A month and a half with no blog update - shame on me! In my defense things have been crazy busy. We've been training between four and six days a week; Katie and I both got sick in the last month that kept us from going full throttle, but we're both over it now. We've stepped up the swim distance (2000m last week, twice!), the bike distance (20 miles in Palos Verdes and 18 miles in Malibu), and the running (up to almost an hour). I'll cover a couple of the more significant practices since my last post.
The ride in Griffith park I talked about in my last post was definitely hard, and it was harder than it should have been. A number of us were separated from the team leading the ride, so we ended up backtracking up a huge hill that the other riders bypassed. My biggest problem was the rear gearshift on my bike kept popping out of the tallest gear when I was trying to power up the hill, so I lost a lot of efficiency and had to work harder than I should have. Despite taking my bike in to the shop, I had similar problems plague me for the better part of a month until I had the service tech show me how to fix the problem myself. The issue was the tension of the cable to the rear gearshift kept stretching and needed to be re-tightened several times. A couple of trips up Amalfi Drive (an elevation change of 400 feet in less than half mile) of popping gears had me cursing, but I managed to stick with the intermediate bike group every week.
I also stayed with the intermediate group for all of the swim practices, with the toughest being a swim containing two 400m stretches back to back. It was important to start doing these longer distances, as it forced me to find my all-day pace. When I was only doing 50 or 100 or even 200 meter stretches, it was too easy to push myself too hard and catch up during the break times. It takes me about 45-60 seconds to swim 100 meters, so when we're doing 400 or more meters I hit the break point where I can't cheat my way through it anymore. Despite having a strong swim to start the season, I've gotten more consistent and I can integrate some kicking in to my all-day pace instead of relying just on my arm strength.
By the time we rode in Palos Verdes I got the rear shifter cable set just right. If you've watched shows like Shedding for the Wedding (Katie DVR'd it, don't look at me like that) or other places that have filmed at the Terranea resort or the Trump golf course, that's Palos Verdes. It's an amazing rolling coastal road that runs along some of the cliffs and is basically the picturesque California coastline that isn't a beach. Unfortunately, I was paying very little attention to it as I was struggling with my ride up the long hills. I found out after the ride was done that the seat on my bike had slid down almost six inches from my original fitting height, which was playing havoc with my pedaling mechanics. Friends, do not screw around with the fitting of your bike. My run immediately following was very hard, my hips hurt for two days afterwards and I was having some serious doubts about my ability to do the bike leg of the race without stopping.
I got sick after the PV ride and stayed home the following Tuesday. I took a few hours and went to the bike shop to get clips put on and my bike re-fit, and it made all the difference in the world. Clips are just what they sound like: they're bike shoes that have cleats on the bottom that allow you to attach yourself to the bike. This gives you the advantage of being able to pull "up" when you're riding, as well as not having to worry about repositioning your feet constantly. The next weekend we hit the rolling hills of Zuma, on the north end of the city of Malibu. Between getting my seat at a better height and forward distance and putting the clips on, I turned in a pace just over 4 minute miles which was a personal best by a big margin on any ride involving hills. My confidence came back and the following week of practice we hit it hard.
This Saturday was our first open water swim, which was supposed to be when we broke in our wetsuits. I say supposed to, as there were a couple of us that didn't have our wetsuits ready in time. Including me! Fortunately, the swim was inland at the Hansen dam rather than in the frigid ocean (upper 60s water temperature vs. mid 50s!). Despite this the water was cold to swim in with no extra warmth, and the first 100 meters or so I was gasping for breath. The temperature shock had my body overcompensating and it took me a half a lap to get settled in on my pace. I completed three laps for a 1500m swim with no stops and got out of the water and then went for a three mile run with Katie and Judd. It was really important for me to get that full distance, as the swim leg of the race is that long. By swimming the race distance I showed myself I capable even in less than optimal conditions, and I felt good enough getting out that I was sure I'd be able to do the bike without much trouble either. The hardest part will be powering through the run at the end of it all, as it's still the most taxing of the three activities.
We're now 47 days out from the triathlon and I'm going to need every one of them for training. I feel like if I had to do the race right now I could do it, but it would be really miserable and I wouldn't finish strong. I really want to acquit myself well, and I need to focus more on my fundraising as I have a long way to go. I've got some events after work coming up, and hopefully an eating contest versus coach Nate next month. As always, you can visit http://tinyurl.com/RunLittleBuddy to donate and help to fight blood cancers. I will try to stay a little more current with updates in the last few weeks before the race.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Why we train
This summer, I'll be competing in a triathlon through Team in Training (TNT), a charity organization run by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS is an organization devoted to fighting blood cancers: leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. My life has been directly impacted by the latter: my uncle Tiny passed away last year after a very long fight with myeloma. His cancer was diagnosed over ten years ago, and ruined his kidneys in short order and forced him on to dialysis for years. Even a kidney transplant from one of his brothers provided only borrowed time, but that extra time was incredibly precious. If not for the treatment methods that have been developed in my lifetime, he would have never been able to see his younger daughter grow up in to the young woman she is today. A messy divorce many years ago more or less cut him off from his elder daughter. In his last years she reconnected with him on her own, and has rejoined our family. His daughters are now close friends despite growing up in different households. These years gave our family a chance to mend itself. Without groups like LLS funding research, this may never have come to pass.
A year ago my girlfriend Katie ran in her first triathlon through Team in Training to honor her grandfather and I did my best to support her and cheer her on. Through the five month program she and I met many new caring and inspiring friends who helped Katie to finish her first triathlon in San Diego. Last April we had just returned from a training weekend with her team when my mother called with word that Tiny had passed away. I knew not long after that I wanted to honor my uncle by racing through Team in Training. That is why this year I am raising money for the LLS while training to swim 1.5 km, bike 40km, and run 10km in an Olympic distance triathlon. Days where I wake up with sore joints and muscles are nothing compared to the pain that cancer patients suffer every day. I'm fortunate to have the heath to participate in such events, and I think Tiny would be happy to see the positive changes that TNT has made in my own life. Many of the people Katie trained and raced with in her first season are back this year as mentors and coaches, and I've made many more friends on this year's team.
Since its founding in 1949, the LLS has raised over 600 million dollars for research to cure blood cancer and to support families stricken by it. When I meet my fundraising goal, my supporters and I will have contributed nearly three thousand dollars to those who need it to perform research, and to those who need it to become survivors. If I can help save even one family from the hard times that cancer caused my own family, it will be worth it to me.
A year ago my girlfriend Katie ran in her first triathlon through Team in Training to honor her grandfather and I did my best to support her and cheer her on. Through the five month program she and I met many new caring and inspiring friends who helped Katie to finish her first triathlon in San Diego. Last April we had just returned from a training weekend with her team when my mother called with word that Tiny had passed away. I knew not long after that I wanted to honor my uncle by racing through Team in Training. That is why this year I am raising money for the LLS while training to swim 1.5 km, bike 40km, and run 10km in an Olympic distance triathlon. Days where I wake up with sore joints and muscles are nothing compared to the pain that cancer patients suffer every day. I'm fortunate to have the heath to participate in such events, and I think Tiny would be happy to see the positive changes that TNT has made in my own life. Many of the people Katie trained and raced with in her first season are back this year as mentors and coaches, and I've made many more friends on this year's team.
Since its founding in 1949, the LLS has raised over 600 million dollars for research to cure blood cancer and to support families stricken by it. When I meet my fundraising goal, my supporters and I will have contributed nearly three thousand dollars to those who need it to perform research, and to those who need it to become survivors. If I can help save even one family from the hard times that cancer caused my own family, it will be worth it to me.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Time flies! 95 days to T-Day
It's been a busy month! The moving process is finally complete and we are fully settled in our new apartment. There's still the matter of a futon and an L-couch to figure out, but it's perfectly livable and with new pictures of both of us up on the wall it feels like a real home.
Why'd it take me the better part of two months to move? Well that's easy -- it turns out triathlon training is somewhat life-consuming. I've swam more in the last month than I have since I was a lifeguard in high school, and I've gone further on my bike since I was a paperboy... in high school. Hm. I guess this explains where all my weight in college came from.
That weight is going away, ever so slowly. My holiday belt line bloat has been strongly reversed between some vigorous physical therapy and TNT training. Physical therapy was really great for me and I'm sad I couldn't continue it; losing access to my Orange County apartment means I have nowhere to shower afterward and I don't want to be stinky all day at work. Fortunately training is making up the slack: two days a week on my bike and two days in the pool means my legs are strengthening up and my shoulders are broadening out. I feel better than I have in six months and I know it's only going to get better.
Since my weakest event is running, I've been trying hard to keep pace with the intermediate group in the water and on the bike. This morning's swim was 1800 meters and I finished it feeling like I could have gone further if I would've needed to. It's a stark contrast to just starting out running last summer where I felt completely spent by the time I was done. I feel that I will be fully able to do the distances even if my time isn't great; I have more of a problem with pace than with endurance. Right now my oxygen efficiency is a huge problem: my lungs are the weak point. I'm constantly gasping for air and I have to take frequent short breaks to let my body catch up.
The slack weeks to start the season are rapidly going away; this weekend we're hitting Griffith park for some hill climbing and my lungs hurt just thinking about it. I do have a silver lining waiting for me after chugging up a hill in my granny gear: flying down the other side at rocket speeds. Getting a straight line shot down San Vicente last week was an amazing feeling and I never wanted it to end. The trek back to the car after it was far less miserable than it would have been to do it the other way first!
I spent a lot of time focusing on making sure my form is correct when I'm running or swimming or that I'm in the right gear on the bike, but inevitably my mind has some time to wander. I often think about how remarkable my own life is and how lucky I really am. I also try to remember why I'm out: it's not because I'll get in shape or because I want to be a triathlete, it's because cancer sucks and I'm helping to fight it. We're about a month away from the time when my Uncle Tiny passed away after his long fight with cancer. It was very hard to see him fall from being the strong man he was to the frail person that the disease left him. Even at that, I have to remember that his fight with cancer was long. A decade earlier the same treatments that prolong his life and let him see his daughters grow up in to the young women they are today wouldn't have been as effective, or even available. The research and treatment provided by organizations like the LLS who run the Team in Training program provide tangible changes in people's lives. Even if we're not yet eradicating cancer from the world, we're chipping away at it and sooner or later people will remember this terrible disease in the same way they remember smallpox: as a memory or a footnote in a history book. Your support for my campaign goes straight to LLS and will make a difference in the fight against cancer, and in the life of someone fighting it head on. Donate at http://tinyurl.com/RunLittleBuddy and be the one who makes the difference.
Why'd it take me the better part of two months to move? Well that's easy -- it turns out triathlon training is somewhat life-consuming. I've swam more in the last month than I have since I was a lifeguard in high school, and I've gone further on my bike since I was a paperboy... in high school. Hm. I guess this explains where all my weight in college came from.
That weight is going away, ever so slowly. My holiday belt line bloat has been strongly reversed between some vigorous physical therapy and TNT training. Physical therapy was really great for me and I'm sad I couldn't continue it; losing access to my Orange County apartment means I have nowhere to shower afterward and I don't want to be stinky all day at work. Fortunately training is making up the slack: two days a week on my bike and two days in the pool means my legs are strengthening up and my shoulders are broadening out. I feel better than I have in six months and I know it's only going to get better.
Since my weakest event is running, I've been trying hard to keep pace with the intermediate group in the water and on the bike. This morning's swim was 1800 meters and I finished it feeling like I could have gone further if I would've needed to. It's a stark contrast to just starting out running last summer where I felt completely spent by the time I was done. I feel that I will be fully able to do the distances even if my time isn't great; I have more of a problem with pace than with endurance. Right now my oxygen efficiency is a huge problem: my lungs are the weak point. I'm constantly gasping for air and I have to take frequent short breaks to let my body catch up.
The slack weeks to start the season are rapidly going away; this weekend we're hitting Griffith park for some hill climbing and my lungs hurt just thinking about it. I do have a silver lining waiting for me after chugging up a hill in my granny gear: flying down the other side at rocket speeds. Getting a straight line shot down San Vicente last week was an amazing feeling and I never wanted it to end. The trek back to the car after it was far less miserable than it would have been to do it the other way first!
I spent a lot of time focusing on making sure my form is correct when I'm running or swimming or that I'm in the right gear on the bike, but inevitably my mind has some time to wander. I often think about how remarkable my own life is and how lucky I really am. I also try to remember why I'm out: it's not because I'll get in shape or because I want to be a triathlete, it's because cancer sucks and I'm helping to fight it. We're about a month away from the time when my Uncle Tiny passed away after his long fight with cancer. It was very hard to see him fall from being the strong man he was to the frail person that the disease left him. Even at that, I have to remember that his fight with cancer was long. A decade earlier the same treatments that prolong his life and let him see his daughters grow up in to the young women they are today wouldn't have been as effective, or even available. The research and treatment provided by organizations like the LLS who run the Team in Training program provide tangible changes in people's lives. Even if we're not yet eradicating cancer from the world, we're chipping away at it and sooner or later people will remember this terrible disease in the same way they remember smallpox: as a memory or a footnote in a history book. Your support for my campaign goes straight to LLS and will make a difference in the fight against cancer, and in the life of someone fighting it head on. Donate at http://tinyurl.com/RunLittleBuddy and be the one who makes the difference.
Friday, January 14, 2011
RLB Season 2: Episode One
Thank you for registering for Team In Training's South Maui Triathlon event on Jun 12, 2011.
Welp.
Think of the lack of a post-race update as a cliffhanger in to season two. Long story short: I finished. I had blisters on the bottom of my feet that turned in to calluses I still haven't completely lost. The bottoms of my feet hurt to walk on the rest of the day. My knee burned like nobody's business for hours, and ached for a week. My brain shut down, and I couldn't think about anything but finishing for the last few miles. A lot of the bands had packed up by the time I passed where they were playing (p.s. you guys suck). It took almost four hours and we walked almost the entire way trying to baby my knee, but we did it. I've got the big-ass heavy medal to prove it. It's the happy ending, albeit not as amazing as I would have liked due to the degeneration in training over the last month. End of season one, credits roll, fade to black.
So here we are at the start of season two. A few minutes ago, I received my registration to Team in Training for the South Maui triathlon on June 12 of this year. Unfortunately, I went way off the rails for the holidays and I've lost everything I built up for stamina (and un-lost some weight thanks to Christmas cookies). My knee isn't back to where it was before the marathon training, and the orthopedic doctor has told me it never will be. We're more or less starting over again, but I know more about what I'm capable of when I started training last summer. I'm not afraid of being unable to finish for any reason other than my knee, and I'm confident that with enough care that it won't hold me back.
As the TNT season moves along I'll be posting about how my training is going and the experiences that are pushing me to crossing the finish line with a huge smile on my face. I expect the journey to be life-changing.
148 days to go. Training starts now.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
1 Day to go
The last few weeks have been crazy busy. I'm headed out the door to go to day two of Blizzcon today, but I'm taking all my race gear with me. I won't be running the race, but I'll be walking it. My knee has improved considerably since visiting the doctor, even though all he did was tell me to stretch it out more. I'm a bit daunted by the fact I haven't really been able to test it, though I did a fair amount of walking the last few days and it's holding up well. I'm confident that tomorrow will go well enough all things considered.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
19 days to go - Uncertainty looms
The race is only two and a half weeks away and I'm not in a good spot. I don't know what I did, but about two weeks ago my right knee said uncle and started complaining horribly. On the morning I was supposed to hit 8 miles, it threw a holy conniption and Katie made me stop after a mile because I was limping. I've been wearing a patella brace on my knee for the last ten days and staying off it in the hopes of some quick rehab. Tonight was the first time I've tried to run on it in that span of time, and the results weren't terribly encouraging. I started off strong but at about 3/4 of a mile the aching started to creep in and by a mile it was bordering on outright pain.
I'm in a pretty good pickle over this one. I don't have enough time before the race to fully rehab and get caught back up. In fact, I may not have time to fully rehab period, and it's not out of the question that I may scratch the race because of this. I'm hoping that I can somehow keep my lung and cardio stamina up while my knee recovers with some cross-training, but the day of the race is looking like it will be much harder than it did two weeks ago. I'd hoped to use the last week as a pure taper week and go easy, but it looks like that's going to be more like the three weeks leading up to the race instead. I'm going to be very, very tired when I cross the finish line.
I'm in a pretty good pickle over this one. I don't have enough time before the race to fully rehab and get caught back up. In fact, I may not have time to fully rehab period, and it's not out of the question that I may scratch the race because of this. I'm hoping that I can somehow keep my lung and cardio stamina up while my knee recovers with some cross-training, but the day of the race is looking like it will be much harder than it did two weeks ago. I'd hoped to use the last week as a pure taper week and go easy, but it looks like that's going to be more like the three weeks leading up to the race instead. I'm going to be very, very tired when I cross the finish line.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
31 days to go
Hello Interwebs! I have been very lax about updating this blog but I have not been lax about running.
After the horrid start to Labor day weekend things went much better and the long weekend off provided a good break. I got a run in on the Tuesday and Wednesday (4 and 2.5 miles) before the big run on Sunday morning. Katie and I got up early and churned out seven miles down San Vicente. This distance is the furthest either of us has ever run, and it felt great to make such marked progress. The following week I did a short run on Tuesday and a longer run on Thursday before work in which I was yelled at by a teacher for jogging across school grounds (even though school had not started yet, big bag of WTF there). The rest of the week didn't go so well, as Katie got sick over the weekend and then I picked up what she had earlier in the week. This means we didn't get the scheduled 8 mile run in, so last week was a wash and this week is the re-do on it. Fortunately the remaining schedule was aggressive enough that it won't really spoil our efforts. I got back in the saddle last night with a very rough long uphill run, and tonight I plugged out five miles. I could definitely tell the week off had not done me any favors. My right knee is complaining very loudly, and it's not really gotten any better over the last few weeks. I'm well convinced by this point that I did something earlier in life to screw it up, but I am not sure what the extent of the damage really is or how to treat it or even what's specifically causing it. It seems to be much worse going up hills, but I can't really tell if it's impact-related or if the joint is just not that good. I'll be doing some extra stretching the next few days and possibly getting some ice on it.
The run is only a month away. I've got a very busy month planned between now and then, and it's going to be tough to stick with it between work, Civ 5, my sister's wedding, Halloween planning and Blizzcon but I'm determined to give a good accounting of myself.
After the horrid start to Labor day weekend things went much better and the long weekend off provided a good break. I got a run in on the Tuesday and Wednesday (4 and 2.5 miles) before the big run on Sunday morning. Katie and I got up early and churned out seven miles down San Vicente. This distance is the furthest either of us has ever run, and it felt great to make such marked progress. The following week I did a short run on Tuesday and a longer run on Thursday before work in which I was yelled at by a teacher for jogging across school grounds (even though school had not started yet, big bag of WTF there). The rest of the week didn't go so well, as Katie got sick over the weekend and then I picked up what she had earlier in the week. This means we didn't get the scheduled 8 mile run in, so last week was a wash and this week is the re-do on it. Fortunately the remaining schedule was aggressive enough that it won't really spoil our efforts. I got back in the saddle last night with a very rough long uphill run, and tonight I plugged out five miles. I could definitely tell the week off had not done me any favors. My right knee is complaining very loudly, and it's not really gotten any better over the last few weeks. I'm well convinced by this point that I did something earlier in life to screw it up, but I am not sure what the extent of the damage really is or how to treat it or even what's specifically causing it. It seems to be much worse going up hills, but I can't really tell if it's impact-related or if the joint is just not that good. I'll be doing some extra stretching the next few days and possibly getting some ice on it.
The run is only a month away. I've got a very busy month planned between now and then, and it's going to be tough to stick with it between work, Civ 5, my sister's wedding, Halloween planning and Blizzcon but I'm determined to give a good accounting of myself.
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