Dabigleap

Max Trax Duathlon Race Report

Oops... Sorry this took so long.  I was outside playing in the sunshine...  Forgive the indulgence.  Although my back and arms are really sore from the tilling, digging, pitching compost... more digging, raking  *groan*

After helping set up on Friday in a driving rain and thunderstorm (eerily similar to last year... without the mud) I could only hope that the weather would blow through and calm down in time for the race.  Several bike rides in a row in winds of 20+ mph wasn't exactly subtracting from the percieved suck factor for this race, either.  All I could do was hope my race mojo would bring good weather.  And, for once... it actually did!

The morning of the race was slightly cool, but really pretty.  The skies cleared and the wind let up to a gentle breeze.  Great race conditions.  The rains only left a few puddles on the run and ride courses, but nothing serious.  Time to get racin'!!

I loaded up my bike and tri-bag with enough crap to dress the entire crowd, most of which I didn't need, and headed to the race site early to help with final setup and then to body mark.  I tossed my bike on a rack and set my towel and bag under it.  I would set it up later.  I headed to the bike in line and started body marking racers as they arrived.  This year's crowd was smaller than last year, I'm pretty sure, but no matter.  This is a fun race and a good way to start the season off.

I knew when I signed up for the long course that I would be lucky if I didn't finish last.  The short course is full of new racers and a few short coursers, but if you want to finish higher, this is the distance for you.  The long course is filled, for the most part, with serious racers.  I just entered it because I need to start thinking longer distances if I'm ever going to do a half Ironman and this seemed like as good a race as any to begin that journey.

Once the majority of the racers had been inked, I went back to my bike and made final preparations.  I set my bike up, helmet on handlebars, bag placed strategically and open so if I forgot anything I could dive in and get it.  I put my shoes in the pedals and was eager to try the flying mount I had been practicing.  Once I was satisfied with my setup, I went through my routine.  I always start at the "run in" sign and visualize my transition.  I count the number of racks between the sign and my bike so I can run right to it without getting lost or disoriented.  Then I do the same thing from my bike to "bike out" just to get a feel for the distance.  Finally, I come back from "bike in" to my bike, again counting racks so I run right to it.  I do this same procedure for triathlons as well.  Between that and putting down an obnoxiously colored towel, I haven't gotten lost (yet).

They made the "5 minute to transition close" announcement and I realized that I still had my warm up pants on, so I ran over, hopped the fence into transition and dropped them off at my bag.  By this point in the morning the weather was comfortable.  Then I walked down to watch the short course people go off. 

This course is fun and not too difficult.  It starts off down a grass hill and the only (potential) choke point is at the bottom of this hill where it crosses a foot bridge and joins the path around the park.  It narrows quickly and there is no room for error.  Politeness and patience is critical here.  You are not going to win the race here, but you can sure lose it.  From this point the run course follows the park path around a softball field and then into the woods.  Eventually it turns to gravel and is a fun little run out to the turn, then it doubles back on itself for a half mile or so before turning to go back up the concrete path and UP the hill to transition.  For the long course, it's a 2.5 mile lap done twice with a bike ride sandwiched between.

Transition is always clean and well set up, with plenty of space to get in, out, and around.  Well marked in and out gates and mount lines, as well as lots of volunteers, make it easy to go about your business.

The bike course is a 7.5 mile loop (done twice for the long course).  It is on relatively well maintained streets that are well marked and stocked with volunteers and Columbia Police Officers to help with traffic.  It has one steeper but short hill about a half mile in which is right after a turn, so it's a bit tricky to maintain momentum.  The hill is less than 1/4 mile though so it's over quick.  Then the course winds through a neighborhood and down a hill before turning and going back up the longest hill on the course (1/2 mile).  Not a tough hill, just a hill.  Then the course rolls for the next several miles as it turns back toward the start/finish.  Nothing remarkable.  Just rural and residential roads.  As you pass the start finish on the long course, there is a no passing zone that is strictly enforced.  It's really the only place you can get disqualified because it is dangerous here with people turning in to finish the short course and going past to start the second lap of the long course.  Just don't be stupid and you will be fine.

So, that's the course... Now my race.

At go, I took off and tried to gingerly snuggle in on the path.  Everyone was civil and we all made it through the narrow bridge without incident.  I tried to settle in but as usual this year, so far at least, I was uncomfortable and unsure of my pace.  I felt good and just decided to be smooth and relaxed.  I watched several faster club mates disappear in the distance in front of me (with some envy...).  I hit the first mile marker and... wait... WHAT?  My first mile was 6:54...  That, as they say... was STUPID.  My goal was to average 8:00 for the two run segments.  I backed way off and nearly got run over by several competitors behind me.  All checked to make sure I was OK because I slowed up so much.  "NO"...I replied.  "I'm an IDIOT!" 

See... One would "think" that running that fast (for me) would be a triumph, but it's not.  I know that I still have 4 miles and a 15 mile bike ride to go.  I knew I was going to PAY for that mile with my last mile of the day.  The second mile and a half was at about an 8:00/mile average.  I ran up the hill and into transition without much problem.

My first transition was... I disaster.  I got to my bike fine and put my helmet on, but it took me three attempts to buckle it because my hands refused to work.  I grabbed my bike and shot out of transition, still with a decent time, but frustrated.  I leapt onto my bike like I had practiced, landed perfect, and then hit the back wheel of a guy that cut in front of me and then STOPPED.  I got off, pulled to the outside of him and hopped back on.  I pedaled out and down the hill to the road, but something wasn't right.  I kept trying to get into my shoes, but they felt funny.  I finally got into one of them and it was obvious.  I had put them in the wrong pedals...  *dumbass*.  And, no... I was NOT going to ride 15 miles with my shoes on the wrong feet.

Knowing that all hope was lost to fix this on the bike.  I just pulled to the side, dismounted (a lesson I DID learn last year... take a second and just FIX the problem, don't try to live with it.), popped my shoes off the pedals and just stepped into them.  Then I got back on and rode the rest of the distance without incident.  

It's funny.  My bike is SOOO much faster than I am at this point.  I can feel it when I pedal.  It is capable of going much faster than I ride it right now.  When I'm pedaling at redline, it always has another gear for me.  When I'm grinding up a hill, it's obvious which one of us is causing the slowdown.  And when I get up out of the saddle to sprint or climb, I can tell it is just a much better bike.  I hope one day I can catch up to it.  It is a dream to ride.

I did manage to get off my bike like I planned.  I got out of my shoes on the bike and then stepped off, then between my leg and the frame so that when I landed, my legs weren't crossed up.  It worked like a charm and my legs weren't as tired as I thought they would be (I'm sure this, too, is due to the bike).  I grabbed the seat and ran the bike into transition and right to my spot.

The second transition was much better.  I got my bike racked, got out of my lid and had my shoes on pretty quickly.  I took a risk with this race (since it was short) and ran/rode without socks, even though I hadn't had time to condition my feet to it yet.  Last years calluses held up and I had no problem.  I would NOT recommend this.  Condition your feet and find the blister spots in TRAINING, not races.  Anyway, I didn't blister or rub at all.  I briefly thought about getting out of my long sleeved biking shirt, but just decided that if I needed to, I could take it off and tie it around my waist (which I did at about mile 2 of the second run).  Other than chasing down my wandering helmet and putting it back on the towel, T2 was much better.

The run after the ride my legs ALWAYS feels crappy.  But I have learned that, even though my legs feel heavy, my run time off the bike is always better than it feels.  I also know that after about a mile my legs shake out and I'm fine.  This run was no different.  I just focused on running smooth.  I passed a few people and got passed a few times.  My son met me about 200 yards from the finish and ran a little bit with me which was fun.  I finished just under 1:30.00 which was just exactly where I wanted to finish.

My bike split was slower than I thought it would be, but with the fumblings just out of transition and the pit stop to switch the shoes, I would have averaged just over 19mph.  I'm good with that for the first race of the year.  My goal is to get enough bike miles in to raise that average to 21mph for my last race of the year... whenever that is.  My run times will be fine and will slowly get faster as the season progresses.

So I think I'm going to start a list somewhere of all the stupid shit I have done at multi-sport events.  It's already pretty long...

Out of position

I really hate it when I look up and realize I'm not where I'm supposed to be.  Whether I'm not in position in a sport, took the wrong exit in the car or, in this case, I'm just behind.  I'm not where I wanted to be at this point in my training.  Yes, I know it's early in the season and I'm probably at least where I was last year, but that's not good enough.  I should be ahead of last year.

Excuses are everywhere.  Work commitments, rotten weather and so on.  But none of it matters now.  The racing season is upon us and I'm not ready.  I have my first multisport race of the year, a duathlon, this Saturday.  I have done one brick, and three rides over 20 miles THIS YEAR so far.  I REALLY need to lower my expectations for this race to just a training event and not worry about times.  It's not going to be pretty. 

My next race is the first weekend in May.  It's a triathlon and so as soon as this race is over, I've gotta get back into the pool.  I purposefully took some time off from the pool because I felt that the quality of my workouts was suffering.  I was developing poor form and poor training habits so it was time to back off for a while.  That being said, I really need to hit it hard in April otherwise I might as well abandon my half Ironman goal for this year.  This might not be a bad idea anyway, but I'm keeping it... for now.

I realize I need to be careful over the next month because I don't want to be so excited about a full training schedule again (thank you SPRING!!) that I end up overtraining and getting hurt.  But I do need to gradually build up my mileages over the next two months in all three events.  Againk, my running is fine and I don't have far to go, but the other two sports are just not where I want them to be yet.  I'm hoping to catch up in the next month with some longer rides and then just let swimming come on gradually.  Especially when we can get back out to open water again.

The good news is that, even though I'm a little disappointed with my efforts thus far, I'm still excited about the season and about moving up to Olympics and half Ironman distances.  Sprints are fun, but I gotta start getting my money's worth out of my bike!

Vitamin D Therapy

It's amazing how just being out in the warm sun for a few days can change everything. 

After a long, dark, depressing winter I was staring at the weather for the upcoming weekend.  Temperatures in the 60s with no chance of rain should have excited me, but I had to leave Friday for the 7 hour drive down to Oklahoma to see my ailing mother.  As my depression deepened even more at the thought of yet another lost day/weekend of training I started searching for SOMEthing to do.  Not wanting to take the chance of carrying my bazillion dollar bike around with me, I decided to just take my running shoes.  It was better than nothing.

When I got down to OKC, I stopped in to see my mom for a bit and then headed over to my Sister In Law's for the night.  But since they were going to be out until around 7pm, I had time to go over to an old haunt and get a quick few miles in.  I'm still recovering from a head cold so I mostly coughed for just short of 3 miles, but the strangest thing happened.

The sun was out.  An unusual occurence for me lately.  I have become accustomed to running either in the total darkness of the 5:30am runs or under the seemingly constant cloud cover that has frustrated and depressed me for the last 3 months.  And as I was running, in shorts for the first time in 3 months (the temp was about 70) I could FEEL the sun on me.  It felt soooo good... and it made me smile.  I was sweating.  Not from effort while running wearing half my closet... but just from the warmth, humidity (it IS Oklahoma, after all) and effort of the exercise.  Although the run was short, I immediately felt BETTER.

And as much as I love my mom, the whole time I was with her the next day all I could think about was MORE SUN!!!  She finally drifted off to sleep about 3:30pm and I checked out to go for another run.  I was so excited that morning that I had actually dressed in my running clothes and then put on sweats over them.  I felt a little bad for thinking of myself when I should have been thinking about mom, but I consoled myself by telling myself that the movement would do me some good and it would let her rest.

So I went out to the site of the Redman Triathlon I had run back in the fall and hopped on the trail around Lake Hefner.  More sun, more sweat, more effort and I could feel the batteries recharging more.  Instead of thoughts of quitting and selling everything, I found myself thinking about my race schedule, training plans and specific workouts.  I couldn't wait until it warmed up enough to go swimming out at Finger Lakes.  I was excited about the prospect of my first half Ironman.

In short, everything changed with the simple addition of a little Vitamin D.  Whodathunk...

The whole trip back I was thinking about riding to work today and getting back into a training routine.  And I don't see this as euphoric.  I legitimately FEEL better.  More positive.  And even though I'm tired from the weekend of driving and my first commuter ride of the year, I have energy.  More than I've had in 3 months.

Note to self: Next winter, sleep under the grow lights we use for starting our garden plants...  It'll keep me from being so pissy... ;)

Oh... and the ride to work this morning felt AWESOME.  Yes, it was 36 degrees.  But that really didn't bother me.  I have pretty good gear for that now so I was fine.  My paniers worked great and my old 'cross bike is perfect for the task.  I could definitely get used to commuting by bike!  And it's still a decent ride (11 miles) for a commute.  Easy way to get an extra 20+ miles a day in.  That seems to be a key to training for triathlons while having a life.  Make your workouts happen when/how you can.  Let the hard work begin!  ...I think I'm finally ready for it...

The first ride

Seldom in my life have I ever been humbled by a piece of sports equipment.  I put careful thought into sports equipment purchases and always try to match my ability level. 

The only instance that comes to mind of my ability level not matching the equipment I bought was when I bought my first pair of 5 wheel, speed skate roller blades.  A pair of skates that I still own and wish I could find a place to use.  I had been playing roller hockey for a couple of years and wanted to increase my speed and endurance.  A friend suggested distance speed skating and I found this pair on sale.  They were hard to control, impossible to stop and UNGODLY fast.  I put them firmly at the top of the "Why I'm not dead... I don't know" category.   It took many months of careful practice before I became comfortable enough to use them on a regular basis.

Now when it comes to bicycles, I have some knowledge.  I rode and raced mountain bikes back in the day, so my bike handling skills are not bad.  What I learned, rather unfortunatley though, was that mountain biking skills don't necessarily transfer well to road riding.  Especially triathlon.  The "spin to win" techniques employed by roadies are a far cry from the "stomp and grind if you want to live" world of mountain bikes.  The abuse I took in my first season of triathlon (albeit partially my fault for not riding enough) let me know that the equipment that I "tried" to use was not adequate to the task.  So after the season was over, I started looking.

A very lucky encounter with my favorite bike shop owner during my initial search for a better ride for this year would change everything and put me right back in a position that I had not been in for over 15 years.  A few weeks ago, I took posession of what I can only describe as the most advanced bicycle I have ever seen, much less possessed.  A Specialized Transition Pro.  Complete with several upgrades to make it better, stronger and faster.

My assumption was that even though this was a new bike class (I can't even call it an upgrade because it was sooo far above what I had) my initial thought was "it's just a bike".  Granted, it IS 10 POUNDS lighter than the bike I was riding and has more carbon fiber than a stealth fighter... but it couldn't be THAT different... right?

So after months of frozen misery and agonizing over my purchase, today... finally... I got to find out.  I took my first real ride... on a rocket.

Initial impressions:

The Transition (Rocket) feels everything like and NOTHING like any bike I've ever ridden.  From the first stomp on the pedals to get out of the driveway, it was different.  All the power in the pedal stroke went right to the rear wheel.  The area around my house is filled with short, steep hills.  A few crisp shifts (Dura Ace) made things easier, but not easy.  I am used to granny gears and MUCH bigger cogs on the rear. 

There is much more shifting to be done on the front end now (until my legs get a LOT stronger).  But even though the shift levers are at the end of the aero bars, after a few clunky passes I started to get the hang of shifting more.  I "think" my front chainring set is a 48/53.  I know, you bike geeks will be disappointed that I'm not sure.  I'll get to that level of geekiness later.  For now I'm just trying to stay upright.  The back cassette is a 12/24 (ish). 

The rider position is unlike anything I have ever ridden.  I'm used to my ass being over the rear hub.  I'm used to not being able to see the front hub because the handlebar blocks it.  With this bike's radical rider position and insane geometry, my substantial backside is nearly even with the front of the rear wheel.  When I drop into the aero bars I am looking STRAIGHT down over the front hub.  The rider is ridiculously forward in this geometry.  The advantages are clear and I will explain later, but the learning curve on this geometry is steep.  For example, I was coming down a hill toward a stoplight and thought I could beat it but it changed.  I had plenty of room to stop but tapped the back brake like I "normally" do and immediately locked it up and skidded sideways because there is no longer any weight on it as there was before. A LOT more front brake control is needed or I need to practice my old "shift your weight back and sit on the back wheel" style of downhill, mountain biking braking.

The handling is superb.  Almost thought controlled.  Even when I got squirrely and out of whack while trying to shift or avoiding pothole, the bike was easy to reign in.  I will have to practice making MUCH smaller adjustments and steering inputs for a while though.  I am used to a much longer wheelbase and yanking my old bike into and out of corners and even having to countersteer (push opposite the direction you want to go) to get the old Kona to behave in corners.  This bike is so tight that it WANTS to corner.  It is stable in corners, even at higher speed or counter banking.  It gives you confidence from the first turn that you can go deeper and faster into a corner than you thought possible.  Now I am limited only by the grip of my tires and my intestinal fortitude.  Considering the HUGE yellow streak on my back, this relationship is going to take time.  The ride is stiff but responsive.  Big bumps transfer to the rider a little more than in other bikes I have had but nothing I can't get used to.

The biggest adjustment for me is rider position.  I am much lower in the aero position.  I am also much more tucked up than my old bike.  I am so far forward that my pedal stroke feels different too.  Shifting means reaching out to the ends of my aero bars, which can be a challenge in tight spaces, climbs or corners.  Shifting this bike takes more forethought and planning.  This is probably the way it's supposed to be, but I'm just not used to it.

Climbing hills is a matter of being in the right gear.  Since the gearing is different than anything I've ever ridden, the effort in climbing seems greater.  But it also feels faster. But miss a shift and you quickly run out of options.  I did a slow speed stomp/slo-motion track stand climb up one hill because I was in too big a gear to start and by the time I realized it, I was already in trouble.  But when you stand and climb, the bike is light and strong enough to respond.  It's pretty amazing.

I like the aero bars and don't like them at the same time.  They are lower, flatter and have fewer hand positions than I'm used to, but the outer bars where the brake levers are mounted feel very much like the bar end climbing bars on my old mountain bike.  They allow me to open up my chest and breathe easier on climbs.

The bike is smooth.  Pedaling, shifting, turning, braking... everything.  I on the other hand, am not.  Ten years of mountain biking has given me bad habits.  This is going to take some time to get used to.  To say that this bike is better than my skill level is an understatement.  There are top 10 triathletes in this area who would love to have a bike like this. 

Another amazing thing about this bike is that, even though I haven't ridden outside in almost two months, when I got off the bike my legs felt better than they should have.  Because of the rider forward position on the bike, you are using different muscles as well as using muscles differently.  I felt like I could have gone out and run, even though I am out of shape and had run 6 miles this morning.

I almost feel guilty riding it.  But at the same time, this is probably the last triathlon bike I will ever buy.  Today may have been my first ride, but it is thousands of miles from being my last.

... is another man's treasure.

My six mile run this morning felt more like nine with all the weaving back and forth across the trail I was doing in a desperate search for clear spots amid the snow and ice patches, ruts caused by bicycles and lumps of frozen schmutz that rose up out of the dark to greet me.  I did manage to choke out an effort that was 15 seconds per mile faster than Tuesday, but I have really given up on time goals for the moment.  Right now all I want to do is maintain my base and not injure myself in the process.  Yes, it will make my (secret... shhhh...) goal of finishing 2010 with an average pace under 7:50 more of a challenge, but I'm up for it.  Like I posted on Facebook, at least I was out there.  The INCREDIBLY light turnout we had today (MAYBE 20) was, I think, an indicator of the populace's growing impatience/intolerance of cold weather (18 at the start) and poor conditions, as well as an odd dislike for this particular route.  I'm not sure why.  It's a flat trail run through some pretty areas (granted, the turnaround is a bit of a stink hole in the University compost heap) that I have always enjoyed.  The major part of it is where I really cut my teeth on longer runs as I was increasing my mileage for marathons so it has a special place for me.  Everybody else says it stinks and the trail is rough.  Eh... One man's compost heap...

With the trail as slick and messy as it is in general, I think we are all going to have to just suck it up for a while.  The hard part is there is really nothing you can work on (except self preservation) when the trail conditions are like this.  It's funny.  I think runners suffer enough for their sport that they actually enjoy having stuff to bitch about.  For us, if it's not ice, it's walnuts or horseflies or thunderstorms/floods or...  When your sport is the usual PUNISHMENT exacted in other sports, you have to have SOMEthing to bitch about.  Once again... One man's trash... 

My Race Schedule

After a frustratingly slow and lackluster run this morning in the cold and snow, I needed something to pick me up and give me hope.  So I sat down and finalized my schedule for the year, mostly.  I am still undecided as to which 1/2 Ironman I am going to do, but I have narrowed it down to two.  This actually made me feel much better just knowing that there is SOMEthing out there to look forward to except more snow.  This year's schedule is a balance.  Since I spent a lot of money on my new bike, that depleted my funds to do higher profile events or travel a great deal.  Also, work demands, training time, family time and other associated costs limit my ablility to do several races a month so I had to be choosy.

• April 3- Max Trax Duathlon, Columbia
• May 2- Trizou Triathlon, Columbia
• June 5- Hospital Hill Half Marathon
• June 26- Quartermax Triathlon, Innsbrook
• July 17- Evergreen Triathlon, Bloomington, Il
• *August 22- Pigman Half Ironman, Cedar Rapids, IA
• *September 5- Great Illini Half Ironman, Matoon, Il
• *September 12- NEMO Triathlon, Kirksville

Of the last threee, I will probably only do one, depending on which half I choose to do.  If I do Pigman, I will do NEMO.  If I do Great Illini, that will probably be it.

Unless the club can pull out miracle arrangements for travel and lodging, it is, unfortunately, not realistic for me to go to nationals this year.  I don't have the money and it wouldn't be fair to my family to go alone.  With airfares hovering around $450 each X 4, plus transfers, hotel, food, etc., the cost would be way to much for us ($3000) so my season may end September 12.  I may do Roots and Blues since I will be home that weekend (October 2).

Next year (2011) I may be able to do a few more events since I'm not breaking the bank on equipment, but I have to survive this one first!  I'm already nervous about the half ironman!

Lowering My Standards

ok... lookit.  I'm desperate.  ok?  This is the worst case of cabin fever I have EVER HAD!  This.  Winter.  sux.  I haven't ridden anything but a trainer to nowhere in over two months.  I'm done running on slick, snotty, icy trails and streets.  No matter how hard I try, I can't motivate myself to do more than about 2000 yards in the monotonous, 25 yard kiddie pond I use for a pool.  I am rapidly approaching the "donwannadoshit" phase.  I need help.  I have an amazing new bike that will be in my possession soon.  It will complete my "kit" for triathlons and free me up to really work the bike this year.

But.

I made a promise to myself to start bike commuting when the temperature got above 50 degrees.  I would also start training rides on the weekends.  I thought for sure this would be AT LEAST a couple of times in January and several more in February, as has been the usual weather pattern since I moved here in 2006.  It is obvious now that mother nature was simply waiting for me to blow a big wad of cash on a really nice outside toy, THEN she would bring on the next ice age.  Clever.

Watching the long range forecast I don't see temperatures rising above 40 for the next two weeks, with several more bouts of snow planned.  AND... that snow is conveniently scheduled for the weekends, just to depress me even more.  What... exactly, does the sun LOOK LIKE... again?  The brightest thing I have seen in the past two weeks was last weeks full moon on the Tue/Thu run at 5 frickin' 30am.  But by the time the sun came up... it was cloudy again.  If my legs get any whiter they are going to turn transparent.  I'm going to scoot the plants out from under the grow light and crawl under it for a while.

Enough of this.  When life presents you with challenges... Lower your standards... That's what I always say...

To get myself back into it, I did two things.  First, I renewed my USAT membership.  Just knowing that now, all I have to do is register for races and TRAIN... somehow... Has made me feel a little better.  Second, I have lowered my standards, as stated.  I will no longer complain about the roads/trails.  I will just slow down and be careful.  I can run fast later after the ice age.  I have also lowered the temperature at which I will ride (both training and commuting) to 40 degrees.

Until then, the pool is what it is.  I can't change that.  The ice age is what it is.  Can't change that either.  I am going to start registering for races next month.  Hopefully, by then, I will have found the sun again...

Back to Back

After Thursday's debacle on the MU w(Rec)k trail, a different group I run with decided to change our route due to construction on the MKT trail and run down... you guessed it... that very same trail again.  Ghosts of stuck police cars, emergency lights and runners laying on the ground ran through my mind as we started out.  But the combination of good friends, a beautiful, if cold day and a clear trail faded all of that and I settled in to a nice, easy pace.

Talk swirled around races, injury and recovery, workouts, bras, tools and lots of other random subjects.  I listened for most of it, but I will admit my mind was wandering to other things.  My new bike, finishing my cabinets, my kids, camping and fishing.  I'm definitely ready for spring...!  The run was blessedly uneventful.  Since this was my long run day, I hit about 2 miles to go and could feel a little fatigue setting in.  I decided to empty the tank and push the pace a little to the end.  I have no idea what the pace was, but it was faster.  The last hundred yards or so, I was wheezing and puffing pretty good.  It hurt, in a good way... ;)

I have been having quite a bit of work related worry and stress lately.  Not ABOUT my job, just stressed that my job might be on the chopping block.  Friday we got word from our new boss that this wasn't the case and that we all just needed to do our jobs and we would be fine.  It's amazing how much better you feel while exercising when your stress levels elsewhere are low.  For the first time in months, when I finished, my neck and shoulders weren't sore from running tense.  I didn't change my stride or form at all.  The only thing it could have been was stress.  That's sad.  I wish I didn't let it affect me like that.  I always thought of exercise as my release.  I guess not.

Anyway, I got home and felt good the rest of the day so I decided to run on back to back days for the first time in months, yesterday.  I met some more friends and we ran 6 miles.  Although we all "SAID" we were going to run very slow (9:00ish) that did not happen.  We started out at 8:30 and it got ugly from there.  I insisted on running easy and, at various times, so did everyone else.  Nonetheless our last few miles were around 8:00 pace with a 7:20 thrown in for good measure.  NOTE TO SELF:  With those guys... there IS no such thing as a slow run.

Not that I'm really complaining.  It was fun to run back to back days.  I feel fine today and I am resting with a day off, so I'm happy.  Now I gotta get back on the bike!  My hot rod will be built soon and I need to have at least SOME legs for it.  C'mon warm weather!!!

Falling Down

I have brilliant moments of coordination where I manage to balance precariously on a razor's edge without falling, catch falling objects out of mid air with the reflexes of a cat.  And then there was Thursday morning...

There was something in the air, or water, or coffee...  Something.  Whatever it was, it was painful.  And not just for me.  For some it was tragic.

We chose a route that we have seldom done in the past 6 months due to the trail getting washed out.  A relatively dead flat route called, attractively (however accurately), the Mulch Pile.  It's really a pretty run that takes you on the MKT to a spur trail that winds down a creek valley behind the MU football and basketball stadiums.  I have run this part of the trail at least AS much if not MORE than any other trail as it is close to my work and makes for easy access in after work runs or the occasional lunch run.

The first part of this run was completely uneventful.  The usual warm up mile, the line stretching out as the faster runners moved out, etc.  I settled in on a pace just below 8 minutes.  I was comfortable, even though it was cold, and really enjoying the run.  We got past the main part of the trail that had been washed out and I was pleased to see it was fixed and in good shape.  The trail meets a road for about a quarter of a mile and goes over a low water bridge.  It was on the other side of this that things got really ugly for seemingly everyone but me.  Just on the uphill side of the low water bridge, the creek, during a flood, had deposited a huge berm of sand and rocks.  For some reason, the city (or University) decided to make it a FEATURE rather than a hazard, and left it.  Thank the running gods I was in a pack going up the hill and just happened to see a runner in front of me do sort of a panic leap (you know, like he was jumping over a snake?).  Still not able to see why, I jumped anyway.  I landed perfectly on top of the 2 foot high pile like I had done it a million times.  I NEVER saw it.  It was too dark.  About 5 strides past it I heard the unmistakeable sound of a runner behind me hitting the ground.  Luckily it was quickly followed by a few choice words, a chuckle and a muffled "I'm OK!".  Unfortunately, the next runner to go down (actually by the time I got there she already had) was not "OK".

The trail meets up with the road at the end of a parking lot.  There are several big telephone pole width posts planted in the ground with a big cable stretched loosely between them.  Stay to the right and you have a clear path.  But for some reason, one of our group went straight.  She caught the low hanging cable about mid shin and crashed hard.  She was very unlucky to hit the cable, but extremely lucky to be running with our group, which includes doctors, nurses and the like.  By the time I got there she was being attended to by several people.  I didn't stop because I knew she was in better hands and I would just get in the way.  I went out to my turn around with the image of her on the ground and in obvious pain stuck in my mind.  As I came back by, the group helping her had grown and someone had called 911 so the ambulance was in the process of navigating the various barriers to get to her.  There were also two police cars coming to help.  Unfortunately, one of them got stuck on the very same berm that claimed our earlier runner.  So I and a couple of other runners from our group lifted it off. 

By this time I just wanted to get back.  My groove had been ruined and I was feeling awful for our fallen friend.  I would later find out that she had broken her upper arm and kneecap, requiring surgery for both.

Back on the trail, I was now running alone and completely distracted.  The trail is very dark in the section I was running.  I had just passed another runner when, for no real reason, I hit a bumpy part of the trail, kicked a lump of dirt an went down in a heap.  This was getting ridiculous.  I stood up, checked that all systems were functioning and hobbled off with nothing more than a boo boo on my knee and a charlie horse on my shin that took a while to work out so I could run straight again.  I finished up my run, scurried to my car as fast as I could, shut the door and locked it.  I wasn't having any more of that.  From now on, that run will be forever known to me as the "Bad Juju Run".  A run to be done VERY cautiously and with more attention than normal being paid to the trail.  I'm too old to fall down.  I don't bounce anymore.  I shatter.

Getting over the block

In the past 3 weeks I have written over a dozen entries in this blog... but I haven't posted any of them.  Call it writer's block.  Call it having nothing really interesting to say (do I ever?).  Call it a slight case of the blues due to the fact that I only get to exercise in the daylight about once a week.  Whatever.

Regardless, I'm struggling with motivation on a lot of levels.  So, hopefully to get me kickstarted again I'm going to try to catch up on a few positive things.

First, I ran my first 10K of the season (and recent memory) weekend before last.  To my surprise, I ran a 47 flat.  Which is a PR by almost a minute.  Early season PR's can be a double edged sword in that it's great to get a PR any time but it sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the year!  I'm choosing to look at the positive though.  It was totally unexpected for me to run 7:30s for this race and I'm sure that with hard work (and weight loss) I can maintain that in a triathlon or half marathon.  It lets me know that even though I may have lost fitness in some areas over the winter, my base is still much further ahead of last year.

Next, I finished my taxes this last weekend (which is a positive in itself) and I will definitely have enough to buy the bike I have been drooling about for the last month (sorry).  I can't say that this bike will make me fast because I know better.  The ENGINE makes the train move.  I get it.  But having a dedicated vehicle that is made specifically to race on is HUGE motivation to work on the engine.  Once the refund hits my account, I'm sure the anticipation will go way up, but for now, I just need to shut up and ride the trainer... and wish for warmer weather.

Finally, I'm excited about the races I am going to do this year.  Not as many or as far reaching as I want, but that is mostly due to the financial impact of the second thing on my list...!  So far, this is what I'm thinking:

February: Nut Race 5K

March: St. Paddy's Day 5K

April: Max Trax Duathlon

May: Trizou

June:  Hospital Hill Half Marathon, Fresh Ideas Olympic distance triathlon

July: Not sure yet.  Maybe Evergreen (in Illinois)?

August: Pigman Half Ironman!

September: Probably physical therapy... If not mental therapy... or both.

Yes, there are a lot of other races.  But I have to be VERY budget conscious or this little "habit" may bankrupt me.  Most of these races are close and I can use my hotel points to cover the cost of lodging on the ones that need it.  But doing two or three events every month is out of the question.

Ya know... Just looking at race websites again got me fired up.  Now I just need sunshine... Lots of it.