Take care of yourself

I just did another 10k the weekend before last and for the first time, I didn't hate every step. Might make a difference that since the previous 10k, I'd run a 14 and a 15.

I am signed up for a half on April 8 and am a bit freaked out because not only am I taking off the week prior to Easter with no hope of exercising but am also facing shoulder surgery again. (Different shoulder.) I am going to do the half even if I have to walk it, though.

 

Damn near.

I have to get one of the "elite" starting times next year, for people who finish in the top 20-30, I think, in sanctioned races. By the time we start - I race on my brother's law firm team - the narrow stairwells are just crammed full of slows. I feel like a total asshole saying "excuse me" a million times, or bulling past people who are oblivious, but it absolutely costs me time every year. And, also, people who are there either struggling or just trying to have a nice easy climb don't need some asshole gunner coming up their ass.

 

One funny thing was that when I went the second time, with my son, basically the only other people still in the stairwells were members of the CFD team, who climbed in full gear.

My son keeps telling them, "My dad is doing 8 towers!"

Uh, little Dick, the gesture is much appreciated, but that guy actually runs into flame-engulfed buildings on the South Side and saves entire families.

So maybe lay it on a little thinner right now.

 

“Slows.” Haha.

 

I’m way behind on my triathlon training. It’s a 750M swim, 20k bike, and 5k run.

My latest 5k time is 28 minutes. I’m not too worried about the swim - it’s pretty hard to predict open-water times, but I’m averaging about 18-20 minutes in a pool.

On a bike, I can do a little more than 5 miles in 20 minutes, but tail off pretty quickly after that. If I slow down, it takes me more than an hour to do 20k (12 miles).

I think I can build enough endurance to do this in September, if the goal is simply to finish.

 

Yesterday was Day 56. The day before that, Saturday, I went to the gym for the first time in a long time. But by just doing pushups, my bench press increased by 10 pounds, and if I'd had a spotter I bet it could have been 15 pounds better (for one rep, anyway). It was a nice little ego boost and will keep me motivated as I get further along in this 100-day program.

 

How do you split up the training for the three disciplines?

 

I swim at the rec center, so I’m at their mercy and am only able to train for an hour a week.

Four days a week, I do 5 miles on the bike, then a fast-paced 2-mile run if I’m on a treadmill, or a 3-mile loop up and down the hills in my neighborhood. I cool down with another relaxed 3 or so miles on the bike.

On the days I swim, I run the 2 miles to and from the pool, and then try to do 5 miles on the bike.

I also row a couple thousand meters every other day to keep myself moving and build some arm strength.

I made the mistake of concentrating on speed at first because that’s what kept my head in it, but now I really need to get better with endurance.

 

My formula - and keep in mind that this is just running, with some cycling thrown in just for fun during the summer - is high mileage, mostly at a relatively easy pace, with two hard "speed" workouts a week. My times keep getting better, so that seems to be a formula that works so far, in terms of the right mix.

 

I’ve been a glutton the past two days and I have a cold. Really need to get a workout in tonight.

 

Thanks. I should note I’m also doing this with a bad back and some nasty shin splints, which limits the running times more than it does the distances.

 

QYFW