The big race!

We arrived in Washington, D.C. around noon on Friday and spent the rest of the day checking in to the hotel, attending a briefing for the race, and registering. The hotel was awash with Team in Training athletes. There's something really cool about seeing a bunch of grown kids lugging gear and bicycles around the lobby of an upscale Washington hotel, the Hilton. Most of the 585 Team in Training members who were registered for the race were staying in the hotel. The day before I had started saturating my body with vitamin C to combat an incipiant cold.

On Saturday, we took the bus to the race start/finish/transition area to get our bikes, which had been shipped earlier that week. I fastened my number, 5396, to my bike and found my spot on the bike racks in the huge transition area, which was big enough to hold the over 4,000 bikes which would be ridden in the race. By shear luck, I had been given a spot at the edge of the route I would be running through the transition area. I would be able to position my bike and equipment right along that path! We then collected for a short Q and A with Dave Scott, 6 time Iron Man World champion. While he was speaking I noticed that a boat on the Potomac, which was a short distance away, seemed to be drifting fairly quickly with the current. Since we would be swimming about half of our 0.9 mile distance going upstream on the following day, that made me a little nervous. So, I was keen to test the water when we entered the Potomac for our warmup swim a short time later. While I was swimming, I stopped a couple of times to see how quickly I drifted with the current, only to find that I was barely moving. That gave me a big boost of confidence for the swim. Now, if only it will be "wetsuit legal" tomorrow.

My Sunday started bright and early at 4AM. We loaded onto buses at 4:30 with all our gear to ride to the transition area, lay out our gear, and wait for our race starts, which were from 7AM to 8:33AM. At 6:45AM we left the transition area and collected in the "swim pen", all 4,000+ of us. The race was wetsuit legal, so all but a very small number of us had wetsuits. It was a surreal sight in the shadow of the Washington Monument as 4,000+ "penguins" watched the sunrise and waited for their chance to jump into the Potomac to begin the race. I waited for an hour and a half as the crowd of penguins gradually thinned and it got closer to my race start time.

Finally, 8:30AM came and I jumped into the water with the rest of my "wave". The gun went off and we were on our way. In my two other triathlon experiences, the initial "crush" at the swim start thinned within a short while. In this case, however, since waves of people had been starting every 3 minutes for the previous hour and a half the crowd never really did thin out. For the next 37 minutes I had to swim around slower and dodge faster swimmers. Finally, I completed the circuit and was making my way out of the water, stripping off my wetsuit and heading for the transition area.

I easily found my bike at the edge of the path through transition, removed my wetsuit and continued out onto the bicycle course. The course was a beautiful combination of rolling hills with plenty of shade. But, my cold was beginning to sap my strength. I could tell this immediately when I began riding. For the next hour and a half, my energy would wax and wane as I struggled to maintain my pace.

I finally returned to the transition area to begin the final run leg of the race. I felt strong when I began the run with no sign of muscle cramps. Walking through the water stops to make sure I remained well hydrated was proving to be a good strategy. At about mile 4, however, my cold was again sapping my strength. I had to slow down a bit and walk for maybe a half mile at a time to save something for the finish. My overall time for the race was 3 hours and 26 minutes. Not my best effort, but reasonably good given my struggles with the cold.

It was a great weekend and an amazing experience. Our group of 10 from northern Ohio raised over $58,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Most impressively, the 585 TNT participants in this one triathlon raised over $2.4 million for the Society.

I am hoping to join Team in Training for the Wildflower Triathlon in California next May.

5 days and $0 to go!

Spent most of last week in Florida where I made several 3 mile and one 6 mile run. I think I'm ready for the run leg on Sunday. I'll take one salt tablet before each leg of the race. That should help me fight off the leg cramps.

On Saturday, several of my team in training friends were getting together for a swim at Headlands Beach. Since my wife had the car, I decided to bike to Headlands to meet my friends for the swim. It's an easy 20-25 minute ride from my house to Headlands... usually. The swim was at 7:15 AM, so I left home at 6:30. Plenty of time. I was about half-way to the Beach when I realized that I wasn't wearing my helmet! That never happens since I am very careful to always wear my helmet when I am riding. Well, it happened this particular morning. So, I hurried back to my house to get my helmet. Now, I am definitely running late. I slapped my helmet on my head and hurried back out to the Beach. I was half-way to the Beach again when I realized that my rear tire felt a little mushy. A short time later, it was flat. Of course, it's always the rear tire. Becuase that is the hardest to change. It was a struggle since I had both saddle bags on my bike to carry my gear for the swim. Well, I finally arrived at Headlands at 7:30, about 15 minutes late. Happily, my friends were still waiting.

We had a nice swim and I rode with them for a short time after the swim then headed for home.

On Friday, I'm off to D.C. Wish me luck!

14 days and $0 to go!

Two steps forward, one step back. It's been a rough week, but I'm getting back "in the saddle", so to speak.

I started the week on Monday with a round of yoga. I rested from any other activity after my swim / run on Sunday. On Tuesday after yoga I went for a 6 mile run. About 4 miles into the run, I took a tumble after I missed an uneven spot on the sidewalk. A quick "duck and roll" maneuver left me with a little "road rash" on my right leg and left elbow but no other "damage". Nothing really hurt but my pride. I finished the run with slightly bloodied socks from my wounds. On Wednesday I did my yoga and laid off the other activities to let my leg heal.

With beautiful weather on Thursday morning I decided to go for a 10 mile ride out to Headlands Beach and back. It had rained the night before, so I should have been extra cautious. But the exceptional weather lulled me into a false sense of security. Rounding a rather sharp bend, I encountered a small patch of sand on the asphalt path. Who would have thought there'd be sand at a beach ;). That was enough to send my bicycle to the right as my body was going to the left :(. With my feet securely fastened into the pedal clips, I wasn't able to jump clear of the bike, so I did what I tought was the next best thing. I put out my left hand to brace myself against the inevitable fall.

I thought I had escaped with nothing more serious than a slight case of road rash. But, I was wrong. A severely sprained wrist was the result of my attempt to keep myself from hitting the road too hard. I spent a sleepless night downing aspirin and ibuprofen and wrapping and unwrapping my wrist to try to get comfortable. This was followed by a full day of periodically icing my wrist in the hotel ice bucket. We were out of town and staying in a hotel for my son's wedding. There's a certain symmetry to this since on the day my son was born my arm was in a sling due to a separated shoulder, which happened when I fell while running. So, on the day he was married my sprained wrist from a bicycle fall was wrapped.

Well, my wrist is feeling much better today. It is definitely on the mend. On to Washington, D.C. It's only 2 weeks away!

20 days and $0 to go!

I finally got some salt pills! I'm hoping that will resolve my periodic problems with leg cramps and pulls.

The week started pretty well with yoga and a 3 mile run on Monday. The team got together on Tuesday at a local beach on Lake Erie. I was there. We started with a half hour swim in the lake. This is the first time I have been swimming since vacation. It felt good and I was able to maintain a strong stroke for the entire time. The water was pretty rough, which added to the challenge. We had all brought our bicycles. So, after the swim we biked for about 45 minutes then finished up with a 2 mile run. It was a mini-triathlon. I picked up my new "Team in Training" Tri shorts and top. Pretty cool! No matter how I do in D.C., at least I'll look good. It was really good to get together with the rest of the Team. I really don't have the opportunity to do that too much.

I did yoga on Wednesday, but nothing else since I wanted to rest up from the workout on Tuesday. On Thursday, I started with yoga and went for a 6 mile run. I completed 5 miles and waked the last after I felt a sharp pain in my right calf. I knew if I continued running it would just get worse, so I walked the rest of the way. That's when I decided to look for salt pills.

On Friday I did yoga and gave my legs a rest. On Saturday I rode about 6 miles. On Sunday I met up with the Team again and swam for about 45 minutes in Lake Erie. After the swim, we ran about 2 miles. A beautiful day for a nice workout.

Oh, yes. And I ordered a bottle of salt tablets I found on the internet. They're "SaltStick" brand and have all the good stuff - sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. They even have some Vitamin D to help the absorption of the calcium. Hope they work.

27 days and $0 to go!

The Pittsburgh skyline as seen from Mount Washington. The bridge that is visible spans the Allegheny River. The Ohio River is in the lower left. The Monongahela River comes in from the upper right but is not visible in this picture.

My daughter with the biggest owl I've ever seen.

Yoga and running. That comprised much of my training this week. Tuesday and Wednesday, I did my joga routine and ran about 3 miles. No real problems with the calf cramping. That's a good thing. Hopefully, I am past that. I definitely need to start gearing up for the big race, which is less than a month away. I decided to step up the distance on Thursday, covering 5-6 miles on my morning run.

Thursday evening, I was in Pittsburgh to visit my youngest daughter who was interning for the summer at the National Aviary. She is staying on Mount Washington on the shores of the Monongahela River, which joins the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River at the base of Mount Washington. Two blocks from where she was staying is a stunning view of downtown Pittsburgh. Friday and Saturday morning, I ran the length of the aptly named Grandview Avenue along the crest of Mount Washington. It was indeed a "grand view". It was also quite a workout! The crest of Mount Washington is actually quite hilly!

I finished the week by biking about 10 miles on Sunday, after doing my joga routine, of course.

35 days and $0 to go!

Yes, I have met my fundraising commitment and goal. A big thanks to all who contributed. Your generosity is helping those who are truly in need... and, one tri-geek to participate in a truly wonderful event. Thanks!

I spent most of the week running in the "Big Easy". I'm still nursing a slightly pulled left calf but it's definitely improving. Regular Yoga before my morining run is helping a lot. I must stay flexible and that seems to be the best way for me to do that.

On Monday, I ran a total of about 3 miles from the Hotel to the Super Dome and back. This was not a particularly interesting course. So, on Tuesday through Friday I decided to take a more well-worn path through the French Quarter. Much more interesting. Interesting architecture, interesting people, smelly streets - at least early in the morning before they get a chance to hose everything down. You have to dodge the occasional tipsy pedestrian unsteadily wending their way back to their hotel after a night of merriment. In admiration, I hailed the garbage collector who was doing pullups on the side of the truck while it was moving. First time I've seen that done. A couple of times, I passed a warehouse full of women shucking oysters for the days repasts. All in all, a very interesting place.

On Saturday, for the first time since vacation, I climbed on my bike and rode about 10 miles. I had intended to ride out to Headlands Beach but the Greater Cleveland Triathlon was in full swing. I hadn't realized it was this weekend. So, after gingerly dodging a few runners to keep from interfering with their race, I headed back home.

42 days and $120 to go!

I started to get back to the regular running regime this week, but my old nemesis, the pulled calf muscle, got in my way. Back from vacation, I flew to Florida for the week hoping to get in some good running. So, Tuesday morning after a 20 minute session of Yoga, I went for a 3 mile run. I noticed about three quarters of the way through the run that my right calf was beginning to tighten a little. By the end of the run, it was clear that I probably had trouble. It stiffened up over the next day or two, so I was only able to walk. The walking seemes to have loosened it up a little. I was able to run 2-3 miles on Saturday morning, but I am still feeling a little stiffness in that muscle.

In the mean time, I have decided to concentrate on my Yoga routine. My left knee, which has had a couple of surgeries over the years seems to do much better if I flex and stretch the surrounding muscles regularly. I have gotten away from the Yoga a bit lately. Getting back to it will be a good "tune-up" for the big race, which is only 6 weeks away now.

49 days and $120 to go!

I actually took a bit of a vacation this week from the training. After all, I was on vacation.

Monday, Heather and I took the kayaks to the south inlet and paddled to an island about 1 mile from the shore. On the way back, we noticed that the skies were darkening quickly and we saw flashes of lightning. We started paddling harder when we noticed about 3 or 4 dolphin had joined us. They are magnificent creatures! They shadowed us for about 10 minutes, once startling me when one of them exhaled loudly through his blow hole right behind me. I almost fell out of the kayak! What an amazing experience. We made it back to shore before the dark clouds closed in.

Tuesday, I got serious (for one day) and ran around the island once more. It was a good run and I felt strong when I finished.

The rest of the week involved two more trips to the south inlet with the kayaks, numerous kayak excursions up and down the beach with Heather, and a 200-300 yard swim between two break-waters with my brother and sister - an annual ritual of ours. Saturday we drove straight home, leaving Edisto at around 7 AM and arriving back home to Mentor at around 9 PM.

This morning I went for a 6 mile run. Now starts the really serious training for the Nation's Triathlon in September. I can't wait!

56 days and $220 to go!

My first week of training on vacation went very well. On monday I ran around Edisto Island from our cottage to the south inlet, out on the beach for about a half mile, then back to the road, down Jungle Road and back up Palmetto to the cottage again. It took about an hour and a quarter, a distance of about 7-8 miles. I finished out the day's training with a one hour bike ride through the state park. Check out the cool pictures of my route.

On tuesday, I did a shortened "brick" workout riding for a half hour, then jumping off the bike for a quick half hour run. Wednesday, I hopped back on my bike for a one hour ride through the park again. Gee, I love that route!

I thought Thursday would be a good day attempt another long run. I was wrong. The humidity was up and there was no wind. So, even at 6:30 AM it was tough going. Half way through the run, I got a little worried about dehydration, so I stole a drink from the garden hose of a house I was passing. Now, Edisto water is so bad tasting that everyone who vacations here gets their water in bottles from the local firehouse, so this is decision I made out of pure desperation. Anyway, I finished the run and immediately jumped into the pool.

Friday, I went for any easy ride with my brother, sister, and my daughter, Heather. Saturday, Heather and I went kayaking up and down the beach. To finish out the week, I decided that Sunday morning would be a good time to try another long run around the island. The humidity was down and there was a little bit of a breeze. The run went well.

63 days and $950 to go!

Got in some good running on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. Also, raised another $300 for the cause! I started out with about a 3 mile run on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday I decided to push it a little and managed about 7 miles on each day. But, I was particularly encouraged by my run on Thursday. After a 1 mile relatively easy warm up, I felt strong through the rest of the run. Maybe my "aerobic base" is really beginning to build.

My training for the rest of the week was sporidic at best since we left home on Friday morning to drive to our vacation on the South Carolina coast. I am sitting under the deck of our rented beach house at Edisto Island composing this. It is the middle of a beautiful day at the beach but I am not ready for all that sun just yet.

On friday, we drove to Hendersonville, North Carolina, to stay the night and finish our drive to Edisto on the following day. My brother and I rode our bicycles into "Historic Downtown Hendersonville" on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful place and a nice ride that took about 1 hour. After breakfast in the hotel, we decided to check out one of the local sights before heading to the beach. An easy half hour drive took us to Chimney Rock Park where a stark pillar of rock (see the first picture) offers an amazing view of the surrounding countryside including Lake Lure.

I ascended several flights of steps to get to the top of that rocky perch and be greeted by a stunning vista of the valley and the lake below (the second picture). Several more flights took my brother, sister, and I ever higher so that we could actually look down on Chimmney Rock and its flock of eager tourists (the third picture). We left the park only reluctantly, but another four and a half hours brought us safely to our vacation destination at Edisto Beach. The perfect place to train for a triathlon! (the final picture)

70 days and $1250 to go!

Another good week of training, but the fund-raising has slowed considerably. I'm guessing that with the current economic situation, it is harder for people to budget for charity. This makes me all the more grateful for the support of those of you who have already given to this cause. Thanks so much! If you have any friends or family who are able to support a worthy cause, please pass on the following website to them and ask them to consider a contribution. Thanks.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/noh/nattri09/larata

As I said, the training this has been good. After resting Sunday and Monday to recover from my 100 mile ride with my brother I ran Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday while I was in Florida on business. Tuesday's run was an easy 3 miler to start off the week. I decided to go a little farther on Wednesday and was able to cover about 6 miles. That is close to the distance of the run for the Olympic course that I will be doing in Washington, D.C. Thursday I "dialed it back" but just a little, covering 5 miles.

Friday was a rest day and a travel day since I flew back home on that day. Since it has been some time since I have run a long distance, I went for a long run on Saturday, covering about 8.5 miles. I don't want to jinx myself by saying this, but so far my legs aren't cramping up on the longer runs. That's good news! Anyway, I finished the week with a long bike ride today covering a little over 30 miles. Feeling good and ready for the next week's adventures.

77 days and $1485 to go!

This has been a good week. I've been looking forward all week to my brother's century (100 mile) ride, which was Saturday. But, I'll tell you about that later.

The training week started for me, as usual, on tuesday with a three mile run from home, looping through the park and returning home. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet some of my TNT team members so I joined a training ride that evening in Chagrin Falls. I flatted about a mile into the ride but we still completed about 24 miles, one mile short of the olympic distance ride. I met two of my TNT members and enjoyed a cold drink with them at the local pub after the ride.

The next two days, I ran five then three miles. I'm feeling rather sluggish on the runs, so I discussed that with one of my friends, who just completed her first iron man. Awesome! She suggested that I plan a one mile easy warmup to let my muscles ease into the run. I'll try that this week when I run.

I have a second road bike that I use on the long rides with my brother. It has a rack for saddlebags and works well for touring. I haven't ridden it for a while so I checked it on thursday only to discover that the rear tire was flat. So, I went to the bike store and bought four tubes, four patch kits, chain lube, and bike cleaner. After replacing the rear tube and giving my bike a quick cleaning I judged that I was ready to go.

Saturday, the day of the century ride, in Cincinnati was sunny and clear with temperatures rising into the 90s during the day. Seven people started the ride. Two people, my brother and I, finished. The secret for me was making sure I had plenty to eat and drink during the ride. I started with a big bag of trail mix and three full water bottles. I grabbed a handfull or two of trail mix each time we stopped and sipped water every few minutes. Breakfast was a three egg omelet with a side of bacon and the biggest glass of orange juice I've ever seen. Lunch was a bowl of beef barley soup and a spinach salad.

My legs felt good after the ride but I was pretty wiped out. I'm still smiling, though, as you can see from the picture. But, I took the next two days off. Back to running tomorrow. :)

84 days and $1485 to go!

I sprained my foot this week. Actually, that's the good news. I first thought it might be a stress fracture. But, it appears to be easing. The pain and swelling are on the top of my left foot, just behind the toes. This set me back on the training a little, but I am going to come back strong.

I did get in three good runs this week. My foot actually didn't hurt too much on the runs. It seemed to gradually increase in pain and swelling as the day wore on. So, on the days that I ran, it loosened up quickly on the early morning run being pretty much pain free for most of the run. That's the strange part about this injury, it didn't hurt much during the run but gradually got worse during the day.

Tuesday and Thursday were three mile runs. Wednesday was a five mile run. I missed the planned 10 mile run scheduled for Saturday because I decided to give my left foot a chance to heal. Instead, I celebrated Father's day with three of my four children and all four grandchildren by having a breakfast picnic in the park near our house. It's always a special treat when the family can be together.

91 days and $1565 to go!

I started this past week with a 3 mile run on Tuesday. Remember, according to my marathon training schedule, Monday is always a "rest" day. After I ran, I received an email from my TNT coach for the Nation's Triathlon asking if anyone on the team was interested in a 6PM bike ride starting in North Chagrin Reservation. I thought this might be a good opportunity to meet some of my team mates, so I emailed back that I would be happy to join. Biking is not on my schedule right now but I thought, "What the heck!"

Well, I met up with the group that was planning to ride. None of the TNT people showed up, so it was the coach, 3 other people from the Cleveland Triathlon Club and me. In other words, 4 - 20 or 30 somethings, and me! Well, I ended up chasing the other 4 for about 38 miles up hill and down dale on my bike for a rather gruelling couple of hours. Actually, they spent a good deal of their time waiting for me to catch up with them. One very nice young woman who was on a "rest" day in her training schedule spent much of the ride keeping me company in the back of the pack. Don't get me wrong, there were moments when I was able to charge ahead for brief periods of time, but I was definitely outclassed.

This was a very nice group of people, and I did have a good time, getting together with them at a nearby bar after the run. Anyway, back to the ride. I was able to more or less hold my own for about the first 30 miles before I really ran into trouble. I found myself completely out of energy and barely able to pedal. I was talking to the coach about "collapsing" on the side of the road and waiting for him to come back in his car and pick me up. It was that bad! Instead, he gave me a power bar and asked me to hang in there for a little while longer. I don't know what was in that power bar, but 2 or 3 minutes after finishing it, I found myself amazingly re-energized and planning to finish the ride with the rest of the group (who were doing just fine).

I ran into trouble once more as I started up the final hill back into the park. Both quads suddenly developed a charley-horse. Both! I didn't know what else to do, so I hopped off the bike. Bad move! Very bad move! At least when I am on the bike my legs are bent most of the time. When I try to walk, my legs are mostly straight and that's when the very painful charley-horse kicks in. Note to self: Stay on the bike when fighting a charley-horse! So, I hobbled along for awhile until my coach came back and gave me a bottle of his water. I made plans with him to come back with the car and pick me up thinking that this time I was really "done-for". He rode on ahead. Amazingly, after downing the water in a couple of minutes the charley-horse eased up. I quickly hopped back on the bike and rode the rest of the way up the hill. Sometime after reaching the top of the hill, I passed my coach in his car going in the other direction and cheering me on and finished the ride.

Seems I still have a lot to learn about nutrition, electrolyte replacement, and hydration for these long runs. And, this is just the group from which to learn it. I took the next day off, ran about 3 miles on Thursday, and about 9 miles today. All in all a good week. Now I'm shopping for salt pills and power bars!

97 days and $1835 to go!

This weeks training was uneventful. Monday and Tuesday I was traveling. Home from Las Vegas on Monday and down to Florda on Tuesday. So, I had no time to train at all on those two days. My first run this week was on Wednesday. The three miles went easily after several days rest. A four mile run on Thursday and another three mile run on Friday finished out the weekday training. So far the gradual build-up in the mileage appears to be giving my leg muscles time to acclimate to the running. There is little sign of the leg cramps that plagued me off and on last year. My back also seems to be doing quite well. That's good news for my training.

Yesterday, after three straight days of running, I switched to my bike for a little cross-training. The weather has been perfect this weekend for training. A tem mile ride took me from home to Mentor Beach State Park. I love riding the path near the beach. It's really a beautiful place. When it warms up a little more, I can do some open water swimming there as well. A headwind on the return trip made for slightly slower going, but a really good workout. This morning I finished the week's workout with a five mile run.

Next week, I should be able to stick closely to the scheduled runs. The plan is to step up the distance of the longest run to nine miles. I'm still thinking adding about a possible marathon (the Akron Road Runner Marathon) after the Nation's Triathlon in September. But, I still have a lot of work to do.

104 days and $1835 to go!

I can't tell you what I did over the weekend because I was in Vegas (for business, not pleasure) and we all know that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". :)

In any case, I wasn't able to train at all from saturday through today. I knew that was coming. So, I shifted my schedule to complete the weeks running by friday. It worked out very well and I was able to finish the four scheduled runs, including a 7 miler on friday, with a little yoga thrown in for good measure. Monday, tuesday, and wednesday were each 3 mile days according to the plan. Thursday was a rest day. So, I did a 20 minute yoga routine but no running. On friday, my 7 mile run went very smoothly. My right calf stiffened a little about 4 miles into the run, but it loosened up a little while after that and I finished the run without further incident. I am very happy to report that I am having no problems with my back these days. That's a wonderful feeling!

I will tell about one thing that happened in Vegas. I met a young lady who is an ultra-endurance athlete. My hero! :) She has competed in "double" ironman races. Yes, that would be a 4.8 mile swim, 256 mile bike, and a 52.4 mile run - an over 30 hour effort! She is currently training for the bicycle "Race Across America". All that, and she's smart too!

I'm looking forward to running in Florida this week. It is a relatively easy week with two 3, one 4, and one 5 mile runs.

112 days and $1885 to go!

"Back" on track! Pun intended. :)

I restarted the 18 week marathon training schedule and completed the first week. I was in Florida this past week and was able to run the 3 miles on each of tuesday, wednesday, and thursday. My back was feeling good through that effort. According to the schedule, monday and friday are rest days, so I did nothing on monday since I was travelling to Florida on that day. On friday, I did a 20 minute Yoga routine. It felt good to get back to the Yoga. Yesterday was my first run this season of any real length, 6 miles, and I completed it feeling pretty good. According to that marathon schedule, today is a day for "cross-training". So, I hopped on my bike for 6 miles then planted four azalea bushes, two hydrangeas, and layed down 10 bags of mulch in our front garden. Some "cross-training", huh? Guess my back's doing pretty well. All-in-all an uneventful week, pretty much to plan.

The usual weekly schedule has monday and friday as "off-days", saturday as a long run day, and sunday as a "cross-training" day. But, I will have to shift the schedule a bit this week since I will be travelling next weekend. So, thursday will be my "off-day" and friday will be my long run day (7 miles is the plan). I'll just do some walking and some Yoga next weekend while I am out of town.

119 days and $2060 to go!

I had some trouble with my back again this week. I started the 18 week marathon training schedule. But, it looks like I will have to start it over this coming week, provided that my back cooperates. Here's how it played out.

After my long ride last saturday, I took it easy on sunday. But, my lower back was feeling a little stiff. According to the marathon training schedule, monday was supposed to be a "rest" day. So, I did my yoga routine hoping that would help to loosen my stiff back. Well, it might have aggravated things a little. Tuesday, determined to start the training, I ran the prescribed 3 miles. My back felt a little better. Another 3 miles on wednesday and my back was still feeling ok. However, on thursday when I had another 3 mile run scheduled, I bailed because my back was feeling worse. Darn!

I spent a little time on thursday researching online to try to understand the cause of my pain. The symptoms actually don't feel like a bulging disc this time. So, I have decided that the problem is stress on the facet joints from too much, not too little, arch in my lower back. My fear of causing discs to bulge posteriorly has me arching back too much and putting pressure on the facets, the vertebral joints which limit this backward arching. That's my diagnosis. It actually does make sense, at least to me.

Turns out that a healthy back is the result of a balance between abdominal and paraspinal muscles that keeps your spine within reasonable limits of its proper curve. It is important to maintain this balance (posture) when sitting, standing, walking, running, and bicycling. The only time that you get a pass is while swimming. It's probably really hard to have problems with your back from swimming.

My back is actually starting to feel better now. I ran 3 miles yesterday. This is shorter than the training plan, but I'm just happy to get back to it. I'll go for a short 7-8 mile ride today. So, where my back is concerned, I will concentrate on the basic set of "core" exercises and stretches I was taught in physical therapy and work on maintaining the proper posture for all my activities.

126 days and $2060 to go!

Thursday a week ago, when I went to the Team in Training kickoff meeting, I met one of my coaches for the Nation's Triathlon. He encouraged, no urged, us to begin running immediately - to start to get used to running for long distances. He stressed that the run can make or break the triathlon for many competitors. I've read this before. And, having competed now in two triathlons and one duathlon, I believe it. Being the last leg of the race, the run finds you at your most vulnerable. In the water you are relatively fresh, on the bike you can coast from time to time or find other ways to momentarily relax. On the run all you can do is stop or walk. You probably can't gain a lot of time on the run. But, you can lose a lot of time, particularly if your energy is spent or you are unprepared.

I have had real trouble on the 13 mile run in both of my half ironman efforts. In both cases I probably walked 1/3 to 1/2 of the distance, losing much time in the process. Largely as a result of this and of the coaches comment about training for the run I am seriously rethinking my strategy for preparing for this next race. What better way to enjoy, and to do well, in this race than to really prepare for the run.

I know I can cover the swim distance. And I don't expect to shave much time off of that effort. I just bicycled about 30 miles yesterday - then cut the grass. So, I know I can handle the bike portion which is 25 miles. What I really need to work on for September is the run.

With that in mind I have found an 18 week training schedule for a marathon (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html). Since I last ran a marathon about 20 years ago, I consider myself to be a novice. Yes, I am still thinking about the Akron Marathon which will be held two weeks after the Nation's Triathlon. We'll see how the training goes. I still haven't fully decided to enter this marathon, but I will try to stick to this training schedule and see how I am running after 8 to 10 weeks. Wish me luck! :)

133 days and $2085 to go!

I rode the crank off my bike this week! Literally!

I have toe clips on my bike. I know, to the unfamiliar it sounds like a medieval torture device but they are actually quite handy. They consist of a short plastic cage and a strap to keep the toe of your shoe on the pedal. Sometimes, on long rides, they can actually feel like a medieval torture device. I don't tighten the strap because when I fall - and I do fall - I don't want to be fastened tightly to the bike. But, keeping your feet securely in the pedals while you are riding is definitely a good thing. Well, back to the crank. I was about 7 miles into a 10 mile loop on tuesday when I noticed that my left pedal seemed to be a little loose. Something actually started clicking against the frame of my bike. It was the crank. I was rounding a bend about 3 miles from home when I found that the left pedal and crank were just hanging by the toe clip from my left foot. Just like that the whole left crank popped off of the bike.

At that point, I decided to turn my 10 mile bike workout into a 7 mile bike, 3 mile run "brick" workout. So, grabbing the crank and pedal in my left hand and guiding the bike with my right, I jogged the 3 miles back home to finish the workout. Now my Cannondale is in the shop and I am riding my trusty Specialized. This is the bike I use for touring with my brother.

Thursday was a magical evening. It was the Team in Training kickoff celebration for the summer season. It was great to see two of my Philadelphia Triathlon team members at the party. No matter how many of these events I may do, the first one in Philadelphia along with the people with whom I shared it will always be special to me.

This morning, for the first time this year, I completed the 30 mile loop from my house which follows the Greater Cleveland Triathlon course. It took me about 2 hours. This coming week I will be running in florida.

140 days and $2385 to go!

I received a flier in the mail this week that got me thinking... I had intended to sign up for a half-ironman race at Headlands Beach in August near my home. I wanted a second challenge this year since the Nation's Triathlon is an Olympic Distance Race. I was disappointed to learn that the Headlands race would not include the half-ironman distance this year. Darn! This brings me back to the flier. Two years ago, I ran the last leg of a relay at the Akron Marathon. Since then, I have been getting notices in the mail about this race. I almost threw this one away, not intending to run a marathon this year. Then I started thinking...

If I truly want a second challenge, what better than to attempt a marathon this year. I last ran marathons in my 30's. My fastest was about 3 hours, 15 minutes. My "best" was about 3 hours, 30 minutes. I say "best" because that second one was at a very even 8 minute per mile pace. I wouldn't expect to do anything like that this year. I would be happy with a finish in under 4 hours, 30 minutes. Actually, I would be happy with a finish. Funny that the thing that caught my attention and really got me thinking about this possibility was a notice on the brochure that all full marathon finishers get a free Brooks "Tech" Jacket. Now, there are much easier ways to get a jacket. And, I really don't know if it's that good of a jacket. But, I do know that there is only one way to get this particular jacket. And, that is to finish the Akron Marathon. That alone makes it special.

Will I sign up for the Akron Marathon? I don't know yet, but it's definitely got me thinking...

Oh yeah, my back seems to be doing pretty well. I ran a couple of 3 milers this past week and rode my bike several times. Got a flat tire on the ride this morning, so I'm planning to spend the evening patching a few flats which are left over from this and a few previous rides.

147 days and $2385 to go!

It's a little strange to me when I think about last year's Wildflower Triathlon. This time last year I was winding down my training for the triathlon which was held on the first weekend in May. May! that's barely 2 weeks away! Boy, do I feel like a wimp right now! This time last year I was trained and ready to take on what is generally acknowledged as one of the most difficult Half Ironman courses in the country. This year, I'm still dragging around my winter weight and trying to get my training started for this years triathlon season. What a difference a year makes.

For the second weekend in a row, I travelled to Cincinnati. Last weekend for Easter, this weekend for my youngest grandson's first birthday. We also took the opportunity both times to attend Miami University's production of the musical "UrineTown". My youngest daughter, Heather, plays the part of "Soupy Sue" in the musical. It is a very entertaining play (I loved it so much I went twice) with a very weird name.

I think my back is ready for the start of some serious training. I will be in Florida this week. So, this is the perfect opportunity to gradually start training for the running leg of the triathlon. The trick for me, as always, will be to start slowly, giving my body time to adjust. I will have Miranda's magic powder to help ward off the leg cramps and the exercises and stretches from physical therapy to keep my back in shape. We'll see how it goes.

154 days and $2735 to go!

I haven't been able to do too much training this week but I have been working on my back exercises and I did get in a fun 45 miles around Cincinnati with my brother, Jim, on Saturday.

I have two issues affecting my training that I am still trying to get a handle on. My periodic back problems which seem to interrupt my training at the most inconvenient times and leg cramps. First the back. I went to physical therapy on Monday. I told the therapist that I just wanted to figure out what to do so that I could keep training without worrying about being periodically "side-lined" by back problems. He gave me a series of exercises for my abdominals and lower back muscles and stretches which target my hip muscles. Hopefully, this will do the trick. We'll see.

My dear friend Miranda, who is training for an Iron Man, left some powder in a bag on my desk at work with a label reading "For Louie". This got more than a few chuckles from my colleagues and a quizzical email or two since I was not in Florida this past week. After the Corporate Run I had discussed my leg cramping with Miranda and she helpfully suggested this training and racing preparation (the powder) that she was trying in preparation for her big race. She offered to let me try some of this "magic powder". So, there you have it - a bag of powder appeared on my desk. Thanks, Miranda!

Now to the fun stuff! Whenever I get to Cincinnati to visit my family, I try to get in a bicycle ride with my brother, Jim. He picks great routes around the city and in the surrounding areas. This time, he mapped out a tour of the best overlooks around Cincinnati. It was, of course, a great "hill" workout. Not sure I was fully ready for it since it's been a while since I have ridden hills. But, I worked it out and managed to handle each hill, although I had to shift into "low low" toward the end of the ride. And my butt was definitely dragging going up that last hill. Our first stop was Eden Park on the east side of town where we also checked out an outdoor art exhibit. Our next stop was Mt. Adams where we got a cup of coffee to break the morning chill and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Ohio River. A harrowing ride down a winding road found us in downtown Cincinnati where we visited the huge display of pansies at fountain square and stopped at "Lytle Park" which is named after William Lytle, a Cincinnatian and a Civil War General who was killed that the battle of Chickamauga. He was also a noted poet of his time whose death was mourned in both the North and the South.

We then crossed the River and rode around Ft. Thomas, Kentucky, looking for a view - which we never found. Our most memorable view of the city was from Devou Park (see the photo), which is also on the Kentucky side, but at the other end of the city. Recrossing the river, we rode up to Mt. Echo on the west side of town for our final view of the Ohio River. After lunch at Findlay Market we rode up to Fairview Park, the final overlook on our tour. All in all, a very enjoyable ride on beautiful day!

Starting the push for the Nation's Triathlon!

I am psyched! Here is the description of the "Nations Triathlon" course from the website ( http://nationstriathlon.com/course-overview.html ):
"The swim course is in the scenic Potomac River with the Washington Monument operating as your sight line to the swim exit... The bike route takes competitors along the Potomac River and through Rock Creek Park on wide smooth roads perfect for aerobars. The run route is a challenging single loop into downtown DC past the monuments, memorials and history of the Nation’s Capital." It is described as a fast, flat course. I hope to better my Philadelphia time of just under 3 hours.

I am psyched! I'm recovering from one of my periodic bouts with back problems. It started about a month ago. I don't really know what triggered it. This time it didn't respond to the exercises so I went to the Doctors and got some anti-inflamatory medicine and a prescription for physical therapy. The good news is, I was able to participate in the Corporate Run in Florida last Thursday and I actually ran the whole 3 mile course - at an easy 10 minute pace. My hope is to determine a strategy by working with the physical therapist (my first appointment is tomorrow) to keep my back from interrupting my training like this again... I can only hope.

I got on my bike yesterday for the first time in almost a month. Rode for a little over 30 minutes. It felt great. The day was clear and sunny. The temperature was in the upper 40's. I plan to get back on my bike for another ride today before the rain starts later this afternoon. I'm just waiting for it to warm up a little.
Happy Easter everyone!