3.5 Mile Hybrid Ride

Rode 3.5 miles at work on my hybrid because it was wet with lots of leaves on the road. That bike is slow!

2.25 Mile Run

Did my neighborhood run. Ran the whole way without stopping. My wind was just fine. My legs started tightening up after 20 minutes, and I limped in in under 25.

Encouraging by showing improvement, but I don't know if I wil be ready to run a fast 5K in two weeks.

Later after some driving, i got out of the car and was walking into the house, I felt brief excruciating pain on the side of my right knee. I iced it, and then it felt normal.

Odd.

7 Mile Bike

Rode 7 miles today at work. My legs have been really sore this week. The left as well as the right. They hurt most when I try to straighten them. They were fine on the bike. I miss running.

6 Mile Bike

Rode 6 miles at work, then ran/walk a mile and a half with Lauren during her track club. No pain, but didn't really push it.

Bike Safety 1

So I passed my bike safety class. I'm very glad I took it. I feel I have moe confidence now to ride out on the road and in traffic. The basic course philosophy is a bike if just like a car. If you ride hat way, are predictable and courteous, you will do fine.

I also bought some nice warm bike gloves and a windproof necl head hood, along with some chain lube and a brush.

I'm going to ride at work for a few more weeks, then bring my bike in for a new back whhel and some clipless pedals, I will practice on my trainer over the winter.

I will also get my hybrid tuned up and get a new seat for it. I will do most on my winter work riding on it.

5K Run/Walk

Set out around the resouvoiur, did the first mile in 10:38. then going uphill the back of my right knee started hurting. I ended up doing a run walk the rest of the way as my knee and groin started acting up as if to say, remember us from the half marathon. I didn't want to press it. I am not too concerned, but am not ready to run a 5K at any kind of speed right now.

Next time out, I will do some more stretching.

Bike Class

Did some safety riding, changed a tire and then learned how to lube a chain.

35 Minute Ride

Rode 7.25 miles at work. It was chilly out.

1200 Yard Swim

Swam 1250 Yards.

500 with pull buoy.

Then 5 100 yards with ten-15 seconds rest in between.

250 easy with pull buoy.

End of 2009 Schedule

I have 11 weeks left in the year.

There are a number of possible races:

Saturday October 24 Love Your Body 5K

Sunday October 25, 5K Pumpkin Run

Saturday November 14, Freedom Run 5K

Thursday November 26 Manchester Road Race 4.75 Miles

Sunday December 6 Blue Back Square Holiday 5K Run

Do I run with Zoey? Do I run with Chevaughn? Do I run with Lauren? Do I run for training? Do I run for a PR?

2010 Early Goals/Strategy

Cold rainy day. No bike ride or run for me. I may pick up the dumbells later. In the meantime, post half-marathon, it is time to do some longer range planning.

2010 Goals:

An Olympic Triathlon remains foremost.

I need to make a detailed list of possible races in CT, MAss, and NJ.

Riding:

The key to achieving this obviuosly is to focus on my bike riding. That means:

1. Riding whenever the weather permits at work
2. Riding on days off, varied terrain and long rides
3. Making the switch to clipless pedals
4. Taking spinning classes.

Running:

I must not let my half marathon shape get lost. I want to maintain fitness through the winter months. This means:

1. One long run/walk every two weeks.
2. At least two runs a week, preferably three
3. Treadmill runs when the weather is bad.

Swimming:

1. Join a masters program
2. Swim at least 2X a week, preferably 3.

Strength training

I have to restore some upper body strength

1. Lift at least twice a week

Nutrition:

Eat well

1. More protein shakes, less diet cokes
2. More, lighter meals.
3. Lots of fruits and vegetables
4. No fried foods, potato chips or ice cream

Sleep:

Can't get worn down

1. Get to bed by 10 every night
2. Nap at work when I can to catch up.

****

Strategy wise, I will opt this year to map out and pay for in advance at least one Olympic triathlon. The wet suit should allieveate any water concerns about cold water or jelly fish. More and better biking should ease my hills concerns.

I have to remind myself it is for me just about completeing, not competing.

***

For other events, I would like to run some of the same races I have done in the past just as a means of measuring progress.

So those goals would be to set PRs and improve upon race location times.

These are some races I would like to do again next year:

Iron Horse 10K
Summer Solistice 5K
Hartford Half Marathon
Madison Triathlon
Lake Quassy Open Water Swim

Bike Safety/10 Mile Bike

Road 10 miles during my bike safety class, learned some more new things like how to go over potholes and railroad tracks. The instructor also adjusted my seat back and put my toe clips on differently, so that was all good.

6 Mile Bike

Rode for a half an hour.

Bike Safety

Attended the first Bike Safety class. Very interesting. I learned a better way to start riding, how to do a quick stop, and also, that I should ride with more of my weight on the pedals instead of the seat.

5 Mile Bike

Rode 5 miles in 25 minutes at work. It was cold and windy. Feeling good post-race.

20 Minute Bike

Rode an easy twenty minutes at work. The toes on my left foot were a little sore, but then readjusted my toe clips and it felt better.

Yesterday I was very sore, today I felt almost normal.

I have been taking it wasy and eating lots of protein and drinking plenty of fluids.

One book I read said I should expect a post race depression on Wednesday, but I don't think I will, since the race was just part of my larger triathlon preparation and not a single sole-focused goal.

Hartford Half Marathon

I completed my first Half Marathon on Saturday. The marathoners and half marathons (over 6,000) gathered on the north side of the state Capitol grounds before the start, fast runners up front, slower runners to the rear. An opera singer sang the Star-Spangled Banner (I held my HEAT cap over my heart), and then we were released into the streets in steady stages. We had the antennae loop tags on our sneakers so our accurate starting mat to finish mat times could be recorded. My start time ended up being five and a half minutes after the gun time.



We ran around the south and east sides of the park,



and then headed into downtown.



I stuck to my plan to do a 4 minute to 1 minute run/walk ratio, although I felt a little silly stopping to walk so early in the race, particularly with so many people on the sidelines cheering. There were quite a number of people using versions of the run walk so I didn’t feel too alone.

We headed across the Founder’s Bridge into East Hartford. I was still on the bridge heading East when we saw two side by side runners heading back westward on the bridge. The eastbound runners all gave the leaders a shoutout, impressed with their speed. The winning time was 1:04:42 with a mile pace under five minutes.



I kept looking for the first mile marker, and was getting a little worried as I was already 15 minutes into my race and hadn’t seen it yet. It wasn’t until I reached mile 3 that I realized the mile markers weren’t painted on the road but were tall narrow Hartford Marathon Banners on the side of the road. They had an electronic timer at the 5K marker.



We ran along the river in East Hartford. I was running quite comfortably and saw that I was ahead of my modest goal, which was simply to finish with a better than 12:00 minute a mile pace.



I did have one moment of panic when I realized I was past mile three, but had thought the half marathoners were going to break off before then.

I looked around and all I could see was orange running numbers of marathoners and no blue numbers like mine, and then to my relief I saw a couple other blues. Not much farther down the road, the two courses did split and I made the left with the other half marathon runners and we headed back toward Hartford.



Coming back into Hartford, there was a huge crowd along the bridge and overpass, and then along the streets, people holding up signs and banging cowbells.



At this aid station (they had fluid stations every mile after mile 2), instead of just water and Gatorade, they were passing out other treats. I took a starburst and slowly sucked on it as we headed north on Weston Street toward the meadows, where along the road they had an excellent blues band and then later dummers.



I soon started to modify my 4-1 to match the terrain, running five or six minutes so I could walk a small hill. They had another electronic timer at the 10K mark and I hit it in 1:15:41, still ahead of pace.



We crossed the highway at Jennings Road and then ran into Riverside Park, and then along past the Boathouse and along the river trail.





It was then that I began to feel a little twinge in my right groin. Nothing that really affected me, but something to note with a small bit of concern. I continued to cheat a little on my 4-1, cutting my walk breaks to 45 seconds and running five and six minutes. There was a nice crowd by the river steps, and this spurred me on.

We continued to run south, and crossed under the highway. The crowds were sparser here. Someone had posted signs with inspirational quotes on them, but they were clumped to close together to read them all (and I was past them before I thought to take a picture). My favorite part of the race was a small group of signs of photos of people that appeared to be related to the Team in Training. I couldn’t read them, but it seemed like these perhaps were people that some of the runners were running on behalf, people who had either valiantly lost or were fighting battles against disease. It was a nice quiet spot on the race course for the shrine, and was in its own way, as inspiring as any shout, cheer or cow bell clang.



We ran past the historic Colt building and Dillon tadium where as a kid I used to watch the old Hartford Knights play.

(I had been very much looking forward to this whole event almost like a trip I was taking. In my pocket I carried a small camera that I used throughout the race to snap the displayed pictures of the route. I turned out to be a lousy photographer. Few of the 50 odd pictures I took on the run were in focus and on target and there were sections of the race where I was pushing the button, but no pictures were snapped).

At mile ten my brother, who had come up from New York joined me on the course to run a few miles. He was telling me what a great achievement this was for me, and I was telling him I wasn’t there yet.

We ran up Park Street now through the Frog Hollow Hispanic section of town where as a paramedic I have done many calls over the years). Pulsing Spanish music played on a sound system and there was a nice crowd from the neighborhood cheering.

Hitting the 11 mile mark I was now in new territory as my previous long run mark was 10.5 miles (3 loops of the Albany Avenue Reservoir). My right groin started calling my attention to it in a more pronounced way and I noticed my heart rate, which I had been keeping in the 150s was now at 162. The back of my right knee started aching as well.

In my previous races 5Ks and 10Ks I was slowed only by getting short of breath(oxygen demand), muscle fatigue was new to me, but I gather it is pretty much a staple of longer runs. I had in my pocket a package of Sharkies -- sort of gummi fruit juice electrolyte things-- and I was eating those steadily. My brother was keeping up a nice chat to distract me, I kept looking at my watch for my four minutes of running to stop so I could walk again.

Since my ten mile run I had only done a few short runs, not wanting to encourage a possible cold I felt coming on. I kept it at bay, but came into the race more undertrained than overtrained.

We turned right on Capitol Ave and the end was getting close, but there was no way I was going to breeze in. I had handed the camera over to my brother to take a few shots of me, and having viewed them after the race I will likely delete the worst of them because I look like an old man shuffling his way along.



In none of the pictures am I at all fleet foot and airborne.



We ran up behind the legislative office building and armory, and people started passing me now as sensing the finish they were putting on their final spurts.



My brother peeled off then and I reached down and put on a small spurt of my own, finally getting back to a full although somewhat painful stride up the hill and through the arches to the finish line.



I got a drink of water, received my finisher’s medal and then met up with my family.

My official time was: 2:34:19

I came in 3483 out of 4086

158/175 in my age group M5054

246 out of 358 in the Clydesdale/Athena category

My 10K split was 1:15:41

My mile pace was 11:46

It was a great event. I plan to run again next year.

Hartford Half Marathon

Baby Carriage 2.2 Mile Run

Ran with Zoey. Tiring. I think I am undertrained heading itno the half-marathon, but considering I will be run walking, it is probably better than being overtrained. I have been trying to stay healthy and not get too run down.

I am really looking forward to the race.

Bike 6 Miles/Run 2.1

Biked six miles at work. Later I ran three laps or 2.1 miles. I ran in my work pants, but switched to my running shoes and took off my shirt and put on my bike shirt which was all I had in my car. I ran with the radio in my hand. I had my boots and shirt in the front sat of the ambulance and had left instructions with my partner to pick me if a call came in. i made the run and showered after -- all on the clock. Not bad, although if I had gotten a call toward the end, I would have been quite sweaty. I was very hot afterward.

2.2 Mile Run

Ran 2.2 miles in the neighborhood.