complete. My quads (particularly my left) have taken a beating. But, it's training pain I am living with now not injury pain. Big difference! I'll take it easy the next few days - maybe some light bike riding - to give my legs a chance to recover. Building confidence for the race. It's all good!

48 days to go and I have collected $5052 so far!

"If you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win."
Carl Lewis

For the next few weeks my training will be aimed at bulding my confidence for the big race. How will I do that? By piling on the miles on the bike and the for run. At this point I think the swimming will take care of itself. I'm confident I can cover that distance in a reasonable period of time. Also, it's the only portion of the course that doesn't have hills. :-)

This has been, for me, a week of testing. Since my recent back and knee problems seem to have abated and since the weather in the north seems to be cooperating, I have resolved to gradually increase my biking and running mileage. The intent is to be able to test myself at least once at the race distance for the bike (56 miles) and for the run (13 miles).

This week while in Florida I went for 4 runs. I alternated "hard day", "easy day" and bumped my maximum distance to about 10 miles. I want to thank my cousin for giving me the information about the muscle "trigger point" discussion and my colleague at Mako for pointing me to the "myofascial release" page. For me, regular massage of my calves and quads has proven to be the final answer to my muscle cramps while running. I look forward to gradually building my distance over the next few weeks. Running is becoming fun for me again!

Yesterday I went for a long bike ride. Right now I feel like I can go forever on the bike. I am really looking forward to the warm spring days that I know are right around the corner. I will build up to a continuous 60 mile ride in preparation for the race. What about the hills? I don't think I will be able to train specifically for those since it is not hilly enough around my house. I am counting on my general fitness to see me through that challenge.

Not forgetting the swim, I participated today in the second last swimming workshop at Oberlin College. For the first time, I used my new "semi-prescription" swim goggles. Amazing! I can see! It will be wonderful to be able to sight the bouy easily in the race. We covered at least 2300 yards (1.3 miles) during the practice. The last drill was a set of 25 yard swims with the coach surprising us by telling us how to swim the 25 yards only 5 seconds before the start. The choices were easy swim, sprint, underwater, and one of several drills. He started us off with an easy swim, then two underwater lengths back-to-back. I made the first one on one breath, but my lungs were screaming as I neared the wall at the opposite end. I didn't even try to to the second underwater swim on one breath, taking a second one at the half-way point.

The next weeks are all about building mileage and the confidence that goes with it. Wish me luck! :-)

Back in the saddle... rackin' up the miles

After a week of warmer weather up north, the foot and a half of snow that fell around my house has half melted away. At least the roads are clear and mostly dry. The temperature today is in the mid thirties but the sun is (mostly) out. It's a good opportunity to get my bike out and see how long I can go. With the triathlon only a month and a half away I am anxious to build my mileage in the bike (56 miles) and the run (13 miles). The swim will have to take care of itself.

When I started riding I was planning to sort of play it by ear and go for either one or two hours and 12 to 25 miles. As I rode, my muscles loosened up and I became more comfortable and felt stronger on the bike. Still, it was a little cold to be out for any length of time. I was able to finish 30 miles in about 2 hours. I returned home still feeling fresh enough to do more miles, but it was really too cold for me to stay out any longer. I'm very happy with the effort and will be building my mileage over the next few weeks. When I got home today I took a long hot shower.

Hitting my stride

With less than two months to go until the big race I need to increase my running mileage to be able to handle the last leg of the triathlon. I am in Florida this week. This is the perfect place to work on the long slow runs. My old nemesis, "calf cramps", seems to be at bay thanks to my daily routine of massaging those muscles. So, here's how it has gone so far this week.

Tuesday morning was my long run "shake down". I covered about 8 miles in just over an hour. My lower left calf stiffened up a bit toward the end of the run but I felt strong the whole way. When I finished and started massaging my left calf, I could feel a small knot in the muscle that was a little tender. I can still feel it today but it is much less tender after several days of massage. Yesterday, I ran and walked for about 30 minutes. "Hard day, easy day" is my strategy so that I don't overdo it and injure myself. Here's the great news. I covered about 10 miles today in around and hour and a half. I felt strong for the whole run and my left calf which was a little stiff initially loosened up during the run and felt very good at the end.

I feel confident that with this strategy and the daily massage I can build up to the 13-15 miles I will need to feel confident about finishing the triathlon in May.

55 days to go and I have collected $5027 so far!

I'm not finished collecting donations but, thanks to your generosity, I have surpassed by minimum commitment of $4900 - the requirement to participate in the Wildflower triathlon. Thanks!

"Where else but in San Francisco would characters such as Sister Boom-Boom, a transvestite who dresses in a miniskirted nun's habit, and a punk rocker named Jello Biafra run for seats on the Board of Supervisors? And where else would 75,000 runners dress like centipedes, gorilla, and six packs of beer to participate in the "moving masquerade ball" otherwise known as the Bay to Breakers Race?"
-JoAnne Davidson, journalist

My oldest daughter emailed me about a 101 year old man training to run the London Marathon on April 13th. I don't know what else to say, but... Amazing! Apparently, if he finishes he will be the oldest person to have completed a marathon. Go man go!

I was able to squeeze in a 12 mile bike on monday before I headed for San Francisco and the weather in Cleveland took a turn for the worst. On tuesday I got to the hotel a little after noon changed into my running duds and headed out towards fisherman's wharf. I'm guessing that the hotel where I stayed is about 3-4 miles from the wharf. The weather in San Francisco was just about ideal all week. A little beyond fisherman's wharf is a public pier that curves around opposite Alcatraz. From the pier is a beautiful view of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. I slowed down a bit and took it all in. The other side of the pier was a nice sheltered cove. If I had my wet suit I could have gotten in an nice open water swim or two. I think I need to concentrate on the running, however. That final 13 miles is looming larger and larger in my imagination these days. In a little over an hour I was back at my hotel.

The next two days I got up around 5:30AM and headed out for a 30-45 minute "hill" run. I actually found someone else who was crazy enough to keep me company on these runs. Wouldn't you know it, he's a former Marine. Kinda figures. :-) He and I ran up and down Nob Hill. Nob Hill is a gradual climb for about 4-6 blocks but just when you think you're almost there you hit the last 1 block uphill which is an absolute killer. It's a significantly steeper grade than the previous climb. It provides great practice for just "gutting" it out to get to the top. My legs think they are running but my body is moving at an agonizing crawl. Heading down hill is not much better since your legs take a real pounding on those steep grades.

On friday morning I had to be at the conference by about 7AM so I wasn't planning to run. However, I found myself wide awake at 3:30AM (6:30AM EST). So, I headed out for the hour round trip to fisherman's wharf one more time. On the way I saw a baker taking a 4 foot crocodile out of the oven. It was a loaf of sourdough shaped like a croc. :-) Aahh! The smell of freshly baked bread is well worth waking up for. It was a nice finish to my San Francisco runs.

I left Frisco that evening on the red-eye, wondering when I would make it home. All of Ohio was by then in the middle of a record setting late season blizzard. I expected to get stuck in Charlotte, which was my intermediate stop, on saturday morning. But I did make it at least close to home that day. However, I didn't actually get home until the following day, sunday. After all that, I'm really glad to be home!

I had a pair of prescription swim goggles that I had ordered last week waiting for me when I got home. What a treat. Now I may actually be able to spot the bouys on my open water swims.

I'm off to florida tomorrow where I hope to continue to build up my running mileage.

Airport adventure... Not!

I spent most of the week in San Francisco at a conference. Got 4 good runs in while I was there. Ran up Nob hill twice and out to Fisherman's Wharf twice. On friday, I took the "red-eye" home to Mentor. That is when the "fun" began.

My first leg was Frisco to Charlotte, N.C. I left Frisco at 10:40PM (1:40AM EST) and arrived in Charlotte at about 6:45AM EST. So far so good. To be completely honest, before I left I fully expected to get stranded in Charlotte since there was a fierce blizzard raging over pretty much all of Ohio starting some time on Friday and continuing through Saturday. I was very surprised to find that the plane bound for Cleveland took off right on time at 8:05AM. Turns out, that was just a "teaser". The ride to Cleveland was uneventful but when we tried to land they were plowing the runway and the snow was just too deep to attempt a landing. The pilot then diverted to Akron/Canton to try to land there. Cleveland Hopkins airport is about 45 minutes from my home. Akron/Canton is about an hour and 15 minutes from home. Still ok. We were able to successfully land at Akron/Canton, so I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing at this point. Very happy to be so close to home.

They refueled the plane and gave us the option of trying a second time for Cleveland Hopkins. Of course, if we were unable to land there we might end up in Pittsburgh or even back in Charlotte. That's a no brainer, I'm staying put at Akron/Canton. So, it's about 10:30AM on saturday and I am only a relatively short car ride from home. So close, and yet so far away. Problem is, with the blizzard howling away outside the interstates were a mess. Maybe if the weather lets up a little I can still get a ride later in the day. Not a chance! It wasn't until after midnight that the snow and the wind began to abate giving the snow plows the opportunity to begin clearing the roads.

I was hanging out near the gate at which I had entered the terminal (nice and quiet) until security told me I would have to move out into the terminal. Watched CNN most of the night, unable to sleep for more that short periods - this is the night following my all night "red-eye" flight! Got really sick of seeing the Larry King interview of Janet Jackson. They repeated it 3 or 4 times during the night!

Finally got a ride home. I'll try to get a little sleep and get ready for my flight to Florida tomorrow. But, I've got a lot of snow to shovel :-(

62 days to go and I have collected $5027 so far!

I'm not finished collecting donations but, thanks to your generosity, I have surpassed by minimum commitment of $4900 - the requirement to participate in the Wildflower triathlon. Thanks!

"Life is an endurance sport!"
Lou Arata

It's true! Whether you're raising children or trying to keep up with grandchildren, building a new career or keeping up with the demands of a more established career, life requires endurance! My addiction to life drives my addiction to my chosen sport.

Speaking of endurance events, the Iditarod started today. What's the Iditarod? It's an 1150 mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.

I struggled a bit to get on the bike this week. I was able to get in a couple of 12 mile rides and a six mile ride but the weather kept me indoors for two days. Looks like milder weather is on the way, though. Spring can't be far off. The good news is, my right knee is back to very nearly 100%. In fact, at the moment I have no real physical complaints. Hope it lasts. :-)

Yesterday, I participated in a spinning workout organized by our Team in Training coach. A spinning workout is an hour long session on a stationary bicycle in which you try desperately to keep up with the coach - in this case, an accomplished "Iron Man" triathlete. I am dripping with sweat - not a dry spot on me - after about 10 minutes. The workout involves continuous pedalling while simulating hills by increasing the resistance. We finished the workout with a rousing chorus of "Macho Man", which was a little strange since over half of the team are women. But, they may have been singing "Nacho Man" - I think I heard that once or twice.

I haven't had much pool time during my training for this event. Maybe an hour and a half each month so far. I'm not really concerned, since the swim is only about a third longer than I faced last year in Pilly (1.2 miles instead of 0.9 miles). The bike and the run are over twoce the distance of the Philly triathlon. I figure, I just want to complete the swim without getting too beat up. You see, in the triathlon swimming is a contact sport. It's pretty much a "free for all" with people swimming into and over you at least at the start and later on as well when the wave that starts 5 minutes behind you catches up. I maxed out my pool time today, however, finishing an hour and a half workout in Oberlin then driving an hour to do an hour Team in Training workout in Macedonia. I think I'll do ok in the swim.

This coming week I'll be in San Francisco. I'll be attending the biggest orthopedic conference in the nation. It will be my company's big chance to debut our products. I am looking forward to running the hills in San Francisco. It's a great city for running and great preparation for the Wildflower course. Oh, and the conference should be pretty cool too. :-)

California Dreamin'

As in "It's a nice place to visit, but...". Yesterday and today we got hit hard with snow. I'm "snowed in" at the moment and going a little stir crazy. With just a little over two months to go until the Wildflower Triathlon and plenty of training to do after my recent troubles I can't seem to get a consistent week of workouts in. Well, for most of the next two weeks I'll be in warmer climes. Next tuesday through friday I'll be in San Francisco for a conference. I've been poking around the internet for some good routes around Frisco to do a 5-10 mile run. Maybe I'll just wing it when I get there. The hills will be good training. I will take full advantage of them

The following week, from monday through friday, I'll be in florida. I know my routes there. This will be a good chance to start to rebuild my running stamina. Long, slow distance will be my mantra for the next month or so. Got to build up to 13 miles for the race in early May.

69 days and $503 to go!

"Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that's cool too."
Pat Tyson

I think I'm starting to hit my stride again! I'm definitely regaining my passion for running. I know that injury is all part of this "game" I have chosen for myself, but injury has a way of taking the fun out of it as well.

In florida this week I made a tentative effort to rehabilitate my injured right knee and build back up to a reasonable running distance. Tuesday, wednesday, and thursday saw me gradually build up to a continuous 3-4 mile run. I am definitely seeing some success in getting back to the training necessary to complete the 13 mile final leg of the triathlon I will run in May.

What gives me even more confidence is that yesterday I completed a 5 mile run while I was in Houston for a conference. It was an enjoyable run and to round it out I walked an additional 8 miles (4 each way), between the hotel and the venue for the conference. My quads are a little sore, but that's a "good" pain, signalling only that the muscles are growing stronger.

After I returned home today I donned my cold weather "layers" of clothes and went for a 12 mile ride on my bike. I'll probably give the running a bit of a rest this week since I'm home and work on the bike instead. Gotta find a way to get back in the pool! :-)

A runner's Mecca

One of the cool things about travelling to a new place is that I get to try out a new route for my morning run. I was in Houston, Texas yesterday for a conference. On the shuttle ride from the airport the previous day the driver was talking about this great park near our hotel with a parcours and a 3 mile running trail. So, naturally, I was intrigued and he assured me that it was only about a mile from the hotel in which I was staying. I asked at the desk and found out the the complete route from the hotel to the park (Memorial Park), around the path, and back to the hotel was about 5 miles. So, I resolved to make that my route for yesterday's morning run.

Needing to get an early start, I was up a little after 5 and out the door a little before 6. I didn't need to take the map with me bacause the directions were very easy. Not sure exactly what I was looking for and not sure what I would find when I got there, I was a little apprehensive, wondering if it was a good idea to strike out on my own in the dark in a strange city. I had visions of a lonely run around a dark course in a park I didn't know, perhaps filled with muggers! Where's that pepper spray when you need it! :-)

Well... I headed out the door on a chilly (45 degree), dark morning. The run to the park was along a road with no sidewalks. The light traffic meant that I could run in the road part of the time (facing the cars of course). I was beginning to wonder whether I had missed the park entirely when I crested a rise in the road to see... lights! and... people! There it was, the park and the running course that, apparently, never sleeps! There were dozens of people visible on the well lit trail. There may have been upwards of a hundred or two people in the park at that time of the day enjoying the brisk weather and the company of other runners. It was great!

After covering about a mile, I pulled even with a woman who was going about my pace and struck up a conversation. No, as a guy I don't feel compelled to pass every woman I meet while running. I'm too old for that stupid macho stuff :-) Anyway, we had a nice run and chat for the remaining 2+ miles of the course. I was so absorbed in the conversation that I completely missed the turn to go back out to the road and return to my hotel. I only figured it out when I started noticing things that looked familiar along the course, like the parking lot. At that point I said a quick "good bye" and headed back. On the way back to the road, I spoke briefly with a guy who was wearing a "Team in training" shirt. It was a wonderful time.

Fixing my knee - the wrong way and the right way

A little over two weeks ago, I took a slow speed tumble off my bike and banged my right knee on the asphalt. I finished the ride and my knee felt ok but later that day it began to stiffen up. That evening, I could tell that it was a little swollen so I iced it a few times and took some asprin. That seemed to bring some relief so I resolved to "run off" the remaining affects of my bike tumble. Bad idea!

I tried running on it the following week with, I thought, some early success. However, my knee was still stiff, indicating that the swelling had not subsided. Three more days of pushing the running and I was hobbled by what I believe to be a case of bursitis. The swelling, which was originally general, had become localized (I think) in my prepatellar bursa. This effectively shut me down completely from running or even from much walking.

I spent the next week (last week) icing my knee hourly and taking a lot of aspirin. With this treatment the bursitis seemed to resolve itself to the point where I was able to ride about 25 miles total on the following (this past) saturday and sunday. The swelling seemed to have subsided leaving only a residual pain from the bump.

This week I have slowly resumed the running. Yesterday, I completed a 3 mile course by alternately running and walking in half mile segments. I was a little disappointed that the knee pain was still there during the running, but I waited to see how my knee felt as the day progressed. Not only did my knee not swell, but it began to feel better throughout the day. This morning, I ran the first and last mile of the three mile course and walked the middle mile. While there is still some tenderness, the swelling has not returned and my knee felt better during the running today.

So, the moral for me is: don't try to run through a swollen knee. The best way to treat it is lots of ice until the swelling goes down. On the other hand, when there is no swelling, put up with a moderate amount of pain to resume your normal activities. As in all things, it is important to find a proper balance.

76 days and $503 to go!

It's something I find enjoyable. Whether it is a road bike or mountain bike or tandem bike. I enjoy riding a bike.
-Lance Armstrong

Me too! I think I've been getting a little cranky this week. The need to keep icing my knee and weather that was totally uncooperative kept me grounded monday through friday. I didn't even get out for a walk!

Finally, yesterday the weather cleared. It was still in the 20s but the sun was out and the sky was clear so I went for a couple of 10K (6.2 mile) rides. After each ride I iced my knee. My knee is actually feeling quite good. It is still a little tender and I still feel an occasional twinge but I feel strong on the bike, particularly after all the rest; and it feels very natural to me to be riding again.

Yesterday, ABC had an hour and a half recap of the 2007 Hawaiian Ironman competition. Ok, now I'm really psyched! So many interesting individual stories from the 60 something blind grandpa to the man who had both legs amputated below the knee - both finished the race. It got me thinking a little about why I should be attracted to training for and competing in triathlons. It's not just for fitness, although that is an excellent reason to compete. Clearly, it isn't necessary to train for a 70 mile race if your main goal is to stay fit. It's really about challenging myself physically the way my job challenges me mentally. It's about building the mental toughness to persevere under extreme circumstances. To build that toughness sometimes you just have to "invent" those extreme circumstances in a triathlon competition. It's about going after something that you would never consider because it just seems somehow out of reach.

Today, the temperature is in the 40s and very windy. Earlier we had light rain which let up enough for me to get out for a 12 mile ride. It really feels great to be back on my bike!

83 days and $603 to go!

"Some people endure pain better than others. All things considered, the ability to withstand - or even deny - pain would seem to be a valuable ally for the long distance runner in search of significant improvement. In truth, it is probably a double-edged sword, since medical experts tell us that pain is the body's warning signal to back off, and that to ignore such signals is to roll the dice with both body and mind."
Mark Will-Weber

Will I ever learn? Maybe not! I caught the second edge of that double-edged sword this week by running through the pain. Not a good idea in this case.

It all started last sunday. I took a slow speed tumble on my bike and slammed my right knee on the asphalt. My knee loosened up as I finished the ride so I didn't think too much of it. Later that evening, my right knee started to stiffen up on me so I popped a few aspirin and iced it a few times. In florida this week, I ran tuesday morning doing a short 3-4 mile route at an easy pace. My knee was a little tender but it seemed to do ok. The rest of the day it felt fine.

I thought I was being smart by just fast-walking on wednesday morning a couple of miles. In reality I should probably have rested completely. Thursday morning I ran about a mile and walked another mile but by then it was pretty obvious to me that my knee was getting worse, not better. By friday, when I returned home I was no longer able to lead with my right leg while walking up steps. My body had called a halt to things, telling me it needed time to heal!

Self diagnosis is a tricky thing, but the fact that the initial problem involved swelling and stiffening of the knee which only got worse with activity leads me to believe that it is probably bursitis. In any case my body is telling me to stop and attend to the swelling and pain until that is resolved. So, that is what I am doing.

The last two days I have been downing aspirin every 4 hours and icing my knee for about 15 minutes every hour. I am happy to report that the symptoms are definitely improving. If the weather cooperates and my knee feels better I hope to get back on my bike later this week. I will run again next week but only if the pain has completely subsided. I promise!

I gave up a perfectly good (and rare) chance to train in a pool today in order to stay home and ice my knee. It's for the better.

90 days and $603 to go!

"Restlessness is discontent - and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man - and I will show you a failure."
Thomas Alva Edison

Restlessness, that's the story of my week. Both the weather and my ailing back were conspiring to keep me from doing much training. The weather, not because of the temperature, but because of the road conditions - too much snow, slush, or ice. I won't ride if I think there is a better than even chance that I will take a spill on the bike. My back is actually rehabilitating rather nicely but I didn't want to push it until all the pain is gone.

Anyway, here's how the week went. Monday was the one nice day this week so I was able to take my new bike for a spin. It rides great! I'm really going to enjoy it. When I went for my second ride on tuesday. I decided to get a new saddle, one that was more like the saddle on my road bike. I spent the next 3 days indoors concentrating on my hourly exercises to help mend my aching back. Yesterday, I went for a short ride to and from the bank just to cash a check. Yes, it still counts as training, light training anyway. Today, I took the new bike out for another 12.5 mile ride. Felt good and the discomfort in my back seems to have gone entirely.

I'll be in Florida this coming week, so it will be a good opportunity to ease back into the running and see if my back has really healed. Looks like I will have to pay regular attention to maintaining the health of the discs in my back. Every time I get a little complacent because I am not feeling any lower back pain I seem to get myself in the same fix - bulging discs.

Well, I have about 3 months to go until the triathlon. The weather should start getting milder. Spring is around the corner. Now the training starts in earnest.

A new saddle

Tuesday, I rode about 12.5 miles on my new bike, my second ride. Feeling more comfortable with the shifters. No longer reaching my thumb out when I need to shift to a smaller sprocket. Getting used to using my fingers to push the brake lever and the shift lever sideways to do my up and down shifting. But, I decided I didn't like the feel of the saddle. I've gotten used to saddles which have a center cut-out to relieve the pressure on the peroneal nerve. Keeps me from getting numb in a place where most men really don't like being numb - if you know what I mean. Anyway, I took the bike back to the place where I bought it and they swapped the saddle that came with the bike for one that I picked out of a "grab box". This new one almost matches the saddle I have on my trusty "Specialized" road bike. I know that one works since I have ridden up to 80 miles in one day on that saddle. Now I should be set.
The weather has gotten really cold here in the last couple of days. My back is feeling better but I should probably give it another day or two before I get back into the training seriously. The hourly exercises really seem to be helping.