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.

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.

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.

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! :-)

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. :-)

153 days and $2170 to go!

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
T. S. Elliot

I spent the week in Florida testing my running limits. I am still struggling a little with tight calf muscles when I run, but I may be converging on a personal solution to these troubles. I suspect that my problems may be related to something called "Trigger Points" in muscles. I blogged about this yesterday.

So, it looks like the solution for me may be two-fold: 1) Daily massage of the affected muscles (my calves) to encourage blood flow and to break up the "Trigger Points" and 2) A 5 minute fast walking warmup to "let the run come to me" as the Kenyan runners put it.

I have already incorporated the walking warmup into my routine and that seems to have helped. I am looking forward to seeing if the massage will prove to be the missing ingredient that will get me back on track. It's frustrating to me because on the longer runs on which I have to stop short it's always muscle cramps that limit the distance I am able to go. I want to get to the point of being able to do a 13-15 mile run once a week before the triathlon in May. That way I will feel confident of being able to "go the distance" on the run (the final leg of the triathlon).

Tuesday I ran for about an hour and 10 minutes. All runs were at probably about an 8 and a half minute per mile pace so I'll leave figuring the mileage for these runs as your homework assignment :-) Not wanting to push my luck, I backed off to a 30 minute run on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were 45 minutes and about an hour respectively. The good news is I felt strong through all the runs without the serious cramping that has "done me in" before. So I am optimistic that my plan for dealing with muscle cramps may work.

I got into the pool at Oberlin College this morning for some stroke drills. I'll have to say that the thinking about correct swimming form has certainly changed since I swam competitively as a young lad. I was taught to keep my shoulders and hips pretty much horizontal throughout the stroke and simply turn my head to breathe. The drills I did this morning concentrated on turning shoulders and hips vertical and practically staring at the ceiling with each breath. I am confident about completing the 1.2 mile swim at Wildflower but I am having so much fun learning about my stroke that I will certainly continue with this swimming clinic. Besides, it's hard for me to get regular pool time.

167 days and $2615 to go!

"True sport is always a duel, a duel with nature, with one's own fear, with one's own fatigue, a duel in which the body and the mind are strengthened."
Yevgeny Yevtushenko

I'm still trying to make sense of my tight calf muscle on what should be long easy runs these days. The week started with morning runs in Southern Florida where I spent monday through friday - at my company's home office. Interestingly enough, I found myself feeling a little cold starting out on at least two of those mornings. I never expect to feel cold in Florida. I always travel light on those weekly work jaunts and never plan on more than shorts and (maybe) a tee shirt - shoes, of course :-) - on those morning runs. My current (short) prescription for cramp-free running is: water, bananas, stretching, and a short walking warm-up before the run. It'll probably all change next week since I am still trying to figure this thing out.

I drove to Oberlin, Ohio this morning for the first of 8 monthly swimming clinics. It was a gorgeous 1 hour drive on an absolutely beautiful day. Someone said that Oberlin College is the oldest college in Ohio. Don't know if it's true or not, but Oberlin is a beautiful college town. As college towns, it ranks right up there with Oxford, Ohio in my book. So, I spent about an hour this morning doing mostly kicking exercises. I hate kicking exercises! Mostly because I have a lousy kick. Of course Rob, our instructor, is probably going to also show me what a lousy stroke I have as well. I can say that after a year of training, I do feel far more confident about the swimming than I did for my first triathlon in Philly. I am not concerned about finishing the 1.2 mile swim next May. So, I will spend some time learning to smooth my technique to make the swim portion more enjoyable. If Rob said it once he said it a hundred times today, "Swimming is technique". So, that is what we will be working on.

When I returned home, the sun was shining and the air was cool so I finished out my training day with an easy 15 miles on the bike.

175 days and $3695 to go!

Last year when I finished my first triathlon, my main concern during training was being able to finish the 0.9 mile swim. After all, the last time I had completed a "mile swim" was in boy scouts. I did it at Camp Friedlander outside Cincinnati, Ohio, in a 25 yard pool. About 70 lengths of the pool, all swum doing breast stroke which was my strongest stroke when I swam competitively. So, fast forward to last year, and here I am an "ageing fitness geek" wondering whether I can train to swim the faster "freestyle" for nearly a mile in open water with no walls to hang on to, if only for a moment, or push off of to give my muscles a short respite. Well, in the lead up to the triathlon in Philly I was able to get enough pool time, coaching, and encouragement to refine and smooth my freestyle stroke to be comfortable about finishing the swim portion of the event. In Philly I finished the swim in under a half hour. Yes, it was down stream but even though the current helped a little it wasn't very strong.
Next Sunday I will attend my first session of a swimming clinic which is geared
specifically to improving the swimming stroke of triathletes. Who knows, maybe I will even develop a decent kick. Although, I have heard that one strategy is to "save" your legs during the swim for the bicycle and run portions of the race. I'll be interested in hearing what our coach, who comes highly recommended, has to say.
What are my concerns for the wildflower triathlon? In a nutshell, leg cramps and hills. And I have 175 days to work that out. :-)