Good luck to all those Ironman Florida Types

Ironman Florida is this weekend. The weather looks great (it won't be) and the course should be fast (there will be some spectacular blow ups.)

Joe Reger and Paul Kindzia are going at it in the Blogger vs. Blogger Challenge. I'm glad I'm not racing either of those two-they're both really talented.

Ran again last night. Bumped the speed and ran cautiously. So far, so good.

Trial Run

Today was the day I thought I would try to run a bit. So I did. I went to the YMCA and stretched like a crazy man, warmed up for a long time, and then hit the treadmill. I thought that would be the best place to do this.

Everything works. My right knee is still tender but got better as the miles went on. So, I'm cautiously optimistic. Swimming tomorrow with a 1:30 trainer ride and then three days of running this week.

I see my doc again on Friday.

Not a bad day...,

Yep-it's on...,

Okay. I can't stand(pun intended) to stand around and not run. I've always run.

So, the knees are a little better. I guess it's time to run.

I'm going to follow a traditional marathon training plan for the 50 miler in March. Considering I'm starting from zero, I've got nowhere to go but up. I emailed Reger and he thought I could probably pull that off. Instead of doing the massive run mileage on the weekend, I'm going to split that mileage into a long ride on Saturday with a long run on Sunday. Perhaps my body will hold up until I can ticked this damn thing off my list. During the week, again a traditional easy, hard, easy plan. Who knows? We'll see if I hold up.

Swimming (kinda)

Went to the YMCA. I was sporting my new jammers that Charlotte had scored for me. They made me feel fast.

And then I got in the water.

You know, if you read this blog (all 2 of you), you know I just don't do well in the pool or the swim leg of a race. It's tedious and hard. Pool water sucks. Water is thick. It's cold. And so on.

So, I swam. Slowly. I worked on technique (none to be had) and breathing (does gasping count?)

I'll go back tomorrow. My jammers will be dry by then.

I'm just saying...,

The knees are still improving and I have a much better sense of mobility than before. That's a good thing. I feel like I need to get refocused and reconcentrated on a goal. Like most tri-geeks, I work within a set of parameters that cannot be changed. Those are the easy things to recognize. It is the intangibles that will make you crazy.

For instance, life? Work?

I need to convince myself that swimming is NOT a watery layer of Hell. I need to convince myself that hypoxia can be good for my character.

Focus. That's what I need. BTW-I have a typo in an earlier link. Paul Kindzia, a local tri guy and some type of financial guru is going head to head with the infamous Joe Reger, himself a studly fellow. Really cool blog. For a numbers guy, Paul can write.

www.atickettokona.com

Check it out.

Danger in the dark

Yep-the knees are on the mend. The prednisone is making the inflamation go down and that'll let the body do its job.

That's good news.

Gotta swim tonight but I ain't feelin it.

Yesterday was one of those Zen moments. I was riding my motorcycle to work in the dark when my rear tire blew. You haven't lived until you're trying to get a bike under control at 65 mph in the dark with oncoming traffic. The guys at the shop squirmed a bit and told me I was really lucky.

Duh.

I'm riding 50 this weekend on the SCT.

The Time of Year...,

If you stay in this game long enough, Autumn (that's what we English teachers call Fall) takes on a different meaning. No longer does it bring colors and crisp temps. Instead it brings worried looks, last minute training runs, deep philosophical rants about whether or not you have enough in the bank to go the distance.

PRs, bike splits, swim splits, nutrition, fear of getting sick-yeah, I'm talking about the build-up to Ironman. Joe Reger is going to have a hellacious race. I'm personally predicting he'll do sub 9:50. In additon to be a local celb in the world of tri, his blog is really well-written and provides Regerisms that are useful throughout the day. For true perspective, read Paul Kindzia. Another AG guy who is going to drop the hammer this year at IMFL.

These two are going after each other this year. I almost want to go to PCB to watch. Good luck to both.

Update on the knees: Better. Much better. I think the steroids/rest/whatever has helped. I think my days of running pain-free forever are probably gone. So be it. A little pain keeps one focused. Charlotte bought me a cool swimsuit-a jammer. I look like a friggin Lycra-covered braust but I'm in the pool, you know?

Marked difference and a night in the pool

So, I took the meds last night and listened to the grass grow. Wow. I can't imagine taking this stuff on a regular basis. Anyhow, my knees are 75% better.

One dose. Amazing.

I'll keep taking it and marking off days until December 13th when I can start to run again. Slow.

I swam last night. Hehehehe. That was REALLY ugly. I asked the guys at the Aquatic Center where I swim when was my last visit.

March 12th. Sweet!

I got in the pool and did one lap. The lifeguard got up and moved to my side of the pool. WTF? Did I look that bad? Anyway, I'm back in the saddle and getting it together.

March 12th.

Wow.

New plan

I went to the doc today. We talked about sports and the lifestyle that I lead. We agreed that I'm probably not going to change what I do until I'm forced to do so.

She's cool like that.

I prefer female docs. They have a better sense for what a person is really saying than a guy. I'm not sure I want her checking out my junk but I have a physical to endure on Halloween. She has small hands and slim fingers.

That's really good....,

Again, we talked about running and pain. She did the doc thing. Knees are stable but hurt when I run. Bursitis. She agreed (kinda.) She prescribed a round of steroids to shut down the inflamation and let things heal. I agreed not to run but walk agressively, hike, swim, and cycle my ass off. She said okay.

We shook hands and let it go.

I'm taking this as a sign from God I need to get in the pool and swim. I'm getting stronger on the bike and my next race is a LONG ways off. I want to go long again but not until I'm healthy. Really healthy.

That's where I'm at for today. I came home and took 24 mg of prednisone. Yeah, that'll make you vibrate on high for a while...,

Maybe I swim tonight.

Making progress and taking a step back

Okay, I'm unburied. Well, kinda. I still have a ton of essays to read and some quizzes to grade but I'm over the hump. That's a good thing.

I'm starting to think about next season as I raced very little this year. My body is healed up except for my knees and I'm going to see the doc tomorrow. I think I have some serious bursitis in the joint itself but who knows? If you know a really good triathlete/doctor, email me his/her name. There could be beer in it for you.

I rode on my new wheels yesterday and they just rock. So, I'm looking forward to spinning them up this winter on some strong training rides.

I'm getting the diet back in line and still getting to the gym. Eventually, I'll even get in the damn pool.

Congrats to the Kona folks. What a race! Craig Alexander makes it look easy but I'm sure on the NBC show, we'll see normal humans going through what one does as they do an Ironman.

I'm worried about my knees but I'm sure if I pay enough co-pays, somebody will tell me what the hell is wrong with them....,

Keeping it real

Okay, so I've ignored the blog for a while. Remember-I'm a teacher and an English teacher at that. If you think of your old English teacher from high school, you'll remember they mostly had gray hair, tufts of ear hair, bushy eyebrows, and bad hips. They always looked haggard and often went to the bottom right drawer of their desk to find relief (okay, maybe not) but you get the idea. That's almost me. Jeez-it's tough. And I'm about to start my doctorate.

Super.

I'm friggin buried. Essays. Writing prompts. Vocab quizzes. Formal papers. I'm trying to get them ready for those of you still swinging for the fences in corporate America.

Training is going but man, it's tough to keep the streak alive. Really tough. So when training gets off a bit, what cures it? Ride the trainer. Run. Bitch. Swim. Bitch. Repeat. Smile a lot.

I think we all find our center. Family, work, training, faith. It all has its place. William Cullen Bryant wrote a poem titled "Thanotopsis." I find much comfort in his romantic view of the cycle of life and our place on this earth. Sometimes it's good to get grounded.

So, on we go. I'm doing the Burwell Bike Tour this weekend in Carrollton. Drop me a line if you are headed that way.