My morning swim.

I will begin my training in earnest soon.  I need it.  Today my alarm went off at 5:00am.  My clothes were staged - ready to dress and proceed to the pool.  Then I snoozed for an hour.  Rolled out at 6:00am, brushed teeth with eyes closed, grabbed a nice fresh towel from the guest closet supply (my wife hates it when I use the good stuff), then managed to get to my car over the packed ice in the driveway from the snow I never shovelled.  Listened to Radiohead's Hail to the Thief all the way to the YMCA, parked, got out, lifted the hatch to the Subaru and then realized I forgot my bag.  Within my bag I keep some swimming essentials:  my suit, my goggles, my lock.  There I stood with my fluffy nice towel and nothing else.  No nude swimming at the downtown YMCA so I proceeded to Starbucks for my grande Pike with cream, then home.

It may be a blessing in disguise.  Normally I keep my swimming bag out in the car regardless of the conditions.  I'll swim one day, throw my wet suit in the bag, put it in my sub 20 degree car, then go swimming two days later.  I literally have to twist and bend the frozen rigor mortis'ed Speedo to break it into shape.  Putting that baby on is cold.  Like a cold you don't really want to face. The searing pain only last a second though and it's usually a good motivator to get in the water and start hitting it.   

Escape from Alcatraz

On a total fluke I signed up for the lottery to get in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco next summer.  I never win anything or have luck when it comes to earning something for nothing, but that all changed when I opened my email last week to the words "Congratulations, you've been accepted to compete in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon 2011". 

What have I done!  I have to swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco in freezing cold water.  That's cool, I'm a swimmer.  The difficult part is that the San Francisco Bay averages about 55 degrees at that time of year.  And the other difficult part:  two ton sea-lions.  I've never swam with two ton sea-lions in the wild before.  Or those other things that like to eat two ton sea-lions. I read on the events website that it's one of the most challenging events in triathlon.   I did once swim so far from the shore in Florida with my coach and another swimmer that we couldn't see the shore line.  We pasted fishing boats.  During one deep cold dive looking for conch shells, head splitting from the pressure, I heard a high pitched squeal, very close by.  Dolphins.    The three of came up and decided to swim back, fast.  I just kept thinking that sharks eat dolphins don't they? Sharks eat anything yes?  I will have to overcome some fear.  I'm respectful of open-water ocean swimming.  It's like running through a densely forested wild jungle in the nude.  

Needless to say I've been in the water the last two days putting in some yardage.  My life has been a complete mess lately on several fronts.  I'm even gaining weight - up to 187.  I'm not sure if I'm going to make it again to Wisconsin, but I'm swimming to San Francisco on June 5th.  It may be the last thing I do.  Or try to do!

writers block and atrophy

It's not really writers block.  I just have nothing to write about.  How does one write about nothing?  I did have a fairly pleasant run in the snow a few days ago.  Snow running is a nice change of pace when first getting out in it - but that changes as the winter progresses and running results in ice balls forming on your eye-lashes and frozen teeth in the wind.  I don't even enjoy the process of layering my body in lycra and polypropylene to fend off the advancing cold. Too bad you can't 'bank' the time and effort you've put into running, but unfortunately the day you stop running your body starts to atrophy.    One morning last week I got up in the dark and did sprints at the park in the pitch black.  There was another runner there, and I think I completely scared them to death as I was running all out sprints, not like a normal jogger.   I've been swimming here and there, likely twice a week.  No cycling.  I need to bust out the trainer and start riding indoors.  The thought kills me. 

I've been mildly weight lifting, gaining some strength I guess.  My IT guy at work starting working out, taking all kinds of protein shakes and other questionable compounds, and really started to look physically bigger.   My muscles don't do that. With great disappointment I write that I'll never be nicknamed "Meat-Pack".

catching up.

The frequency of my writing is the same as my exercise, mostly. 

I did have a pretty good swim Wednesday right after work.  Put in a butterfly workout.  Butterflies are such beautiful little ornate creatures.  Mysterious too - they go though a complete metamorphosis of all things to reach their air-born beauty.  None of this translates to the pool and swimming butterfly. 'Fly' is a rhythmic stroke with a focal point on core strength and some shoulders.  I've always contested that 'fly' comes from the core primarily, and if you have the shoulders to get your head out for a breath now and then good for you. I swam a  2,000 IM once...putting in 20 lengths of the pool of each stroke.  That's when you learn that butterfly is not all strength.  It's a rhythm.  It's a painful rhythm is your not conditioned to it, as I remembered a few days ago.  My trapezius and I are finally friends again after a few sore days.

Thursday was Thanksgiving.  I drank like a fish and stuffed myself on pies, turkey and ham.  Normal holiday eating.  I did manage to run 4 miles yesterday.  Today I ran 5 miles.  Cold ones.  Oh, the wind.  I really hate running in the cold - but I need to get used to it for the next 4-5 months.  Experienced some slight right knee pain - so I walked a bit.  Nothing wrong with that.  I think it's cool to walk it out if you feel pain in your joints the day after stuffing yourself full of wine and turkey. 

Training plans.  I'm thinking of adopting a new plan for the 2011 Ironman.  I spent $25 online for the plan I follow...a 37 week program.   I don't want to do the same old thing for a third time.  More on this later. 

   

Sunday ride

I hooked up with the Sunday show-and-go ride yesterday.  About fifteen guys showed up and we rode to Huntington and back.  I was racking leaves in the AM with a warm sun, but when I got to the meeting point and geared up it was gray, windy, and cold.  The weather modeling my mood as of late.  We had a bit of rain at one point that added to the dreariness. Having not been on my bike for weeks I was a little reserved.  And the fact that the only 'true' pair of wheels I have right now are my Zipp 808's.  Those are not  good wheels to ride in a tight group situation, hitting corners fast, on a windy day.  I was all over the place.  They sure do look cool though.

Tonight I'm swimming.  I've really slipped up lately, letting myself get out of the exercise 'mode'.  I think my adipose is growing.  I've been lifting weights in a very random haphazard way.  I don't track what I do, I don't even count my reps.  I'll just do curls to the point of exhaustion or something and then switch to lateral plyometrics acting like a world class downhill slalom snow skier.  That hurts so bad.  Due to this pathetic effort I'm thinking of  laying down some money for a personal trainer.  Get someone to force me to do it, build up some muscle this winter, so long as it doesn't effect my stroke.  If I really focused on weight lifting I bet I could even look like a triathlete ...like those big mean looking Germans I compete against at Ironman Wisconsin.

The park is all mine again

 I saw a shooting star this morning on the AM run.  I drug myself out of bed and hit the dark cold streets at 5:15am.  This was my first true 'back to dark' run.  The star shot out of  the western horizon, burned brightly for what seemed forever over Foster park, then went out like a light.  I never see shooting stars when I'm looking for them, only by accident.

There was not a soul at the park.  It was all mine. I spent some time running through the city too - and that was occupied by others.  I ran down Rudisill for a while and there was what appeared to be a woman walking west on the north side of the street in a full drunk, cursing the homes at the top of her vocal ability.  I chose to run on the other side of the street, quickly, thankful for my top-to-bottom attire of ninja black running wear.  I don't even think she noticed me.  Fleetingly I thought of stopping and asking if I could help her talk it out.  At least to maybe tone it down a notch.  But I just ran on into the night.  Everyone has problems, some people just walk around the streets in the early morning proclaiming it to the world.

The run was mostly horrible, performance wise.  I had a slight cramp walking at work today.  Yesterday I hit the Y on the way home and knocked out a 2,000 yard swim.  Uneventful.   After that last night I lifted weights in the basement.  Monday I was home sick of all things with a fever.  I literally stayed in my bed, and slept all day long, and all night Monday.  Weird huh.  Talk about weird -  I think I may have been slightly delusional from the fever.  At one point my stomach was gurgling, gurgling with every breath, and it sounded like words -  broken speach, very guttural: "How you doing",  "How you doing", "How you doing"... with every breath! Now that's a fever!  Blogging the truth of one's life is not an easy task. 

Saturday afternoon

I got up promptly this morning and began racking the leaves.  Second rake of the season.  I cleared all the difficult corners, the fence line between the homes, the part with the bushes that seem to collect leaves as if they have some value.  Every nook and cranny was spotless.  I even swept the driveway, as if it was a race so as to raise my pulse, secretly laughing at those overweight Americans with gasoline powered leaf blowers.  With my work completed I ran a few errands, and upon return the yard was covered with leaves once again.  My nine mature oak trees are the Ironmen of the plant kingdom.  They're endurance athletes in their own right.

I took the dog for a run.  One lap at Foster, like clockwork.  He pulled and tugged and chased squirrels.  I stopped once and got down eye to eye with him to really emphasize the point that I want to make: "stay with me".  He looked nervous and confused, eyes darting side to side, ears down.  Oh well - we ran on and the tugging ensued.  This was my first run since the marathon.  Took a week of running off.  It was like heaven.

I swam a few nights ago, late, at Jorgenson.  I was the only guy in the pool, which I love.  It helps to focus on the bubbles, as there were not anyone else's bubbles to interfere with my bubbles.  How much air you 'catch' in the pull phase of the stroke can be telling.  Swimming in crystal clean calm water is good when you really want to think about what your body is doing in the water.  I'm getting quite good at pushing through two strong dolphin kicks off the turn during freestyle - this being something that Phelps really introduced, although it was done before him.  It's hard.  You need oxygen usually fairly soon after the turn, so to stay under and kick using your whole body takes some discipline.  I can't even really remember what my workout was - but I did do a set of five 100 IM's, held 1:15-1:20's.  If I could only swim breast stroke.  Breast stroke is kind of like running to me.  It's the one when you look like a frog.  It's really dumb, the pull doesn't do much, the kick puts weird torque on your knees and hips, you have to bob up out of the water to breath.  I would have been a fairly decent IM'er had I been able to perform the breast stroke with more efficiency.  And the name 'breast' stroke.  Sure it made for good juvenile jokes in high school and college but really, I mean, it should be called the frog bob, or the knee breaker.  My apologies to Makstenieks...he sure could swim it.

Only the life guards change

I went to the downtown Y this morning with goggles and suit in hand.  Good old Central branch.  Nothing changes there.  Gwen was behind the desk, I use the same locker every time, notice the same greasy dim lighting, leave my towel and glasses on the bench, grab a kick board, and get my lane.  I don't know what it is with age-group swimmers deciding to bite large pieces from kick-boards, but it can be done.  I always look for a nice stout kick-board, one that I can pull through the water like a fin when I'm doing turns.  Don't use the big ones.  'Bob' was there.  His name is embroidered on his backpack.  He's likely in his 80's.  The triathlete was there, the one that can't do flip turns.  He's doesn't swim intervals which I find odd....he just swims from one side to the next doing grab turns.  I would  fall asleep and drown if that's all I knew of swimming.  The couple bobbing in the open area was there also - all the normal players.

Except for the lifeguard. 

There's a new guard in town.  Lifeguards change over a lot - monthly I bet.  They start out eager enough to save lives I suppose - he said "good morning" brightly from the chair.  I smiled and waved,  knowing he wouldn't be there long. It's probably the heat.  I cannot stand to sit around on a pool deck, sweltering, watching physical activity, doing nothing. It a pretty important job.  The title says it all:  Life Saver.  You can be all kinds of things in life, but rarely do any of us get the chance to save someone from drowning.  Still the heat though, I couldn't do it.

Swam 1,500 yards.  800 SKPS ( SWIM-KICK-PULL-SWIM).  For the Pull on that I did a 200 IM drill down regular back.  Then did a 200 free fast to see if I could lap the triathlete twice in 8 lengths, just missed him on the second approach.  4 x 50 Fly/Free.  200 Kick, 100 Warm down and out.  Gwen sold me two bananas for a dollar and then I was on my way to Starbucks.

Marathon

It was so cold.  I wore shorts.  There were 9,000 people there, all standing around shivering together until we finally started the misery.  I tried to keep a nice steady pace, just running - didn't look at my watch every second to see if I was holding any particular time.  Indianapolis is a beautiful city.  The run took us through downtown north to Broad Ripple, then west to the Butler campus, through the IMA (Indy Museum of Art) campus, over toward the velodrome, then back to Meridian street, back downtown to the finish.  I hooked up with some guy for a while and we talked about this and that for several miles which was good.  It completely got my mind off the pain in my hips, calves, knees, etc.  He and I kind of grouped up with some women that were from the same running team - they were listening to us talk.  At mile 19 he couldn't hold the pace, so I wished him luck, thanked him for killing some miles with me, and started to go.  At mile 20 people started to walk, a lot of people.  Surprisingly I felt good, never walked.  I started to pass people en masse as they died out.  This improved my spirits greatly, and the fact that the pain was almost over.  At mile 22 the women that were listening to my conversation earlier passed me.  They were working as a team, counting off something.  I said "I'm sticking with you from here out".  They were on fire - the count was of the people we were passing, and it really did work.

I don't know what happens to women at this point of total physical exertion, but somehow the conversation lead to breast-feeding, more specifically breast pumping.  Thats right folks - one of the women in this group starts to tell us a story about her kids, and travelling, and needing to pump, etc, etc...and after a detailed build up she concludes that she got pulled over by the police while driving a car and breast pumping.  Not texting, pumping. 

For goodness sake.  I had to announce that I was married with two kids and 'we' breastfeed also, just to kind of join the circle.  I don't know about runners.  But that was one way to break the mental strain of those last 4 miles.  We nailed it, me and the girls.  I let them finish together in front of me all holding hands and stuff - we even high-fived afterwards.  It was fun.  The volunteers wrapped me in a big plastic wind-shield type blanket, then I walked to my car, changed my clothes in the parking garage, and drove home.

5 miles

Mustered up 5 miles last night in the dark.  There was a slight rain, and it was cold, and I wore shorts.  A friend of mine insist that I wear shorts during the marathon this weekend so I was experimenting.  The starting tempurature is expected to be 27 degrees.  I hate running in the cold.  I mean  - I love cold weather running.  It's so invigorating and impressive.  It's really, really neat.  And I enjoy it.

So, yes, shorts.  I bought some compression calf things, usually reserved for triathlon, but they did provide a little additional warmth last night.  I'm going to start out with hat and gloves, two layers up top, and shorts.  I'll lose things as I heat up.  Hopefully no rain.  My lower left back is in a knot.  Not sure yet how far I need to take that excuse for poor performance...just thought I'd keep it alive for the post-marathon entry.  

I haven't been in the water all week.  I haven't been on my bike in weeks, sadly.  Not much athletic to write about.  I finished The Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller last night.  It was pretty racy. And interesting.  I don't think I could deal with the lice or bed bugs of Paris in the 1930's. Henre sure could though.    

Tuesday Morning

I rose from the dead and ran this morning.  I hate running in the cold and dark.  It's so completely unmotivating.  In addition this is my busy season at work, so my mind is focused on other things.  Staying with exercising through life's ups and downs can be a struggle, but I've found that if I keep exercising I usually end up better for it.  Isn't that a novel idea.

I ran the neighborhood.  Probably a 3-miler, not much.  I've been having a pain in my lower back, left side, up high like my kidney's spasming or something.  If I happen to pass-away at the marathon this weekend please have my left kidney promptly autopsied. I'm sure it to be the culprit.  My left calve is not in order either, although I doubt it's fatal.  It's tight though and an annoyance. I have an image of myself walking back to my car, a drop out, with a cramp in my calve bending slightly with each step to the left, favoring my undiagnosed kidney disease.  Ouch.  Mental imagery is supposed to flow more toward the positive side right?  I'll suck it up.  I'm planning to run steady the whole time, a nice November training run to get my mind off things.

Running Shoes

I have 6 pair of running shoes in my closet.  For a guy that hates running? It is kind of odd.   Running shoes are a peculiar thing.  They're mostly all ugly.  Predominately white with all kinds of zing stitched all over them.  I buy mine from a local running store, the only one we have in town, but a good one.  They watch you on a tread mill, if you want, to determine pronation or supination and other errors in your anatomy. I honestly think that some people must pronate with one foot and supinate with the other.  Have you ever seen this?  Some of them can even run incredibly well, but they look godawful (no taking the name in 'vain' intended).  Anyway, this running store lets you run around the building a few times. They're like any good running store. They let you exchange shoes that don't quite feel  right after running in them.  That's a good one.  When ever I switch to another brand it's never right.  It can get 'right' with some time, but shoes are unique.  Runners are crazy about it  - there's probably all kinds of blogs by runners talking about this exact subject right now.  I don't even know if I pronote or supinate, but I know I do one or the other.

I ran today.  I'm guessing 8 miles.  My Garmin watch was dead.  I hate that - forgot to plug it in.  It does a fairly good job of tracking my mileage and speed.  It was a nice run, good weather, a little more windy than I prefer.  The leaves chased me around a few times, swirling as if thinking to be a tornado, or darting ahead of me low to the ground in a great stampede.

 I actually had a 'happy' run.

drunk on running

My true thoughts on running: it sucks.  There, I've said it.  I don't want to bring my thoughts down to the gutter like this - keep the kids from reading.  I may need to elevate my use of profanity in the coming days and months as I strive to cope with running.  Running is painful when you're doing it and when not.  I haven't ran all week and I'm completely guilt stricken.  And when I do run I mostly hate it.  Running is a function of triathlon, nothing more.  Swimming is graceful, meditative.  Cycling is invigorating and fast, and I have a cool bike.  It even develops somewhat attractive legs, and you can coast now and then to grab a second of rest while performing the activity.  You can't coast while running. Good runners have stringy looking legs.   My mantra idea is lost, dissapeared in yesterday's gray skies and cold temperature. Prolonged running produces physical gauntness for goodness sake.  Should I fear some unknown health consequences outside of future knee and hip replacement?   Maybe this is some subconscious effort at reverse psychology. To fool myself...if I publically write about how much I hate to run then maybe I'll strive to do it more often?  I'll write it to death?  What kind of nonsense is that?  Not motivating in the least.  Hypnotism.  Maybe I need hypnotism?

Alright, enough....I'm going to run soon and enjoy every second.  I am a happy runner and that's all there is to it.

So happy.

Swim/Weights

I hit the Y right after work.  Jorgenson.  The rich Y.  It's lacks spirit completely. Too clean and pretty.  Sterile.  No one talks.    I much prefer the old downtown branch, with the dark locker room, rusty lockers, a little crust along the edges, and strange people in the water.  Jorgenson makes me feel guilty.

Anyway - that's where I went.  I had a lane to myself for about 500 yards, then two people got in, one without goggles swimming with his head out of the water and another guy that wanted to circle swim the wrong way, as if we were in England, down the left.  That's fine I suppose, but seeing as we were actually standing in a pool in America I forced my position and the three of us swam down the right side of the lane.  'No goggles' made it for about two 50's then got out panting on the side.  The Englishman lead the charge splashing about near the center line the whole time. I held back and did single arm drill to pass the time, but quickly decided to hop out. 

At home I did bench press with the boys.  I'm a fairly puny weight lifter. It's refreshing sometimes to hear some honest self-deprecation, huh?  I've been trying to consistantly lift in the hopes it may improve my overall fitness and performance.  At night I stood outside for a bit and watched the moon....and I couldn't feel the slightest degree of muscular stress from my 13 mile run the day before.  It's good to be fit.

Sunday run

Finally I got it together enough to put in my long-run this week.  I had a poor week, ran only one time.  I did 13 miles today at a fairly fast clip - took me about an hour and fifty minutes which is decent I suppose for a training run.  Odd weather - gray and windy with a few drops of rain to blue skies and sunshine all on the same trip.  I ran a different route than normal.  Found myself in a fairly bad side of town with lots of dogs chained or fenced.  They didn't seem to be used to joggers, but they did well as guard dogs.  It made me think briefly of our relatively new dog (Zeke - 11 months old) ferociously digging holes in the back yard, or perhaps chewing another pair of perfectly good footwear.  He does enjoy barking it up at the passersby in the alley when he gets the opportunity.  Dogs are so innately territorial.

I twisted and turned all through the city.  Ended up at a quaint little bike shop we have in town right along the river.  From there I turned and headed home, checking out things downtown, keeping my stride and heart rate pleasantly ticking.  This was just a run to put in the time, going through the motions, getting my legs comfortable with the motion.  I have two weeks before my marathon.  I am honestly not looking forward to it.   My motivation is lost - gone after Ironman.  Oh well.  I'm not a triathlete: those days are over.  I'm a runner.  I am a runner.  I'm going to start repeating this mantra in the mirror every morning, like Annette Bening  in American Beauty trying to sell that house.

Quick swim

Let's see...maybe did 1,500 yards after work tonight?  Strong yards.  All fast.  Some kicking.  There was a little kid swim class going on, so there were parents sitting along the perimeter watching their prodigies. I dropped into the one lap lane and started going faster than usual for my warm-up.  Always the case when being watched.  I mean, I can't look like your average swimmer.  It's just not in my blood to swim slow.  And, generally speaking I'm a show-off when possible. If you can swim 4 lengths of the pool in 56 seconds then do it.  Thus concludes my worst entry ever. 

I swim blind

It's true.  Can't see a thing really.  Only the big black + at the end of the pool.  And the flags which indicate it's time to roll or crash into the concrete.  I went to the Y this morning at 5:00am.  There in the lobby stood my fellow downtown YMCA swimmers, fully dressed to my surprise.  Something was wrong with the chlorine level.  I could see the life guard holding a vial,  shacking vigorously, waiting for some color to appear or not.  I asked the married couple that bobs aquatically up-and-down for an hour every morning what was up:  "Pools closed, somethin's wrong with the water".  Great.  This is always such a disappointment. I drove back home and lifted weights in the basement.  So, anyway blindness - when I swim I can't see much.  I wouldn't be surprised if my optometrist declared me legally blind in a swimming pool. I remember competing in college, approaching the blocks, wanting to dominate the race, ready to pounce...and then I'd have to take my glasses off and everything would go completely blurry.   I can tug slightly on the side of one eye (which is embarrassing in itself) and squeak out a slim degree of focus, but other than that I can't see.   It doesn't matter in the slightest. I feel completly comfortable in the water with no vision.  I can't see the tiles, or faces, or writing, or the clock.  Well...I have adapted somewhat to the clock.  I can pick out a red line in motion, and when it hits the top, I know I'm on the 60.  Why in the world am I writing this? I heard a story on NPR about a guy that bowled a perfect 'game' of bowling, or whatever it is you say when discussing bowling...and he is legally blind.  For him it's like looking into a flashlight...the pins are so blurred that they appear like glowing white objects and he just knocks them down.  I could relate.

Ran seven miles tonight with 20/20 vision, glasses on.

Sunday Spin

I rolled out my road bike today, got some air in the tires, and knocked around town racing cars, running stop lights when I could, sprinting through yellow lights daring the cars to make their move.  It felt like old times again.  I never ride that way.  I ride like a car drives, obey most of the laws....although I do run most stop signs and stop lights, when clear.  I grew up cycling in Indianapolis, and my one good friend and I had a expression that I still hold onto: No cop, no stop.  Our second rule to cycling was 'never hesitant'.  There is some truth to this one.  You have to an assertive cyclist, a predictable cyclist.  Hesitating, wondering around, making a move and then backing off confuses people in cars.  That's what triggers their road rage and results in stuff being thrown at you.  Some kid got me with a pre-super soaker 'super soaker' 20 years ago.  It was a well coordinated strike...the young guns drove up slow and close and then blasted me with a beam of water.  I bet they still remember this event.  And I hope they feel bad. 

Anyway,  hope I'm not tempting fate with my recollection of past dare-devil cycling moves...and what I did today.  I had a helmet on anyway; I've grown up just slightly enough to overcome my vanity, well partially.    Cycling helmets really look kind of ridiculous.

I'm not really in my training 'mode' yet.  That will start in earnest January 1st.  I did put in a pretty good weight workout today in the basement.  I did an Ironman about 5 weeks ago, I ran a mini-marathon a couple weeks ago, I signed up for a marathon in 4 weeks of all things.  Anything I do from now until January is bonus training.  Go outside.  It's beautiful. 

2011: The Beginning

I'm doing it again. Somewhat reluctantly, with some mixed emotion. The run. Ah. The run is the killer. I signed up for the 2011 Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon the day before competing in the 2010 thriller. So then, now my new blog begins.

I ran 19.5 miles this morning. I hadn't ran all week. I ran with a friend and we talked about this and that as we trudged along. At mile 16 or so we stopped at a water fountain and he said "not too many people ran 19 miles this morning"...and then, "not too many people run 19 miles in a week". Grimacing, in pain, cold, exhausted, with mild cramps, I agreed.

I signed up for a marathon on November 6th. I've never run just a straight marathon. I've done countless half-marathon distance races: I have a tie rack in my closet filled with useless medals clinking whenever I disrupt their slumber. I'll likely be able to fill a shoe box to the top before my knees or hips finally collapse. Today may have been my final 'long-run' before November 6th. I turn 39 years old on November 7th. My, my....39 so fast? I thought I would achieved so much more considering the number of years I've had to think about it. Nonetheless, another birthday is heading my way. I'm fairly fit...about 185 pounds. I have good knees, hips, one shoulder has a slight rotor-cuff tear (but I only notice it doing backstroke thankfully), I can finish an Ironman distance event and it's not some miracle. There are some people that do them with one leg or something like that and it is miraculous I would say. This will be my third Ironman distance. My previous marathon runs started out after a 2.5 mile swim and 112 bike. So, I'm not sure what to expect. I grew up a swimmer, I love cycling, I'm trying to love running.

So. Here we go. I'm going to start writing again. It helps balance the training monotony. I'm going to be a runner. I want to go a sub 11-hour Ironman.

The Conclusion

I'm alive.

I wish I could write of an utterly fantastic performance, but it leaned more toward the mediocre side. I had an average swim - probably better than what most would consider average, but for me it was slow and steady. There were 2,500 people in the event and I was maybe 25th out? Not for sure. I haven't had the time to scrutinize all the results. The bike was good...I felt great starting out. And then about mile 80 I started to lose concentration. I'd forgotten how steep the hills were around that town - can it be that they increased the grade of those country roads? It felt that way. Nonetheless, I had a pretty solid bike. I did see a guy vomiting on the bike as I passed him. A little too much water maybe? He was like Vesuvius.

The run. My nemesis. I was in a fair amount of pain getting off the bike - not a good physical or mental condition heading into a 26.2 mile run. The crowds helped. Madison has fantastic crowd support. And good volunteers. The run is kind of like being in the Emergency Room the whole time. There are ambulances taking people away, a guy in a little 4-wheeler medic vehicle taking people away, etc. I myself had about 45 minutes of la-la land. I actually had to stop and sit down for quite a while at mile 16. I felt sick....sick like the guy I passed on the bike. I sat and held my head for a few minutes, let my heart rate drop way down, then I stood up and walked. About two minutes later I had to sit again. This was not good. I had 10 miles to go. Up until that time I'd put in a fairly good performance, but there I was sitting watching people pass me by. I don't know exactly what I looked like, but another competitor stopped as he passed me and ask twice "Are you OK". For fear of some type of medical intervention I mustered up an "I'm good" and even shook my head affirmatively to support the statement. Body language convinced the guy and he continued.

It didn't really matter at that point. My time, or place, or anything. I saw another guy being taken away in that small 4-wheeler medi-vac type thing and I thought "good for him, he's out honest". I had a few dark moments where I was really, really hurting bad. But, after a few minutes I stood up, and starting walking again. And then I ran for 50 paces, then walked for 20, etc. I stopped taking in any form of calorie. I think that's what got me - I was hungry off the bike and started drinking some new type of Gatorade (but not Gatorade - some new Nestle product made for Ironman) they had at the aid stations. The stuff made me sick. It could have been lack of salt - my wife told me I had salt in my eye lashes when I was done, as well as everywhere else. Whatever happened it passed on. I started to come out of it at mile 22. At mile 23 one of the volunteers said " 3 more miles - do it in 30 minutes". And I agreed, I started running with some effort and it didn't feel that bad. It actually felt pretty good.

My time was slower than two years ago, unfortunately. But I've learned a lesson. Ironman is not necessarily about your time. I'm not so sure it's even about finishing - which is what gets most finishers excited. At least that's what they say: "I finished". Starting something just to finish it is not rewarding. That's like reading a book just to get to the last page....and not paying any attention to the plot, or enjoying the character development along the way. I can imagine it like being an artist just trying to get another humdrum piece of work completed for sale: boring, lifeless, without meaning. I can't define the meaning completely in words, but it was the struggle, the will to push my failing body along. It's a crazy sport. It's not even really a 'sport' is it? It's more a test. A cleanse. Oh well - enough rambling public philosophy.

One really cool part - I have a neighbor whose mother lives in one of the towns we ride through. As I was tearing through this town, going through a round-about in the street there sat a woman I've never met, holding a sign that said something like "Good Luck Jason Brooks from FORT WAYNE, IN". I screamed out, pointed to myself, saying "I'm Jason Brooks from Fort Wayne, Indiana". It was a great moment that truly cheered me up. I shed a few tears as I pedaled away after seeing her support/effort - but I'm kind of a sap that way.

Saturday September 11th

I'm sitting here in my hotel. My family is coming up today via train through Chicago, then up to a small town near Madison. I registered yesterday, got all my transition bags, the stickers for bike and helmet, my timing chip. They took my weight so the medics have a benchmark in the event I end up in a medical tent...I suppose if you go from 180 to 170 lbs in one day you get an IV. I met a guy that has done this event in Madison every year since its inception - 9 years in a row. The oldest athlete is 72 years old. He wants to do it in 12-13 hours! I want 10-11 range, so that guy is like superman. The Germans are here again....ranking third in International presence. Canada is 2nd. UK is 4th. All 50 states are represented. A total of 21 countries have athletes competing.

I've been slamming COLD-EZE, drinking orange juice, and drinking lots of 'Naked' 100% smoothie juices. I don't like to even write about illness, as in a 'cop-out' pre-race as plausible justification for poor performance, my sore throat is not going to be the reason I use if I don't meet my time. It will have been lack of training. I had a few conversations yesterday with people - sounds like their volume was a lot more than mine. Maybe they were bragging though...people like to talk big sometimes.

Today I have to pack up all my gear. This event has an 'assisted' transition, I guess you would call it. You get out of the water, lay down on the ground and people strip your wet-suit off like a banana. Then the run to transition, which goes up a circular parking garage ramp into a nice conference center. In this huge room there are rows of numbered transition bags. I find my SWIM to BIKE bag, with a volunteer's help, and get ready. Helmet, socks, shoes, sunglasses, Hammer gel, then I run to my bike. Calm, lower my heart rate, and settle in for 5.5 hours of cycling. I need to get my BIKE SPECIAL NEEDS bag ready today...spare CO2, tube, Powerbars maybe, rain jacket maybe (although the weather is supposed to be nice). In my BIKE TO RUN bag I'll have shoes, another pair of dry socks if needed, visor, and maybe a few more gels. Then I push through. Easy. RUN SPECIAL NEEDS = a spare change of shoes, Powerbar if needed, and lots of methamphetamine. Kidding.

I'm excited. A little nervous. I just want it to start, but I have another day to lay around and wait. Thanks for reading my thoughts over these past several months. This blog did help me maintain my consistency. It also allowed me to do something other than swim laps, peddle, and run. I tried to make it more than an exercise journal, as how interesting can that be? I have just a few hours to decide if I want to go through all this again next year. I'm thinking not. I'd like to do Muncie next year, and Steelhead. But I'd really like to get in Escape from Alcatraz...a triathlon that starts on/near Alcatraz with a swim to San Francisco in cold strong current shark water. YES! Too bad there's a lottery to get into that event also. I'm listless - not sure where to go now. I see a lot of people that have given up - they just work their 40 hours per week, watch TV at night, pay the bills routinely, think about what happened in their lives and what could have happened. I think that may be what Ironman does for people - it wedges something good/challenging/healthy into mostly ordinary lives. And it's not in the pursuit of money. Quite the contrary on that note. I'll do Wisconsin again, but likely not next year. Although - boy I would be in good shape. Build upon where I am now? Who knows...I have until 11:00 am today to get in.

Photo Journalism

A few pictures of the bike... and one of me and the boys.

Note the nice wheels on that number. I have no idea how to place these pictures into this blog world. Anyway - there's the bike. I took it into a shop today for last minute tweaking...the front derailer has been floating out of the big ring back into the small ring. Not good. The shop did a quick adjustment for free. Love it.

That's me with Liam and Finn at a recent camping trip. Beautiful southern Indiana. Today was rest. Tomorrow I'm going to run 6, Thursday swim on lunch, Friday drive to Wisconsin, Saturday swim a portion of the course in the AM, sight the beach land marks relative to the buoys, check my bike into transition, lay around, read, try to sleep, and then SUNDAY it begins.

This is really getting exciting huh?

near the end

I went to Jorgensen today for likely the last time. There was an aquatic ZUMBA class going on...so I was stuck on the wall with a fairly good high school swimmer sharing a lane. A less than ideal final swim. I'll swim two more times before next Sunday.

I ran 6 miles yesterday morning and rode 25 miles after work - left from my office and went straight into the country. It was a beautiful, windy ride. I paused for a moment to coast, something I rarely do on the bike, and let the last few months run through my mind as I watched the clouds race along. Working toward high level fitness takes a lot of time - its worth the time. I truly do feel blessed to be able to train and approach something like Ironman.

I went to a couple bike shops today to pick up some last minute items. Some liquid calories, another 160mm valve inner tube that will fit my Zipp 808's, a tire iron to change flats...and I bought a new helmet. I've worn my helmet out - the strap is broken, the inner padding has had a bit too much sweat. Isn't that pretty? So, there goes another $150.

Here's my race plan: swim easy, bike easy, run solid. The swim is a mass start. 2,500 people in a lake, a rectangle swim, big cannon fires off and everyone starts pounding it. My plan is protect my face...I'm going to wear contacts this time...and clear out from the crowd. No kicks to the teeth. The goggles have to stay on. If I lose them, and lose a contact, so be it. I'm planning to have my glasses in my T1 transition bag. The last time I did this everyone it in was considerably larger than me, from Germany (or some other country), and they all seemed to be physicians. The medical community sees the benefit of having a well conditioned heart I guess. Out of the water in 56 minutes or less?

The bike: settle in, take in calories, and get ready to put in my time. I wouldn't mind trying to hold 20 mph. The Madison course has lots of hills, some very similar to southern Indiana. I like hills, like to work them, and coast down fast. So this suits me well. I've never ridden hills like this on a time trial bike though where all the shifting is done up front, in the aero position. I don't climb well in that position - I like to be out of the saddle. So, I may have a bit of a learning curve with all the shifting between big ring and small ring. I'm going to go light on calorie intake. Slightly less than 100 per hour. I'm going to start out with 3 bottles - two of HEED and one water. I'll drop one mid-way and snag another water from the aid station. I'll have the opportunity to hit my BIKE SPECIAL NEEDS bag at mile 56...maybe some rain gear. I could be pouring and cold.

Run: Only 10% of Ironman participants finish the marathon in under 4 hours. Most have to walk. I fall into the most category. At least I did in 2008. So - we'll see. The marathon starts off ugly and just gets much worse as the miles pass by. If I can keep my glucose and hydration right I think I can plod along. RUN SPECIAL NEEDS: spare shoes...nice to change into dry shoes if it's poured rain the first 13 miles. Nothing else really - maybe a Snickers bar. Of all the high tech nutritional supplements I always crave and seem to perform well on straight-up sugar. Maltodextrin has it's place but a Snickers bar taste pretty good at mile 130.

And then it will be over. What then? I don't want it to end really. Which is why I'm thinking of signed up for next year. I'll be turning 40 years old next year. I'd prefer to keep in shape, all tuned up and ready to go, for as long I as I can.

I could see the bat's shadow in the moonlight

Ran early today. Dark the whole time now...the sun is barely up and it's 6:45. I can no longer ride to work comfortably,too dark. Those lovely morning rides didn't last long. As I ran this morning I could see the shadows of bats occasionnally swoop near me to check things out. There was a bright moon, a few loud talking walkers to break the fear going through the dark portions of the park.

Saturday I ran 6.2, Sunday I rode 50 then ran 5.5, Monday was rest, Tuesday I swam 2,000 yards, this am ran 7.5. I'm feeling pretty good. My heart is conditioned no doubt. Today is Septmerber 1st. My first word was 'sorry'...as I forgot to turn off my alarm which goes off at 4:50am. I was downstairs lacing up my shoes when I heard my wife turn it off. Oops. Anyway - I missed 'rabbits'.

75 Indiana miles

Rode 75 miles last Thursday. Good ride to Roanoke, then travelled north, then West a bit more into areas I've never been.

Friday was a rest day.

Saturday I rode 47 miles in the rain with a friend. We came upon a really bad auto accident out in the country. The ambulance had arrived, but they were still trying to get one person out of the car. Pretty gruesome sight. The Men of Steel guys didn't ride because it was raining. Huh? Fear of rust I suppose.

Sunday I ran 9.5 miles. Good run. I'm writing more brightly about running lately.

Monday ran 12.5 miles early AM. Here's the deal...my hearing 'goes out' sometimes in both ears when I run long distances. I've been telling my doctor this for over three years. My hypochondria has no end. So anyway she talked me into doing a hearing test with an ear/nose/throat specialist wherein I run for 12 miles then pop right into the sound chamber to see if they can detect anything. I ran circles around a hospital complex in the Fort (Dupont). I know every nook and cranny of the grounds now. Then I ran into the waiting room of a medical specialist and sat down, dripping wet, with a towel to sop up the perspiration. It was one of the most ridiculous moments of my life. I drank from the water fountain obnoxiously, as if I'd been lost in the desert for a week. My eyes were post-hard run blood shot, my hair was matted and wet and a mess, I changed my shirt in the parking lot and quickly soaked the fresh one. All the while I could hear every breath and my heart beep clearly in my right ear. I achieve the goal: the ear had 'gone out'. I sat. And sat. And my pulse returned to normal. And then my name was finally called....I explained the experiment in quick detail, told them I'd been running around the building in the dark for the last hour and forty-five minutes, next thing I know I was alone with little beeps going off through some head phones. I think I could hear them all. I responded affirmatively to every beeping beep, to my surprise. The nice lady did a series of test, then I saw the doctor, and on and on. Conclusion: hold your nose, close your mouth, and try to blow out your ears. "That should do it", my $30 co-pay specialist said.

I was looking for something more. But, it does seem to work. All that effort. All I needed to do was Google the subject I suppose.

This morning I put in a good 2,000 yard swim. Did 50's with head out - like what it takes to swim in an Ironman mass start with a whole bunch of bodies all over the place. Rode my bike home from work....was holding 25mph pretty consistently.

bike fit

I had a professional bike fit yesterday. This is well worth the time. Most of the study is a series of measurements and flexibility angles that your body can achieve while cycling. My fitter noticed my odd ankle - which I had long forgotten. "Have you ever broken your right ankle, or sprained it badly?" he asked. As a matter of fact I did - my freshman year of college playing ultimate Frisbee. I loved that game. My ankle swelled up to the size of a grapefruit, and my college swim coach still made me get in the water. Twenty years later it's still 'off'. My hips are good. One femur is a touch longer than the other. My flexibility is off the charts - "pretzel flexibility" is how he put it. Even so he raised my bars higher than what I think looks cool. Took a perfectly good bike and made it look a little goofy. What once just looked fast now looks my age. It is a bit more comfortable. My back will be slightly straighter, head a bit higher, but the aero envelope is still minimal. I'll hold this position for 5 hours, pedalling madly the whole time. It's important in Ironman distance to have a comfortable fit, not necessarily the the most aero fit. We did move the bars slightly in, elbows a touch more center. We changed the seat also - recently on a long ride my trusty saddle didn't real right. Instead it felt like pain and agony, with raw skin to prove it (sorry, it happens). I prefer Specialized...but learned that they drop a bit over time. I'm riding a test saddle to see if I like it; good marketing from the dealer. A bike seat cost about $150-$200. Crazy huh? Other than the seat decision my bike is ready, God willing I won't destroy the thing again. Tomorrow morning I'm doing my last 100 miler of the training season. Not sure the route yet...might just wander Indiana for a while and see where I end up.

Tonight I ran 8.5 miles. Good and fast. Stronger than I've felt all summer. I drank a glass of Champagne leftover from my wife's birthday a few minutes before heading out. So, OK, I'm not your normal triathlete. Maybe that's the key to running enjoyment? Champagne bubbles? It didn't seem to phase me. Actually was the fastest 8.5 I can remember. I'm ready to race NOW. Timing this whole thing to 9/12, being at peak level on a target date, is hard to do.

I wonder if they alow Champagne in your 'special needs' bag on the bike in Madison? Doubt it. More on the various bags that I have access to during the race later. To bed for me.

renewal of boot camp

I hadn't met up with the bootcamp guys for weeks, and I'm tired of running, so I jogged to the park this AM to fall in. The usual group was there. The leader excitedly pulled the morning props from the back of his Jeep - a landscape timber and an old car tire. We then proceeded to alternate running with the beam between two guys, one in-front one in-back, beam on shoulder and tire hanging in the middle around Foster park. It was quite a sight. When transitioning we'd do push-ups, sit-ups, sun gods, hello dollies, burpies, and 8-count body builders. All kinds of good bootcamp named exercises.

Hopefully I didn't ruin anything.

2 run

I ran twice today! A miracle. Fairly easy 2.5 this morning, and a quick 5.5 tonight. It was dark at the park, with half-moon light. Good temperature. Perfect running weather. And I felt strong which helped pass the time. Cardiovascularly I'm in pretty deceit shape. My lungs are like balloons. I bumped into some deer tonight at the park - haven't seen them in ages - it was dark and snowy the last time I saw deer at Foster. But they were out tonight enjoying the evening.

Last weekend I did a triple brick, almost. Wimped out on the last 6 mile run. Ended with a total bike of 50 miles and run of 14. Sunday I swam a good high quality 3,000 yards. 500 FR, 5 x 100FR on 1:20's, repeat. Held 1:02-1:05's on the hundreds. There's nothing like swimming. I felt good and sick for an hour after the workout.

I have a digital clock that shows the date. Everyday for months now I look at that clock in the morning and marvel at how fast the days go by and how few days remain between now and September 12th.

Flat tire in the parking lot today.

There's not much worse than leaving early from work to go cycling and getting a flat in the parking lot. There I was trying to skip out early to meet up with some guys for the Tuesday night race ride and I flatted at my car. It's odd enough to go from business casual (real casual) to skin tight Lycra in front of your co-workers. Worse to stand in the burning sun and change a tire on your bike while everyone else is working. Oh well, I worked fast and was on the road within minutes.

Super ride tonight. My lungs are still burning, can't take a deep breath. I just walked the boys up for bath and I had to pause on the stairs - true sign of a good ride. It was a small group tonight. I tried to keep it lively and do several attacks, long pulls at the front, attack again, etc. It worked - our pace was pretty solid the whole way. In the final moments I was dropped again. Attacked one too many times and had nothing left for the finish. A few of the guys thanked me for pushing it. Got in 60 miles of high intensity training. Good stuff.

The title to this entry makes me think of a song titled "murder in the trailer park tonight". Can't remember the band, but I bet my sister does?

4:30 AM

Couldn't sleep, so I went running. On the road at 4:30am. The humidity hit me the second I stepped from the air-conditioned luxury of my home. Very interesting 7 miles of running. I skipped the park and decided to run downtown, so I made my way through the neighborhood to Broadway. This road is littered with a few small bars, old houses, a train overpass, and some other business that really shouldn't be solvent. But yet they exist. You don't see a wig shop very often but one survives not far from my home. Oh what a lovely street. There were a few people out and about. In the distance I could see a nice woman wearing a short skirt. Remember, it's 4:30am, the dead of night, on Broadway. She heard me coming and stopped, turned my way, and waited for me to pass. We exchanged "good mornings" and I was on my way. Next I saw a man laying in the most unusual way - up the set of stairs in front of a church, as if he sat down, then just laid down to sleep. The unusual part was he was grasping the arm rail leading into the church with his opposite arm, contorting his body, and slightly raising himself up off the concrete steps. Didn't look too comfortable. If I was homeless I would hang by the church also rather than under the bridges with everyone else. I didn't run under the bridges this morning. // I passed by the local hot dog store. Inside I recognized the hot dog man with the bad nose in the dim light of onion air. He was at the grill, at 4:45am, readying his daily labor. I was recently in France - and on my morning run there I passed a bakery where everyone walked in the morning to pick up their fresh croissants and daily bread. In America it's hot dog prep. I saw more - the world is different at that hour, everything seemed like it was set-up on a stage waiting for the actors to appear. I found a nice house for sale in West Central, ran past my kids former day care, ran past our church, nearly had to step over another guys legs that were sticking out into the sidewalk as he slept. When finished I walked directly down the middle of my street, shirtless, covered in sweat, looking at the homes. I was done running by 5:30am. The good clean world was soon to wake up.

no short-cuts

You can't take any short cuts with Ironman. I think that's what I've done this time around in my training. I ran 22 miles yesterday and rode 95 miles today.

Yesterday's run was horrible. I haven't been running enough, again. I should just run everyday. Every single day, like a Kenyan going to school. But I don't because it hurts. I was so completely spent at mile 18 it was scary. La-la land. And then in my last mile a little itty-bitty dog ran out of no where and was barking and nipping at my ankles. I almost went down, dancing around the dog, trying to be nice. But then I felt the little fella's teeth bite down on my skin, just a little pinch. Next, little precious ran in front of me were I landed a fairly powerful kick to his snout. That ended things pretty quickly. I've never had to kick a dog before, but I think it had to be done.

Afterwards I felt horrible for about three hours, had to take a nap, iced my knees, drank and ate everything in sight.

Today I rode and rode, started out solo, then hooked up with a friend, then went solo again. Great weather. I've really enjoyed the Queen Anne's Lace that lines the country roads this summer. I'm sure its considered a weed, but it's a flower. A nice touch of white among the blue and green setting. The only noteworthy event was my second water-bottle cage that kept coming loose, and rattling. I had to carry the bottle in my back jersey pocket. No allen wrench on hand to correct the situation.

I got home, drank my Recoverite, and went for a light jog. Real light - maybe a mile. Just to get the message to my muscles. Then shower, and a 25 minute nap. Napping immediately after a 5 hour workout feels great. Highly recommended. It's forced rest.

Sore throat

The sore throat that's been plaguing me really hit hard this morning. I swam 2,000 yards this AM, but felt sick mostly the whole time. Did 5 x 200 free on 3:00. Held 2:15's. Then off to Starbuck's, cereal, banana, work.

nutrition...and other thoughts

At work yesterday I downed some "Grandma's Mini-Sandwich Cremes" from the vending machine. It's hopeless. I'm hooked on sugar.


Ran 7 miles Tuesday morning in the rain with a friend.


Rode a total of 50 miles Monday, ran 2.2. No rest since the half-ironman.

Wednesday swam 1,000 yards outside at Pocohontas. It was miserable.

This morning I got up at 5:00am and ran 10 miles like it was nothing. I think my mind was in the right place - floating around from thought to thought rather than thinking about my stride, impact, future knee replacement, etc. I just ran along in the dark and humidity and enjoyed the coming of light.

I learned a fair amount at that half I did last weekend. Triathletes are weird mostly. Weird like swimmers I met in high school. A bit sheltered. Kind of goofy. Lots of talk about the races they've done recently, fear of swimming, love of running. They look good though - nice legs. Really the stock triathlete is pretty well rounded overall, upper body/lower body development. Thanks to swimming I reason. Running kind of cast a gaunt thinness after prolonged use. I try to stay away from it as much as possible. That fact will haunt me soon.

During the 13.1 run last weekend I was uninterested. Good thing they don't have you do a 1 mile loop. I would have probably stopped at my car and gone home. The swim was completely different. I looked forward to the start, my pulse was steady, no pre-race jitters whatsoever. I looked around at all the toned men in my group and they all looked like nervous runners before a long swim. I knew I had the advantage. During the swim I could tell also that they weren't 'working' with the current. There was an obvious push from the lake that could be taken advantage of if one timed the pull phase of the stroke...but everyone was fighting the water. I would come up on people's feet and pass from foot to head in about two strokes then they would be out of sight. How discouraging. I think I could make a living by teaching triathletes how to swim. Something to fall back on if this CFO business sputters out.

I'm on the final approach. I keep thinking that all the time. Have I done enough? Do I have enough time to put in the aerobic base that I need? July was very weak. My plan calls for a rest week next week and then taper. I'm not tapering yet. Planning to keep building up a bit, breaking myself down, and having a two week taper. We shall see. What do I want from all this? Hmmm? Nothing really. That's my answer: Nothing. I don't even enjoy talking about it with people because it's such a long explanation....I've defined in casual conversation over a hundred times the distances for each segment of a full distance Ironman. And then people want to know how much I train, and then this, and then that, etc. I don't even bring it up if I avoid it - saves the small talk.

Steelhead Half-Ironman

Yesterday I did Steelhead in Benton Harbor, MI. My time was 4:52.

The morning set-up was horrible. It was cold, it was raining, and it was dark. I was wearing a T-shirt. In the midst of the other 2,500 competitors I found my spot in the bikes racks, dropped my gear, and tried to find a spot out of the rain. For the next 60 minutes I sat around in the changing rooms with a bunch of guys in wet-suits next to the heavily utilized urinals. It sounds gross but was actually quite nice - warm and dry.

Things I should have at transition: a light rain jacket and a headlamp.

The swim started in waves - I was in wave 15! Nearly the last to go. It was a beach start, on Lake Michigan. The water was perfect, surprisingly, still nearly everyone wore wet-suits. Wet-suits are like wearing flippers and paddles to me - the buoyancy that you get makes a huge difference in the water. I swam strong, passed two waves that started before me, and was the first guy out of the water from my group. Those triathletes are not swimmers.

Transition (T1) was a little slow - getting out of a wet-suit un-aided is nearly impossible. I also left my gear wrapped tight in plastic to protect it from the rain, so I had to fuss with finding everything. After what felt like an eternity I was on my bike. Riding my new Felt B2R for the first time, other than a few light spins around the neighborhood. I learned a good lesson: never ride a brand new bike for the first time in a race situation. At mile 10 I noticed that the bolt holding the handlebars to the stem was coming loose! The bars had some play that made me fear the entire aero unit would swivel down to the front tire. This is not a good thing to have on your mind for the remaining 46 miles. Nonetheless I just kept on riding. The bolt kept riding as well - didn't get any worse amazingly. It was a good ride - I average 22mph for 56miles. Finished in 2:30. Likely my fastest time ever for the bike segment. I attribute this mostly to the Zipp 808's I got for fathers day, and a whole bunch of cycling lately.

The run. I had a fairly fast transition at T2. Put on my visor, changed shoes, rotated my number from back to front, and I was gone. My normal psychological barrier to running started to creep in. Maybe it's because the run always hurts coming off the bike? I struggled to enjoy the run. I was hitting 8:30's for a while (which is slow). There were two big hills, one of which we had to run up twice, as it was a loop run. I finished strong - finally decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and push the last three miles. Averaged an 8:15 pace.

So this was half of an Ironman. I have 5 weeks until the big one.

update

Last Friday I rode 45 miles right after work in furnace like heat. It was the hottest ride of the season. Water becomes so important in heat training. I think I needed a bit more - I got home, sat down for a while, and when I stood up my vision turned to a swirling paisley print. Pretty cool design really, not sure how my brain did it, but I stood motionless in the living room and concentrated on the pre-fainting paisley pattern until it passed. That's some hot weather!

Saturday I got in a quick 1,000 yards at the Y. I was short on time so I knocked out two quick 500 yard free's max effort. Felt pretty strong. My breathing felt clear, effortless. A good sign.

Sunday was the Indiana State Road Race championship - a cycling event. My first real road race since I was about 16 years old. It was rainy, the course was wet. There was literally a line for the ambulance at the end of the race. People were crashing all over the place. I was almost tangled up in a guy losing control going through a turn...I watched him perfectly plant his face in the ditch on the side of the road. Another time there were several bikes suddenly down in front of me - I pulled hard to the left to avoid the bodies and bikes but noticed there were more bikes than bodies. Later I learned the missing owner of the bike was found thrown into the 6' tall corn field with a broken collar bone. Ouch. I just staying in the draft, kept my eyes on the situation, and waited for the sprint. I finished somewhere in the top 20 out of 40 or so guys I suppose. I was well positioned going into the final stretch but was dropped on the sprint by several people. Good times. I told my boss about this race and he's once again worried about my judgement.

Last night I ran 10 miles. Good run, good temperature finally. I'm feeling horribly under-trained. Time goes so fast - and it takes so much time to get to Ironman level. September 12th is right around the corner!

Boo Radley Running

I read To Kill a Mockingbird on my vacation. Great book.

I ran 7.5 miles this morning. It's so dark already in the morning? It was pitch black when I started out...and foggy. As I ran past a dim light at the park a bat swept down past me, completely silent, making it's presence known by fluttered a bit in front of me in the foggy ill light. Yikes. Creepy. I started thinking that this is exactly the type of running weather Boo Radley would prefer.

Yesterday I swam 2,200 yards. Did two hard 800 yards swims all out. Rode into work yesterday in a heavy fog and lived to write about it. 18 miles.

my return to training

I have fallen off the face of this blog. Neglected. Abandoned. This entire expose has drifted off to become words floating around on the surface of the Internet of all things long forgotten. Likewise my training has also suffered greatly over the last few weeks. I think I've gained weight actually. Tonight I did the Tuesday night race ride and finished behind the pack; as in didn't lead the break-away group. And I was dying. It was really a wake up call.

We went to France last week. Spent time in the beautiful French Alps. Took skiing chair lifts across the mountain tops to the finish line of Stage 8 of the Tour de France. Snapped some good photos of Lance Armstrong. He looked like he was my age that day. I swam one day at a pool in Chatel, France. Dress code: Speedo. I've never felt so out of place in my life. I had to go buy a Speedo - as I didn't pack mine. I've never walked around a casual public pool in a Speedo type suit. I felt so European. Took a train to Paris and walked ourselves silly around that beautiful city. Saw fantastic art that I have always wanted to see. Drank Bordeaux. One early morning I ran from our hotel past Notre Dame, past the Louvre, to within sight of the Eiffel tower, and then home. I didn't have any identification on me at all. Young Parisians were still on their way home, drunk, and having mild fights in the streets over girls (completely true). There is not much trash in Paris - you can't get anything To Go. But you can buy a bottle of wine. I ran past the ruin of many bottles on my morning run - and watched the street cleaning crews sweep the glass away. It was different than a lap or two at Foster Park. Took the Euro Star under the English Channel to London. Spent a great night at an old English manor in the country side, and finally toured around London for a day. Not a bad week all in all.

Except for zero training. Even the week leading up to the trip was mostly lost - I had so much to prepare. My training was sacrificed. Poor timing also - as I'm in the big part now, the final push. Every work out has to count. But for whatever reason I don't seem to care anymore? Horrible isn't it? It all kind of started when I trashed my TT bike.

Yesterday I ran 6.5miles. This morning I swam 2,000 yards. Tonight I rode 40 miles that almost killed me. I'm coming back.

50/20

I rode 50 miles today, nice weather. Perfect cycling in fact. The farmers were out making hay - literally. I love seeing huge swaths of field with large rolls of hay strewn about. It's surreal. And real - like the work of a farmer in the field. That Whitley county is beautiful.

I took the day off today to train. So, when I got home from the ride I drank some calories (glass of HEED and a Poptart) then went on my long run. 20 miles. Everything was going along until mile 14 or so. At one point I stopped and just sat down for a minute to stretch and stop. I think the ride took a little out of me. It was not a good run. I got home, hobbled upstairs, got a few towels to lay on, and immediately fell asleep. I didn't have any gels (liquid calories) on the run or the ride. So I was a little bonked out. I was also desperate for water a few times...eventually made it to one of my local water holes. There's a house with quick, obscure hose access right off the sidewalk that I hit routinely. I've never asked permission - but it seems like no one is ever home.

The death of good bike.

I've had a major set back. It's really unbelievable. I don't even want to write the words as there is no way to avoid the embarrassement. There are moments in life when everything stops and you wish you could go back just a couple seconds: I drove my time trial bike, mounted to the roof of my car, into a small overpass and destroyed it.


There. I said it. The truth is out.


I stood outside the car, thrown into an adrenaline sweat, and assessed the damage. My grandmother-in-law, wife, and kids sat in the vehicle watching to see if I would explode. I quitely disassembled the cracked frame from the broken and bent roof rack. My 1 week old Zipp 808 wheel that I received as a father's day present was still strapped to the bent Thule rack. It now spins with a slight wobble.

This was over a week ago. I've been on suicide watch. I'm starting to come out of it. The word DUMB really sums the whole thing up pretty well.

I raced in the Warsaw Sprint triathlong last Saturday. Placed 11th out of 750. Had a good solid race. Friday I rode to Angola, killed my bike on the way home, swam a 1,300 on Monday evening. Tuesday ran 8 miles and did boot camp. Wednesday swam 3,500 yards in the AM. I haven't done anything today (Thursday). Tomorrow I took the day off to train. I'm thinking of doing a series of really super big days. I've got to put in the time.

So, you know anyone selling a high-end carbon fiber time trial bike in mint condition?

Friday in June

Update for the week:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Race Ride with the big boys. I was in the lead pack- killing it, when I broke another spoke. I think the Mavics are history. Very hilly course, intense pace - loved it. Had to linger back about 15 miles to my car, not knowing where I was, with a rear wheel that wobbled like a wagon wheel.

Wednesday: Ran 16 miles. Nice run, started out in a major thunderstorm, lightning, high winds, soaked shoes, poor visibility. Loved it. I didn't like running 16 miles with soggy shoes and socks, but that happens in triathlon so I kept with it.

Thursday: Swim. 1,000 free all out, 4 x 100 each stroke, 200 kick fly. Out. A quick one.

Friday: I'm going to rest again today. Tomorrow morning I'm doing a sprint triathlon in Warsaw, IN.

120 Miles to Indy

It seemed like a nice thing to do for Father's Day - go see my Dad. And, I was scheduled for a long ride...so I rode to Indianapolis (Carmel really). But Fort Wayne to Indy for me. Something I've always thought of doing. 120 miles - the farthest I've ever ridden in one ride. And I did get to spend sometime with my Dad and family to top it off.

I didn't approach a ride of this distance with much forethought. I woke up Sunday, made some coffee, hugged my kids, read the paper, went through my normal Christian guilt for missing church again on Sunday morning, then started to plan out my workout. I quitely Google mapped Fort Wayne to Indianapolis and drew a line representing I-69 on an piece of paper. Then I wrote the names of most of the smaller towns on either side on the I-69 line...so that I could at least get my bearings as I happened upon little towns like Jonesboro, Markle, Upland and Elwood. From there, I'm embarrassed to write, I packed my nutrition for the ride: 1 Hostess Dunkin Stick, 1 banana, 1 chocolate covered Granola bar type thing which later melted it in my back jersey pocket. My pre-ride meal consisted of: 1 Hostess Dunkin Stick and two cups of coffee. Hostess? Shame. That has to be the absolute worst thing to eat. I don't follow a very holistic approach to my training, obviously.

The ride was good. I pedalled strong the whole way, only a few times did I stand to coast and stretch it out. I focused on my cadence and breathing, and just watched my shadow follow me along. The sun was horrible. I certainly didn't enjoy being in the sun that long. I had no where to hide, as it was a bright sunny hot day. I didn't get any flats, thankfully. Having not planned the morning well - I only had one spare tire. Normally two spares is a little smarter for that distance. I'm forever indebted to the woman that works at the Burger Dairy in Elwood, IN. She not only rounded down my bill (bought water and a Coke at mile 85) so that I didn't have to carry change, she also drew a map for the final 35 miles. That was perfect timing as I was growing a bit weary and losing focus.

Learn how to kick to be a good swimmer.

Friday morning: Swam 4,200 yards this morning, mostly all freestyle. 168 laps. A good solid swim. I read recently some blog about a guy who is doing a 10k swim at Morse reservoir in Indy....made me realize I need to be putting in more yardage. There was a new guy at the pool this morning, thin as a rail, non-swimmer. He got in the lane with the 300lb woman rather than my lane. Fine with me. I had to comment to him at one point about his kick...it was as fast as a humming bird's wings but produced no forward propulsion. All it did was force his heart rate up, and he would stop in the middle of the pool gasping for air. I tried to describe what he needed to do, but it didn't seem to help much; he continued to kick as if he was trying to rapidly fling something off his big toe. I couldn't watch after a while.

Thursday: Rest day, slept in, felt great.

Wednesday: Ran 10 miles. I experienced a fair amount of left hip pain on this one. A sure sign of dead shoes. Or overuse. Or hip dysplasia, like an old dog. I'm going to buy another pair of shoes and worry about my hips when I'm older - as surely they'll need to be replaced someday.

Tuesday - Race Ride

I had a big Tuesday, yesterday.

First I hit the Boot Camp guys at the park and ran through the motions again - I'm getting stronger at that stuff, a little weak on the push-ups still. My biceps have always been a bit stunted.

After 'Camp' I rode to work, putting in some speed work- racing sporadically between telephone poles. I've discovered a new, perfect route to work. Very little traffic, nice road, straight 18 mile trip.

After work yesterday I went to the Tuesday Race rides and had a good showing. I attacked the pack twice and broke away solo. The first one was good because two guys came along and we worked together, dropping the group and finishing the 'race' strong. Then we re-grouped and started out again. I saw an opportunity to break again climbing a hill so I went for it, head down, legs like pistons, burning. After a few minutes I glanced back....and I was solo. No one came along to help. The term commitment comes into play at that time. If you break from the pack solo you can either give-up, look silly and gear-down until everyone catches you, or gear-up and see how long you can push it. I gave it my all, but was ultimately caught by two guys that bridged up to me. I was able to hang and finish top three anyway.

My legs are sore today: 43 fast Tuesday miles.

Week 25

I've been following my program for 25 weeks now. I hopped on the scales this morning at the Y after my swim. I've lost two pounds. From 185 to 183.


I've been spending some good time on the bike lately, consistant for the last four days. About 120 miles total. I brought my bike into work this morning planning to ride home and then back again tomorrow. Commuting to and from work is such a pain. On Sunday night I have to plan what I'm going to wear for Tuesday, as the clothes need to be at work. I have ridden with a small pack on my back before with a change of clothes, that too is unenjoyable, feels more pack-mule rather than cyclist.


I'm obsessed lately with Zipp wheels. It's a curious process, contemplating a major investment in my pursuit of cycling. Zipp wheels are the equivalent of a Rolex watch. Or Ping golf clubs (I think those are good ones?), or like buying cookware from Williams-Sonoma. I would never wear a Rolex watch, even if I could afford to buy one, they're too pretentious. But I may soon be riding Zipp wheels. What's wrong with this? I don't think I can stop myself. Spending money on cycling is so easy to justify: it's for your health, your fitness, you only live once. And then I think of the kids college fund, and car repairs, and laundry detergent, and all the other things we need that cost money. I went so far as to attend a recent Zipp clinic, where a rep had the wheels available to try out. I rode a pair of 404's. Carbon wheels are sweet. I should have never gone there. Since then I've been re-evaluating my current stock pile of material goods, with crazy thoughts about what I can sell on eBay, like "do we really need a lawn mower", "how much can we get for these dishes", etc.

Oh well. Petty concerns. I put in a nice brick yesterday - 42 bike 8 mile run. This week is supposed to be an 'active' recovery week. I'm going to keep on training as we have a vacation coming up and I won't have my bike with me for a week.

Boot Camp is not Yoga

I hit the 6:00am boot camp workout this morning. We did jumping jacks, push-ups, 8-count boby-builders, burpies, crab walk, bear crawls, leg raises, leap frog jumps, and then ran a single file pace line around the neighborhood rotating a 25 pound bag of sand between us. Good times! Sprinting with a 25lb bag on sand over your shoulder was different.

8-count body builders are horrible. Standing in wet dewy grass, in the middle of a baseball field, squatting down, jumping into a push-up position, then jumping legs out, legs back in, push-up, jump to squat, then jump up in the air as high as you can. Do that sometime - 25 times, as fast as you can. Do it near something you can lean on afterwards.

Sunday I rode 92 miles then ran 5. A solid brick workout. It was yet another windy ride. I felt OK on the run, not really in the mood to do 21 more miles, but OK.

A friend of mine extended an offer to run a 30 mile trail run this weekend in Warsaw, IN. I might give it a go - slow and easy.

My kids started swim team yesterday - their very first practice. Before they got into the water I was going to tell them that it would hurt. I decided not to - just to let them learn. My younger son got out of the water later, it was cold, he was shivering, he was a little weepy, and he said "I hurt all over".

update - Updated

Friday: rode 25 miles.

Saturday: Swam 2,000 yards. The life guard asked if I was the 'Gary' on the neat board on the wall that documents those that have swam the equivalent of the Panama Canal. Apparently I could earn a free Mexican dinner certificate or something from the Y if I participated. I said "No, I'm not Gary...but I could probably swim the Panama Canal". She agreed.

Sunday: Rode 70 miles / ran 5. Hooked up with some guys at Foster. One of them has done 8 Ironman distance triathlons - and boy did it show. I've ridden with him before - he rides with the Dentist. It was a pretty good ride once my Memorial Day Cookout from the previous night hang-over wore off in the heat. The 5 mile run was in the HEAT. I had to take a quick 20 minute nap after that ordeal.

Monday: Ran 2.2 easy with Zeke the dog. I keep repeating the words "with me" trying to get him to learn a phrase that means something.

Tuesday: Boot Camp. Only two of us showed up, me and the leader of the group. So - we ran a few miles and did push-ups. It was a bust.

Tuesday Night: Ran 6 miles then watched the boys play a double header until 9:30pm on a school night. To bed at 11:15pm.

Wednesday: up at 4:45am. Drove to the downtown pool. And then, catastrophe! It was bone dry. I hate that feeling. I was there, I was ready - and the pool was closed for repair. I quickly turned around and drove to the other Y across town. Swam a good 2,800 freestyle workout.

Post Boot Camp

I was so sore that I couldn't sleep last night. My arms are not functioning. Boot camp has caught up with me - I couldn't turn over in bed without grimacing. Can't wait 'til next Tuesday morning to do it again.

I ran 14 miles last night. It was hot. I was drenched, running with paralyzed arms, with bugs flying into me and sticking, and choking and sputtering on cottonwood tree 'cotton' . It was great. A guy could choke to death running down wind of a cottonwood tree. Ran the whole thing at Foster to be close to a water source.

Today is going to be a rest day. I got in four workouts over the last two days. Tomorrow AM swim, then Memorial day weekend. I'm going to try for a century ride. I'm thinking of picking up a new pair of shoes pretty soon. I think I've run my current pair down to nothing.

Boot Camp

I hooked up with some guys that do a boot camp workout. All kinds of crazy army type stuff...push-ups, leg raises, 8-count body-builders, some move they called 'burpies' I think? We did it in the outfield of my kids baseball diamond at the park. 6:00am, laying down in wet grass doing sit-ups, jumping around, and doing wind-sprints. We raced 'bear crawl' across the field, then did the 'crab-walk' backwards. I'm sore from head-to-toe. I'm going to try to show-up every Tuesday morning - it's good cross training.



Rode 20 miles home last night, rode in this morning 18. Tonight: big run - 16.5 miles. Oh boy. I had to get a babysitter so that I can run tonight. My wife has to work. So, not only will this run hurt me, it will cost me. Sticking with my training plan over the next several weeks will be difficult.

Geist Half Marathon

Friday: rode 18.5 miles around the park, multiple laps as fast as I could, major storm ended that ride.


Saturday: ran the Geist half marathon...1:36. Hilly course, nice solid run. Then I helped move my sister's house all day long. I felt like I completed an Ironman at the end of that day.


Sunday: rode 43 miles, ran 2.2. My legs are conditioned. I would normally not be able to ride/run the day following a 1/2 marathon, but I felt pretty good.


On to another week. I'm going to try to put in some more consistancy this week. I only have about 3 months left to train. Time is moving fast.

hands

Wednesday. 5:30AM. Cycling indoors. I couldn't stand it. I rode hard, briefly, then dropped to the floor and did sit-ups, bench, shoulders, and some other weight lifting moves. Weight lifting places a greater stress on the body as compared to my other most frequent activity: typing.


Office hands can type like mad. But they suffer a bit on the cold iron in my basement.


Later on Wednesday I ran 5.5 miles. One lap with the dog and one lap in peace.


Thursday I did a quick swim on my lunch. 1,700 yards. Usual warm-up then 3x 50, 3 x 75, 3 x 100 descending. Then 300, 200, 100. A nice workout. All freestyle. Not a soul was in the pool - kind of creepy - but good for technique. I could watch the bubbles created by my hands as they entered the pool, unobstructed from other swimmers. I have my own theories related to hydrodynamics...the less air you catch when entering the water the more power you can generate on the pull phase of the stroke. It has to be true. Your hands play a huge role in swimming...try swimming with a fist sometime. You go no where. Simply opening up your hand is like turning on a propeller. I've never really been taught how to swim, I never swam age group, never read Swimmers World, never sat around at those horrible meets playing euchre with other kids waiting two hours to swim for 35 seconds. I started out in high school and had to learn quick. The expectation was that you already knew how to swim.


I ran last night - one quick lap. 2.2 miles.


Tomorrow I'm running another 1/2 marathon. One thing I haven't written much about this week is cycling. I've slipped a little. Alot actually. I'm starting to worry that I'm not getting in the workouts I need. Not enough time: work commitments, kids Little League, vacation planning, a minor cold, the yard, the dog, laundry for goodness sake. Trivial little things are interferring: I'm not even happy with my cell phone. It's a good life. I need to push it all away and just ride my bike more.

Weekend Cycling

Sat: 40km (24miles) Time Trial.

Sun: 72 miles



Saturday was interesting - another time trial. Maximum sustained effort. The point of the matter was pretty easy: ride 12 miles into Ohio, turn around, ride back. Time Trials are not 'fun'. I didn't pace it right, could have gone out a bit faster, because once we turned into the wind for the return trip it hurt, and the pace slowed. Anyway - I got 5th. Some of those guys can really push it. I suppose for my first GO I did alright.



Sunday I rode a mostly solo ride - there was a large annual group ride in Roanoke that I rode to and hooked up with a group of guys I know. From there we rode to Huntington. They were doing the 56 mile loop, and I had already put in about 40 miles - so I split off and headed for home. There I was, solo, in Huntington, IN, about 30 miles from home, faced again with a significant headwind. I was tired and hungry. It was a long hard trip home. I lost my spirit for cycling on that ride.

Monday: quick AM run with the dog. Uneventful. 1 lap at the park.

Tuesday: AM swim. 2,700 yards. 800 SKDS (200 Swim, Kick Drill Swim). Then a descending ladder set - 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 free with 100 kick between each.

My son turned 9 years old today. A beautiful boy. I sat at the table cluttered with birthday cake remains and listened to him talk, telling a simple story. I took close note of his 9 year old features. I can clearly remember his 1st birthday. We sat at the same table then. Children are a gift.

Set-Back: Caught a cold

I woke up Wednesday with a cold. The one that has been plaguing my office co-workers. I've been down - this is day three with no exercise, although I plan to run tonight hopefully. I've been drifting through life sedated by Vicks DayQuil. "Non-drowsy" is says right on the box. It should say something like "you'll stare out the window listlessly for hours if you take this stuff". I now have a cough. When I get a cough it last for a month. I can feel my muscles growing weaker by the minute. With every stuffed-up breath my VO2Max is dropping.

Tomorrow morning I've signed up for a 40km time trial - bike race. I'm not really feeling in the mood - but I'm going for it. My body on a few LiquiCaps of DayQuil can hammer through anything.

5:00 am, dark, pouring rain. Cold

"My rest day is over". I kept saying this to myself laying in bed this morning, hitting snooze, listening to the rain, guessing the outside temperature, vacillating between more sleep or exercise.

"My rest day is over". Apparently you need to repeat that statement for a full thirty minutes. I rolled out at 5:30, dressed, put on my Gore-Tex jacket and trudged outside to the car. Swimming day. At least I wasn't preparing to run.

I swam a nice IM workout. My butterfly felt fairly strong this morning. Main set was 100 swim /kick/drill of each stroke. Finished with 25's all out, no breath. 2,500 yards total

Back home again before anyone was even out of bed. Got Spongebob on the tube, let the dog out in the rain, got the clothes ready for school, then raced off to work.

56 Miles of Headwind

I rode to Angola on Sunday, the day after running the Mini.

It was 56 miles of headwind and pain. After running the race Saturday I felt pretty good. Not so on Sunday morning rolling out of bed to kick off the Mother's Day merriment. I don't know what it is - but after running hard I can't seem to walk down stairs.

Anyway - I got on several layers and started out to Angola where I would meet up with family. The winds were coming out of the North/West. My route was a straight line from Fort Wayne to Auburn, then through the small town of Waterloo, then on to Angola. The world was picture perfect for the ride.

There were a few remarkable spots along the way of just field and sky with only distance green tree lines separating the two.

Today is my rest day. My legs need it.

Indianapolis Mini-Marathon

Ran 13.1 today in 1:35

The Mini is a nice run. It's a community event - the largest half-marathon in the country. I feel it to be more of a patriotic duty to run this race than anything else. There are helicopters hovering above, they sing the National anthem, sign the State song -something about on the banks of the Wabash?, etc. I'm always happy to just be there for another year in the midst of 30,000 runners. Thankful that my body can still go through the motions. This year it was cold, with a strong western wind. I was freezing at the start. FREEZING. I couldn't break free of the crowd for the longest time it seemed - but once I found my stride I felt pretty strong today. Normally I finish and have double vision, so unbalanced I step on my opposing calf when walking through the family reunion area , and have no use of my legs for hours....if not days. Today I was so cold I jogged to my car. I just finished mowing the yard. I'm feeling half-way deceit. Amazing what training can do.

This was a good gauge of my fitness level. Usually the problems arise with either a muscle cramp or some kind of cardio pain - lung, side-stitch. I felt great the whole time. I think I hit some 6:30 miles on the way back from the Indy 500 track. My mantra worked yet again: "All systems go".

Bike History

I can remember every bike ever had, likely every bike I've ever ridden.

My first bike wasn't a bicycle - it was a very genuine tricycle...of the quality they don't make these days. Next I was the proud owner of a big wheel. I ruined that plastic beauty by "burning out" the front wheel. A six year old memory stored away til now. I was even lucky enough to own a 'green machine', kind of a hybrid big wheel, but far cooler. It had four wheels, was green of course, and had levers that could stop the rear wheels. Ah, the joy of showing off at age 7.

My parents tied a string to my first real bike that led from the Christmas tree all over the house to my prized orange painted beauty. It had some plastic embellishment on the top tube which I quickly learned could be flipped upside down to transport various seeds and berries from the neighborhood trees. I would ride with one hand and throw crab apples at my friends with the other.

Next came a more sophisticated BMX bike. Flashy. Strong. I always believed I could make that bike move fast. It was later given to a neighborhood kid. I remember seeing it years later - broken down and used up.

Then came a very cheap and common Free Spirit 10 speed bike. It was a horrible mass produced bike - the kind that should never be made, sold, or bought. It got me to the pool on a daily basis - until the day my Incredible Hulk towel got caught in the chain and I wrecked miserably.

Up until this time I just rode bikes like most kids. They got me around. When I met my sisters boyfriends brother it all changed. I clearly remember talking with him immediately following a ride - he owned a Cinelli. An Italian racing bike. He told me of his many adventures in and out of traffic on our city streets. I was interested. I started to beg and plead with my mother the next day I'm sure. I stepped up to a Raliegh Wyoming touring bike that we bought at the Schwinn shop. This was a great shop, or so I thought at age 14. It's now a fairly swanky pizza place on the North side of Broad Ripple near the canal. I rode several thousand miles on that Raleigh I'm sure. One Spring Break week in high school I rode 600 miles. I was a complete dork ( past tense there).

I moved on to an Oschner...I think an English bike. This bike was short lived. Blue. I was riding with a pro-level triathlete in Bloomington, IN (he was later to be first out of the water at Ironman Kona) when I heard an odd sound. I glanced down and noticed that the seat tube of the frame was swinging - detached from the bottom bracket. That's a scary sight when cycling hills near B-town. So -had to buy a new frame.

This progression led me to a Basso. My first Italian bike. All white. All steel. Perfect fit. I loved this bike. It cornered like a Cadillac. My cycling skills flourished on this bike. My Basso has to go down as one of biggest regrets: I sold the thing in college for money to buy a Fender Jazz Bass. Huh? I didn't even know how to play bass. I still don't.

In college I bought a Bridgestone MB-2 mountain bike to get around. I still feel horrible for the guy I hit in traffic once....he was in his car, and I blasted the passenger side rear-view mirror off the vehicle racing to class. It was a clear hit and run case. Me and my bike damaged a car in traffic. Thought it was pretty cool at the time. Loved the bike. And I still miss it....stolen when my roommates had a party when I was away. Bad karma I suppose. That is such a college mistake - leaving my most valuable possession in the care of my roommates.

I replaced that one with another Bridgestone MB-2. Bad color - purple. But oh could it move. Amazingly, also stolen, from my garage, two days before the birth of my first son. I still keep an eye out for this bike, nearly 9 years later.

Next came eBay: I picked up a Bridgestone MB-Zero. The bike that gave Bridgestones a cult like following. It still sits safely in my basement. I fell off the deep end, and had a job, so I bought another MB-2 off eBay...just like the one my roommates lost.

I forgot my steel Lemond. I picked up an entry level Lemond (from the former Tour great Greg Lemond - a childhood idol) in my mid 20's. I even did a few triathlons back then, but never really dedicated myself to the training. This bike is tucked away in the basement also...soon to be eBay'd.

I had a long absence from cycling. A college friend called up out of the blue one day and asked me if I wanted to do Ironman Wisconsin. That was 2007. I've been hooked since then.

Current road bike: Cervelo Soloist - Aluminum - 2007.
Current time trial bike: Felt B12 - Carbon fiber - 2009.

I'm embarrassed to write that I personally own five bikes.

The Basso was the best.