5K

Ran 5K at 8:00 this morning at the reservoir. Hot and humid. It was close to being my hardest 5K ever. I was drenched with sweat and struggling to breathe. It took me 35:33.

I had planned to do a long slow run, but this was too much.

8 Mile Ride

Rode 8 easy miles at work in the cloudy 85 degrees temps with some humidity. Again, I was hoping to maybe go 25, but I forgot to load the water bottle and my butt started to get tired. It took me 33 minutes for an average speed of 13.3. My tires are getting a little soft and I have my pump at home. The guy at the shop told me to pump up the tires before every ride.

Ride to Work

Rode to work this morning. I had a car arranged if I didn't get up on time, but I woke up and said, hey I need to ride. I had three Bud Lites with Lime last night, along with a steak, shrimp, pistachio nuts, mozzarella cheese, blueberries, and an ice cream sandwich with sprinkles, so I was worried I was going to be a little tired and that the beer would affect my gout stricken toe, but the toe with the ibuprofen help, feels allright.

Rode in a record 39:58, but I did take the short cut so the trip was only 9.8 miles. The speedometer recorded average speed at 14.88. I was hearing this odd whistle for most of the ride, which I couldn't figure out what the cause was. It stopped with about a mile to go.

Depending on my car, I don't think I'm going to be able to do the 25 mile fun ride tomorrow.

5K Run

Everytime I get cocky and start talking about all the races I am going to do something happens. My car died and the mechanic can't figure out what is wrong with it, and I'm battling gout in my big right toe again, although with prompt ibuprofen, it hasn't been too bad. I wanted to do the extreme Scramble race tonight, but couldn't get there. Instead, I went to the resovouir and ran 5k without my monitor and no head phones, just a slow easy run in the humid evening.

7.25 Mile Bike/10.4 Ride Home

Did an easy 7.25 at work. I was thinking about doing a long slow 25, but I got very thirsty and my butt started hurting and I wanted to eat a little something because I am planning to run tonight, and had a couple other things I needed to do. Anyway, it took me 32 minutes just pedalling easy without shifting gears much. I do ride in the big chain most of the time and my cadence is just barely 60.

***

Then when I went to drive home, my car didn't start, so I took my trusty bike home in the very same 43 minutes it has taken me every other ride.

1000 Yard Swim

Swam easy, worked some on sighting. I need to read one of my books to see their recommendation. It seemed easier to breathe, and then turn with face forward, look with mouth closed, then put head back in water.

2008 Goals Reappraised

Well, it is time for me to take stock of my goals.

***

Here's what I set out to do in February:

Goal #1. Complete an Olympic Triathlon

Goal # 2 A) Run a 10K B) Run a 10K under 60 minutes

Goal # 3 Run a 5K under 28:00 minutes

Goal # 4 Beat Last year's Sprint Triathlon times at Lake Terramugus and run the entire run course.

Goal #5 Do a Mile Swim

Goal # 6 Complete the Hartford Half Marathon in October.

***

Goal #1 I am starting to think the Olympic Triathlon may be out of my reach this year. I just haven't been getting on the bike enough. Unless I do some major riding in the next couple weeks. I may just have to wait a year. All the Olympic Tris have major hard bikes. There is a flat six lap race in Bridgeport, but then I would have to tangle with the heavy-duty bikers every time they buzzed by me. I suppose I could enter and finish, but I really don't want to be the last straggler in a 4:00 plus race. I'd rather wait a year and finish I bit further ahead.

Goal 2B: Breaking an hour may be tough. I will have to shave 6 plus minutes off. Not likely.

Goal 3: Breaking 28 minutes. I might be able to do it, but will have to focus hard on this. It basically means running a 9:00 pace.

Goal 4: This is on hold due to construction on the course. It could be modified to include Niantic of Lake Compounce Sprint Ts.

Goal 6: I will need to start training.

***

So what should I do?

Should I concentrate on Sprint Tris or should I keep working on 1 mile swims and 10K runs and just doing some serious bike time in prepartation for next year?

Should I start trying to train for the October 1/2 marathon?

Should I focus on running faster, while gradually just getting used to riding a road bike, avoiding triathlons for the most part?

***

Possible Events in the Next Week

Bike -- Next Saturday -- a 25 Mile Fun ride -- Bike Across Connecticut

Running -- This coming Thursday night -- Extreme Scramble #1 -- this is sort of an obstacle course 5K, which may be fun and provide a good training run.

***

Swimming

Monday July 14 One Mile Swim Misquamicut, RI -- doubtful I can make this one

September 20 - The Pattaconk Plunge 1-Mile open water swim(www.connmasters.org

10Ks

July 27 10K Lake Compounce (doubtful I can do this date)

August 23 Holcomb Farm 10K

September 6 Suffield 10K

Half Marathon

Hartford Marathon October 11

Possible Sprint Triathlons

Pat Griskus July 9

Niantic Sprint Triathlon August 3

Madison Sprint Triathlon September 6

Lake Compounce Sprint Triathlon September 21

Possible, but Unlikely Olympic

Litchfield hills Olympic Triathlon on July 20

Team Mossman Olympic in Bridgeport, August 10

***

What makes the most sense for me? Have fun. Workout regularly.

Set Training Goals:

1. Run 9:00 mile pace, gradually increasing to 3 miles
2. Progressively Increase biweekly longrun/walk to 14 miles
3. Ride 25 miles; ride 12 miles at 15 mph
4. Climb Buena Vista Hill without having to get off bike
5. Swim a mile in 36 minutes with frequent sighting


Cycling

Learn to Ride Better.

Swimming

Swim on rest days/cross training Days, work on sighting. Do some open water swims.

Running

Do one speed workout a week and one long run every other week.

Race Goals

Do at least 1 more 10K
Do 1/2 marathon as a run/walk
Do one more open water swim
Try to break 5K PR
Do at least one full Sprint triathlon later in season.
Do Lake T sprints if they are ever scheduled.

5 Mile Bike

Did a fast 5 mile bike in 20 minutes at work this evening to average 15 mph.

5K Run/Walk

I walked/ran the Elizabeth Park 5K course with Ashley today. She is in training to do the Red Rose Run for Women on July 12. We came in in 42:00 minutes. She was excited to be able to see and complete the course. We have three weeks to improve on the time. I'm hoping she'll be able to run a good portion of the coourse and maybe break 36:00.

Today I feel beat down tired. It may be the heat humidity, but is probably remanents of the swim yesterday.

Madison Mile

I did not sleep well last night, waking up every hour, feeling my usual pre-event apprehension. I was again still undecided about doing a "race." I forced myself to sign up last week, believing it would make me go. Between the $40 fee and the $15 I had to pay for a one-day US Masters membership, that's $55 I would have blown off, by not going. While I swam a lot over the winter I haven't been swimming so much lately (26 miles since January 1, but only 2.5 miles this month, and 0 in May) and my easy mile in 40 minutes at Cornerstone last week was pretty slow even for going slow. My record in the pool is 34 minutes trying to swim fast. I did a 17:06 in the half-mile at Niantic last August.

Of the three triathlon events, I am clearly much more comfortable with swimming where I am a middle of the packer(I am a back of the packer in running and the bike -- last year I used a hybrid), still I had apprehension about how cold the water would be, how far out we would have to swim and whether or not there would be any choppiness.

In the end I went because I knew if I didn't, well that would be the beginning of the end. (I did my first 10K run on June 1, and now I need to do my first open mile swim, before taking on my first 25 mile bike.) If I don't go, I am moving away from my Olympic Triathlon Goal instead of moving toward it. Just get up, get in the car and start driving down there and don't turn around.

Once I reached the Madison Surf Club, and stood above the beach, I felt pretty good looking at the course -- it seemed well marked with six big buoys -- straight out, angle off to the left and head out more, pass another buoy go horizontal to the beach, pass a buoy, then angle slightly right, pass a buoy and head on in. I had been worried the farthest buoy would be straight out, barely in sight.

I had already decided I wasn't going to worry about time, just go easy, notch a mile open-water swim and set a time I can beat the next time out. The other good thing was I was in wave 2 of 10, so I stood to be on the beach before the last wave hit the water if all went well.

I went down and tested the water. They said it was 63 degrees. It just about took my breath away, but after a few strokes, I slowed down, caught my breath and calmed down and just stroked easy for about twenty five yards, then headed back in. It was cold, but it was doable.

While waiting for the start, I laid down on my towel with my head on my backpack and felt the sun in my face. It was great -- my first beach time of the year. I decided this would be my race time mantra. To get through the race I will just picture my reward, laying on the beach when it's over feeling the sun on my face.

The US Masters 44 and under went first, and then five minutes later my group US Masters 45 and over went. It was low tide so at the start we walked/ran out. I dove in to swim a little later than I should have -- less to swim, plus I didn't have to hit that cold water with my whole body quite so early. At 6'8", I can walk/run a little father out then most.

It was pretty spread out and I hung back to not get in the scrum, so soon I was swimming on my own. I noticed right away that what had looked calm was a little rolly (certainly compared to Cornerstone). Small waves would hit me, but I was able to handle them by just turning my head a little more behind me to breathe. It did prevent me from attempting any bilateral breathing and I fell into a breathing off the right side every stroke. So much for the bilateral practice that I thought was going so well.

I got by the first buoy okay, but then I seemed to be swimming by myself and not making a whole lot of progress. Every time I looked up, I had to relocate the buoy.

In my previous open water races as part of a triathlon I was always right in a pack and didn't have to worry about sighting at all.

The buoys were pretty far away and it soon became clear I wasn't swimming very straight. A couple times the race kayakers had to shout at me to head to my right or head left.

It was a beautiful day, the water was very refreshing -- only occasionally would I swim into a real cold patch.

I stopped periodically to readjust my direction. It just seemed to take forever. By the time I was halfway, I felt like I had swum 2 miles already. At one point I kept looking around and couldn't see the buoy. A kayaker had to point it out to me and only then on lifting my goggles could I make it out. I didn't have to worry about having a race mantra to occupy me. All I was thinking was I hope I'm headed to the buoy, and hope I'm headed to the right one.

I swam in fairly strong, coming in racing with the male high school swimmers who had started much later. Hopefully none of the cheering crowd could see that I was two and a half times their age with my 49 year old greying at the temples hair under my blue swim cap.

I didn't get an official time while I was there, but my guess was is it took me 50-55 minutes. Yes, that long.

I spent all that time in the pool this winter working on keeping my head down, looking at the bottom of the pool, when I really should have been doing sighting drills, swimming more with my head or at least eyes out of the water looking ahead.

Well it at least gives me something to work on for next time.

I did lay on the beach for about five minutes, and felt quite satisfied I had done the race. Good for me for not wimping out.

***

Here are the preliminary results. I came in at 51:52, 232 out of 277 in the masters, male and female group.

Madison Mile 2008 Results

The curious thing is the winning time was 26:06, which is really slow for a mile swim, particularly a supposed national championship (although with a few exceptions most of the swimmers were from Ct and neighboring states). At the race I did see a guy there who often swimms at Cornerstone the same time I do, and who swims much better than me. He was telling another guy he thought the course was long because it had taken him 40 minutes.

I compared this year's times with last year's times.

Madison Mile 2007

Last year's master's winner won in 21:28. This year it took the same guy 26:42.

Last year's USA winner (18 and under) was in 18:42. This year's winnwer was in 23:37.

My guess is the course was on the long side this year by about 20%.

If so, that would have given me a mile in 41-42 minutes.

Summer Solistice 5K Race Report

I decided to run the 5K race this evening at the Reservoir after much debate. I haven't been running to fast or too much in the last couple weeks and I was afraid I wouldn't break 30:00, but then I thought screw it, I should just race and set a mark I can beat later.

It was a cool night, with some drizzle so the pavement in places was a little wet.

I ran the first mile in 9:47, which was too slow for a good time. I was hoping for maybe 9:00 minutes. The second mile is rough, but I managed to run that in 9:58. Then I stepped up the pace some on the last mile and when I got within sight of the finish I was surprised I was able to easily sprint in for a finishing time of 29:28, which was 16 seconds better than my last year's time, but slower than my 5K PR of 28:57. So I ran the last 1.1 mile at a 8:57 pace, which is pretty fast for me.

I think I just have to learn to run faster and suck it in.

The race does give me hope for beating my PR sometime this year.

I came in 109 out of 153.

Race Results

Bike to Work: Day 2

Rode in again this morning in the drizzle. With it being overcast, it was much darker than I expected and I did not have a reflector with me as I haven't been able to find mine. I need to buy another. I went a slightly different route this morning. The trip ended up as 9.84 miles. The shortcut I took involves a steep downhill on a bit of a rough road. Not a road I want to climb on the way back.

It still took me 43 minutes. My average speed was 13.8. I did coast a fair amount and again had a few episodes where I was gearing wrong. I have also developed a click on the high gear that I think will need to be adjusted. I will try to take the bike in on Wednesday and also get a new seat.

I will say I was not looking forward to riding into work this morning, but I wish I could make this a habit. I get a workout in without too much extra time, plus the gas savings.

Commute

Road to work this morning. It took me 43 minutes. 14.7 mph. Definately faster than the hybrid and the hills are definately easier, although they are still not a cakewalk. I am slowly learning the gears. The bike can also go much faster than I will allow it yet. I rode with a backpack on my back this morning. I coasted down a bunch of hills when I could have been pedalling fast.

Last year it took me between 48 and 56 minutes to do the same route.

It was nice riding in with virtually no traffic. I was only passed by two cars the whole way.

If it isn't raining, I will try to ride back tonight.

***

Rode back in 43.33.

1 Mile swim

Swam a mile at the pool, real easy and slow in 40:00 minutes.

5K Easy

Ran a very slow easy 5K at the reservoir at high noon in the 80 degree heat. My first run in a week.

I came in at 35:03.

mile 1 10:50 (HR- 137)
mile 2 11:44
mile 3.1 12:27 (11:15)

Ending heart rate 144.

30 Minute Bike

Rode the bike at work for 30 minutes averaging 14.75 mph, which is pretty good considering I was experimenting with grips and shifting gears. My very best times from a year ago were at 13 mph for the work loop. Today I had to slow on most of the turns to keep my balance. While I did do 13 a time or two on the hybrid, most of my workouts were in the 10-12 mph range. My best race I averaged 13.1mph on the hybrid. I would be content to average 15-16 mph in a race. I did not check the cadence meter tonight, but I am sure I am only going about 60 rpms. That I need to improve.

In the next couple days I will try some hills.

1000 Yard Swim

Swam 1000 yards tonight.

I'm trying to decide on my next race. I was considering a triathlon this Thursday at Lake T, but found out the tri series there has been delayed due to road construction so I felt some relief as I am not really ready to ride yet.

I am planning to run a 5K on the 18th and am considering doing a 1 mile swim on the 21st. I want to do a swim, but am not thrilled to have to drive down to Madison. I was worried about the water being too cold, but the heat wave has to have raised the water in Long Island Sound maybe a touch.

Cycling Tales

The first time I rode in an ambulance I was in the first grade. It was in the spring of 1964. I was on an Indian Guide ("Like Father, Like Son, Pals Forever") outing with my father and other fathers and sons in our "tribe." We were riding our bicycles to a park where we would have lunch and play "Capture the Flag" until it was time to ride back to our neighborhood.

I had just gotten a new 3-speed Schwin Speedster, which was a little too much bike for me. I was already nervous about the trip because the last year when we had gone on a similar trip, as we had bicycled past a farm, the farmer's German Shepard spotted me as the smallest of our cycling herd. The dog ran alongside us like a lion after a baby wildebeest. Suddenly he broke through the other bikers and leapt up at me, tearing my pants and sinking his teeth into my butt cheek, until my father could beat the dog away from his shrieking son. This year my father assured me he had called the farmer in advance to make certain the beast was chained during the hours we expected to pass so I could ride by without fear.

I had a different trouble this time. Coming down a hill too fast for my handling ability, I got caught in a sand patch, and went sailing over the handlebars, knocking myself unconscious, and as my father would say, giving him his first gray hairs. I remember waking in the back of a low slung Cadillac ambulance to hear the sirens and look up at the ceiling, and feel the sway of the road before drifting off again. I stayed three days in the hospital with a concussion and lacerations to my head, face and right hand. I bear the scars of them to this day.

I recently started riding a bike again after over forty largely cycle-free years. I got the crazy notion that I wanted to be a triathlete, and while a good swimmer, I was a poor runner and a complete non-biker. Still, a man's gotta dream. As a reward for running my first 5K (3.1 mile) race and coming in 84 out of 103, I rewarded myself by purchasing a hybrid bike -- hybrid meaning not a road bike with thin high pressure tires and not a mountain bike with fat thick tires. The man at the store told me if I expected to race with the hybrid, I could expect to be somewhat slower than the rest of the pack. I was more concerned with stability than speed. Plus a hybrid was $350 and the entry level road bikes were $800.

In the six triathlons I entered and finished, I came in last in the bike portion four times. It was disheartening to always come out of the water in the top 30 percent only to watch 70 percent of the field pass me. They all had road bikes. I don't think I passed but three or four other bikers all season and those were either walking their bikes, changing their flat tires or, in one case, lying in the grass over the curb next to his mangled bike (There was a first responder there already, the guy was moving (honest) and I could hear the ambulance coming not too far off. I couldn't stop. I didn't want to be last!)

This year I decided if I could run a 10K (6.2 miles), then I could reward myself with a road bike so I could compete not only at the sprint level triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 5K run), but complete an Olympic level triathlon (1 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 10 K run).

Well, I ran the 10K coming in 249 out of 273, but managed to make it without dying, without walking, without vomiting or spitting. So I went to take a test ride on a road bike.

Not far from the bike shop was an abandoned supermarket. I thought wow, what a great place to try some sprinting. So there I am racing across the lot when I look ahead and see someone has cut a long foot wide six inch deep trench in the middle of the lot running the length of the lot. I don't know if I can stop in time and I don't know if I can Evil Knevil it. I try, but the front tire goes into the trench.

My first thought is, well, at least my tire didn't pop, then I think, hmm, I seem to be traveling forward. Am I? Yes I am going over the handle bars. How about that. I'm actually airborne. Jees, I probably should have put my helmet on. I always wear my helmet, but this is just a test ride. Well, at least I didn't hit my head, my shoulder has just landed, but I've managed to keep my head from hitting, though my head does seem to still be traveling in that direction. Wham! Oww! I am hitting my head right now, and my head is bouncing, and it is now coming back to the ground to rest. Son of a gun. I am lying on the asphalt in a vacant supermarket parking lot. I hope I am not dead. I don't think I am. I hope no one is dialing 911. I feel pretty silly lying here.

It was all so slow motion. It does make me appreciate what patients go through in those seconds before they get really wracked up. Oh shit.

I manage to get up. Straighten out the bike, refit the chain on it, and ride back to the bike shop, where I tell them the good news is I really like the bike, but the bad news is I just went over the handlebars. I think they are surprised that standing there bleeding in front of them, I am actually slapping my credit card down. I was test-riding the white one, but had planned to buy the red one. But I feel now that the blood from the scrapes on my hands has stained the white tape on the handlebars that I have bonded in some way with this bike, and maybe this is our one crash. I hope so anyway.

New Bike

Rode about 6 miles on my new bike at work yesterday and another 4 today. At first the bike computer wasn't working, but then I was able to readjust it so it was picking up speed and cadence. I was going anywhere from 10 to 15 MPH where I used to go 8-10 and I was going 14-20 where I used to go 12-16 mph.

Definately faster, but I am not comfortable riding it yet at those speeds. Also, my hands get uncomfortable very quickly. The most comfortable position has me holding the top of the bars, sitting mostly upright. This is very comfortable, but my hands are not on the brakes or gears that way. The fastest position is holding down low, but then my hands aren't on the gears and I have a hard time seeing far ahead in the road (I need to fix the angle of my helmet.) The hands on the gears/brakes isn't to comfortable, but I guess I will have to get used to it.

I am just doing the bike circle at work, so no hills yet. I will have to try some hills on Tuesday when I am off. I may do a novice group ride on Tuesday night if I can get the time free. I do not think I will be ready to ride in the first Tri on Thursday.

I will try to post some pictures soon.

I rode 4 miles this morning, but it was baking hot and continues to be so so I don't think I will get to ride more today.

750 Yard Swim

Went to the pool and just swam easy. I was tired today.

5K - Tempo Run

Ran the Reservoir in 30:58.

I tried to turn on the speed periodically. Here's how it came out.

Mile 1 - 9:55 -149 HR Average
Mile 2 - 10:37 - 157 HR Average
Mile 3.1 - 10:25 - 161 HR Average(171) (9:31 mile pace)

I need to do more runs like this where I push myself.

My goal is to beat my last year's time of 29.44.

1000 Yard Swim

Swam 1000 Yards nice and easy tonight. felt great to be back in the pool.

Iron Horse 10K Race Report

Well I made it. I did not die. I did not have to walk. I did not vomit. I did not spit. I did not come in last.

I finished in 1:06:50 (10:46 mile pace). I came in 249 of 273, 11 out of 11 Clydesdales and had I been in the category I would have been 12 of 12 in men 45-49. I did beat two other men, one younger, one a little bit older. And I was beaten by no one taller than me.

I wore my heart rate monitor and was hitting the lap splits, but in my joy of crossing, I forgot to hit my watch stop.

It was a beautiful day, maybe a little warmer and humid than I would have thought at 8:00 in the morning. I ate a banana and half a cliff bar along with a Coke for breakfast.

I lined up in the back of the pack, and felt a little short of breath to start. Its funny how after the first half mile or so, you don't pass anyone and no one passes you. Everyone settles into their own pace and the runners in front go faster and the runners behind go slower and there you are alone. I think all told after the initial pack settled, I wasn't passed by but four people and I didn't pass but two or three.

I did the first mile in 10:15, much faster than I planned.
Mile 2 was in 10:28 as I was trying to slow down to last for later.
Mile 3 was 10:58 again trying to slow down
Mile 4 was 11:07 and I was going slow because I was tired. I activated my heart rate mode at some point along there and came in with an average heart rate of 164. This is much higher than my training runs.
Mile 5 was 11:06 with a heart rate of 166 and a high of 167.
Mile 6 I didn't hit and the finish I didn't hit.
But with math I figure I did the last 1.2 miles in a 10:47 pace.

Periodically my feet felt numb. I tried to run on a different angle of the road then as I was probably pounding a nerve.

The course was on asphalt -- for most of the course the roads were closed to traffic. At times I tried to think about different things so I wouldn't have to think about how far I still had to run, the best thing I found was just to look at the scenery. Very pretty past farms and along the river. I thought it might be interesting to try to run a race in every town in the state, starting with every town in Hartford County, and then moving from there. That of course is a lot of races, probably way too many.

My only big adventure was coming into the last water station. There were three people holding cups of water ahead. The woman ahead of me grabbed the first cup, dumped it on her head, grabbed the second cup, dumped in on her head, grabbed the third cup, dumped it on her head, and then tried to grab the fourth cup that the guy was taking off the table to give to me. She stopped, and while I had been forced to slow, I couldn't stop that suddenly and I slammed into her, knocking her off balance. I had managed to grasp the cup of water that the guy held above her head so I could reach it as I hit into her. She apologized -- I think she was a little stunned and embarrassed to realize that someone else might have been behind her who needed water. Still running I took a sip of mine and then dumped it on my head. She never caught back up to me.

I also got lots of comments on my Celtics tee-shirt which I took out of the closet after twenty years. When people shouted "Way to go Celtics!, I would do a Kevin Garnett triple chest pound.

As I got close to the finish line I kept my regular pace. I had no gas for a sprint, but then the music they were playing picked me up a little. One lady remarked I was running in time to the music.

I never had a moment during the race where I asked myself why I was doing this. I was thinking this is pretty cool I am running a 10K and i think I am going to make it.

Crossing the finish line leaves such a sense of satisfaction that you immediately want to sign up for another race

All in all, nice day, great event. I drank a couple bottles of water afterward and had a bagel, and then had to head in to work.

The decision I have to make now is to try next for speed or for more distance. My inclination is to work on some speed with the next running race being June 18 at my home course the West Hartford reservoir.

I also can buy my road bike now, and may do a sprint triathlon on either June 12 or 26 as the Lake T Sprints are starting back up. It depends on how comfortable I am on a new bike.