A rainy Sunday

Friday: Swam 1,600 yards on lunch. 800 SKPS and then 4 x 200 IM. Ever do a 200 IM? Down and back of each stroke - fly/back/breast/free. They hurt.

Saturday: 20km Time Trial. I got 4th. It was my first road time trial. I placed the best of the Men of Steel racing guys I've been hanging out with, so that was kind of rewarding. Top three would have been better though. I could write a book on my athletic disappointments. There is some guy in my city that looks like Hercules and he's SUPER into cycling. I would guess that his bicycle cost more than $10,000. The bike does not make the rider...but in this case he has the bike and the body. When I say his legs looked like tree trunks, I mean it. He was ahead of me by 1 minute, the other two guys that got me were within a few seconds. About thirty people showing up in the sub-32 degree weather.

Sunday: Swam 3,500 yards. Good solid workout. The Y had a scuba class and portly men in full scuba gear kept scurrying along the bottom of my lane, looking at me. I've never seen anything like it. I just swam on.

Later I ran, in a slight rain. Speed Work. I was like a zombie from my swim, but I went ahead and followed the plan -did a mild warm-up, then sprints. I did some 200 meter sprints, total effort, running on my toes, full stride, like a kid at recess.

Triathlete magazine had an interesting article recently about improving your running. I always read the running articles -looking for the secret to running enjoyment. It suggested doing a drill of skipping, like when you were a kid, with high knees, forcibly pushing off with your toes to gain height. I remembered this article today, standing in the rain at the park I frequent. There are societal obstacles that must be overcome with this exercise. Unenthusiastically, with a watchful eye along the path for fellow park-goers, I quickly busted out by best, most powerful skipping. I've never placed 'power' and 'skipping' in the same sentence. It was really a joke, I sure was smiling and hoping not to be seen. I doubt my running prowess will improve much by skipping around the park.

Anyway. I'll pay for the sprinting tomorrow. My watch was dead, so no idea how many miles I travelled. Not many though. That intensity delivers quick results.