September was a great month, and I had made sure I recorded training each of the 100 days of summer. The first two weekends of October were going to reintroduce racing, but feeling like I was crunched for time, I didn't plan on resting up for any of the races. First up was the inaugural Red Bank Triathlon, Sunday October 3rd. Before that, however, on the way up to Red Bank, I stopped in Newark, Delaware, to race the 3rd annual Main Street Mile. My love for Newark/UDel is obvious, so it was a natural stop. Cheese ran, finishing 3rd, and I ran, well, slower than I did on the track on Tuesday. I was tired, and racing that distance felt uncomfortable and unnatural. The last, and only other road mile I ran was back in 2008 in Bel Air. I ran 5:24. The Newark race was point-to-point along Main Street, featuring a slight incline at the start, then a dip/flattening out, before rising again slowly to the finish.
It was a little chilly in the morning, and there was a slight headwind on the course. The gun went off and within a hundred feet I was already back a hundred feet. On Tuesday, I had gone out at a reasonable pace and was able to negative split, but here, I went out just a second or two too hard. And, as Coach Milligan always used to say, go out a second too fast, come back a second too slow. Now, I have no idea over what distance he meant, but it was pretty apparent. 74ish first quarter, and I was redlined. 82 second quarter, which put me at 2:36 at the half. I figured 5:12 would have been sweet, but obviously I was not running that pace any longer. 3rd quarter was tough, running an awful 86 (4:02). I recovered just enough to have a final "kick" - but right before the finish two women blew right past me and I was deflated. 82 last quarter led to a...you guessed it...5:24.
After that I got in the car and headed home. I still needed to ride, and since the race the next day was short, I figured I could ride 50 miles and be okay. It was probably a little ambitious. It was windy and chilly, and I really should have stopped much sooner. Nevertheless, at least I got in some miles. I went down to packet pickup (the loosest sense of the term), and then got dinner with my brother and Vic at New Corner. My brother was racing his first ever multisport event on Sunday, by the way.
Sunday morning he and I woke up early and hopped on our bikes, opting to ride the mile and a half to transition (in the dark) rather than drive. It was not warm. At all. And it was super windy. So windy, in fact, that the normally calm Navesink River looked like the mighty waters of the North Atlantic. The boats were being tossed around and the race director made the decision to shorten the course. Instead of 750 yards, it was going to maybe be a quarter mile. Basically we were keeping close to the boats that were tied up, circling them, and getting out. It was a time trial start, so athletes hopped into the water one by one, with a second or two separating them. First three in were Tommy, Pat and then myself. The water was salty and warm, but so choppy you couldn't sight anything. After just a few minutes I was out of the water and sprinting into transition.
I saw Pat and Tommy fiddling around with arm warmers and getting onto their bikes. I didn't bother with arm warmers (poor decision) and got out onto the bike just after they did. Nobody had passed me in the swim, and I wound up with the 4th best swim, but still managed to lose a minute to Pat. On the bike it was very windy and the cold air did not feel good. My legs felt dead, I just couldn't get going. I could see Pat and Tommy ahead, and then around Sunnyside somebody passed me. Then as we got out into Holmdel, three more went by. This was not expected, or normal.
On the one hill of the course, I easily went past those 3 while seated. Man, if only there had been more hills! Coming back into Red Bank along W. Front and going by my house was cool, the course was basically the same hour ride route I've used for years (in reverse, actually, and it was that route that I was on when I got hit). I sat up before transition, and guessed I was in 6th going onto the run. I cruised up the short hill out of transition and onto W. Front. Seemed like everyone was pretty far ahead of me, and I wasn't sure if it would be possible to catch anyone on just a 5 mile run.
I suppose that would have been the case if I didn't set that course on fire. I felt incredible - maybe the best I've ever felt running off the bike. My first mile was 5:53 and it was like I was out for a tempo run. I saw Vic, said something humorous to him, then powered up into the neighborhood over the 35 bridge. Mile 2 split was 6:06. Hmm, well, not that bad, and I guess I would have been okay with settling in there. I had just passed one guy and was about to pass another. We were now in Bodman Park and did a little cross-country style out and back. Pat was now passing the leader (the first guy to go by me on the bike) and Tommy was in 3rd at 1:30 ahead of me with 2.5 to go. There was likely no way I could catch him unless he was having a terrible day, but I kept the pressure on. With a time trial start, you never know who started when.
Coming out of Bodman, my 3rd mile was 5:58 and then mile 4 was 5:57. I was back on the bridge with a mile to go, and that mile was mostly flat with a short little downhill into the finish. I gave my brother a high 5 as we passed each other at the Molly Pitcher, and kept tearing into the run. I felt awesome in that last mile, and sprinted into the finish, splitting 5:28 for my last mile and recording the fastest run of the day at 29:23. In all honesty, I wouldn't have believed I could have run that fast open right now, let alone off the bike. Pat was 29:36 and then everyone else was at least a minute back. I ultimately finished 4th, with Tommy in 3rd and Pat getting his first ever win. It was an awesome day. And my brother, with some trepidation about his swim, made it through, had a solid bike and a super fast run to finish up his first triathlon. This was also the first time, perhaps in any race, I've ever negative split. Awesome.
Despite the miserable weather, and the race, I went back out for another 30 mile ride later in the day. It was awful, but I had to do it.
The next week I was feeling it a bit after some really good efforts the previous week, particularly on the run. I took it relatively easy, not riding again until Thursday (68) and going pretty light in the pool and run. I once again filled up the car and headed home, this time for the Hunterdon Half Ironman. This race previously existed as Belly of the Beast, before my friend from high school, Mike Nusbaum, took over and renamed it. The location is in beautiful Hunterdon County, New Jersey, known for its challenging terrain. About a month or so earlier, Mike had emailed Pat and myself to see if we wanted to do either his Oxford Olympic or the Hunterdon race. I said the Hunterdon race fit perfectly for me, so he provided me entry into the event (thanks Mike!).
Of course, my original 10/10/10 plans were to be toeing the line at Chicago, but the more I thought about it, the less it made sense. I certainly could have made it through the race - I'm not above walking and I do not drop out of things. But I thought doing a half iron event would be more integral to knowing whether I could do an ironman. Plus, with the small field, it could be a great opportunity for me to place well. Once again I probably did a little more than I should have the day before, this time riding about 42 miles with Brian Shea. The weather was nice and the effort wasn't out of control, so I didn't mind, but I should have kept it to my original plan of 1h45m. Later in the day I ran 4 miles with my sister at Meadow Ridge. MR was a favorite of mine for tempo efforts, on its 8/10 of a mile dirt loop. This time I did not feel so great and was a little worried I was not going to feel good the next morning.
Driving up on Sunday I watched the temperature drop from mid 40s in Red Bank to a low of 34 degrees at the park. Yikes. I got set up in transition and Mike had awarded me #2. #1 went to Arland Macasieb, THE Filipino Pro. Mike was hoping for a good duel, and, as it turned out, he got what he wished for.
The water was the cleanest water I've ever swam in, obviously other than the Caribbean or GBR. It was a reservoir, so I'm not sure how we were allowed to swim in drinking water, but it tasted delicious. Water temp wasn't bad, but the air was, so I kept myself submerged until the gun went off. The course didn't seem too confusing on paper, but once we were out there, it was crazy. As we neared the first buoy, Arland made a move to the front and for the first time ever, I made a move (in swimming - I know!) and was sticking to his side. At one point I nearly went into some rocks that popped up, narrowly evading what would have been pretty painful. We came around another buoy and were now facing the sun. That made sighting very difficult, and as a result I went one way while Arland and a few others went another. I figured I was wrong, so I corrected myself and caught back up. Then a boat came over and told us we were going the wrong way. We corrected ourselves and headed to the other buoy. Arland went around it, so I naturally followed, and once again we found ourselves being redirected. Finally we were on course and there were three of us - a lady with no wetsuit, Arland and myself. For a brief second I contemplated trying to come around them to get out of the water first and record the fastest swim time, but it was too difficult and then I stumbled out of the water. Turned out the woman was a relay swimmer and former D-1 swimmer at JMU, so we won't count her. My swim split was 29:19 - a PR for the distance by a minute, and was 2nd best of the day.
Arland and I were racked next to each other so we exchanged some pleasantries while we put on some clothes. For me, it was just arm warmers and I was out of transition and onto the bike in first position. For Arland, it was nearly twice as long as my T1 as he put on leg warmers, arm warmers, a jacket, a balaclava (not really) and gloves and a jacket. He had a lot of stuff on. The bike began with a little climb out of the park, and as I was the only one on a road bike, I figured at some point I would get passed. I kept waiting for it and waiting for it, but it still wasn't happening. The course was very tough, a lot of climbing, and a lot of just not knowing where you were. The turns were well marked, but not having ridden the course ahead of time, I didn't know when to anticipate turns. The toughest part was on this highway that skirted along the Delaware River/PA border. I thought I heard the guy at the turn say we were on the road for 2 miles, so after 10 minutes I was becoming worried. Finally, after what must have been 7 miles, there was the turn - right into a mile and a half long climb.
I was keeping on my nutrition, and kept the effort reasonable. With no computer on the bike, or watch, for that matter, I had no idea how long I had been out. With 2 miles to go we had to reclimb back up to the park entrance (very tough) before descending into T2. It was at this point that I caught my first glimpse of another human being. Arland came screaming into T2 right behind me, and his transition was much quicker so we left onto the run stride for stride. Mike was going nuts. It was turning into the race he hoped for. Arland asked Mike what kind of runner I was, to which Mike replied "fast" - not really helping Mike!
The first mile was in the woods and thanks to warming up in there that morning I saw that it was really, really rocky. I didn't know how much of the course was going to be like that, so I still wore my flats. It was not a comfortable first mile, as there wasn't a trail so much as a bunch of rocks and a general direction. Arland had stopped to take a leak, so I was in the lead by about 30 seconds. We came out of the woods section (6:44 first mile) and onto asphalt. Phew. I now had the urge to drop some weight, so I stopped in the public bathroom that was there. I was very slow in my bathroom break, probably to the tune of 90 seconds, so my 8:01 2nd mile was likely closer to 6:30. Arland was now about a minute up. After my 3 there was a very steep downhill, which I basically hobbled down. Then it was rolling to the turnaround, where Arland asked if I had gotten misdirected. Nope, just bathroom break, I said. When we returned to the now big uphill, I slowly gained ground and caught up to him. We ran together from miles 5-8, chatting along the way about my accident, Baltimore Marathon and the previous day's Hawaii Ironman (which was sick). Then I let him know my downhill running was quite bad/painful, and for him not to worry about running with me.
Not long after I mentioned that, the downhill was back, and he took off. The 2nd trip down it hurt pretty bad, and I was hurting the remainder of the run. In the last 5 miles, Arland put nearly a minute a mile into me. At that point I was just trying to get to the end, and finished with a 1:33:03 run (3rd) and took 2nd place. I was actually pretty pleased with the run, as actual running time was 1:31:30, and on a tough course. I only ran 1:27:53 at PDR 3 weeks before. The point is that I'm running better off the bike than I do open, relatively. The total time for the event was 4:53:10 or something, my bike split was 2:46 high (2nd). I now felt pretty good about being able to make it through Arizona, and in my head made the decision to go. The 2nd place was my best triathlon finish ever, so even though it may not have been the biggest or most competitive race ever, I was psyched.
The week after Hunterdon was a pretty uneventful, standard week. Wanted to get my legs back under me before I did anything else. After all, the critical time was coming. I was now about 6 weeks out from race day, and would need to have two weeks of both high volume and solid intensity before I would be comfortable bringing it down.
Since this post has gone pretty long, I'll wait for another to highlight that two week period.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
September
It's time for a little acceleration. I have a couple of more posts until I'm caught back up to the present.
Labor Day weekend is typically a last chance for me to get to LBI aka Kootman's house for a last weekend of fun. In years past, it would consist of a few of us. Now that some of them have babies, etc, it's a little different. And, unfortunately for me, I had to use that weekend for some big training. After all, you can't expect to do well in an Ironman and lose a few days by going to the beach!
I was looking for a big week/weekend and I got it. That first week of September I got in 23k in the pool, and 221 miles on the bike. To keep it somewhat balanced, I ran just about 34 miles. From Wednesday through Labor Day Monday, I rode 6 days, including Friday morning 2 hour ride + Patapsco hour run, and then headed to Frederick on Saturday with OJ. The plan was to get after it. Riding with OJ out there is sure to make it tough. I chased him up the hills all day, and ultimately finished up at 3:01:23 for the ride. It was the fastest I've ever ridden it by a few minutes, and OJ's ride time was just under 3 hours. We chased this with a 5 mile run, and all in all it was a good day of training. I was finding it easier to put away 3 disciplines in the same day now, getting into the pool for 3500m after getting back to Baltimore. Truthfully, one of the only reasons I was getting in the pool was because it was nice outside, and I wanted to hit the pool every day that weekend. I had been swimming outside all summer and accrued a tremendous speedo tan, so I was going to keep working on that until the pool went back inside.
That Sunday was a 67 mile ride, easy 2k in the pool and then a chill 7 mile run at Robert E Lee Park. Had to "rest up" before Monday. The prescribed workout that day was a morning 60 mile ride with Pat. After about an hour we hit some hard sections of 5-10-15-10-5 (minutes) with about 5 minutes in between each. By the time we got to Roland Park and were a few miles from home, I was cooked. Didn't feel like riding anymore, just tired. We still had to run, too. We headed out for our 6 mile loop and made it down to the Square in 6:10 or something. We decided to push the pace until 18 minutes, then chilled out for a bit, then picked it up for the last 9.
After the good block, I was going to take it easy for a few days. Had a good 40 mile ride with OJ on Wednesday, but then started feeling a little sick. I blamed this on Ed, as he had the croup or the whooping cough or something. When he gets sick, he gets SICK. His cough lingered for weeks, and despite my normally insane immune system, even I get weakened when I'm on that line of hard training. I was a little disheartened, because I was hoping to race Lancaster Triathlon on Saturday. I was feeling good about my swim, and since I've only ever ridden my road bike there, I figured I'd ride about the same as normal. Running was going well, and in general I just felt like it would have been a good race.
However, the sickness wouldn't have been the only thing stopping me from competing. In all the years I've done that race, I've always signed up day of. One of the nicest things about that race. Except I found out the day before that they were no longer doing race day registration, and that the race had apparently closed 6 weeks prior online. WTF? This is Lancaster. Not Columbia. Stupid. It was a really nice day, too. So then I thought maybe I'd jump up to Delaware Diamondman on Sunday, as they did offer race day registration, but when I woke up Sunday I still felt under the weather and it was also pretty shitty out. Saturday, despite feeling ill, I made it out for 64 miles with Pat and OJ. It did not go well for me. Then ran at Robert E Lee for another 7. Sunday, the sickness took me out, and I just made it out for a short 6 miles.
I started feeling a little better, and managed a good TNT workout that next week, before getting out on Wednesday for the Rocks 83 mile ride. Despite rain for 3.5 hours of my day, I rode pretty well. And because I left real late, I didn't get home until late, so it was dark. The long days by myself were good because I could control my efforts a lot better, but they were also pretty boring. I was planning on banditing Philly Distance Run that Sunday, but it didn't stop me from running 11 at Patapsco with Kris on Friday. My parents and brother came down for the Orioles vs Yankees that night, and then I got up early Saturday to squeeze in a 4 hour ride before heading up to Philly. It's one of my favorite trips of the year, and this one did not disappoint.
Sunday started off a lot warmer than we expected. I warmed up with Melissa, who was doing a marathon pace run inside of the race. We did about 3 prior to the start, and then I did another 1 after to make it 17. I think she did 20. I started off and felt like I was running low 6, but was disappointed when I saw I was at 6:22. I kept the first 4 within a few second range, running with Matt Castille, but by 4.5 I was pretty much done. It was no longer comfortable, and I considered stopping. I wanted to get in some miles, though, so I continued on at a slower pace. I was no running closer to 7's, and didn't want to have any miles OVER 7, so as each last 100 or 200 would approach, I would run fast enough to sneak under 7 then slow down. Stupid, I know, but I didn't really care. I didn't like the reversed course, and I didn't like the loudness of the music on course. I finished up just under 1:28. Far off where I thought I could run, but I wasn't going to concern myself with it. After we got back to Baltimore (it was now real warm), I still had to ride.
I had to go up to NJ the next day for a doc visit, which I was not psyched about because I had driven to Philly twice in the past week and just didn't feel like being in the car anymore. One Philly trip was, of course, to PDR, but the other, a few days earlier, was to the Lady Gaga concert. That was pretty awesome.
Thursday came and the temps were still kicking in over 90 degrees. I hadn't gotten out for a real long ride in a while, so I decided that would be the day. I rode up to OJ's, where I met him for a 50 mile ride. I was not prepared for the weather, or something, because I was getting crushed from early on. The 3 hours of riding with OJ felt real twice as long. Then I had to ride home still. It was rough. 101 miles I think but it took me over 6 hours. That's what Cockeysville and north county rides will do to you. The next few days of the weekend were going to be another big push as I was racing the next two weeks.
Hit Patapsco on Friday with Kris, running 2 minutes faster than last week, and then Saturday rode with Pat. It was 95 degrees when we started at 11:30 though, and Pat was having a rough day after 2 hours. It wound up taking quite a while to make it through the 85 miles, so I got home late. That meant getting into the pool late, so doing just a short swim before it closed. Then I still had to run. It was a real good training day, and it was really nice by the time I went to run. The WineFest was going on in the Square, so Canton was packed. Sunday I almost welcomed the rain as it kept me from riding. Pat joined me for a long run out to the Fort and back. Neither of us felt great, but we got it done.
My brain just keeps thinking "one more day, one more day." I keep saying I'll start taking it easy. But I just kept feeling good, and by now I was freaking out about the two months I had before Arizona. I wasn't going to make a final decision on whether I would race until after the half Ironman I was going to do on 10/10. So I absolutely had to be prepared for that race.
Last week of September, and it was time for a good track workout. We were doing 1600 hard, 3200 tempo, 1600 hard. It was a small group, but a great night for track. Originally I thought that 5:30, 12:00, 5:40 would be reasonable times for me. Once we got going, in the dark, I felt great. We negative split our first 1600 and ran 5:19. Then we perfectly evenly split the 3200 at 11:33. Wow. I was feeling pretty good still, but I knew the last interval would be tough. I ran with Prada and Elijah and we were moving well, again negative splitting, and I finished in 5:22. It was a great workout and now I was feeling pretty confident about the weekend ahead.
The next day I got out for a 77 mile ride, and was riding decent despite the wind and getting rained on again. That last day of September I made sure I got out for a run, so was just going to go do 6. But then Chris Nowakowski ran into me and we got to chatting. It had rained all day so the Harbor was really flooded, but it was nice out while we were running and we got in 8 for the day. Not bad!
September ended up as another big month. Not only did I record big volume, but I started mixing in some real efforts, and brought my long runs up again. I finished with 75000m in the pool and 885 miles on the bike, and a "whopping" 159 miles of running. By hours, the weeks were 24, 20.5, 21.17, 21.75 and 20.75.
I had some races coming up and was feeling ready to go. September, always a good month for me. Next up, my return to racing, the month that was October and finally making a decision about Arizona.
Labor Day weekend is typically a last chance for me to get to LBI aka Kootman's house for a last weekend of fun. In years past, it would consist of a few of us. Now that some of them have babies, etc, it's a little different. And, unfortunately for me, I had to use that weekend for some big training. After all, you can't expect to do well in an Ironman and lose a few days by going to the beach!
I was looking for a big week/weekend and I got it. That first week of September I got in 23k in the pool, and 221 miles on the bike. To keep it somewhat balanced, I ran just about 34 miles. From Wednesday through Labor Day Monday, I rode 6 days, including Friday morning 2 hour ride + Patapsco hour run, and then headed to Frederick on Saturday with OJ. The plan was to get after it. Riding with OJ out there is sure to make it tough. I chased him up the hills all day, and ultimately finished up at 3:01:23 for the ride. It was the fastest I've ever ridden it by a few minutes, and OJ's ride time was just under 3 hours. We chased this with a 5 mile run, and all in all it was a good day of training. I was finding it easier to put away 3 disciplines in the same day now, getting into the pool for 3500m after getting back to Baltimore. Truthfully, one of the only reasons I was getting in the pool was because it was nice outside, and I wanted to hit the pool every day that weekend. I had been swimming outside all summer and accrued a tremendous speedo tan, so I was going to keep working on that until the pool went back inside.
That Sunday was a 67 mile ride, easy 2k in the pool and then a chill 7 mile run at Robert E Lee Park. Had to "rest up" before Monday. The prescribed workout that day was a morning 60 mile ride with Pat. After about an hour we hit some hard sections of 5-10-15-10-5 (minutes) with about 5 minutes in between each. By the time we got to Roland Park and were a few miles from home, I was cooked. Didn't feel like riding anymore, just tired. We still had to run, too. We headed out for our 6 mile loop and made it down to the Square in 6:10 or something. We decided to push the pace until 18 minutes, then chilled out for a bit, then picked it up for the last 9.
After the good block, I was going to take it easy for a few days. Had a good 40 mile ride with OJ on Wednesday, but then started feeling a little sick. I blamed this on Ed, as he had the croup or the whooping cough or something. When he gets sick, he gets SICK. His cough lingered for weeks, and despite my normally insane immune system, even I get weakened when I'm on that line of hard training. I was a little disheartened, because I was hoping to race Lancaster Triathlon on Saturday. I was feeling good about my swim, and since I've only ever ridden my road bike there, I figured I'd ride about the same as normal. Running was going well, and in general I just felt like it would have been a good race.
However, the sickness wouldn't have been the only thing stopping me from competing. In all the years I've done that race, I've always signed up day of. One of the nicest things about that race. Except I found out the day before that they were no longer doing race day registration, and that the race had apparently closed 6 weeks prior online. WTF? This is Lancaster. Not Columbia. Stupid. It was a really nice day, too. So then I thought maybe I'd jump up to Delaware Diamondman on Sunday, as they did offer race day registration, but when I woke up Sunday I still felt under the weather and it was also pretty shitty out. Saturday, despite feeling ill, I made it out for 64 miles with Pat and OJ. It did not go well for me. Then ran at Robert E Lee for another 7. Sunday, the sickness took me out, and I just made it out for a short 6 miles.
I started feeling a little better, and managed a good TNT workout that next week, before getting out on Wednesday for the Rocks 83 mile ride. Despite rain for 3.5 hours of my day, I rode pretty well. And because I left real late, I didn't get home until late, so it was dark. The long days by myself were good because I could control my efforts a lot better, but they were also pretty boring. I was planning on banditing Philly Distance Run that Sunday, but it didn't stop me from running 11 at Patapsco with Kris on Friday. My parents and brother came down for the Orioles vs Yankees that night, and then I got up early Saturday to squeeze in a 4 hour ride before heading up to Philly. It's one of my favorite trips of the year, and this one did not disappoint.
Sunday started off a lot warmer than we expected. I warmed up with Melissa, who was doing a marathon pace run inside of the race. We did about 3 prior to the start, and then I did another 1 after to make it 17. I think she did 20. I started off and felt like I was running low 6, but was disappointed when I saw I was at 6:22. I kept the first 4 within a few second range, running with Matt Castille, but by 4.5 I was pretty much done. It was no longer comfortable, and I considered stopping. I wanted to get in some miles, though, so I continued on at a slower pace. I was no running closer to 7's, and didn't want to have any miles OVER 7, so as each last 100 or 200 would approach, I would run fast enough to sneak under 7 then slow down. Stupid, I know, but I didn't really care. I didn't like the reversed course, and I didn't like the loudness of the music on course. I finished up just under 1:28. Far off where I thought I could run, but I wasn't going to concern myself with it. After we got back to Baltimore (it was now real warm), I still had to ride.
I had to go up to NJ the next day for a doc visit, which I was not psyched about because I had driven to Philly twice in the past week and just didn't feel like being in the car anymore. One Philly trip was, of course, to PDR, but the other, a few days earlier, was to the Lady Gaga concert. That was pretty awesome.
Thursday came and the temps were still kicking in over 90 degrees. I hadn't gotten out for a real long ride in a while, so I decided that would be the day. I rode up to OJ's, where I met him for a 50 mile ride. I was not prepared for the weather, or something, because I was getting crushed from early on. The 3 hours of riding with OJ felt real twice as long. Then I had to ride home still. It was rough. 101 miles I think but it took me over 6 hours. That's what Cockeysville and north county rides will do to you. The next few days of the weekend were going to be another big push as I was racing the next two weeks.
Hit Patapsco on Friday with Kris, running 2 minutes faster than last week, and then Saturday rode with Pat. It was 95 degrees when we started at 11:30 though, and Pat was having a rough day after 2 hours. It wound up taking quite a while to make it through the 85 miles, so I got home late. That meant getting into the pool late, so doing just a short swim before it closed. Then I still had to run. It was a real good training day, and it was really nice by the time I went to run. The WineFest was going on in the Square, so Canton was packed. Sunday I almost welcomed the rain as it kept me from riding. Pat joined me for a long run out to the Fort and back. Neither of us felt great, but we got it done.
My brain just keeps thinking "one more day, one more day." I keep saying I'll start taking it easy. But I just kept feeling good, and by now I was freaking out about the two months I had before Arizona. I wasn't going to make a final decision on whether I would race until after the half Ironman I was going to do on 10/10. So I absolutely had to be prepared for that race.
Last week of September, and it was time for a good track workout. We were doing 1600 hard, 3200 tempo, 1600 hard. It was a small group, but a great night for track. Originally I thought that 5:30, 12:00, 5:40 would be reasonable times for me. Once we got going, in the dark, I felt great. We negative split our first 1600 and ran 5:19. Then we perfectly evenly split the 3200 at 11:33. Wow. I was feeling pretty good still, but I knew the last interval would be tough. I ran with Prada and Elijah and we were moving well, again negative splitting, and I finished in 5:22. It was a great workout and now I was feeling pretty confident about the weekend ahead.
The next day I got out for a 77 mile ride, and was riding decent despite the wind and getting rained on again. That last day of September I made sure I got out for a run, so was just going to go do 6. But then Chris Nowakowski ran into me and we got to chatting. It had rained all day so the Harbor was really flooded, but it was nice out while we were running and we got in 8 for the day. Not bad!
September ended up as another big month. Not only did I record big volume, but I started mixing in some real efforts, and brought my long runs up again. I finished with 75000m in the pool and 885 miles on the bike, and a "whopping" 159 miles of running. By hours, the weeks were 24, 20.5, 21.17, 21.75 and 20.75.
I had some races coming up and was feeling ready to go. September, always a good month for me. Next up, my return to racing, the month that was October and finally making a decision about Arizona.
Monday, November 01, 2010
August
Writing this now makes it seem like summer was a lifetime ago, and in the scheme of miles and hours, it really was. The four weeks of July, in hours, were 22, 22.75, 20.50 and 27.33. I accomplished my goal of re-establishing some routines. The bike rides were going okay, the runs were coming along slowly. TCYB (Team Crush Young Butts) had planned on going to Set Up Events' Luray Triathlon in the middle of August. The original thought was to do the double (Olympic on Saturday, Sprint on Sunday) but after 14 months without racing or knowing how my knee would hold up, I decided one race would be enough. Right at the end of July I signed up for the race on August 14th.
Following the 270 mile bike week (not to mention 26km of swimming) to finish Get Tough Month, I figured the first week of August would be a down week, after all, I had certainly earned it. I took it easy in the pool, and didn't do anything significant until the weekend. That weekend I headed home for the wedding of a high school friend, so I took the opportunity to get in a run at Hartshorne. I knew going into it that I was taking a chance doing that. First, I hadn't really run on trails yet, and these are some of the hardest around. It's also where I broke my ankle back in 2003. Second, I had just run a 9 mile run two weeks prior, so it was going to be my longest run (by a good amount), however most of my runs were under 7.
I showed up to Hartshorne ahead of the Middletown South XC team's practice, got in 3, then ran about 7.5 with the kids. It felt great to run at Hartshorne, and even better to not get hurt. I went for a short ride after that, and then Sunday went out for a longer ride (62mi). While I have had to go home many, many times in the past year and a half, now that I could train again it was not as bad of a trip. More importantly, I now felt as if I'd be able to get through the race, which was the following weekend.
That next week started pretty normal, taking my usual fairly easy Monday and Tuesday before picking it back up on Wednesday. At PT that day, however, Brett really cranked on my knee. I didn't notice it during, but as soon as I tried to pedal my bike that evening, well, the pain was obvious. I could barely pedal. I kept hoping it would loosen up but no luck. I remember we did the Gunpowder loop in reverse, and I was just way off the back of Pat and Alyssa. I didn't want to hold them up, but I was going nowhere. I eventually limped home. The next few days were rough. It hurt to swim. It hurt to run. I figured it didn't even make sense to try to ride. As of Friday night, the evening before the race, I was not sure I'd even do it.
I called up Brett and asked him what I should do as a quick fix. I took an Aleve that night - something I try to avoid - and iced it, massaged it a little. Saturday morning we got up and headed to the race, and during my warmup run I felt awesome. I felt fresh, bouncy and relaxed. Figured what the heck, if it's too painful to race, I'll find out during the race. The swim was a non-wetsuit swim and turned out to be the most aggressive start outside of IM that I've ever seen. I figured I was in the top 10 out of the water, maybe as high as 7. I was psyched. I ran into transition and saw Pat (we were racked next to each other). I thought that was a good swim if I'm that close to Pat - but turned out he just had a really, really slow T1. He actually put 1:40 into me in the water. Yikes.
Onto the bike and there is a significant climb a quarter mile into the ride. I spun up in an easy gear to avoid the pounding on my knee. Passed one or two people on that hill, and then was moving well. I passed Pat shortly after. Then a few dudes, including Dirk, went flying by. It was tremendously windy on the course, and I felt like I was losing time on downhills and flats by being on my road bike. I thought I was in somewhere between 6th and 8th coming into transition, not including any of the next wave (40+) that may have made up the gap. I felt awesome heading out onto the run and really felt good competing again.
My first mile was around 6:20. Considering I hadn't been running under 7 at all on any of my runs, I didn't expect to run better than 7's off the bike. I figured if I felt good, I should just keep going until I didn't. No point holding back. Next mile was 6:19. Then 6:22. I was keeping that pace and on the 2nd loop caught two guys. I wound up running a 39:49 10k, which was a huge surprise, and finished 11th overall. In 2008 I also finished 11th, although my time was a little faster back then (swim this year was slower, as was the bike. 2008 my run was only 39:12 I think).
I was very pleased with the result, as it surpassed my expectations. Of course, David Glover and the Set Up Events crew put on a great race at a great venue, and it was a fun weekend with Team CYB (Alyssa, Pat, Zero) in Luray. My takeaways from the race were: 1) While I swam a little slower than I thought I could, I still had the 19th fastest swim. 2) My bike split, conducted on my road bike, was 17th fastest, and shows I still know how to race any kind of bike. 3) Your body remembers how to race. So even though I didn't think I'd run very fast, once I was in the moment, it just turned itself on.
My knee had held up through the race, and generally started to feel better. I ran 12 miles with Zero when we got back to Baltimore that Sunday night, again recording a "longest run since...". Because I felt like the week before was a little too light on the bike (just rode 58 miles on two rides, including the race), I picked it back up that following week, riding about 225. That included another Rocks 98 mile ride with Alyssa as what would be her last real long ride before Wisconsin, and then following it up with 54 on Sunday out in Frederick with Z and Alyssa. Frederick, as I've mentioned before, is always a hard ride but a good barometer of fitness.
We rode the ride all together, of course each climbing at different rates. It was the first time I've ever done that ride and been warm - normally I'm only out there in the winter and spring. My knee held up better than I thought it might on the steep pitches of Hamburg and Harp Hills, and after the ride we went for a "fast" 2 mile run around the pond at Frederick High School.
I was at a critical point in training now, because the summer was coming to an end, and Chicago Marathon was only a few weeks away. Could it be done? Well, certainly I could have finished it. But I wasn't going to go out there and run another slow marathon - I've already done that twice. I was beginning to dismiss the thought entirely. But another thought was gaining momentum. Would I be able to do Ironman Arizona?
I knew I would need to get my body running better, particularly on long runs. On Monday, August 23rd, I ran to Fed Hill Runners and back, so 14 miles on the day. I didn't get out to ride as much as I would have liked that week, as ultimately I went to San Diego on Thursday for the weekend. Many times when you take trips of a personal nature to visit friends, it can be tough to get out for training. This trip was probably the best training trip I've ever had. I woke up early Friday morning to swim with the Tri Club of San Diego at Solana Beach. I was definitely fearsome of sharks, as it was the same group a few years back that lost one of their members to a shark attack on the very same swim. The water was also absolutely frigid. Glad I brought my wetsuit, "for sure." The group was pretty chill, mostly an older group and pretty relaxed. Grabbed breakfast with them after, and then later in the day went for a run with Andy's high school xc team in the desert hills.
The next morning I went for a workout with Bryon, one of Andy's roommates. He's trying to get into triathlon, and would ride his bike to UCSD's track to do some workouts. I rode an old mountain bike the 10 miles with him on his road bike, we climbed through Torrey Pines, and got to the track. Once there, Bryon did some workout involving stairs and pushups and stuff, while I hit the track for a shorter workout of some 800s, 400s and 200s. Then we rode back. Sunday was going to be a big day for me - a long run with Eric. He's another Terp out in San Diego, and was running Chicago as well. He was doing 20, and I hoped to make it through 16. I didn't want to impede his workout, so I was fortunate there were a few other dudes there running about my pace. Felt good when we turned around at 8, but by 13 I was cooked. When Eric got back we had to hit Denny's HARD to restore some chemical balance (see also: Coke and some omelettes). It was a great couple of training days. Sidenote: the next week Eric ran a 1:12:10 half marathon at Disneyland, and was looking to go 2:30 at Chicago. But, like many, he did not have the best day out there.
August was now over, and it was another solid month. I ended that last week with 48 miles of running (on the heels of the 14 and 16 mile runs in the same week). For the month, it was a far cry from the volume of July, recording just 583 miles on the bike and 60,000m in the pool, but it was a good running month at 153 miles.
I was psyched though, those numbers would have been good last year for me. As a result of the two big months, I had recorded nearly 1500 miles of riding and 100 miles in the water. Pretty insane. Most importantly, I was starting to get my running back to a level that made me think, Arizona is possible. As we transitioned into September, where I planned on racing a little bit, it would become
Mission: Arizona.
(Also, sorry for the long posts, I'm sure they're a bore to read. I should have written things along the way and just saved them to post now, but back then I didn't have the desire to do it)
Following the 270 mile bike week (not to mention 26km of swimming) to finish Get Tough Month, I figured the first week of August would be a down week, after all, I had certainly earned it. I took it easy in the pool, and didn't do anything significant until the weekend. That weekend I headed home for the wedding of a high school friend, so I took the opportunity to get in a run at Hartshorne. I knew going into it that I was taking a chance doing that. First, I hadn't really run on trails yet, and these are some of the hardest around. It's also where I broke my ankle back in 2003. Second, I had just run a 9 mile run two weeks prior, so it was going to be my longest run (by a good amount), however most of my runs were under 7.
I showed up to Hartshorne ahead of the Middletown South XC team's practice, got in 3, then ran about 7.5 with the kids. It felt great to run at Hartshorne, and even better to not get hurt. I went for a short ride after that, and then Sunday went out for a longer ride (62mi). While I have had to go home many, many times in the past year and a half, now that I could train again it was not as bad of a trip. More importantly, I now felt as if I'd be able to get through the race, which was the following weekend.
That next week started pretty normal, taking my usual fairly easy Monday and Tuesday before picking it back up on Wednesday. At PT that day, however, Brett really cranked on my knee. I didn't notice it during, but as soon as I tried to pedal my bike that evening, well, the pain was obvious. I could barely pedal. I kept hoping it would loosen up but no luck. I remember we did the Gunpowder loop in reverse, and I was just way off the back of Pat and Alyssa. I didn't want to hold them up, but I was going nowhere. I eventually limped home. The next few days were rough. It hurt to swim. It hurt to run. I figured it didn't even make sense to try to ride. As of Friday night, the evening before the race, I was not sure I'd even do it.
I called up Brett and asked him what I should do as a quick fix. I took an Aleve that night - something I try to avoid - and iced it, massaged it a little. Saturday morning we got up and headed to the race, and during my warmup run I felt awesome. I felt fresh, bouncy and relaxed. Figured what the heck, if it's too painful to race, I'll find out during the race. The swim was a non-wetsuit swim and turned out to be the most aggressive start outside of IM that I've ever seen. I figured I was in the top 10 out of the water, maybe as high as 7. I was psyched. I ran into transition and saw Pat (we were racked next to each other). I thought that was a good swim if I'm that close to Pat - but turned out he just had a really, really slow T1. He actually put 1:40 into me in the water. Yikes.
Onto the bike and there is a significant climb a quarter mile into the ride. I spun up in an easy gear to avoid the pounding on my knee. Passed one or two people on that hill, and then was moving well. I passed Pat shortly after. Then a few dudes, including Dirk, went flying by. It was tremendously windy on the course, and I felt like I was losing time on downhills and flats by being on my road bike. I thought I was in somewhere between 6th and 8th coming into transition, not including any of the next wave (40+) that may have made up the gap. I felt awesome heading out onto the run and really felt good competing again.
My first mile was around 6:20. Considering I hadn't been running under 7 at all on any of my runs, I didn't expect to run better than 7's off the bike. I figured if I felt good, I should just keep going until I didn't. No point holding back. Next mile was 6:19. Then 6:22. I was keeping that pace and on the 2nd loop caught two guys. I wound up running a 39:49 10k, which was a huge surprise, and finished 11th overall. In 2008 I also finished 11th, although my time was a little faster back then (swim this year was slower, as was the bike. 2008 my run was only 39:12 I think).
I was very pleased with the result, as it surpassed my expectations. Of course, David Glover and the Set Up Events crew put on a great race at a great venue, and it was a fun weekend with Team CYB (Alyssa, Pat, Zero) in Luray. My takeaways from the race were: 1) While I swam a little slower than I thought I could, I still had the 19th fastest swim. 2) My bike split, conducted on my road bike, was 17th fastest, and shows I still know how to race any kind of bike. 3) Your body remembers how to race. So even though I didn't think I'd run very fast, once I was in the moment, it just turned itself on.
My knee had held up through the race, and generally started to feel better. I ran 12 miles with Zero when we got back to Baltimore that Sunday night, again recording a "longest run since...". Because I felt like the week before was a little too light on the bike (just rode 58 miles on two rides, including the race), I picked it back up that following week, riding about 225. That included another Rocks 98 mile ride with Alyssa as what would be her last real long ride before Wisconsin, and then following it up with 54 on Sunday out in Frederick with Z and Alyssa. Frederick, as I've mentioned before, is always a hard ride but a good barometer of fitness.
We rode the ride all together, of course each climbing at different rates. It was the first time I've ever done that ride and been warm - normally I'm only out there in the winter and spring. My knee held up better than I thought it might on the steep pitches of Hamburg and Harp Hills, and after the ride we went for a "fast" 2 mile run around the pond at Frederick High School.
I was at a critical point in training now, because the summer was coming to an end, and Chicago Marathon was only a few weeks away. Could it be done? Well, certainly I could have finished it. But I wasn't going to go out there and run another slow marathon - I've already done that twice. I was beginning to dismiss the thought entirely. But another thought was gaining momentum. Would I be able to do Ironman Arizona?
I knew I would need to get my body running better, particularly on long runs. On Monday, August 23rd, I ran to Fed Hill Runners and back, so 14 miles on the day. I didn't get out to ride as much as I would have liked that week, as ultimately I went to San Diego on Thursday for the weekend. Many times when you take trips of a personal nature to visit friends, it can be tough to get out for training. This trip was probably the best training trip I've ever had. I woke up early Friday morning to swim with the Tri Club of San Diego at Solana Beach. I was definitely fearsome of sharks, as it was the same group a few years back that lost one of their members to a shark attack on the very same swim. The water was also absolutely frigid. Glad I brought my wetsuit, "for sure." The group was pretty chill, mostly an older group and pretty relaxed. Grabbed breakfast with them after, and then later in the day went for a run with Andy's high school xc team in the desert hills.
The next morning I went for a workout with Bryon, one of Andy's roommates. He's trying to get into triathlon, and would ride his bike to UCSD's track to do some workouts. I rode an old mountain bike the 10 miles with him on his road bike, we climbed through Torrey Pines, and got to the track. Once there, Bryon did some workout involving stairs and pushups and stuff, while I hit the track for a shorter workout of some 800s, 400s and 200s. Then we rode back. Sunday was going to be a big day for me - a long run with Eric. He's another Terp out in San Diego, and was running Chicago as well. He was doing 20, and I hoped to make it through 16. I didn't want to impede his workout, so I was fortunate there were a few other dudes there running about my pace. Felt good when we turned around at 8, but by 13 I was cooked. When Eric got back we had to hit Denny's HARD to restore some chemical balance (see also: Coke and some omelettes). It was a great couple of training days. Sidenote: the next week Eric ran a 1:12:10 half marathon at Disneyland, and was looking to go 2:30 at Chicago. But, like many, he did not have the best day out there.
August was now over, and it was another solid month. I ended that last week with 48 miles of running (on the heels of the 14 and 16 mile runs in the same week). For the month, it was a far cry from the volume of July, recording just 583 miles on the bike and 60,000m in the pool, but it was a good running month at 153 miles.
I was psyched though, those numbers would have been good last year for me. As a result of the two big months, I had recorded nearly 1500 miles of riding and 100 miles in the water. Pretty insane. Most importantly, I was starting to get my running back to a level that made me think, Arizona is possible. As we transitioned into September, where I planned on racing a little bit, it would become
Mission: Arizona.
(Also, sorry for the long posts, I'm sure they're a bore to read. I should have written things along the way and just saved them to post now, but back then I didn't have the desire to do it)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Getting Tough
Every so often I set up these little "Get Tough" blocks. Sometimes they last a long weekend, sometimes a week. I had always kind of did them on my own, but the naming rights belong to OJ. Usually in March of each year he'll attempt a week straight of 5000m/50mi/8mi (each day) of swim/bike/run, respectively. That's pretty big. Especially to have a 300+ mile bike week. I'm not sure what his final outcome is every year, since I don't do the whole thing with him, but even if he's coming close, that's still pretty gnarly.
In the past I've used weekends like Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day to focus around big blocks. You know the weather's usually decent, there will be people to ride with and non-athletes are doing other things so the roads don't seem to be as bad. I feel like the blast of riding miles helps immensely, especially when focused and done at the right time before a goal event. I usually get in 250-300 miles over the 3 or 4 days, and then I feel like my body can "live off the fat" for a few weeks.
This year was a little bit different. Swimming was going okay, but I just wasn't able to ride or run very much. I kicked things off with 4th of July weekend. At this point, I had gone for a 4 mile run with Ed, so I felt like 4 miles was something I could do, and would stick with that distance for now. I went up to LBI for the weekend, and brought my bike. My standard LBI ride is just the length of the island and back, making it about 40 miles. During the week I was making sure I was getting in the pool for 5000m a day, and then I managed a 40 mile ride Saturday, 30 mile ride Sunday, and Fri-Sat-Sun ran 4 miles each, while on the island. I came back on Monday to ride the Loch Raven loop with Alyssa, and it was a few minutes faster than the previous time I rode it.
I thought Get Tough Week would just be that - one week. I figured I would catapult things via 4th of July weekend, then try and record training every day that next week. It was on that Thursday, July 8, that I made my return to my Thursday Night Ride up in Owings Mills. This was one of the first group workouts I had found about and gone to when I first moved here, thanks to running into Peter Bolster out on the roads. He told me about the group and since June of 2005, that's become my go-to ride during the week. I've gotten so much faster because of it.
Saturday, July 10, was a big day for me, as it marked one year since I had been hit. I had intentions of going out for a great ride, but when I woke up and saw the rain I figured I was better served not tempting fate. I took it as a sign and pushed my ride til Sunday. I thought it would be an appropriate way to "celebrate" if I put in a real big day to bring to a close my Get Tough Week. I wound up riding 84 miles - not even sure how I made it through that, honestly, and ran 4/swam 3600m.
So the results of that Get Tough Week were good. 24000m in the pool, 204 miles on the bike and 21 miles running (up from 15 the previous). I had also worked up to a 6 mile "long run."
Now I didn't want to stop. I figured I knew my body only had so many runs in it each week, and that I needed to save the efforts. I was trying to get into the habit of swimming every day so I swam that Monday (7/13) and just kept going. Get Tough Week was quickly turning into Get Tough Month. The previous week at track I managed 3x1600 @ 6:10, 6:00, 5:59, then 2x400 at 87/78 and then an 800 at 2:58. It was, to say, surprising. The next week was hills on Bellemore, which I was able to run much better up than I was down (still a big problem, as my knee/quad aren't strong enough to handle the steep downhills right now).
My goal was now to ride a little longer each week for my long ride. First week was the 84 mile version of Rocks with Alyssa, the second week was now the PA ride with Pat. We drove up to TriSpeed so that it wasn't too long of a day, but it still wound up being 94 or so miles. The ride is hard, and it was hot. But it's one of my favorite rides because of Leone Springs, nicely situated around 2.5 hours into the ride. I started chasing the Saturday long ride with another ride on Sunday. The day after the PA ride I went out with Pat, OJ and Zero for the Loch Raven loop, and was real tired. The next weekend, so now 7/24, I rode the longer version of Rocks (up to Aberdeen) with Ben W. and Alyssa. It was probably the hottest day I've ever gone out for something that long, maybe the hottest day of training ever. 96 degrees at 9:30am. Apparently got up to 106. It was a very tough ride, just under 98 miles. Chased that on Sunday with a Hunt Valley 56 mile ride the next day with OJ and Alyssa.
So now I've had three weeks of steady progress, with the last three being 204/209/221 on the bike, and 21/26/17 running. I was starting to get a little tired and knew my body needed a break.
Somehow I was pulling off decent track workouts, as in I was negative splitting intervals (never happens) and running super consistent paces. The 27th we did 800-800-1600-800-800-1600-800-800, and I was able to be 2:59, 2:56, 6:00, 2:59, 2:55, 6:00, 2:59, 2:45. I didn't have great turnover, and in general it wasn't comfortable to run at all, but I was getting through it. I figured I would eventually take a day off, so I wanted to push the volume a little bit this last week of July. 25,600m in the pool and 23 miles running were solid, and that last Saturday of the month I decided it was time to really get tough. A hearty crew consisting of Adam Z., Ben W., Zero, Pat and John Eisenhardt for a little left from the city, embarking on the PA ride. It was a weird day. Ben's spoke broke an hour in and left his wheel, to me, unrideable. But he barreled through it. Adam, who hadn't ridden more than 70 this year, and also weighs way more than any of us, struggled on York Rd. In fact, everyone started struggling as I made them ride up Jerome Jay at 90 miles into the ride. It was hot, as was the theme of the summer, and exposed. By the time we got to the top, nobody wanted to even pedal anymore. Everyone was slumped over their bars. This is where I started feeling strangely good.
That ride turned out to be 114 miles. That's a long day. With enough left in the tank for Sunday, Pat and I met OJ for a tough 45 miles in Cockeysville and chased that with my first brick workout - a 5 mile run in Loch Raven. So not only was I doing my first brick after that weekend, but was doing it on the trails.
July, as a result, turned out to be the biggest month of training I'd ever put in on the bike and swim. 101,000m in the pool (62.7 miles) and 928 miles on the bike, including the last week of 269. 94.5 miles of running. It really had been a Get Tough Month.
My takeaways from July were that 1) it was really hot. Like, scalding hot, all the time. I remember one day driving to the track with my arm out of the window and it seriously felt like it was in an oven. 2) no matter how little fitness you feel you have, if you've done it before, you can do it again. It may be dormant, but it's like a sleeping giant. Once you wake it up, it's back in full force. 3) I'd rather ride in the heat with no wind, then in any temperature with wind.
It was a great month. I managed to train every single day, even with big days and big weeks. I was looking forward to August.
In the past I've used weekends like Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day to focus around big blocks. You know the weather's usually decent, there will be people to ride with and non-athletes are doing other things so the roads don't seem to be as bad. I feel like the blast of riding miles helps immensely, especially when focused and done at the right time before a goal event. I usually get in 250-300 miles over the 3 or 4 days, and then I feel like my body can "live off the fat" for a few weeks.
This year was a little bit different. Swimming was going okay, but I just wasn't able to ride or run very much. I kicked things off with 4th of July weekend. At this point, I had gone for a 4 mile run with Ed, so I felt like 4 miles was something I could do, and would stick with that distance for now. I went up to LBI for the weekend, and brought my bike. My standard LBI ride is just the length of the island and back, making it about 40 miles. During the week I was making sure I was getting in the pool for 5000m a day, and then I managed a 40 mile ride Saturday, 30 mile ride Sunday, and Fri-Sat-Sun ran 4 miles each, while on the island. I came back on Monday to ride the Loch Raven loop with Alyssa, and it was a few minutes faster than the previous time I rode it.
I thought Get Tough Week would just be that - one week. I figured I would catapult things via 4th of July weekend, then try and record training every day that next week. It was on that Thursday, July 8, that I made my return to my Thursday Night Ride up in Owings Mills. This was one of the first group workouts I had found about and gone to when I first moved here, thanks to running into Peter Bolster out on the roads. He told me about the group and since June of 2005, that's become my go-to ride during the week. I've gotten so much faster because of it.
Saturday, July 10, was a big day for me, as it marked one year since I had been hit. I had intentions of going out for a great ride, but when I woke up and saw the rain I figured I was better served not tempting fate. I took it as a sign and pushed my ride til Sunday. I thought it would be an appropriate way to "celebrate" if I put in a real big day to bring to a close my Get Tough Week. I wound up riding 84 miles - not even sure how I made it through that, honestly, and ran 4/swam 3600m.
So the results of that Get Tough Week were good. 24000m in the pool, 204 miles on the bike and 21 miles running (up from 15 the previous). I had also worked up to a 6 mile "long run."
Now I didn't want to stop. I figured I knew my body only had so many runs in it each week, and that I needed to save the efforts. I was trying to get into the habit of swimming every day so I swam that Monday (7/13) and just kept going. Get Tough Week was quickly turning into Get Tough Month. The previous week at track I managed 3x1600 @ 6:10, 6:00, 5:59, then 2x400 at 87/78 and then an 800 at 2:58. It was, to say, surprising. The next week was hills on Bellemore, which I was able to run much better up than I was down (still a big problem, as my knee/quad aren't strong enough to handle the steep downhills right now).
My goal was now to ride a little longer each week for my long ride. First week was the 84 mile version of Rocks with Alyssa, the second week was now the PA ride with Pat. We drove up to TriSpeed so that it wasn't too long of a day, but it still wound up being 94 or so miles. The ride is hard, and it was hot. But it's one of my favorite rides because of Leone Springs, nicely situated around 2.5 hours into the ride. I started chasing the Saturday long ride with another ride on Sunday. The day after the PA ride I went out with Pat, OJ and Zero for the Loch Raven loop, and was real tired. The next weekend, so now 7/24, I rode the longer version of Rocks (up to Aberdeen) with Ben W. and Alyssa. It was probably the hottest day I've ever gone out for something that long, maybe the hottest day of training ever. 96 degrees at 9:30am. Apparently got up to 106. It was a very tough ride, just under 98 miles. Chased that on Sunday with a Hunt Valley 56 mile ride the next day with OJ and Alyssa.
So now I've had three weeks of steady progress, with the last three being 204/209/221 on the bike, and 21/26/17 running. I was starting to get a little tired and knew my body needed a break.
Somehow I was pulling off decent track workouts, as in I was negative splitting intervals (never happens) and running super consistent paces. The 27th we did 800-800-1600-800-800-1600-800-800, and I was able to be 2:59, 2:56, 6:00, 2:59, 2:55, 6:00, 2:59, 2:45. I didn't have great turnover, and in general it wasn't comfortable to run at all, but I was getting through it. I figured I would eventually take a day off, so I wanted to push the volume a little bit this last week of July. 25,600m in the pool and 23 miles running were solid, and that last Saturday of the month I decided it was time to really get tough. A hearty crew consisting of Adam Z., Ben W., Zero, Pat and John Eisenhardt for a little left from the city, embarking on the PA ride. It was a weird day. Ben's spoke broke an hour in and left his wheel, to me, unrideable. But he barreled through it. Adam, who hadn't ridden more than 70 this year, and also weighs way more than any of us, struggled on York Rd. In fact, everyone started struggling as I made them ride up Jerome Jay at 90 miles into the ride. It was hot, as was the theme of the summer, and exposed. By the time we got to the top, nobody wanted to even pedal anymore. Everyone was slumped over their bars. This is where I started feeling strangely good.
That ride turned out to be 114 miles. That's a long day. With enough left in the tank for Sunday, Pat and I met OJ for a tough 45 miles in Cockeysville and chased that with my first brick workout - a 5 mile run in Loch Raven. So not only was I doing my first brick after that weekend, but was doing it on the trails.
July, as a result, turned out to be the biggest month of training I'd ever put in on the bike and swim. 101,000m in the pool (62.7 miles) and 928 miles on the bike, including the last week of 269. 94.5 miles of running. It really had been a Get Tough Month.
My takeaways from July were that 1) it was really hot. Like, scalding hot, all the time. I remember one day driving to the track with my arm out of the window and it seriously felt like it was in an oven. 2) no matter how little fitness you feel you have, if you've done it before, you can do it again. It may be dormant, but it's like a sleeping giant. Once you wake it up, it's back in full force. 3) I'd rather ride in the heat with no wind, then in any temperature with wind.
It was a great month. I managed to train every single day, even with big days and big weeks. I was looking forward to August.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Turning Point
Moving on...
I had a little momentum going into June now, mostly in the pool, where I was getting in some decent swims. I decided since I wasn't racing, and had no goals, that I would just try and swim 5 days a week and build up my volume slowly. My knee still hurt when I did things, so I didn't want to be in a situation where I was punishing myself for no reason. I had swim weeks of 16800m, 14000m, 8000m, 19400m and 26500m. But I still wasn't running, save the 2 miles I ran with Zero down at Alyssa's Old Dominion 100 Miler. It was dark, drizzly and on the trails. I was surprised I made it. I took another 10 days off from running after that (that was June 5).
In the meanwhile, I was attempting to at least ride my bike once a week. Usually this meant riding to Fed Hill on Mondays and following the guys as they went for their run. It would turn out to be short, easy mileage. Hardly enough to call it a ride, as soft pedaling at 8-9mph doesn't really get you anywhere I've found. Still, one week I had Alex and Tank to ride with for a little bit, and another week Alex and I went along the Shady 7 route. It was embarrassing to me to try and feel good about doing that little, as never in a million years would I have thought 14 mile in 75min rides would take that much out of me.
June 15 was a bit of a breakthrough day. Two days prior I had watched most of my friends suffer at Eagleman. I felt like it was about time I started running. I did one mile on the track, and it felt uncomfortable at best. My splits were 1:54.3, 1:46.8, 1:40.5, 1:33.2 = 6:54.8. Seeing as I had run that one mile race just over a month ago at 6:15, I was surprised it was that hard for me.
Then came the day that really got me back. It was Monday, June 21. I had gone home to visit my dad for Father's Day for the weekend, but due to oppressive heat we didn't get out on Saturday or Sunday. Monday evening, after it had cooled down a bit, he and I headed out to Sandy Hook for a little bike ride. The Hook is a cool place, albeit unforgiving at times. It usually has a very strong directional wind, and during the summer is filled with BENNYs - but some summer nights during the week aren't bad and this was one of the better nights. It's a little over 6 miles end to end, so we rode out and back and did a small loop twice. It was 13 miles and took us an hour and one minute.
During the ride my dad suggested that I "take off" or "do some sprints" or something - which I scoffed at and said "what's the point?" I told him the purpose was to ride together, although I know he was just saying it to hopefully ignite something for me to start thinking, perhaps, like an athlete again. When we got back to the car, the ocean looked inviting, and I happened to have my goggles in the car. I told him I was going to just jump in for a minute. It was now about 8pm, so there was still light, being about the longest day of the year, and the beach was surprisingly crowded. I maybe swam 400m - definitely wasn't in the water any more than 10 minutes. The current was strong so I swam close to the shoreline. The water was as clear as I've ever seen it in NJ and the temperature was awesome.
I came out of the water and felt exhilarated. 2 out of 3 ain't bad, I thought, but maybe I can get my little sister to run with me when we get home. It was now about 9pm, so it was dark, and I made her go run to the end of the neighborhood and back. It was probably 1.75 miles, but I didn't care. On this day, I had "done" all 3 sports again. Now I was determined to not look back.
The next day I got back to Baltimore and headed to the track. I did an 800m warmup in 3:22, and then was going to do 1600m as hard as I could run. This week was much better than last, with my splits at 1:28.3, 1:29.4, 1:28.3, 1:27.1 = 5:53.1.
That was a Tuesday. On Wednesday I would face my first significant challenge: back on the bike, on a real actual road ride. I met Alyssa at Oregon Ridge Park just around 5:30pm, and we were going to do the Wednesday Night Ride. It's a 30 mile figure 8-ish in hilly north Baltimore County. Knowing that the organized (and also super fast) ride started at 6, my goal was to not get beat by them. They usually ride just over 1h20m, and I didn't know how long it would take us, but we didn't start til 5:50 I think. It was going to be close.
I hadn't been on a road ride since at least November, when I made it out two or three times to Gunpowder. After that, a lot changed. Jordan Rapp, professional triathlete and winner of IM Canada and IM Arizona last year, was hit by a car while on a training ride in California. It was almost identical to my accident, although due to him going through glass, he was in much worse shape than I was. Shortly after, two guys I would ride with on my Thursday Night Ride, Larry and Joel, were riding together on Falls Road up at Butler Road when an older lady driver hit the two of them. Joel would make it, not without some serious damage, but Larry did not.
Whether drivers like it or not, there are more people riding bikes nowadays. Some for competition, some for fitness, some just to get places because any other way is too expensive and it's more earth-conscious. Meanwhile, roads are more and more congested with drivers, who are on the phone and texting, and shoot just too old to be driving. With these instances fresh in my head, I did not want to ride anymore. You can say the same, but until you've gone through it, you can't understand the fear in the same fashion. It fucking hurts. A lot. And it ruins every ride you go on after that.
Back to the ride with Alyssa, though, and as soon as you start the ride you go uphill for a mile and change. My heart rate was through the roof. Once I settled in I felt like we were riding okay, but since I haven't had a computer on my bike in a few years, I had no concept of speed or distance. Was just out to pound my brains in and maybe feel alive again. At this time I also had the rush of "I don't want OJ to catch me and then make fun of me for riding so slow," so I was going as fast as my legs would allow. Somehow we managed to stay in front of them and rode the ride in a little under 1h50m. I found out later that the usual group of speedsters didn't show up, and someone had a mechanical, which kept them at bay. But hey, I made it. 30 miles.
Definitely too soon to say I was "back" but it was a great start.
I was keeping my runs to less than 2 miles for now, but that Saturday, just a few days after the 30 miles, I was determined to make it through my old Loch Raven 48 mile loop. The first half felt fine, but by the time I made it up and out of LR, and then still had to go up Bellemore, I was cooked.
The next Tuesday was another 1600m on the track. I was already feeling a bit better about running, and my splits showed it: 1:24.3, 1:24.4, 1:24.3, 1:23.8 = 5:36.8. The day after I did the Oregon Ridge ride again with Alyssa and we were 3 minutes faster than last week. I ended June on a positive note with that ride, and the month totals looked like:
71,800m swimming (pretty sure this was the most I've ever swam in a month)
204 miles on the bike
18 miles of running
I went from riding 0 miles to being able to ride 48 miles. I remember when 48 miles was a long ride for me. I remember Tom Stott and I riding to DC, bonking, him stealing Snickers bars from a Giant in Bethesda, getting lost and that ride being 42 miles. That was 2001.
I went from running a 6:55 mile to being able to run a 5:36 in just 14 days on almost no running. I remember being a freshman in high school working real hard to run a 5:27.
While it may have seemed insignificant at the time, and certainly doesn't mean anything to anyone other than myself, I'll look at that 13 mile bike ride with my dad as the turning point for getting myself back together a little bit. As of right now it's been 129 days since June 21, and I haven't missed a single day of training. So thanks, dad, even though you don't read this, for the little boost.
I had a little momentum going into June now, mostly in the pool, where I was getting in some decent swims. I decided since I wasn't racing, and had no goals, that I would just try and swim 5 days a week and build up my volume slowly. My knee still hurt when I did things, so I didn't want to be in a situation where I was punishing myself for no reason. I had swim weeks of 16800m, 14000m, 8000m, 19400m and 26500m. But I still wasn't running, save the 2 miles I ran with Zero down at Alyssa's Old Dominion 100 Miler. It was dark, drizzly and on the trails. I was surprised I made it. I took another 10 days off from running after that (that was June 5).
In the meanwhile, I was attempting to at least ride my bike once a week. Usually this meant riding to Fed Hill on Mondays and following the guys as they went for their run. It would turn out to be short, easy mileage. Hardly enough to call it a ride, as soft pedaling at 8-9mph doesn't really get you anywhere I've found. Still, one week I had Alex and Tank to ride with for a little bit, and another week Alex and I went along the Shady 7 route. It was embarrassing to me to try and feel good about doing that little, as never in a million years would I have thought 14 mile in 75min rides would take that much out of me.
June 15 was a bit of a breakthrough day. Two days prior I had watched most of my friends suffer at Eagleman. I felt like it was about time I started running. I did one mile on the track, and it felt uncomfortable at best. My splits were 1:54.3, 1:46.8, 1:40.5, 1:33.2 = 6:54.8. Seeing as I had run that one mile race just over a month ago at 6:15, I was surprised it was that hard for me.
Then came the day that really got me back. It was Monday, June 21. I had gone home to visit my dad for Father's Day for the weekend, but due to oppressive heat we didn't get out on Saturday or Sunday. Monday evening, after it had cooled down a bit, he and I headed out to Sandy Hook for a little bike ride. The Hook is a cool place, albeit unforgiving at times. It usually has a very strong directional wind, and during the summer is filled with BENNYs - but some summer nights during the week aren't bad and this was one of the better nights. It's a little over 6 miles end to end, so we rode out and back and did a small loop twice. It was 13 miles and took us an hour and one minute.
During the ride my dad suggested that I "take off" or "do some sprints" or something - which I scoffed at and said "what's the point?" I told him the purpose was to ride together, although I know he was just saying it to hopefully ignite something for me to start thinking, perhaps, like an athlete again. When we got back to the car, the ocean looked inviting, and I happened to have my goggles in the car. I told him I was going to just jump in for a minute. It was now about 8pm, so there was still light, being about the longest day of the year, and the beach was surprisingly crowded. I maybe swam 400m - definitely wasn't in the water any more than 10 minutes. The current was strong so I swam close to the shoreline. The water was as clear as I've ever seen it in NJ and the temperature was awesome.
I came out of the water and felt exhilarated. 2 out of 3 ain't bad, I thought, but maybe I can get my little sister to run with me when we get home. It was now about 9pm, so it was dark, and I made her go run to the end of the neighborhood and back. It was probably 1.75 miles, but I didn't care. On this day, I had "done" all 3 sports again. Now I was determined to not look back.
The next day I got back to Baltimore and headed to the track. I did an 800m warmup in 3:22, and then was going to do 1600m as hard as I could run. This week was much better than last, with my splits at 1:28.3, 1:29.4, 1:28.3, 1:27.1 = 5:53.1.
That was a Tuesday. On Wednesday I would face my first significant challenge: back on the bike, on a real actual road ride. I met Alyssa at Oregon Ridge Park just around 5:30pm, and we were going to do the Wednesday Night Ride. It's a 30 mile figure 8-ish in hilly north Baltimore County. Knowing that the organized (and also super fast) ride started at 6, my goal was to not get beat by them. They usually ride just over 1h20m, and I didn't know how long it would take us, but we didn't start til 5:50 I think. It was going to be close.
I hadn't been on a road ride since at least November, when I made it out two or three times to Gunpowder. After that, a lot changed. Jordan Rapp, professional triathlete and winner of IM Canada and IM Arizona last year, was hit by a car while on a training ride in California. It was almost identical to my accident, although due to him going through glass, he was in much worse shape than I was. Shortly after, two guys I would ride with on my Thursday Night Ride, Larry and Joel, were riding together on Falls Road up at Butler Road when an older lady driver hit the two of them. Joel would make it, not without some serious damage, but Larry did not.
Whether drivers like it or not, there are more people riding bikes nowadays. Some for competition, some for fitness, some just to get places because any other way is too expensive and it's more earth-conscious. Meanwhile, roads are more and more congested with drivers, who are on the phone and texting, and shoot just too old to be driving. With these instances fresh in my head, I did not want to ride anymore. You can say the same, but until you've gone through it, you can't understand the fear in the same fashion. It fucking hurts. A lot. And it ruins every ride you go on after that.
Back to the ride with Alyssa, though, and as soon as you start the ride you go uphill for a mile and change. My heart rate was through the roof. Once I settled in I felt like we were riding okay, but since I haven't had a computer on my bike in a few years, I had no concept of speed or distance. Was just out to pound my brains in and maybe feel alive again. At this time I also had the rush of "I don't want OJ to catch me and then make fun of me for riding so slow," so I was going as fast as my legs would allow. Somehow we managed to stay in front of them and rode the ride in a little under 1h50m. I found out later that the usual group of speedsters didn't show up, and someone had a mechanical, which kept them at bay. But hey, I made it. 30 miles.
Definitely too soon to say I was "back" but it was a great start.
I was keeping my runs to less than 2 miles for now, but that Saturday, just a few days after the 30 miles, I was determined to make it through my old Loch Raven 48 mile loop. The first half felt fine, but by the time I made it up and out of LR, and then still had to go up Bellemore, I was cooked.
The next Tuesday was another 1600m on the track. I was already feeling a bit better about running, and my splits showed it: 1:24.3, 1:24.4, 1:24.3, 1:23.8 = 5:36.8. The day after I did the Oregon Ridge ride again with Alyssa and we were 3 minutes faster than last week. I ended June on a positive note with that ride, and the month totals looked like:
71,800m swimming (pretty sure this was the most I've ever swam in a month)
204 miles on the bike
18 miles of running
I went from riding 0 miles to being able to ride 48 miles. I remember when 48 miles was a long ride for me. I remember Tom Stott and I riding to DC, bonking, him stealing Snickers bars from a Giant in Bethesda, getting lost and that ride being 42 miles. That was 2001.
I went from running a 6:55 mile to being able to run a 5:36 in just 14 days on almost no running. I remember being a freshman in high school working real hard to run a 5:27.
While it may have seemed insignificant at the time, and certainly doesn't mean anything to anyone other than myself, I'll look at that 13 mile bike ride with my dad as the turning point for getting myself back together a little bit. As of right now it's been 129 days since June 21, and I haven't missed a single day of training. So thanks, dad, even though you don't read this, for the little boost.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Ides of March
Continuing along as I said I would, a brief update with January to March 15, and then maybe a little beyond.
By the last time I had posted, somewhere around January 6th I think, I was able to run a little bit. My knee hurt every single stride of every run, as my range of motion was tremendously restricted. It didn't help that it was very cold all the time. I would run every couple of days, and by mid January had worked up to a 6 mile run, including one night keeping up with the gang at Fed Hill. It nearly killed me, but I did it. I was following the protocol at physical therapy, but there didn't seem to be much, or any, improvement. I was swimming as much as I could handle, and was cycling indoors on the trainer a few times each week. Tuesdays and Thursdays it would be me, Pat and Alyssa on trainers in the basement for 75-90 minutes, and I think I even went outside once or twice. (Note: most days it did not feel any better to ride).
Simultaneously, inspired by Ben's original 2k10 mission (A Year of Deconsumption), I attempted to cut out a few things myself. Unlike Ben, however, I succeeded at whatever I put my mind to. First up was no Coke or alcohol in January. The Coke was the harder of the two. February was "Facebook-free February," which was actually not that hard, but I also couldn't make comments about girls (e.g., oh man that chick is so hot, did you see her hammers, etc). That was very challenging, but I did it. In March I decided my goal would be to read 3 books, which I did. Then I realized I proved my point and stopped doing it, mostly because I felt I had done everything that would have posed a significant challenge. Sorry for the sidebar topic.
Our 2nd annual trip to Miami came at the end of January, and while I had been intending on running the 5k on Saturday, two weeks before we left I knew something was not right and I just stopped running. I was still going to Fed Hill, and would typically walk into the Inner Harbor and try and pick up the group for their last 4 miles in. So running once a week, I decided no 5k for me. It was nice to see everyone go by at mile 5 - our hotel's front door was exactly the mile 5 marker. Of course I don't think anybody who ran that day enjoyed it, but that's what happens when you go out hard before races, and also why we don't take Miami very seriously.
January Totals: 58,700m swimming, 210 miles cycling, 38.75 miles running.
Onto February, and this was a tough month for no reason other than the massive amount of snowfall. My knee was not very stable, so walking around was truly difficult, and because my car was snowed into the garage for THREE WEEKS, I was pretty much trapped. I had to walk to PT 3 days a week, and relied on other people for rides if I had to get somewhere. I had just acquired a car, and now couldn't even use it. I decided I would stop running altogether, for safety's sake and also because it was not comfortable. I got to the pool as much as I could, but they were closed a bunch of days/it was too hard for me to get there, and I was riding still up to 3 times per week, all inside.
Then I went up to see my surgeon again, and the decision was made to have another surgery, because something just wasn't right. If I felt like graphing my training numbers, you would see a low, steady volume then a complete drop to zero for all things. No more riding. No more swimming. I finished the month with just 33,600m swimming, 185 miles cycling and 0 miles running.
Surgery was set now for March 15th - great omen, right? Beware the Ides of March. I wound up taking a spur of the moment trip to Amsterdam at the beginning of March to visit with Sgrizzi and Thais, see them one last time before their baby arrived. After I got back, it was a crazy little week that involved driving to NJ for a visit with the legal team/the deposition, back to Baltimore to spectate the Shamrock 5k, dropping someone off in DC followed by immediately going back UP to New Jersey, for surgery the next morning. After surgery I thought I'd be able to be back in Baltimore by Wednesday for St. Patrick's Day (a favorite Baltimore holiday) but I still couldn't drive. I wound up being just barely able to do it by the weekend, so I drove down to DC and was able to catch Brennan (and Dusty, Diane, Zero, Nina and Terence) run in the National Half.
Right after getting cut up again, I felt awesome. And no, it wasn't just the medication. My knee felt more mobile than it had been, which was great. The corrective procedure seemed to free up my knee a little. Of course, it's not just "cut open, seal up and go." I'd at this point been going to physical therapy for 9 months. 3 days a week. That's a lot of time. It was also at this point that my physical therapist seemed to have hit the wall. His attitude was worse than mine, I think - and I don't think the injured patient should have to be the one trying to pump up the therapist. I was going to PT but really just going to go. I was getting nothing out of it. Either I needed to go somewhere new, or stop going altogether.
Anyone who was around me or saw me between the months of January and March can attest that I was a mess. My mental state was in all sorts of disarray, and it was thanks to the help of friends and family that I was able to make it through that time. Most days I didn't even want to wake up, and normally I just power through everything. I hated life, and really didn't care what happened to myself.
Totals for March were a whopping 4000m of swimming and 15 miles on the bike.
April was a new month, but I still wasn't ready to do anything yet. Looking back now, after what I've been doing, I can't believe I was able to go that long recording training zeros. 5 straight weeks without so much as lifting a finger. And even then, my first "session" was a short swim, then I took off again. I guess during this time I was keeping myself busy, as everyone in the DC/MD/PA areas would have seen me outfitted with my camera at just about every road race there was. I think I just passed the 50 race mark of races I've spectated since getting hurt. I took some great pictures with the awesome camera, and most of those can be found with hilarious captions on FB.
Training for me at this point was not really training. I didn't care what I did, so if I took 4 or 5 days off in a row, it really didn't matter to me. I had no fitness, no strength, so I wasn't able to lose any more of it by taking off. However, when Justin asked if I wanted to run one day (Big J's been hurt since a week after I got hurt last year), I obliged. We ran 2 miles on the track in the form of 8x400. I was able to run them in just under 2 minutes a piece, with about a minute rest. I think I worked down to just under 90sec on my last one? Felt like I was going to explode from the lack of aerobic fortitude. Hopefully this paints a picture of my fitness for you. I had not run a single step in 3 months.
April was another banner month, at 15,700m swimming, 0 miles on the bike and 2 miles of running.
Onto May, and honestly I would not have run at all in May had it not been for the 2nd annual Alumni Mile at the University of Maryland's Twilight Meet. The 2009 edition was a great event, with a solid turnout. 2010 was a much different year. Apparently I went to school with the hugest bunch of pussies ever, because everyone had an excuse as to why they couldn't show up on a Thursday night and run one mile. The excuse "I'm not in shape" is not an rmcgrath approved excuse to not do something. The correct answer is, you're in the shape you're in to do whatever you're able to do. I hate to pull the "if I can do it card," but seriously, if I can run one mile, you can run one mile. There were only 3 people that were going to do the race, and they weren't even going to hold it as a result. I said I would do it, to ensure the legacy of this fine little race. The end result was that I got toasted, but I ran a 6:15 full mile. I've never felt burning like that before in my life.
I'm pretty sure I received a number of sympathy claps for running a slow high school girl's time, and even Edmund Burke came up to me after and said it looked like I was limping/favoring one side. I explained why that was the case and he was all "oh, well that explains it."
Following that amazing comeback race I felt like Michael Jordan. I had retired, came back for one moment of glory, and then retired again. Maybe it was time to focus my talents and energy somewhere else, on something else. I went into hiding once more, not running for another month. At this point I had gotten back into the pool on a more consistent basis, and despite being deathly afraid to go outside on my bike (another post will be reserved for why), I finally got back on it on Sunday, May 30th, for 7 miles - which was really just riding my bike around town I think. I chased that with 14 the next day, following the guys as they ran at FHR. May's totals ended up being 51,200m in the pool, 21 miles on the bike and 1 singular mile of running.
I was disappointed that I had to bail on Columbia Triathlon in May. I had signed up last year and thought there would be a chance I could do it, but following that second surgery there was obviously no way. I wasn't able to get any money back for that one so I still went to pick up my number. 69. Dammit. That would have been so awesome. Eagleman, fortunately, has a pretty nice refund policy (surprising given the race organization), so I was able to drop out and get most of my money back. These two races couldn't have been more polar of opposites. Columbia was its typical rainy/not warm, but just a few weeks later, Eagleman 2k10 looked a lot like Eagleman 2k8. Water temp was too warm for wetsuits, and that set up the massive sufferfest that is this half ironman in Cambridge. I was no longer upset that I couldn't do that one.
Meanwhile, I had also signed up for Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10, as most everyone else around here did, and knew that I would need to be able to comfortably run at least 30 miles per week by June to feel like I could run it. Since I had only run 3 miles since February, that was clearly not going to happen. I felt like I made the right decision for my body, waiting a little longer to really start attempting to run, but it was a long time of not running. My surgeon had never restricted what I could do, it was always more on the principle of "see how you feel and listen to your body." Obviously I wasn't going to go jump out for a 12 mile run (even if I could have done it, which I couldn't). But he didn't say I couldn't run. We discussed and I said I would wait a few months after the 2nd surgery and he said that was fine.
So that's what I did.
At this point I'm almost halfway into the year with 40 miles of running, about 100 miles of swimming and maybe 400 miles on the bike.
But things were about to change, and that will be for the next post since I feel like this one is too long already.
By the last time I had posted, somewhere around January 6th I think, I was able to run a little bit. My knee hurt every single stride of every run, as my range of motion was tremendously restricted. It didn't help that it was very cold all the time. I would run every couple of days, and by mid January had worked up to a 6 mile run, including one night keeping up with the gang at Fed Hill. It nearly killed me, but I did it. I was following the protocol at physical therapy, but there didn't seem to be much, or any, improvement. I was swimming as much as I could handle, and was cycling indoors on the trainer a few times each week. Tuesdays and Thursdays it would be me, Pat and Alyssa on trainers in the basement for 75-90 minutes, and I think I even went outside once or twice. (Note: most days it did not feel any better to ride).
Simultaneously, inspired by Ben's original 2k10 mission (A Year of Deconsumption), I attempted to cut out a few things myself. Unlike Ben, however, I succeeded at whatever I put my mind to. First up was no Coke or alcohol in January. The Coke was the harder of the two. February was "Facebook-free February," which was actually not that hard, but I also couldn't make comments about girls (e.g., oh man that chick is so hot, did you see her hammers, etc). That was very challenging, but I did it. In March I decided my goal would be to read 3 books, which I did. Then I realized I proved my point and stopped doing it, mostly because I felt I had done everything that would have posed a significant challenge. Sorry for the sidebar topic.
Our 2nd annual trip to Miami came at the end of January, and while I had been intending on running the 5k on Saturday, two weeks before we left I knew something was not right and I just stopped running. I was still going to Fed Hill, and would typically walk into the Inner Harbor and try and pick up the group for their last 4 miles in. So running once a week, I decided no 5k for me. It was nice to see everyone go by at mile 5 - our hotel's front door was exactly the mile 5 marker. Of course I don't think anybody who ran that day enjoyed it, but that's what happens when you go out hard before races, and also why we don't take Miami very seriously.
January Totals: 58,700m swimming, 210 miles cycling, 38.75 miles running.
Onto February, and this was a tough month for no reason other than the massive amount of snowfall. My knee was not very stable, so walking around was truly difficult, and because my car was snowed into the garage for THREE WEEKS, I was pretty much trapped. I had to walk to PT 3 days a week, and relied on other people for rides if I had to get somewhere. I had just acquired a car, and now couldn't even use it. I decided I would stop running altogether, for safety's sake and also because it was not comfortable. I got to the pool as much as I could, but they were closed a bunch of days/it was too hard for me to get there, and I was riding still up to 3 times per week, all inside.
Then I went up to see my surgeon again, and the decision was made to have another surgery, because something just wasn't right. If I felt like graphing my training numbers, you would see a low, steady volume then a complete drop to zero for all things. No more riding. No more swimming. I finished the month with just 33,600m swimming, 185 miles cycling and 0 miles running.
Surgery was set now for March 15th - great omen, right? Beware the Ides of March. I wound up taking a spur of the moment trip to Amsterdam at the beginning of March to visit with Sgrizzi and Thais, see them one last time before their baby arrived. After I got back, it was a crazy little week that involved driving to NJ for a visit with the legal team/the deposition, back to Baltimore to spectate the Shamrock 5k, dropping someone off in DC followed by immediately going back UP to New Jersey, for surgery the next morning. After surgery I thought I'd be able to be back in Baltimore by Wednesday for St. Patrick's Day (a favorite Baltimore holiday) but I still couldn't drive. I wound up being just barely able to do it by the weekend, so I drove down to DC and was able to catch Brennan (and Dusty, Diane, Zero, Nina and Terence) run in the National Half.
Right after getting cut up again, I felt awesome. And no, it wasn't just the medication. My knee felt more mobile than it had been, which was great. The corrective procedure seemed to free up my knee a little. Of course, it's not just "cut open, seal up and go." I'd at this point been going to physical therapy for 9 months. 3 days a week. That's a lot of time. It was also at this point that my physical therapist seemed to have hit the wall. His attitude was worse than mine, I think - and I don't think the injured patient should have to be the one trying to pump up the therapist. I was going to PT but really just going to go. I was getting nothing out of it. Either I needed to go somewhere new, or stop going altogether.
Anyone who was around me or saw me between the months of January and March can attest that I was a mess. My mental state was in all sorts of disarray, and it was thanks to the help of friends and family that I was able to make it through that time. Most days I didn't even want to wake up, and normally I just power through everything. I hated life, and really didn't care what happened to myself.
Totals for March were a whopping 4000m of swimming and 15 miles on the bike.
April was a new month, but I still wasn't ready to do anything yet. Looking back now, after what I've been doing, I can't believe I was able to go that long recording training zeros. 5 straight weeks without so much as lifting a finger. And even then, my first "session" was a short swim, then I took off again. I guess during this time I was keeping myself busy, as everyone in the DC/MD/PA areas would have seen me outfitted with my camera at just about every road race there was. I think I just passed the 50 race mark of races I've spectated since getting hurt. I took some great pictures with the awesome camera, and most of those can be found with hilarious captions on FB.
Training for me at this point was not really training. I didn't care what I did, so if I took 4 or 5 days off in a row, it really didn't matter to me. I had no fitness, no strength, so I wasn't able to lose any more of it by taking off. However, when Justin asked if I wanted to run one day (Big J's been hurt since a week after I got hurt last year), I obliged. We ran 2 miles on the track in the form of 8x400. I was able to run them in just under 2 minutes a piece, with about a minute rest. I think I worked down to just under 90sec on my last one? Felt like I was going to explode from the lack of aerobic fortitude. Hopefully this paints a picture of my fitness for you. I had not run a single step in 3 months.
April was another banner month, at 15,700m swimming, 0 miles on the bike and 2 miles of running.
Onto May, and honestly I would not have run at all in May had it not been for the 2nd annual Alumni Mile at the University of Maryland's Twilight Meet. The 2009 edition was a great event, with a solid turnout. 2010 was a much different year. Apparently I went to school with the hugest bunch of pussies ever, because everyone had an excuse as to why they couldn't show up on a Thursday night and run one mile. The excuse "I'm not in shape" is not an rmcgrath approved excuse to not do something. The correct answer is, you're in the shape you're in to do whatever you're able to do. I hate to pull the "if I can do it card," but seriously, if I can run one mile, you can run one mile. There were only 3 people that were going to do the race, and they weren't even going to hold it as a result. I said I would do it, to ensure the legacy of this fine little race. The end result was that I got toasted, but I ran a 6:15 full mile. I've never felt burning like that before in my life.
I'm pretty sure I received a number of sympathy claps for running a slow high school girl's time, and even Edmund Burke came up to me after and said it looked like I was limping/favoring one side. I explained why that was the case and he was all "oh, well that explains it."
Following that amazing comeback race I felt like Michael Jordan. I had retired, came back for one moment of glory, and then retired again. Maybe it was time to focus my talents and energy somewhere else, on something else. I went into hiding once more, not running for another month. At this point I had gotten back into the pool on a more consistent basis, and despite being deathly afraid to go outside on my bike (another post will be reserved for why), I finally got back on it on Sunday, May 30th, for 7 miles - which was really just riding my bike around town I think. I chased that with 14 the next day, following the guys as they ran at FHR. May's totals ended up being 51,200m in the pool, 21 miles on the bike and 1 singular mile of running.
I was disappointed that I had to bail on Columbia Triathlon in May. I had signed up last year and thought there would be a chance I could do it, but following that second surgery there was obviously no way. I wasn't able to get any money back for that one so I still went to pick up my number. 69. Dammit. That would have been so awesome. Eagleman, fortunately, has a pretty nice refund policy (surprising given the race organization), so I was able to drop out and get most of my money back. These two races couldn't have been more polar of opposites. Columbia was its typical rainy/not warm, but just a few weeks later, Eagleman 2k10 looked a lot like Eagleman 2k8. Water temp was too warm for wetsuits, and that set up the massive sufferfest that is this half ironman in Cambridge. I was no longer upset that I couldn't do that one.
Meanwhile, I had also signed up for Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10, as most everyone else around here did, and knew that I would need to be able to comfortably run at least 30 miles per week by June to feel like I could run it. Since I had only run 3 miles since February, that was clearly not going to happen. I felt like I made the right decision for my body, waiting a little longer to really start attempting to run, but it was a long time of not running. My surgeon had never restricted what I could do, it was always more on the principle of "see how you feel and listen to your body." Obviously I wasn't going to go jump out for a 12 mile run (even if I could have done it, which I couldn't). But he didn't say I couldn't run. We discussed and I said I would wait a few months after the 2nd surgery and he said that was fine.
So that's what I did.
At this point I'm almost halfway into the year with 40 miles of running, about 100 miles of swimming and maybe 400 miles on the bike.
But things were about to change, and that will be for the next post since I feel like this one is too long already.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A New Beginning
Forgive me, Flying Spaghetti Monster. It has been 9 months since my last post.
A lot has gone on, a lot has changed. I've wanted to write something on so many occasions, but it was as if I didn't know how to start. Part of it has been the ongoing legal situation, and the paranoia I developed as a result. Part of it was I felt like I didn't have anything to say while I wasn't training, or that nobody would care to read. I know that I tie entirely too much of my own self-worth to sport, and not being able to do anything has left me feeling inadequate, and incomplete. From there, I felt like "what's the point?"
My intention for this blog, moving forward, is to be more positive. I've experienced some pretty harsh lows in the last 16 months, so I've got to think things can only get better. I will write about my training, not because anyone actually gives a shit what I'm doing - but rather to show how I got from where I was to where I am now. I'm hoping that, at the very least, it can serve as a motivator to everyone who is injured. It can help them realize that within every competitor is the ability to become fit again. Fitness may lie dormant, but if you've done it before, you can do it again. The only limiter is you. You have to ask yourself, how bad do I want it? Goals have to start smaller.
It has been 122 days since I last took a day off from training. Alyssa pointed out a quote from the NYTimes article on Elite Athletes Pushing Through Pain that accurately sums up my school of thought:
"I was given a body that could train every single day. And a mind, a mentality, that believed if I trained every day - and I could train every day - I'll beat you." ~ Tom Fleming
I'm not going to kid myself and say that I'm an elite athlete, or that I have the capability of winning, well, just about anything. But I know that as long as I have a body that is capable of pushing through (incredible) pain, and is physically capable of training every day - that it's a waste of what I've been given if I don't. I'm not saying I'm against days off, I just don't feel like I need one right now. Take a year off from running or riding a bike and you'll know what I mean.
While my life in triathlon started many, many years ago, my technical journey to reach the Ironman (see also: I paid an entry fee) began 23 months ago. It was a Monday, the day after Ironman Arizona. Zero and I were online at 2pm trying to register ourselves on Active.com. He got through first, but I was still not getting through. Finally, he got through again and registered for me. We were both really psyched that we were going to get to do this race together. 2009 started off pretty well, with Z recording PRs in every distance from 5k to the marathon, and showing improvement on the swimming, bike and running off the bike. For me, I knew exactly where my fitness was, and with a much better Eagleman under my belt, felt that Arizona was going to be my day.
We all know what happened next.
As I went through my shitty stages of being angry all the time, depressed, unmotivated and in physical agony, I still had enough in the tank to at least get out to Arizona for the swim. WTC wasn't going to get my $575 for doing nothing for me, the least I could do was swim and eat some pizza afterwards. Hell, I paid for it. And while I was out there (and probably there are some who still don't know this), I signed up again for this year. My thought at the time was I'm going to be totally fine a year from today, I'll be good. I had already signed up for races like Columbia and Eagleman, and in February (after my last post), I signed up for the Chicago Marathon.
While things didn't turn out as planned, I sit here today with the same goal I had two years ago - to finish what I started. I don't believe that a person needs to do an Ironman to call themselves a triathlete, or that you need to do one to validate yourself. Race whatever you feel like racing. I was just commenting on how much respect I have for short course specialists like Hunter Kemper that, despite getting older, don't jump into longer races "just because." He's mad old now and has been racing for what seems like forever, and he's still competitive. If he still gets his kicks from that type of racing, good for him.
So, like I said, I'm welcoming a fresh start. It's a new day. I have unfortunate daily reminders of my physical limitations, but thankfully I'm too stupid to realize that and the result is pushing through the pain. I'm fueled by competition and desire. I had always thought of myself as being invicible, and it was really important to me that I was perceived that way by others. There have been many incidents in the past few months that have illustrated our own precious mortality, but I'm also finding that letting fear rule your life is pointless. You have to get back on that "carbon steed" (to quote Craig Hummer) sooner or later.
This is just the beginning. The beginning of a multi-chapter story that is still being written. Kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, the ending is up to me, or, to any of us. My next few posts will shed some light on the earlier part of the year, my second surgery, the day that changed it all and where I'm going from here.
For now, just a quick thanks to the people I have in my corner. I wouldn't be back to this point without any of you, and seeing your success has made me happier than if it were my own.
A lot has gone on, a lot has changed. I've wanted to write something on so many occasions, but it was as if I didn't know how to start. Part of it has been the ongoing legal situation, and the paranoia I developed as a result. Part of it was I felt like I didn't have anything to say while I wasn't training, or that nobody would care to read. I know that I tie entirely too much of my own self-worth to sport, and not being able to do anything has left me feeling inadequate, and incomplete. From there, I felt like "what's the point?"
My intention for this blog, moving forward, is to be more positive. I've experienced some pretty harsh lows in the last 16 months, so I've got to think things can only get better. I will write about my training, not because anyone actually gives a shit what I'm doing - but rather to show how I got from where I was to where I am now. I'm hoping that, at the very least, it can serve as a motivator to everyone who is injured. It can help them realize that within every competitor is the ability to become fit again. Fitness may lie dormant, but if you've done it before, you can do it again. The only limiter is you. You have to ask yourself, how bad do I want it? Goals have to start smaller.
It has been 122 days since I last took a day off from training. Alyssa pointed out a quote from the NYTimes article on Elite Athletes Pushing Through Pain that accurately sums up my school of thought:
"I was given a body that could train every single day. And a mind, a mentality, that believed if I trained every day - and I could train every day - I'll beat you." ~ Tom Fleming
I'm not going to kid myself and say that I'm an elite athlete, or that I have the capability of winning, well, just about anything. But I know that as long as I have a body that is capable of pushing through (incredible) pain, and is physically capable of training every day - that it's a waste of what I've been given if I don't. I'm not saying I'm against days off, I just don't feel like I need one right now. Take a year off from running or riding a bike and you'll know what I mean.
While my life in triathlon started many, many years ago, my technical journey to reach the Ironman (see also: I paid an entry fee) began 23 months ago. It was a Monday, the day after Ironman Arizona. Zero and I were online at 2pm trying to register ourselves on Active.com. He got through first, but I was still not getting through. Finally, he got through again and registered for me. We were both really psyched that we were going to get to do this race together. 2009 started off pretty well, with Z recording PRs in every distance from 5k to the marathon, and showing improvement on the swimming, bike and running off the bike. For me, I knew exactly where my fitness was, and with a much better Eagleman under my belt, felt that Arizona was going to be my day.
We all know what happened next.
As I went through my shitty stages of being angry all the time, depressed, unmotivated and in physical agony, I still had enough in the tank to at least get out to Arizona for the swim. WTC wasn't going to get my $575 for doing nothing for me, the least I could do was swim and eat some pizza afterwards. Hell, I paid for it. And while I was out there (and probably there are some who still don't know this), I signed up again for this year. My thought at the time was I'm going to be totally fine a year from today, I'll be good. I had already signed up for races like Columbia and Eagleman, and in February (after my last post), I signed up for the Chicago Marathon.
While things didn't turn out as planned, I sit here today with the same goal I had two years ago - to finish what I started. I don't believe that a person needs to do an Ironman to call themselves a triathlete, or that you need to do one to validate yourself. Race whatever you feel like racing. I was just commenting on how much respect I have for short course specialists like Hunter Kemper that, despite getting older, don't jump into longer races "just because." He's mad old now and has been racing for what seems like forever, and he's still competitive. If he still gets his kicks from that type of racing, good for him.
So, like I said, I'm welcoming a fresh start. It's a new day. I have unfortunate daily reminders of my physical limitations, but thankfully I'm too stupid to realize that and the result is pushing through the pain. I'm fueled by competition and desire. I had always thought of myself as being invicible, and it was really important to me that I was perceived that way by others. There have been many incidents in the past few months that have illustrated our own precious mortality, but I'm also finding that letting fear rule your life is pointless. You have to get back on that "carbon steed" (to quote Craig Hummer) sooner or later.
This is just the beginning. The beginning of a multi-chapter story that is still being written. Kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, the ending is up to me, or, to any of us. My next few posts will shed some light on the earlier part of the year, my second surgery, the day that changed it all and where I'm going from here.
For now, just a quick thanks to the people I have in my corner. I wouldn't be back to this point without any of you, and seeing your success has made me happier than if it were my own.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Epiphany
Unless you are either a fan of Christian trivia or went to Catholic school, you may not know the true meaning of "the 12 days of Christmas". It, of course, refers to the 12 day period of time between Christmas (day Jesus was allegedly born) to the time the 3 Wise Men arrived at his crib (allegedly). This day is known as the Epiphany, and it happens to be today, January 6th.
But epiphany has another meaning, too.
According to Dictionary.com, epiphany is a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely or commonplace occurrence or experience.
As a 49er may have shouted, Eureka!
I had my epiphany today, although I'm probably not adhering to the strict definition of it. I realized that a big part of my problem lately is that I've lost the faith. Probably didn't help that I saw Up in the Air over the weekend. Great film, but the premise is kind of "what's the point?"
It has me asking myself, what IS the point of all this?
Why do we do anything we do? I just happened to read Alex's recent blog post and I find parts of it applicable.
Recently I've felt like I'm just a passenger on this merry-go-round, trying to get off the ride but afraid to jump. It's difficult to really talk about it with, well, anyone, because not many people really understand what I'm really going through. It's like I've got too much time to think, but it's the same thoughts that are constantly running through my head.
I wanted to write a small recap of 2009 but figured, what's the point? Anyone who reads this blog likely knows all the high (or low) lights.
I wanted to write up some goals for 2010 but figured, what's the point? Any goal I have is going to sound absurd, and at this point I just don't even know what I'll be capable of. Can I honestly write "sub 20 minute 5k" at this point in my life? Certainly I can't have goals of "run a marathon, do an Ironman or qualify for Hawaii" this year.
I used to never use the word "can't" as it pertained to believing whether I could physically do something. I thrived on challenges. Embraced them. Now I use can't every day - as in "I can't run 7 miles right now" or "I can't go ride 100". It's tough.
I went to the doctor yesterday. I believe he was rather surprised to hear that I've been able to run 4.5 miles at 6:50 pace. He was also surprised to see that my knee refuses to completely straighten out. This is a big problem. Also, I'm only at 127 degrees of bending, and that's with help (122 on my own). At about 1 degree per week, I'm still 3 months from 140.
I guess the question is, why do all this right now? Why put myself through the wringer just to get my hopes dashed when I can't race this year anyway?
To answer that question I have to ask myself what I think the point of all this is in the first place. Should I be happy/content that I can "do more than most people can" even after a reconstructive knee surgery? It's not my nature to be happy or content so I guess that answers itself.
While the movie ended in a marginally depressing fashion, I believe the point is that we're stuck on this object in space and time, for whatever reason, and are supposed to do whatever it is that makes us happy. That was taken from me this year, and it fucking sucks. Some people have suggested I find something else to do, but again I ask "what's the point?" Not that I'm too old to do something new, I just don't want to. I've been reasonably good at everything I've ever done, and have enjoyed those things. Just never as much as this sport. This sport, as I've said before, has never been kind to me. It neither respects nor appreciates the effort I've put in for it. It's like in another one of my favorite movies, Brown Sugar, where one of the main themes is the main characters' shared love for hip-hop. The characters reminisce about when they remember the moment they fell in love with hip-hop. I do that all the time with triathlon. I can remember every significant moment in the past decade relating to my life in the sport, and can remember the exact moment I fell in love with it.
I've got to try and get out of the quicksand I've been stuck in, and need to remember why I'm doing what I'm doing - because I love competing. I find no point in working hard if I can't have something to show for it. And I'm not talking about showing off to others, I really don't care what other people think about me or my sport. I do it because I enjoy it.
One of the songs I do at karaoke from time to time is Eminem's "8 Mile Road" - the lyrics resonate hauntingly for me right now:
Sometimes I just feel like
Quitting I still might
Why do I put up this fight
Why do I still write
Sometimes it's hard enough just dealing with real life
Sometimes I wanna jump on stage and just kill mics
And show these people what my level of skill's like
But I'm still white
Sometimes I just hate life
Pretty dark, I know, but the song progresses to show him committed to not being pigeonholed by where he came from.
In the end I have some goals. I want to get back to normal. I want to remember what it's like to not wake up in the morning and trip out of bed because your knee doesn't bend, or jog up a flight of stairs or be able to bend my knee enough to stretch it. I want pain to go away but I want hurt to come back. Because when you're hurting, you're living.
I'll do some races this year and I bet by the summer I'll be able to run a normal amount of miles per week. I don't believe that it will allow me to be in the requisite shape to do anything longer than a half marathon this year and I've got to accept that. I've got to accept that I won't have the financial resources to acquire a new bike for a while, and as a result triathlons may not happen.
I also am doing away with words like "probably", "think" and "hope" because they're bullshit. I am not going to hope to run 5 miles tonight - I'm going to do it. And if I don't do it then I'll do it on Friday. I'm not going to think I'll run the 5k in Miami at the end of the month - I'm going to do it. People are wishy-washy enough without vague concepts like probably think and hope. I've never used those words and I don't intend to start now.
I also will decide whether I'll write more or not after I contemplate the direction I'd have to take. Obviously it would be less training-oriented and more life thoughts. That I will be vague on right now. Ha.
But epiphany has another meaning, too.
According to Dictionary.com, epiphany is a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely or commonplace occurrence or experience.
As a 49er may have shouted, Eureka!
I had my epiphany today, although I'm probably not adhering to the strict definition of it. I realized that a big part of my problem lately is that I've lost the faith. Probably didn't help that I saw Up in the Air over the weekend. Great film, but the premise is kind of "what's the point?"
It has me asking myself, what IS the point of all this?
Why do we do anything we do? I just happened to read Alex's recent blog post and I find parts of it applicable.
Recently I've felt like I'm just a passenger on this merry-go-round, trying to get off the ride but afraid to jump. It's difficult to really talk about it with, well, anyone, because not many people really understand what I'm really going through. It's like I've got too much time to think, but it's the same thoughts that are constantly running through my head.
I wanted to write a small recap of 2009 but figured, what's the point? Anyone who reads this blog likely knows all the high (or low) lights.
I wanted to write up some goals for 2010 but figured, what's the point? Any goal I have is going to sound absurd, and at this point I just don't even know what I'll be capable of. Can I honestly write "sub 20 minute 5k" at this point in my life? Certainly I can't have goals of "run a marathon, do an Ironman or qualify for Hawaii" this year.
I used to never use the word "can't" as it pertained to believing whether I could physically do something. I thrived on challenges. Embraced them. Now I use can't every day - as in "I can't run 7 miles right now" or "I can't go ride 100". It's tough.
I went to the doctor yesterday. I believe he was rather surprised to hear that I've been able to run 4.5 miles at 6:50 pace. He was also surprised to see that my knee refuses to completely straighten out. This is a big problem. Also, I'm only at 127 degrees of bending, and that's with help (122 on my own). At about 1 degree per week, I'm still 3 months from 140.
I guess the question is, why do all this right now? Why put myself through the wringer just to get my hopes dashed when I can't race this year anyway?
To answer that question I have to ask myself what I think the point of all this is in the first place. Should I be happy/content that I can "do more than most people can" even after a reconstructive knee surgery? It's not my nature to be happy or content so I guess that answers itself.
While the movie ended in a marginally depressing fashion, I believe the point is that we're stuck on this object in space and time, for whatever reason, and are supposed to do whatever it is that makes us happy. That was taken from me this year, and it fucking sucks. Some people have suggested I find something else to do, but again I ask "what's the point?" Not that I'm too old to do something new, I just don't want to. I've been reasonably good at everything I've ever done, and have enjoyed those things. Just never as much as this sport. This sport, as I've said before, has never been kind to me. It neither respects nor appreciates the effort I've put in for it. It's like in another one of my favorite movies, Brown Sugar, where one of the main themes is the main characters' shared love for hip-hop. The characters reminisce about when they remember the moment they fell in love with hip-hop. I do that all the time with triathlon. I can remember every significant moment in the past decade relating to my life in the sport, and can remember the exact moment I fell in love with it.
I've got to try and get out of the quicksand I've been stuck in, and need to remember why I'm doing what I'm doing - because I love competing. I find no point in working hard if I can't have something to show for it. And I'm not talking about showing off to others, I really don't care what other people think about me or my sport. I do it because I enjoy it.
One of the songs I do at karaoke from time to time is Eminem's "8 Mile Road" - the lyrics resonate hauntingly for me right now:
Sometimes I just feel like
Quitting I still might
Why do I put up this fight
Why do I still write
Sometimes it's hard enough just dealing with real life
Sometimes I wanna jump on stage and just kill mics
And show these people what my level of skill's like
But I'm still white
Sometimes I just hate life
Pretty dark, I know, but the song progresses to show him committed to not being pigeonholed by where he came from.
In the end I have some goals. I want to get back to normal. I want to remember what it's like to not wake up in the morning and trip out of bed because your knee doesn't bend, or jog up a flight of stairs or be able to bend my knee enough to stretch it. I want pain to go away but I want hurt to come back. Because when you're hurting, you're living.
I'll do some races this year and I bet by the summer I'll be able to run a normal amount of miles per week. I don't believe that it will allow me to be in the requisite shape to do anything longer than a half marathon this year and I've got to accept that. I've got to accept that I won't have the financial resources to acquire a new bike for a while, and as a result triathlons may not happen.
I also am doing away with words like "probably", "think" and "hope" because they're bullshit. I am not going to hope to run 5 miles tonight - I'm going to do it. And if I don't do it then I'll do it on Friday. I'm not going to think I'll run the 5k in Miami at the end of the month - I'm going to do it. People are wishy-washy enough without vague concepts like probably think and hope. I've never used those words and I don't intend to start now.
I also will decide whether I'll write more or not after I contemplate the direction I'd have to take. Obviously it would be less training-oriented and more life thoughts. That I will be vague on right now. Ha.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Je Ne Sais Quoi
While I'm trying to gather my thoughts for a coherent decade wrap-up post, I can't help but wonder what I must have done to anger the universe. I've learned some valuable lessons this year, such as:
What Goes Around, Comes Around
This is entirely false. Not that I cure cancer, but I certainly don't steal or commit murder. However, you would think I do based on the punishments I've received this year. Meanwhile, I've noticed a number of people who just constantly are coming out ahead and this bothers me. In a similar vein, this also encompasses the "no good deed goes unnoticed" ideology.
When it Rains, it Pours
This is entirely true.
It Could Always Be Worse
This is a big one. No matter how impossible it seems, or you feel like you're constantly being Cleveland Steamered, it could always be worse. Never forget it. You learn that certain things are just simply out of your control and there's no point in worrying about them. Once something's happened, that's it. Just do your best to put it behind you and move on. Easier said than done, but we always have two choices.
1. Accept, move on, make the best of every situation
2. Deny, complain, get angry
I woke up yesterday morning to a smashed passenger window. I was annoyed because it means I have to pay for a new window, and it's cold out. I was originally happy that nothing was taken. Then this morning I went to look for my lucky backpack, which I thought was in the house. I was wrong. I've had this backpack for 10 years and if you've ever seen me you know what backpack I'm talking about - the black Maryland Track and Field one. That thing has been with me everywhere I've ever gone, usually posing as my only piece of luggage. I didn't have anything super important in it, other than 2 pieces of Under Armour pant type things that I enjoy having in the winter. I didn't pay for them, at least, but I will have to if I want to replace them. Mostly I was sad to lose the backpack, just as I was sad when I lost my Terps hat in 2005 and my student ID in 2006. They were just some of the things tying me to school, and the backpack was probably the only possession I truly care about in the world. Its value is immeasurable and cannot be replaced.
But then I realized, maybe it's time to move on. You can buy a new backpack and get new things that you lost. I know it must sound ridiculous that I'm this sentimental over a backpack that was falling apart anyway, but it was important to me, and when you can't go a few days without another rainstorm, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
I had always considered this piece of material lucky, because it kept me safe in my travels, but how lucky could it be if it was around me through this year?
I have one more day and then 2009 is over. I have never been more excited for a year to end.
What Goes Around, Comes Around
This is entirely false. Not that I cure cancer, but I certainly don't steal or commit murder. However, you would think I do based on the punishments I've received this year. Meanwhile, I've noticed a number of people who just constantly are coming out ahead and this bothers me. In a similar vein, this also encompasses the "no good deed goes unnoticed" ideology.
When it Rains, it Pours
This is entirely true.
It Could Always Be Worse
This is a big one. No matter how impossible it seems, or you feel like you're constantly being Cleveland Steamered, it could always be worse. Never forget it. You learn that certain things are just simply out of your control and there's no point in worrying about them. Once something's happened, that's it. Just do your best to put it behind you and move on. Easier said than done, but we always have two choices.
1. Accept, move on, make the best of every situation
2. Deny, complain, get angry
I woke up yesterday morning to a smashed passenger window. I was annoyed because it means I have to pay for a new window, and it's cold out. I was originally happy that nothing was taken. Then this morning I went to look for my lucky backpack, which I thought was in the house. I was wrong. I've had this backpack for 10 years and if you've ever seen me you know what backpack I'm talking about - the black Maryland Track and Field one. That thing has been with me everywhere I've ever gone, usually posing as my only piece of luggage. I didn't have anything super important in it, other than 2 pieces of Under Armour pant type things that I enjoy having in the winter. I didn't pay for them, at least, but I will have to if I want to replace them. Mostly I was sad to lose the backpack, just as I was sad when I lost my Terps hat in 2005 and my student ID in 2006. They were just some of the things tying me to school, and the backpack was probably the only possession I truly care about in the world. Its value is immeasurable and cannot be replaced.
But then I realized, maybe it's time to move on. You can buy a new backpack and get new things that you lost. I know it must sound ridiculous that I'm this sentimental over a backpack that was falling apart anyway, but it was important to me, and when you can't go a few days without another rainstorm, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
I had always considered this piece of material lucky, because it kept me safe in my travels, but how lucky could it be if it was around me through this year?
I have one more day and then 2009 is over. I have never been more excited for a year to end.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Forgot About Elf
In the past week or two I've managed to get out for karaoke 3 or 4 times. It helped bring back a little bit of joy to my heart. Karaoke was something I had never done until I moved to Baltimore. Every Wednesday back in summer 2005 I would head down to Shucker's in Fells Point, usually armed with cousin Emily, Spider, Thais, Sgrizzi, sometimes a few others would show. Jimmo was the karaoke DJ and since very few people would sing, I would get to sing 10 songs a night. It was the rmcgrath show, and we all know how much of a fan I am of that.
One Wednesday we went and Jimmo wasn't there. We found out that allegedly the karaoke was "killing their business" - when in reality of course it was their terrible food and poor service. I stopped going there altogether.
I had to find a new karaoke jam. Tried a few places with mixed results. On Tuesdays, after TNT, I started heading to Frasier's on the Avenue in Hampden with Jake, Godsey sometimes and Brusewitz. It was cool, until the roller derby girls started taking over. It was at Frasier's, however, that Jake and I perfected our "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the style of Old School, which has brought crowds (and girls - psyche!) to their knees ever since. I also had some great performances of Outkast's "Roses" and D12's "My Band".
Moving on from Frasier's, I also had a secret Wednesday night spot in Brooklyn Park - Maynard's. DJ Tony had the hugest assortment of jams, a great sound system, wireless mics, a stage - it was sick. Thais performed here a few times with me, as did Godsey. Not sure that many others made the trip down. I soon grew weary of driving down there and had nobody to go with.
Recently, the arrival of Patty Mac into the group has brought a resurgence of karaoke. Walt's Inn, on O'Donnell, has become a favorite of ours. We've hung out with Mike Tirico there. We've run into friends from days gone by. I've gone on Sunday nights, Monday nights, Wednesday nights and of course the normal weekend nights. Every time brings something different. A few times ago I rocked the crowd (on a busy Friday night) with my renditions of "Nuthin but a G Thang" and "Forgot About Dre". I am super gangster so it's very natural for me to perform these well. Then of course I'm always reminded of my old AIM screen name, which was "forgot about elf". The double entendre of course insinuating I was a fan of the song, and I had also somewhat forgotten about my nickname of Elf.
Last night (Monday) it was a throwback to 2005. Meeting up in the Square was a crew I don't think I've ever seen all hang out at once together, and certainly not for as long as we did. It helped that the few teachers in the crowd had off today. The group was composed of Mike and Shane Prada, Kipchirchir J. Bitok, Brian Godsey, Andy Gell and then Joel Brusewitz, fiance Alix Ruth and Dave Berdan joined us. I have barely seen any of them in the past few years. We walked into Walt's like Gangbusters to find it was completely barren of any patrons. Nevertheless, we rocked the shit out of the place. It was like the Rolling Stones at Altamont, or when Elvis returned to Vegas after he was banned.
We stayed until close, so of course I'm pretty exhausted today. It was a tiring weekend - a whirlwind of houseguests, being snowed in, staying out late and driving people around. I'm glad it's over as I really need to return to normalcy after this week. I also definitely need to begin Christmas shopping. I love going to the Mall on Christmas Eve, I am so much more efficient when I'm under the gun.
As far as training goes, Friday was a pretty sweet run. 4 miles with BG and Kip, used to be the old crew. 7:28 first mile, started to pick it up a little, then dropped a 6:38 last mile uphill. I was pretty impressed. The snow began to fall on Friday night, and by Saturday morning it was full-on snowstorm. I drove my "new" car to get Zero, Jen and Chrissie, then while on Fallsway we narrowly escaped the totalling of my car. We were volunteering at Celtic Solstice, which went on as planned. 3200 had registered; 400 showed to run. BG got the win, wearing spikes, and Julia Rudd got the W for the ladies. It was an unbelievable race and I'm psyched it took place.
Last week I managed a shade over 17,000m in the pool, which represented M-F swimming. I had 4 really good workouts but by Friday I was a little tired. I took the weekend off and got back in yesterday and felt awful. I think the mornings I swim immediately following PT are tough because I get beat up by the PT session and then just feel like I'm dragging. Today I felt much better in the pool.
I rode Tues and Thurs last week, the snow and the guests hampered my ability to ride this weekend so I'll probably have to bring my bike and trainer home with me so I can do something over the next few days. I'm heading down to P's graduation from FBI training and on my way back through Baltimore if I have time I'll try and sneak in a quick swim.
One Wednesday we went and Jimmo wasn't there. We found out that allegedly the karaoke was "killing their business" - when in reality of course it was their terrible food and poor service. I stopped going there altogether.
I had to find a new karaoke jam. Tried a few places with mixed results. On Tuesdays, after TNT, I started heading to Frasier's on the Avenue in Hampden with Jake, Godsey sometimes and Brusewitz. It was cool, until the roller derby girls started taking over. It was at Frasier's, however, that Jake and I perfected our "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the style of Old School, which has brought crowds (and girls - psyche!) to their knees ever since. I also had some great performances of Outkast's "Roses" and D12's "My Band".
Moving on from Frasier's, I also had a secret Wednesday night spot in Brooklyn Park - Maynard's. DJ Tony had the hugest assortment of jams, a great sound system, wireless mics, a stage - it was sick. Thais performed here a few times with me, as did Godsey. Not sure that many others made the trip down. I soon grew weary of driving down there and had nobody to go with.
Recently, the arrival of Patty Mac into the group has brought a resurgence of karaoke. Walt's Inn, on O'Donnell, has become a favorite of ours. We've hung out with Mike Tirico there. We've run into friends from days gone by. I've gone on Sunday nights, Monday nights, Wednesday nights and of course the normal weekend nights. Every time brings something different. A few times ago I rocked the crowd (on a busy Friday night) with my renditions of "Nuthin but a G Thang" and "Forgot About Dre". I am super gangster so it's very natural for me to perform these well. Then of course I'm always reminded of my old AIM screen name, which was "forgot about elf". The double entendre of course insinuating I was a fan of the song, and I had also somewhat forgotten about my nickname of Elf.
Last night (Monday) it was a throwback to 2005. Meeting up in the Square was a crew I don't think I've ever seen all hang out at once together, and certainly not for as long as we did. It helped that the few teachers in the crowd had off today. The group was composed of Mike and Shane Prada, Kipchirchir J. Bitok, Brian Godsey, Andy Gell and then Joel Brusewitz, fiance Alix Ruth and Dave Berdan joined us. I have barely seen any of them in the past few years. We walked into Walt's like Gangbusters to find it was completely barren of any patrons. Nevertheless, we rocked the shit out of the place. It was like the Rolling Stones at Altamont, or when Elvis returned to Vegas after he was banned.
We stayed until close, so of course I'm pretty exhausted today. It was a tiring weekend - a whirlwind of houseguests, being snowed in, staying out late and driving people around. I'm glad it's over as I really need to return to normalcy after this week. I also definitely need to begin Christmas shopping. I love going to the Mall on Christmas Eve, I am so much more efficient when I'm under the gun.
As far as training goes, Friday was a pretty sweet run. 4 miles with BG and Kip, used to be the old crew. 7:28 first mile, started to pick it up a little, then dropped a 6:38 last mile uphill. I was pretty impressed. The snow began to fall on Friday night, and by Saturday morning it was full-on snowstorm. I drove my "new" car to get Zero, Jen and Chrissie, then while on Fallsway we narrowly escaped the totalling of my car. We were volunteering at Celtic Solstice, which went on as planned. 3200 had registered; 400 showed to run. BG got the win, wearing spikes, and Julia Rudd got the W for the ladies. It was an unbelievable race and I'm psyched it took place.
Last week I managed a shade over 17,000m in the pool, which represented M-F swimming. I had 4 really good workouts but by Friday I was a little tired. I took the weekend off and got back in yesterday and felt awful. I think the mornings I swim immediately following PT are tough because I get beat up by the PT session and then just feel like I'm dragging. Today I felt much better in the pool.
I rode Tues and Thurs last week, the snow and the guests hampered my ability to ride this weekend so I'll probably have to bring my bike and trainer home with me so I can do something over the next few days. I'm heading down to P's graduation from FBI training and on my way back through Baltimore if I have time I'll try and sneak in a quick swim.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Dear Santa
I really only have three things on my Christmas list this year; unfortunately, none of them can be answered or gifted:
1. Find gainful employment
2. Get a better knee
3. Have my lawsuit settled
I've never felt so "stuck" - however some of my friends and family have been quite helpful and supportive so that's been a positive.
I haven't written anything in a few weeks. There were times I intended to, and tried, but just couldn't do it. I just don't feel like I have much to say. I could list my swim workouts, my attempts at running and a handful of boring bike rides, but it didn't seem inspired.
The one good thing I've finally done with myself is that I purchased a car the other day. Used, but a 2006 so not terribly old. Somehow, at age 28, this was my first ever buying experience at a car dealership. Thanks to my friends at Bob Bell Ford, the process was really easy and they gave me an absurd deal. And, thanks to the check I received for my totaled bike, it made purchasing the car as a cash deal much easier. Of course that means I have no money to buy a new bike, so I was quite sad as I wrote the check for the car. I'm hoping that, since I no longer have to rely on car/walking/rides from others, that I can be motivated to be more proactive in my job search.
It's silly to me sometimes to think of how proud I am of these miniscule baby steps I have to take right now.
We had our 3rd Annual Awards Night the other night - as always a great celebration of our accomplishments for the past year. I try and make sure I prepare awards ahead of time so I can say something about each person, then because it's me I get jumbled in my index cards and inevitably forget about one or two until I'm reminded. Our team is unlike any other I've ever seen, and I'm reminded of that each year when we do this. Thanks to the race timing that we did this year to earn a little extra dollars, we ordered some pizzas and had the party at the store.
My friends then surprised me with an amazing gift - a new digital camera! For the last decade I've only owned my manual SLR Pentax K1000, which has been through a lot. And since it's become increasingly difficult to find places to service cameras like that, and film/developing are expensive, I knew I'd eventually have to move to the digital world. I wish I had this for the whole year as I spectated at something like 22 races this year! So for 2010 I'll have it, and I'm pumped because I definitely won't be racing for a while. My friends routinely go above and beyond for this gift, which I really don't deserve and wish they would just not worry about!
Another ritual of Awards Night is I hand out index cards and everyone writes down their goals for the next year. Because we are more than "just" runners - meaning, we have other things in our lives that are important to us - I always ask for a few running related goals, and then personal related goals. I love being able to watch as the group strives to hit their marks, and then review every so often to make sure they're on target. Of course sometimes things come up that prevent you from reaching any of your goals, then you feel like the year was a waste. For the record, I don't actually feel like my year was a complete waste, but that's for another post.
The bad news I have is that my PT says I really am not doing well with my progression. It's weird to think that I'm not doing the best of any post-ACL surgery patient of all time, because I feel like I could still beat most people at a sprint tri right now, but it's the truth. There are two other dudes who had ACL surgery right around me and I asked the PT how I stacked up. He told me I'm the worst by far and we just can't figure out why my knee refuses to straighten out completely or bend better. I go into PT every MWF and feel as if it's the first time I've ever been there sometimes.
At the same time, I've seen some pretty unbelievable progression. Obviously I've been swimming well for 5 months. That sucks. I'm tired of the pool. But I'm getting faster and stronger. If I have any shot of competing at Columbia or Eagleman, I need to know that I can swim in the 20:xx range (Columbia) and 27:xx range (Eagleman). I say this because there is no way on earth that I run as fast this year as I did last year.
It also means I have to get back to (minimum) where I was last year on the bike. This is a tall, tall order. Ideally I'd need to be even faster. And unless my lawsuit is magically settled in the next 2-3 months or I find a job that pays me more than I was making previously, I just can't rationalize spending the money on a time trial bike just yet.
If I can continue with the 4-5 hours per week in the pool (not much need for more), and start getting up to 6-8 hours on the bike, I think I should be in good shape. Running is going to be in the 2 hour per week range for now I think, at about 30-40 minutes every other day. I managed to run about 5.5 minutes at 6:20-6:30 pace on Monday night with the guys as they finished their run. It felt like an absolute sprint. Wednesday I ran down to the Square to meet the guys for WNR. 7:34 to the Square (1 mile, mostly downhill). Probably ran about that pace with them until 19 minutes on my watch. Walked about a minute, then ran uphill for 2.5min. Then walked downhill for a minute and started to run the last mile home (uphill). The uphill feels easier than downhills right now, so I got to the top of the hill in good shape to be under 7, but then the last two blocks are downhill to my stoop and it hurt. 7:00.5.
The only thing between me and full recovery now is that my knee refuses to cooperate and get better like I ask it to. Is that too much of me to ask?
1. Find gainful employment
2. Get a better knee
3. Have my lawsuit settled
I've never felt so "stuck" - however some of my friends and family have been quite helpful and supportive so that's been a positive.
I haven't written anything in a few weeks. There were times I intended to, and tried, but just couldn't do it. I just don't feel like I have much to say. I could list my swim workouts, my attempts at running and a handful of boring bike rides, but it didn't seem inspired.
The one good thing I've finally done with myself is that I purchased a car the other day. Used, but a 2006 so not terribly old. Somehow, at age 28, this was my first ever buying experience at a car dealership. Thanks to my friends at Bob Bell Ford, the process was really easy and they gave me an absurd deal. And, thanks to the check I received for my totaled bike, it made purchasing the car as a cash deal much easier. Of course that means I have no money to buy a new bike, so I was quite sad as I wrote the check for the car. I'm hoping that, since I no longer have to rely on car/walking/rides from others, that I can be motivated to be more proactive in my job search.
It's silly to me sometimes to think of how proud I am of these miniscule baby steps I have to take right now.
We had our 3rd Annual Awards Night the other night - as always a great celebration of our accomplishments for the past year. I try and make sure I prepare awards ahead of time so I can say something about each person, then because it's me I get jumbled in my index cards and inevitably forget about one or two until I'm reminded. Our team is unlike any other I've ever seen, and I'm reminded of that each year when we do this. Thanks to the race timing that we did this year to earn a little extra dollars, we ordered some pizzas and had the party at the store.
My friends then surprised me with an amazing gift - a new digital camera! For the last decade I've only owned my manual SLR Pentax K1000, which has been through a lot. And since it's become increasingly difficult to find places to service cameras like that, and film/developing are expensive, I knew I'd eventually have to move to the digital world. I wish I had this for the whole year as I spectated at something like 22 races this year! So for 2010 I'll have it, and I'm pumped because I definitely won't be racing for a while. My friends routinely go above and beyond for this gift, which I really don't deserve and wish they would just not worry about!
Another ritual of Awards Night is I hand out index cards and everyone writes down their goals for the next year. Because we are more than "just" runners - meaning, we have other things in our lives that are important to us - I always ask for a few running related goals, and then personal related goals. I love being able to watch as the group strives to hit their marks, and then review every so often to make sure they're on target. Of course sometimes things come up that prevent you from reaching any of your goals, then you feel like the year was a waste. For the record, I don't actually feel like my year was a complete waste, but that's for another post.
The bad news I have is that my PT says I really am not doing well with my progression. It's weird to think that I'm not doing the best of any post-ACL surgery patient of all time, because I feel like I could still beat most people at a sprint tri right now, but it's the truth. There are two other dudes who had ACL surgery right around me and I asked the PT how I stacked up. He told me I'm the worst by far and we just can't figure out why my knee refuses to straighten out completely or bend better. I go into PT every MWF and feel as if it's the first time I've ever been there sometimes.
At the same time, I've seen some pretty unbelievable progression. Obviously I've been swimming well for 5 months. That sucks. I'm tired of the pool. But I'm getting faster and stronger. If I have any shot of competing at Columbia or Eagleman, I need to know that I can swim in the 20:xx range (Columbia) and 27:xx range (Eagleman). I say this because there is no way on earth that I run as fast this year as I did last year.
It also means I have to get back to (minimum) where I was last year on the bike. This is a tall, tall order. Ideally I'd need to be even faster. And unless my lawsuit is magically settled in the next 2-3 months or I find a job that pays me more than I was making previously, I just can't rationalize spending the money on a time trial bike just yet.
If I can continue with the 4-5 hours per week in the pool (not much need for more), and start getting up to 6-8 hours on the bike, I think I should be in good shape. Running is going to be in the 2 hour per week range for now I think, at about 30-40 minutes every other day. I managed to run about 5.5 minutes at 6:20-6:30 pace on Monday night with the guys as they finished their run. It felt like an absolute sprint. Wednesday I ran down to the Square to meet the guys for WNR. 7:34 to the Square (1 mile, mostly downhill). Probably ran about that pace with them until 19 minutes on my watch. Walked about a minute, then ran uphill for 2.5min. Then walked downhill for a minute and started to run the last mile home (uphill). The uphill feels easier than downhills right now, so I got to the top of the hill in good shape to be under 7, but then the last two blocks are downhill to my stoop and it hurt. 7:00.5.
The only thing between me and full recovery now is that my knee refuses to cooperate and get better like I ask it to. Is that too much of me to ask?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Raising Arizona
A year ago I expected I'd be writing this blog post about my first Ironman, excited to have finished, exhausted from a long season and maybe psyched about a Kona slot for 2010.
But, as Andre 3000 said, you can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather.
And that's exactly what happened.
Mike Zero and I signed up for this race this time last year, and immediately I had a grand vision of the two of us training together, racing together and then getting out to Arizona, where we would start the swim together. Yeah, gay, I know. But at least one of those happened.
Thanks to my corporate sponsor, Justin, who had bequeathed me a free flight on Southwest, I made it out to Arizona on Thursday prior to the race. I love Arizona but hate the flights there and back. They just feel unnecessarily long. I met JK and Z at the airport and we made our way to our home for the weekend - Days Inn on Apache Blvd. The best news was that the new-ish light rail stopped right in front of the place and was a 3minute trip to Mill Ave, the heart of the ASU campus.
We were hungry, so we hit Chronic Taco for some dinner before retreating to the hotel. Friday morning we went to the expo and check-in. Thanks to the predictably awesome weather, they can have it outside. That made it pretty awesome. Checked out some fly gear and then waited in the long line to check in. After this we all split - Mike to do a ride, Jen to do a run and I met with some people about hosting a Skirt Chaser race in Baltimore next year. We reconvened later and met Mike's parents for dinner.
Saturday morning we decided to go for a little swim. I thought I had heard the water temp was between 66 and 72 usually. I definitely heard wrong. 63. That's the 2nd coldest water temp I've ever raced in, behind the 61 of Columbia 2003. Zero and I jumped in and I immediately wanted out. It was mind-numbingly cold. We were two of the only ones without swim caps on, although that would have only offered marginal relief. We swam just a few hundred meters out and back. The air temp, even at 9am, was cool. In fact, the temperature never really went much higher than 75 I'd say, certainly not above 80. The sun is so strong out there, though, that it feels a lot warmer.
We took a little trip up the mountain that was right there, and took in the sights. It was an amazing view and we were able to see all the buoys for the swim course. Man, 1.2 miles looks far. Came back down and Mike and Jen went for a little run, and I just chilled out. The Mashners and the 3 of us went to lunch, where Mike's friend Gee also met us. We ran a few other errands and then it was time to chill out.
Mike and I stayed at his parents' hotel room Saturday night, to make it a little easier to get to transition in the morning. We woke up just after 4am, and were at transition just after 5. It was cold, maybe in the high 40s or low 50s, and windy. And super dark. After getting Mike's various pre-race necessities in order, we got into our wetsuits around 6:20, and at 6:45 were being corraled into the water.
The water, which had felt ice cold the day before, didn't feel as bad when the air temp was cooler. It was about 200m swim to the start, so Mike and I made sure to get in front, get a good position along the start line. Darude's "Sandstorm" blared over the speakers and the gun sounded. 2400 athletes went from vertical to horizontal and it was honestly the craziest thing I've ever seen. Despite being really far up front, I was instantly swarmed by swimmers. As my knee began to get assaulted by a flurry of hands and feet, I started to freak out. Had I been too ambitious in my endeavor? Too zealou in my attempt to return to racing? What had my doctor let me do?! I looked for an opening to try and swim over to the side, just to get out of the way. No chance. I was in it, now, and it was sink or swim time.
Swim I did, and did pretty well. I settled down and got into my rhythm. I would catch up to a pack, weave through them, and catch another group. As we went under the far bridge, and a couple hundred meters further to the turnaround, I was amazed at how many people were still around. We turned back and now the sun was coming up to our left, which is the side I breathe on typically so I was temporarily blinded. I looked up ahead to the bridge we had to swim to - geez did it seem impossibly far away.
I held my effort steady, and finally made it under the last bridge. We had one more turn, now directly into the sun, with maybe 150-200m to go. I lined up the best I could with the little steps they had set up for us to climb out of the water. That in itself was a task, as my knee didn't want to cooperate. I was out of the water and saw the clock read 1:12. Yikes! Then I realized that it was on the pro start, so minus 10 minutes. I walked through the area where volunteers help take off your wetsuit, each of whom was asking if I was okay since I was walking.
I felt a pat on my back, thinking it was just another athlete urging me on - but it was Mike! We had finished the swim within seconds of one another. I encouraged him through T1, and then I sat there and watched the other competitors head out for about an hour and a half. So many people, so many bikes. Amazing that some can't make it through the 2h20m cutoff. And more amazing is the bikes they are riding for not being able to swim! The cold water was taking its toll on a few people, as well.
The rest of the day was tiring. Ironmans are hard events for spectators. You're on your feet for so many hours, cheering for everyone, not eating, moving around. We walked out a few miles to watch Mike on the bike course, and then walked back to watch the run. I've perfected my spectating skills to an unbelievable level. I know everyone appreciates it.
I obviously wish I could have gone on, but it just wasn't my time. Zero, on the other hand, had a great race. A 5:41 bike and a 3:30 run lifted him to his debut Ironman finish in 10:22:58, good for 28th in his 30-34 age group and 226th overall I think. And afterwards he seemed pretty fine. The toughest part of the day was controlling our boners - no joke we're sitting in the finisher's area (thanks to my number, I had an all access pass and could go wherever I wanted, very helpful) and there is a dude and his girlfriend next to us. The girlfriend had really nice...boobies...and she kept leaning over. You couldn't NOT look. Mike will concur.
We headed back to the hotel to clean up, and then back downtown for CHRONIC TACO 2: Revenge of the Taco. Much quieter in Tempe on a Sunday night, I presumed it was because of the holiday. I figured a lot of kids went home early since ASU is a joke and they probably cancel classes for the whole week. Then we went back over to the finish line to cheer in some more people. The jams were kicking and our dancing was inspiring. People were in awe of us, they didn't even know how to react.
Ironman finishes are amazing. There are a lot of people in the race, but by comparison to something like a marathon, for the most part each individual has a chance to cross the finish line by his or herself. Nothing is more amazing than when an athlete like Rudy Garcia-Tolson finishes.
So that is my Ironman story. Incomplete. The part I did finish I was pleased with. 1:02:23 for my first ever 2.4 mile swim. It was good enough for 216th overall and, more significantly, 13th in my age group. Of the top 10 finishers in my AG, only 2 swam faster, and the guy who won the AG swam slower. That's promising for the future. A few years ago I didn't think I'd ever swim faster than 1:05. But most importantly I did get to be there, with Mike, at the start line, and be a part of his experience.
I made it back on Monday to Baltimore, and all the psyched I had accumulated rolled out when I arrived to cold rain. It's going to be a long few months. Tuesday I had to head back up to NJ to see the doctor, who continues to be pleased with my progress.
I managed to run/walk 2.4 miles on Wednesday with my sister. 3 laps of the old 0.8 mile loop we have at one of the parks. I started by walking 1 minute, running 2, and then after the 2nd lap I went to 1min/3min. My laps were 8:27, 8:26 and 7:55. Just about 10 minute pace for the whole thing. I met up with my friends on Wednesday night for our traditional dinner, and then went out for a bit. Today I celebrated the holiday as per usual with just my immediate little family. Tomorrow I'll run again and hopefully hit the mall for some Black Friday madness, and then Saturday is the 10 year reunion that has consumed my energy over the last few months.
But, as Andre 3000 said, you can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather.
And that's exactly what happened.
Mike Zero and I signed up for this race this time last year, and immediately I had a grand vision of the two of us training together, racing together and then getting out to Arizona, where we would start the swim together. Yeah, gay, I know. But at least one of those happened.
Thanks to my corporate sponsor, Justin, who had bequeathed me a free flight on Southwest, I made it out to Arizona on Thursday prior to the race. I love Arizona but hate the flights there and back. They just feel unnecessarily long. I met JK and Z at the airport and we made our way to our home for the weekend - Days Inn on Apache Blvd. The best news was that the new-ish light rail stopped right in front of the place and was a 3minute trip to Mill Ave, the heart of the ASU campus.
We were hungry, so we hit Chronic Taco for some dinner before retreating to the hotel. Friday morning we went to the expo and check-in. Thanks to the predictably awesome weather, they can have it outside. That made it pretty awesome. Checked out some fly gear and then waited in the long line to check in. After this we all split - Mike to do a ride, Jen to do a run and I met with some people about hosting a Skirt Chaser race in Baltimore next year. We reconvened later and met Mike's parents for dinner.
Saturday morning we decided to go for a little swim. I thought I had heard the water temp was between 66 and 72 usually. I definitely heard wrong. 63. That's the 2nd coldest water temp I've ever raced in, behind the 61 of Columbia 2003. Zero and I jumped in and I immediately wanted out. It was mind-numbingly cold. We were two of the only ones without swim caps on, although that would have only offered marginal relief. We swam just a few hundred meters out and back. The air temp, even at 9am, was cool. In fact, the temperature never really went much higher than 75 I'd say, certainly not above 80. The sun is so strong out there, though, that it feels a lot warmer.
We took a little trip up the mountain that was right there, and took in the sights. It was an amazing view and we were able to see all the buoys for the swim course. Man, 1.2 miles looks far. Came back down and Mike and Jen went for a little run, and I just chilled out. The Mashners and the 3 of us went to lunch, where Mike's friend Gee also met us. We ran a few other errands and then it was time to chill out.
Mike and I stayed at his parents' hotel room Saturday night, to make it a little easier to get to transition in the morning. We woke up just after 4am, and were at transition just after 5. It was cold, maybe in the high 40s or low 50s, and windy. And super dark. After getting Mike's various pre-race necessities in order, we got into our wetsuits around 6:20, and at 6:45 were being corraled into the water.
The water, which had felt ice cold the day before, didn't feel as bad when the air temp was cooler. It was about 200m swim to the start, so Mike and I made sure to get in front, get a good position along the start line. Darude's "Sandstorm" blared over the speakers and the gun sounded. 2400 athletes went from vertical to horizontal and it was honestly the craziest thing I've ever seen. Despite being really far up front, I was instantly swarmed by swimmers. As my knee began to get assaulted by a flurry of hands and feet, I started to freak out. Had I been too ambitious in my endeavor? Too zealou in my attempt to return to racing? What had my doctor let me do?! I looked for an opening to try and swim over to the side, just to get out of the way. No chance. I was in it, now, and it was sink or swim time.
Swim I did, and did pretty well. I settled down and got into my rhythm. I would catch up to a pack, weave through them, and catch another group. As we went under the far bridge, and a couple hundred meters further to the turnaround, I was amazed at how many people were still around. We turned back and now the sun was coming up to our left, which is the side I breathe on typically so I was temporarily blinded. I looked up ahead to the bridge we had to swim to - geez did it seem impossibly far away.
I held my effort steady, and finally made it under the last bridge. We had one more turn, now directly into the sun, with maybe 150-200m to go. I lined up the best I could with the little steps they had set up for us to climb out of the water. That in itself was a task, as my knee didn't want to cooperate. I was out of the water and saw the clock read 1:12. Yikes! Then I realized that it was on the pro start, so minus 10 minutes. I walked through the area where volunteers help take off your wetsuit, each of whom was asking if I was okay since I was walking.
I felt a pat on my back, thinking it was just another athlete urging me on - but it was Mike! We had finished the swim within seconds of one another. I encouraged him through T1, and then I sat there and watched the other competitors head out for about an hour and a half. So many people, so many bikes. Amazing that some can't make it through the 2h20m cutoff. And more amazing is the bikes they are riding for not being able to swim! The cold water was taking its toll on a few people, as well.
The rest of the day was tiring. Ironmans are hard events for spectators. You're on your feet for so many hours, cheering for everyone, not eating, moving around. We walked out a few miles to watch Mike on the bike course, and then walked back to watch the run. I've perfected my spectating skills to an unbelievable level. I know everyone appreciates it.
I obviously wish I could have gone on, but it just wasn't my time. Zero, on the other hand, had a great race. A 5:41 bike and a 3:30 run lifted him to his debut Ironman finish in 10:22:58, good for 28th in his 30-34 age group and 226th overall I think. And afterwards he seemed pretty fine. The toughest part of the day was controlling our boners - no joke we're sitting in the finisher's area (thanks to my number, I had an all access pass and could go wherever I wanted, very helpful) and there is a dude and his girlfriend next to us. The girlfriend had really nice...boobies...and she kept leaning over. You couldn't NOT look. Mike will concur.
We headed back to the hotel to clean up, and then back downtown for CHRONIC TACO 2: Revenge of the Taco. Much quieter in Tempe on a Sunday night, I presumed it was because of the holiday. I figured a lot of kids went home early since ASU is a joke and they probably cancel classes for the whole week. Then we went back over to the finish line to cheer in some more people. The jams were kicking and our dancing was inspiring. People were in awe of us, they didn't even know how to react.
Ironman finishes are amazing. There are a lot of people in the race, but by comparison to something like a marathon, for the most part each individual has a chance to cross the finish line by his or herself. Nothing is more amazing than when an athlete like Rudy Garcia-Tolson finishes.
So that is my Ironman story. Incomplete. The part I did finish I was pleased with. 1:02:23 for my first ever 2.4 mile swim. It was good enough for 216th overall and, more significantly, 13th in my age group. Of the top 10 finishers in my AG, only 2 swam faster, and the guy who won the AG swam slower. That's promising for the future. A few years ago I didn't think I'd ever swim faster than 1:05. But most importantly I did get to be there, with Mike, at the start line, and be a part of his experience.
I made it back on Monday to Baltimore, and all the psyched I had accumulated rolled out when I arrived to cold rain. It's going to be a long few months. Tuesday I had to head back up to NJ to see the doctor, who continues to be pleased with my progress.
I managed to run/walk 2.4 miles on Wednesday with my sister. 3 laps of the old 0.8 mile loop we have at one of the parks. I started by walking 1 minute, running 2, and then after the 2nd lap I went to 1min/3min. My laps were 8:27, 8:26 and 7:55. Just about 10 minute pace for the whole thing. I met up with my friends on Wednesday night for our traditional dinner, and then went out for a bit. Today I celebrated the holiday as per usual with just my immediate little family. Tomorrow I'll run again and hopefully hit the mall for some Black Friday madness, and then Saturday is the 10 year reunion that has consumed my energy over the last few months.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
On the Road Again
Your resume says you went "All Kerouac on that ass?"
Monday I ran for the first time on roads, but it was just a short trip up Cross St before getting on the safety of the bricks in the Inner Harbor.
Tonight was a big night. I had a stellar ride this afternoon - 5minutes faster than Monday's effort on the same course. Had to wear armwarmers though, which is frightening as I realize the days are only going to get colder. That means more and more clothes.
Following the ride, I was determined to meet my posse for at least a few minutes of our Wednesday Night Run. I did my walk a minute run a minute thing to the Square, splitting the mile in 9:47 (figured my running pace was somewhere in the mid 7 range). I met Brennan, Ben and Pat and we departed down Potomac at what seemed like breakneck speed. Stanford caught up to us and we crossed Boston St.
I made it a few more minutes til we got past Bay Cafe, and then I turned around.
I know it wasn't much, but it was a huge accomplishment. More than anything it was just nice to be able to run with my friends again, even if just for about 4 minutes. I'm sure it's going to be spring before I can handle an actual entire run with them, but it gives me something to keep working towards.
Now time to deal with the pain of having run tonight. Grr.
Monday I ran for the first time on roads, but it was just a short trip up Cross St before getting on the safety of the bricks in the Inner Harbor.
Tonight was a big night. I had a stellar ride this afternoon - 5minutes faster than Monday's effort on the same course. Had to wear armwarmers though, which is frightening as I realize the days are only going to get colder. That means more and more clothes.
Following the ride, I was determined to meet my posse for at least a few minutes of our Wednesday Night Run. I did my walk a minute run a minute thing to the Square, splitting the mile in 9:47 (figured my running pace was somewhere in the mid 7 range). I met Brennan, Ben and Pat and we departed down Potomac at what seemed like breakneck speed. Stanford caught up to us and we crossed Boston St.
I made it a few more minutes til we got past Bay Cafe, and then I turned around.
I know it wasn't much, but it was a huge accomplishment. More than anything it was just nice to be able to run with my friends again, even if just for about 4 minutes. I'm sure it's going to be spring before I can handle an actual entire run with them, but it gives me something to keep working towards.
Now time to deal with the pain of having run tonight. Grr.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Bad Romance
Sour grapes. Bitter lemons. Other normal food items preceded by negative adjectives.
There are days when I get down about things, and just feel like I'm filled with anger. Take yesterday. It was a nice day so I hopped on the bike and rode my maybe 21 mile ride. I felt better and rode faster than last Monday, so I was pleased. But it still doesn't feel right.
I then rode down to Fed Hill and was going to attempt a run. Since I just passed the 10 weeks mark, I was given the green light to run in the following format:
1min walk/1min run for up to 20 minutes
So that's what I did. I went up Cross St (uphills are tough, downhills just hurt). Picked up the bricks and went around Ritz Carlton and made it just beyond Rusty Scupper by 10 minutes. The first of the runners went by me and when Sanders caught up to me, he joined me in my little Galloway style run.
A few minutes later, Brennan, Pat, Jordan and Johnny Blatz picked us up and from there I just tried to "run" the rest of the way in. So it turned out to be 19 minutes all told, with maybe 11 minutes of running and 8 of walking, probably about 2 miles, maybe just under.
Boy, did my knee not feel good by the end. I rode my bike home and the rest of the night my knee looked...weird. I can't be sure, but it appeared as if my ACL was jutting out of the knee.
I obviously do not expect to be able to just jump right back into running, but man, when it hurts this bad, you begin to wonder if it will ever get better. Even when I had my other pretty serious injury, I was able to get back fairly quick.
The thing I hate most is being negative. There's really not much I can do about anything. I'm doing all I can. The one thing I'm very concerned about is my leg not straightening out completely. That's got to change fast or I'll be in trouble.
So as I focus on positive things, take today for example. It's super nice again, and starting at midnight last night ESPN is showing nothing but college hoops. Terps play tonight on CSN, there's games on ESPN2 and MASN. Great to have it back. I also got to attempt to serve someone, in the legal sense. I felt like Matthew Perry in that Serving Sara movie.
I'm going to attempt to run every other day for now, and ride a few times per week plus continue to swim as much as I've been. My hope is to be as fit as possible with riding and swimming and if I can run at some point next year, I'll try to race.
I head out to Arizona on Thursday, and I'm pumped for the swim at Ironman. I am feeling confident in the swim, and the idea of racing again is great.
There are days when I get down about things, and just feel like I'm filled with anger. Take yesterday. It was a nice day so I hopped on the bike and rode my maybe 21 mile ride. I felt better and rode faster than last Monday, so I was pleased. But it still doesn't feel right.
I then rode down to Fed Hill and was going to attempt a run. Since I just passed the 10 weeks mark, I was given the green light to run in the following format:
1min walk/1min run for up to 20 minutes
So that's what I did. I went up Cross St (uphills are tough, downhills just hurt). Picked up the bricks and went around Ritz Carlton and made it just beyond Rusty Scupper by 10 minutes. The first of the runners went by me and when Sanders caught up to me, he joined me in my little Galloway style run.
A few minutes later, Brennan, Pat, Jordan and Johnny Blatz picked us up and from there I just tried to "run" the rest of the way in. So it turned out to be 19 minutes all told, with maybe 11 minutes of running and 8 of walking, probably about 2 miles, maybe just under.
Boy, did my knee not feel good by the end. I rode my bike home and the rest of the night my knee looked...weird. I can't be sure, but it appeared as if my ACL was jutting out of the knee.
I obviously do not expect to be able to just jump right back into running, but man, when it hurts this bad, you begin to wonder if it will ever get better. Even when I had my other pretty serious injury, I was able to get back fairly quick.
The thing I hate most is being negative. There's really not much I can do about anything. I'm doing all I can. The one thing I'm very concerned about is my leg not straightening out completely. That's got to change fast or I'll be in trouble.
So as I focus on positive things, take today for example. It's super nice again, and starting at midnight last night ESPN is showing nothing but college hoops. Terps play tonight on CSN, there's games on ESPN2 and MASN. Great to have it back. I also got to attempt to serve someone, in the legal sense. I felt like Matthew Perry in that Serving Sara movie.
I'm going to attempt to run every other day for now, and ride a few times per week plus continue to swim as much as I've been. My hope is to be as fit as possible with riding and swimming and if I can run at some point next year, I'll try to race.
I head out to Arizona on Thursday, and I'm pumped for the swim at Ironman. I am feeling confident in the swim, and the idea of racing again is great.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Mile(Stone)
I know what you're thinking - 2 posts in one day? I hate reading this garbage, why is he posting more?
Well it's only because I feel like I accomplished something fairly significant tonight at the track. The weather was perfect for me to administer a hard workout to the hearty group that showed up for our last night. It was also perfect for me to attempt a run myself.
The goal was to run a half mile, bumping up a quarter mile from last week.
It was really nice and after 800m (4:34 - yikes) I kept going with Denise running alongside of me for a 4:18 second half (8:52 1600). Denise just won the Harrisburg Marathon over the weekend in 3:02 for her 2nd marathon win of the year.
While that is a slow mile, it's amazingly not the slowest mile I've run this year. That honor would belong to the 11 minute miles I was dropping at the end of Boston.
But whatever I ran and that's all that matters. My knee hurt(s) but I did it. Tomorrow I may continue to pay for it.
Here's a little quote from Ryan Hall's post-NYC blog:
"get back up, even if you have been down for awhile, and keep going at it. I am sure you won’t regret that you did. "
I'll keep it in mind, but I'd like to know when he's really been "down" - ha!
Well it's only because I feel like I accomplished something fairly significant tonight at the track. The weather was perfect for me to administer a hard workout to the hearty group that showed up for our last night. It was also perfect for me to attempt a run myself.
The goal was to run a half mile, bumping up a quarter mile from last week.
It was really nice and after 800m (4:34 - yikes) I kept going with Denise running alongside of me for a 4:18 second half (8:52 1600). Denise just won the Harrisburg Marathon over the weekend in 3:02 for her 2nd marathon win of the year.
While that is a slow mile, it's amazingly not the slowest mile I've run this year. That honor would belong to the 11 minute miles I was dropping at the end of Boston.
But whatever I ran and that's all that matters. My knee hurt(s) but I did it. Tomorrow I may continue to pay for it.
Here's a little quote from Ryan Hall's post-NYC blog:
"get back up, even if you have been down for awhile, and keep going at it. I am sure you won’t regret that you did. "
I'll keep it in mind, but I'd like to know when he's really been "down" - ha!
Totally Zeal
I encountered my first challenge this past weekend, and met it head-on:
HUBS OF FURY 5: DEAD MAN RIDING
Since July 10th, I had ridden a bike outside on two occasions. The first was in Chicago, as I rode a little mountain bike alongside Ben, Zero and Brennan on their 20 mile run. The second was just two days later in Louisville as Brennan and I watched Alyssa's Ironman. These were both prior to surgery and I had a better range of motion.
In order for me to be able to ride my bike at HUBS, I'd have to know I could ride my Orbea. Friday, for the first time since July, I was able to pedal down to Physical Therapy, and then did a little more riding around town - maybe 10 miles in total.
I was super psyched for the chance to be able to participate in the Saturday event, and made it without any problems. Here's a little recap:
We met just after 3 down in Fed Hill, and after dealing with a few rookie concerns of flat tires, etc, we got rolling around 3:40 to ride to stop #1, The Dizz in Remington. It was about 4 miles the way we rode from Fed Hill, and we got there around 4. Met a few more people up there so our group was nearly 20 strong.
From The Dizz we headed north another 2.5 miles to The Backstretch Saloon - a very (very) small bar in Medfield, adjacent to Cold Spring Lane. Our group barely fit into the bar, but we met some friendly people and split from there just as it began to get dark. A dark ride down Fallsway was pretty adventurous, and we ended out on Maryland Ave, headed to bar #3 - Dougherty's Pub on Chase St. From here we ordered the pizzas, which were going to arrive at Arjun's.
We hauled down Maryland Ave right into Fed Hill, getting beat by the pizza delivery guy. 10 pizzas later we were energized and ready to go back out to stop #4, The Row House on Light St. It was after 8pm and people were starting to get drunk. A quick stop at Hooters in the Inner Harbor, to reprise our first ever Hubs, and off we went to BAR, another Hubs 1 stop in Fells Point. They renovated the bar and our 17 or so people filled it up and brought life to the empty place.
Now it was after 9pm and we had a few stops left in Canton. We went to the new Canton Station, again it was empty, and then met up with Pat and his wife's bday party at Walt's Inn. Here is where the fracturing of the group began. People were fading, beginning to head home. The hearty forged on, now to Pickled Parrot for a quickie and then to the nightcap in the Square - Claddagh's. The floor was particularly bouncy this evening, giving the distinct impression it was finally going to collapse. No such luck.
Everyone proceeded to go above and beyond the call of duty, and we ended with some pretzel dogs before every person cycled their way back to their respectives domiciles.
No mechanicals, no true crashes, stayed on time - truly a great HUBS.
I was mostly excited that I was able to ride around, and didn't feel too beat up the next day.
After that I made up my mind that yesterday (Monday) was going to be the day, go big or go home. I was going to let ambition get the better of me.
PT: crushed it. Bending is going well, straightening not so much. Regaining strength and stability.
Swim: crushed it. 4200m, 600m warmup, then broken 600s (600 swim, 2x300, 600 pull, 6x100, 600 swim) then capped off with 2x200 and a 200m cooldown. Fastest I've swam in years.
Weights: lifted til the point of failure basically.
BIKE: I was going to go for my first real, legitimate outdoor ride since July. 130 days. I figured I could make it through my just over 20 mile loop that I have, it's a little rolling but the flattest thing I can ride and the only thing I can do from my house really. The temperature was like 70 degrees or something, extremely mild for mid November. Out Route 40, tons of traffic unfortunately. I didn't suffer from any nerves, but I was being a little more cautious, as expected. By 10 miles my knee was getting tight, and since I can't really stand out of the saddle, I was putting a lot of stress on my weaker knee trying to get up the hills. Back on Eastern Ave and I was getting tired. Ass hurt, knee was tight, but I was riding. Finally made it home - the ride passed with little fanfare.
Then I had to ride down to Fed Hill and back for the run. By the time I made it home I was pretty tired and my knee was sore. I had let my ambition get the better of me, but I made it.
Notes:
So far for 2009 I've swam about 25,000m more than I did in all of 2008. By the end of this year it'll probably be 100,000 additional meters.
I've ridden and ran less...a LOT less. Don't want to talk about that too much.
Tonight is our last track workout for the season, I'm hoping to run about a half mile tonight if I can.
HUBS OF FURY 5: DEAD MAN RIDING
Since July 10th, I had ridden a bike outside on two occasions. The first was in Chicago, as I rode a little mountain bike alongside Ben, Zero and Brennan on their 20 mile run. The second was just two days later in Louisville as Brennan and I watched Alyssa's Ironman. These were both prior to surgery and I had a better range of motion.
In order for me to be able to ride my bike at HUBS, I'd have to know I could ride my Orbea. Friday, for the first time since July, I was able to pedal down to Physical Therapy, and then did a little more riding around town - maybe 10 miles in total.
I was super psyched for the chance to be able to participate in the Saturday event, and made it without any problems. Here's a little recap:
We met just after 3 down in Fed Hill, and after dealing with a few rookie concerns of flat tires, etc, we got rolling around 3:40 to ride to stop #1, The Dizz in Remington. It was about 4 miles the way we rode from Fed Hill, and we got there around 4. Met a few more people up there so our group was nearly 20 strong.
From The Dizz we headed north another 2.5 miles to The Backstretch Saloon - a very (very) small bar in Medfield, adjacent to Cold Spring Lane. Our group barely fit into the bar, but we met some friendly people and split from there just as it began to get dark. A dark ride down Fallsway was pretty adventurous, and we ended out on Maryland Ave, headed to bar #3 - Dougherty's Pub on Chase St. From here we ordered the pizzas, which were going to arrive at Arjun's.
We hauled down Maryland Ave right into Fed Hill, getting beat by the pizza delivery guy. 10 pizzas later we were energized and ready to go back out to stop #4, The Row House on Light St. It was after 8pm and people were starting to get drunk. A quick stop at Hooters in the Inner Harbor, to reprise our first ever Hubs, and off we went to BAR, another Hubs 1 stop in Fells Point. They renovated the bar and our 17 or so people filled it up and brought life to the empty place.
Now it was after 9pm and we had a few stops left in Canton. We went to the new Canton Station, again it was empty, and then met up with Pat and his wife's bday party at Walt's Inn. Here is where the fracturing of the group began. People were fading, beginning to head home. The hearty forged on, now to Pickled Parrot for a quickie and then to the nightcap in the Square - Claddagh's. The floor was particularly bouncy this evening, giving the distinct impression it was finally going to collapse. No such luck.
Everyone proceeded to go above and beyond the call of duty, and we ended with some pretzel dogs before every person cycled their way back to their respectives domiciles.
No mechanicals, no true crashes, stayed on time - truly a great HUBS.
I was mostly excited that I was able to ride around, and didn't feel too beat up the next day.
After that I made up my mind that yesterday (Monday) was going to be the day, go big or go home. I was going to let ambition get the better of me.
PT: crushed it. Bending is going well, straightening not so much. Regaining strength and stability.
Swim: crushed it. 4200m, 600m warmup, then broken 600s (600 swim, 2x300, 600 pull, 6x100, 600 swim) then capped off with 2x200 and a 200m cooldown. Fastest I've swam in years.
Weights: lifted til the point of failure basically.
BIKE: I was going to go for my first real, legitimate outdoor ride since July. 130 days. I figured I could make it through my just over 20 mile loop that I have, it's a little rolling but the flattest thing I can ride and the only thing I can do from my house really. The temperature was like 70 degrees or something, extremely mild for mid November. Out Route 40, tons of traffic unfortunately. I didn't suffer from any nerves, but I was being a little more cautious, as expected. By 10 miles my knee was getting tight, and since I can't really stand out of the saddle, I was putting a lot of stress on my weaker knee trying to get up the hills. Back on Eastern Ave and I was getting tired. Ass hurt, knee was tight, but I was riding. Finally made it home - the ride passed with little fanfare.
Then I had to ride down to Fed Hill and back for the run. By the time I made it home I was pretty tired and my knee was sore. I had let my ambition get the better of me, but I made it.
Notes:
So far for 2009 I've swam about 25,000m more than I did in all of 2008. By the end of this year it'll probably be 100,000 additional meters.
I've ridden and ran less...a LOT less. Don't want to talk about that too much.
Tonight is our last track workout for the season, I'm hoping to run about a half mile tonight if I can.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Winter Warlock
I got hit with something nasty last week and while I'm still not over it completely, I'm doing significantly better. Nothing like getting kicked while you're already down.
Halloween wound up being pretty sweet, although Fells Point was much quieter than years past. I couldn't figure it out. The weather wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't terrible, and I thought the Saturday night would have meant utter debauchery. No such thing. We stayed there for just a little while before returning to Fed Hill.
While I love checking out chicks dressed as slutty versions of various professions, it's not what Halloween is about. It's a time to be inventive. I'm sorry, but if you're going to dress like a slut, you're going to get treated like one. Me and my crew, meanwhile, are super original. This year Zero and I dressed as Siegfried and Roy, and Brennan was our white tiger. It was unreal. Pictures are available on Facebox via Nina's album. Jen dressed as Troy Polamalu and was a hit. Literally.
After a few hours of sleep it was time to drive to New York to spectate the marathon. It was pretty similar conditions to last year. Chrissie was starting with the elite women so we saw her first - she wound up running 2:44:37 for 12th place overall and 4th American! We were all super psyched. Then Melissa came through at 3:08:30, which to me is pretty pimp as I've not run that in my two attempts.
We made it home after a long day and it was time to crash.
I took Monday off as I still repaired myself, and Tuesday's swim was atrocious as a result of 10 days out of the pool. BUT the good news was that I ran a quarter of a mile on Tuesday night. I went up to the track and decided I had to at least try, so on Diane and Eileen's cooldown I joined them for a lap. I could barely keep up at their just over 8 minute pace, and by 200m my knee was about ready to explode, but I did it.
As JK said the other day, "little victories are still victories"
According to my PT down here, at 10-12 weeks I should be able to start running; tomorrow represents 9 weeks.
I have a big test ahead this weekend - HUBS OF FURY. I'm trying to make sure I can even ride at all, so it's going to be a milestone if I'm able to do it.
Just remember, as the Winter Warlock says in Santa Claus is Coming to Town, the beloved Christmas film, "Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door."
Halloween wound up being pretty sweet, although Fells Point was much quieter than years past. I couldn't figure it out. The weather wasn't great, but it certainly wasn't terrible, and I thought the Saturday night would have meant utter debauchery. No such thing. We stayed there for just a little while before returning to Fed Hill.
While I love checking out chicks dressed as slutty versions of various professions, it's not what Halloween is about. It's a time to be inventive. I'm sorry, but if you're going to dress like a slut, you're going to get treated like one. Me and my crew, meanwhile, are super original. This year Zero and I dressed as Siegfried and Roy, and Brennan was our white tiger. It was unreal. Pictures are available on Facebox via Nina's album. Jen dressed as Troy Polamalu and was a hit. Literally.
After a few hours of sleep it was time to drive to New York to spectate the marathon. It was pretty similar conditions to last year. Chrissie was starting with the elite women so we saw her first - she wound up running 2:44:37 for 12th place overall and 4th American! We were all super psyched. Then Melissa came through at 3:08:30, which to me is pretty pimp as I've not run that in my two attempts.
We made it home after a long day and it was time to crash.
I took Monday off as I still repaired myself, and Tuesday's swim was atrocious as a result of 10 days out of the pool. BUT the good news was that I ran a quarter of a mile on Tuesday night. I went up to the track and decided I had to at least try, so on Diane and Eileen's cooldown I joined them for a lap. I could barely keep up at their just over 8 minute pace, and by 200m my knee was about ready to explode, but I did it.
As JK said the other day, "little victories are still victories"
According to my PT down here, at 10-12 weeks I should be able to start running; tomorrow represents 9 weeks.
I have a big test ahead this weekend - HUBS OF FURY. I'm trying to make sure I can even ride at all, so it's going to be a milestone if I'm able to do it.
Just remember, as the Winter Warlock says in Santa Claus is Coming to Town, the beloved Christmas film, "Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door."
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