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.