Winter Challenge

Need a goal, otherwise known as "an event".  I've struggled to decide on doing an off-road triathlon in February.  It seems like a different and fun event. It is a 7 mile trail run, 6 miles of paddling on a calm pond and 10 mile off-road bike ride.  I already have a modest mountain bike that seems well suited to the course. I just bought and installed cleated pedals on the bike.  Had off-road shoes for several years that my brother had sent me. Been practicing with this setup at trails near my apartment.  It involves paddling so either a kayak or a canoe will be needed. It is a foreign subject to me so I'm trying to educate myself about it.  I can rent a boat, but feel I should do some practice before the event. So the expense of multiple days of rental may justify buying a boat. Been looking at boats at Sunrift and online for used ones.  Several times a week swimming  at the Y. No more than a mile per session. Doing dumbbell curls, pull-ups and pushups to strengthen the arms. All this exercise should serve as good conditioning (transfer over) to the paddling.  Not much running lately but some. Treadmill runs up to 3 miles. On Christmas day I pushed myself and ran 8 miles in the cold.  So this event I just registered for is out of my comfort zone and that may be good. It is in Springfield SC down south of Columbia. Winter Challenge is the event name. I will be camping there the night before with some others I guess. 

Mid December

So the entire month of November was a washout for exercise as I recovered from a sinus infection. Some exercise but not much.  December 7th I peddled my road bike over Paris Mountain (altamont rd.) over to Furman. As I rode up the mountain I saw many runners on the Paris Mountain road race half marathon. I strongly considered doing the 5k (a flat course) portion of this event but did not even feel fit enough for that. I parked a while at the finish line and saw some finishers, including the Messicks, and chatted with them. Shopped for running shoes in Timmons arena.  Dec 16: Rode about 1.2 hour on the seldom used mountain bike. An hour on wooded trail by apartments. Just got cleated pedals for the bike so I'm getting used to that. Wiped out a few times but only a scrape. Felt good to ride the trail. May go over to Paris Mountain State Park for even bigger trails

Post B2B: invasion of the body snatchers

Post B2B It has been nearly 4 weeks since Beach 2 Battleship ultra distance  triathlon. It has been an even more depressed month than I had  expected. A few days after the event I went for a 10 mile bike ride and felt OK.  The next day I felt a funny feeling in my throat and headed for Minute Clinic at CVS. Prescription for yet more antibiotics filled soon after. Felt terrible for the next week or two. By three weeks I was feeling like I might be getting over the sinus infection (that spread to my lungs). I have done a 22 mile ride a few days ago and I was slow. It felt so  good to be on the bike again plus the day brought temperatures above 70 degrees. I have done so little exercise lately that my fitness has nosedived.   I have began to think of doing a run event in a month or two (or three) so I will have to get back at it. I may choose a new event since my speed will be lower than I'm capable of, just the appeal of a new venue will attract me. What I always want is a faster time. I have not done a 5k event yet so maybe that would be ideal. Been thinking of the whole next year schedule and what weekends I am off work. Miracle hill cycling challenge yet again is possible. Just thinking of it kind of brings me out of this early winter depression.  

B2B percentiles. Look ahead.

B2B percentiles. B2B 2014.  So while my 2013 finish time was the same time (3 seconds faster!) as 2011, my ranking improved a good bit. We were all slower due to lack of tide push. My improvement in the bike and run were the reasons I moved up so well in rankings.  128/500 = top 26% of men full participants. In 2011 186/525 was 35 %tile. So a 9% betterment of ranking.  127 men faster. total of 500  13 women faster, total  200 140. Total faster.       700 141/700 = top 20% of all full  Swim 2011 330/525 = 63%        2013 339/500 = 68% Bike  2011 208/525 = 40%        2013 150/500 = 30% Run   2011 133/525 = 25%        2013  87/500  = 17% —————— For my 45-49 age group men: 16th of 83 or 19 %tile.  If I imagine I was in the 50-54 group I would have been in the top 8. Also, if I was 50 and came in under 11 hours I might have been first in AG.  -------- 2014 goals:  • Swim: Be able to see and sight. If incoming tide: 50 minutes. If no tide add 20 minutes. I know I'm a bad swimmer compared to others. I need to keep working on this.  • T1: 13 minutes. Better prep and practice.  • Bike: No seat or hip pain. Keep warm but layer and shed. Shed shoes pre T2. 5:45 • T2: 9 minutes. Better sock/socks situation. More prep and practice.  • Run: Break 4 hours.  Better endurance. 3:58.  • Overall: 10:55 = Break 11 hours. 

B2B Sunday and review

B2b Sunday Woke up at 9 am Sunday feeling sore but OK. My calves were so tight.  Got out of motel at 10:30 after several trips downstairs and several cups of coffee and packing up.  Headed downtown, but took wrong road and got on I-40 for an embarrassingly long time. Turned around and got to convention center where they were having a brunch and awards ceremony. Great, wonderful breakfast foods. Fancy french toast, scrambled egg "cassarole", bacon, chicken in hollandaise sauce, fruit salad, multilayer vegetable salad, and more. I ate alot.  The winner completed the full in just over 9 hours. Don't know if he is a pro or a guy with a 9-5 job. A guy from Cleveland SC, Reagan Splady, got and age group award. I went up and briefly introduced myself and congratulated him.  Met some ladies from Huntsville Alabama breifly. They were getting up to leave and drive back for 9 hours.  Another lady (of asian descent) at the table was from Geneva, Switzerland. She is an anesthesiologist and did Ironman Texas earlier this year. Truly a worldly athlete.  It ended about 1pm. After that I walked on the Riverwalk. Saw the city of Wilmington Fire boat idling at the city dock. It then powered down river and in the distance I could see it fire it's water cannons. Cool.  Walked down Water street and past craft booths and a guy playing guitar and singing folk music.  Went up to Front street and walked past many bars where people were outside sitting, talking, drinking, and watching football.  It was good to walk easy for something like an hour.  Got back to the truck and at about 2 pm headed to SC. Every time I would get out of vehicle after several hours of sitting I was so stiff.  I am so grateful for the support my family gave me.  Thankful that my truck didn't break down on the trip. that none of my pains became disabling and I was even able to start and finish.  When I committed to doing the event again I had a goal to strive for a 10-1/2 hour finish. After the accident with the dog I was unsure how much time to add assuming that I would heal in time for the swim. I was unable to swim for several weeks leading up to the event die to the open wounds. Training for the bike and run also suffered.  Then Friday when Jeremy announced the tide would not give a push until 8:30 I knew I was going to be alot slower than 2011 in the swim. So about 24 minutes slower. My ranking of 339/525('13) vs 330/500('11) was nearly identical. Better training, technique, vision, and especially tide would have helped. This time I made sure I dressed warm for the bike!  The layering worked well but kept me from being speedier in T1. Maybe a minute faster this year but at almost 15 minutes there is a lot of room to improve.  The pain on the bike slowed me down maybe 20 -30 extra minutes. Siting up all the time and coasting was bad. Perhaps when I lowered the height of my handlebars a good bit after my last tri, I made a mistake that caused the pain. I will need to figure this out. The seat too will need to change.  The constant headwind was against me, but the more aero bike, wheels, helmet etc helped some.  6:02:59 this year vs 6:15:33 was a good improvement, but still not the 5 hours and 30 minutes I wanted. Ranking was 150/500 vs 208/525.  T2 was a different layout than in 2011 so hard to compare. I took about 1-1/2 minutes more than last time, but in 2011 I didn't do a nature break. 11:56 vs 10:17. I ran in my cleated shoes. With the shoe covers I was not able to leave those shoes attached to the bike. Oh I'm thinking of what could have I done differently.  The run course was better without the bridges to cross over. In 2011 I ran it in 4:19  versus 4:07:32 this year. Another good improvement. Ranking was 87/500 vs 133/525. Goal was 3:50.  So overall it was 11:56:04 vs 11:56:07. A huge 3 second improvement!!! Rank 127 of 500 vs 186 of 525 men in 2011.  I think next time I will have a goal just under 11 hours. Wait! Next time? Yes next year even. I will be in a new age group too.  Recovery will be much needed. My lack of sleep and then the event with a burn on thumb will leave me vulnerable to illness.  Won't do much for the next week or two. What? Won't do much for the next week or two? I have to always be training. This will be weird. 

B2B Saturday part 3

B2B Saturday, part 3 Running around the perimeter of the large hall of the center but on a padded path. Grabbed my T2 bag from a volunteer and ran to the mens tent. Off with the helmet and shoes but kept on the arm and leg warmers.  Put on a second thin pair of socks. Put on my race belt. Put on my shoes, grabbed my hat and gloves and ran into the bathroom. Scooped up some Vaseline to prevent chaffing. Went into a stall and did my business. Walked out towards the exit of the building and realized I should be running. Over the timing mat.  I was feeling good to be off the bike and taking it easy, but soon saw my heart rate was like 155 so I needed to maybe slow it down. I was running 8:30 to 9:00 pace so that was good. The crowd of spectators was cheering us on. Because our first names were on out bib number they even called out our name.  Thru the downtown and past the finish line. Along the river on the boardwalk. Across the river at the battleship park a reggae concert was going on. The music was awesome. You could "smell" the concert clear across the river.  Thru the cobbled streets and up the super steep hill onto Front street. Settled into a good pace. Around the lake we ran it seemed like forever. I was feeling good. Grabbed some pretzels at an aid station and some cola. I was craving the cola. One or two ounces in little paper cups.  I passed two ladies tied to each other as they ran. The one lady said to the other they were about to cross over railroad tracks. I tried to figure that out. The next day I would find out the one lady was blind! Turn around at about mile 7 and back toward downtown. I saw a plaque that explained not to feed the alligators. I looked out into the lake for them but didn't see any.  I started running with a guy that was a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. He had been to Afghanistan and Egypt recently but was now at Fort Rucker Alabama. We talked about that and racing and all kinds of things. We ran with each other for about a half hour or more til I dropped him around mile 12. Had been doing about a 9:00 pace.  I accidentally headed into the finishing chute and the announcer called my name. I froze and turned back to a small opening for where the full marathoners were supposed to go. The announcer had fun with that and I was a little embarrassed.  I kept eating and running. Mostly gels. But I wanted the Espresso flavor ones only.  The sun was getting low but it was still warm.  I had taken my gloves off at mile 2 or 3 and wondered if I should have left them.  Back around the lake. I headed into a porta-potty at about mile 18 for a few minutes and also an aid station. Started taking electrolye pills and water. Sometimes chicken broth or HEED. Lots more Coke or Pepsi.  Saw a guy with a top that had a CF logo or something on it. CF I thought had something to do with Cystic Fibrosis. Also the night before as I was laying in bed watching the late news there was a piece on B2B athlete that had severe CF and was doing the full race. As I came up on the guy I asked if he was on the news last night and so forth. Turns out he was the one! He is a medical student in Chapel Hill, NC (Duke probably). He was indeed struggling with the CF during the event. I told him I could kind of relate as I had moderate asthma and knew from attacks what it was like to struggle to breath. I wished him luck and passed by. I was getting slower. The two miles that included the bathroom took over 22 minutes. My legs were getting weak but I never stopped to walk. Hit the turn around point which was about 19 miles. It was getting dark and I took my sunglasses off.  The light plants were getting turned on and as I passed by them the fumes were sickening.  My pace was about 10:00 or 10:30. Cramps were starting to give hints so i had to be careful. Mile 24 to 25 took 11:24. The last 1.2 miles I was able to pick up some speed as I ran toward the crowd at the last 1/2 mile. I ran across the timing mat and finishing line at almost the same time as 2 years ago. I was surprised at that. My watch showed like 11:56 but the official clock showed 11:58. I thought it was wrong since I started my watch even before the swim start. But it was a mute point. I was done. I got my medal put around my neck, my timing chip taken off, and made to get some PJ bottoms. Then I walked slowly onward and a guy said "are you all right?". He sat me in a chair. I could not do on my own. Sat there a while then another guy came and they put a silver blanket around me helped me up and walk into the warming tent.  I sat in front of a hot blower for awhile and they kept asking how I was. My calves were tingling like when a limb falls asleep and then you wake it up. I got up and shuffled around in the tent and got some hot chicken broth. Later I went outside and got 2 pieces of pizza and came back in. Feeling better after maybe a half hour. Put my PJ bottoms on and tied my blanket on good and headed for the convention center. My truck key was in my saddle bag.  Got my key and headed to the truck many blocks away. Drove to the center and loaded up my bike, T1 and T2 bags. Off to the hotel I drove. 

B2B Saturday part 2

B2B Saturday, part 2 So into the water I went. The temperature was reported at 71 degrees. There were many swimmers ahead and many behind. All around 700 or so of us. The first taste of saltwater hit the back of my mouth and it was not pleasing. It seemed to burn my throat.  I just swam and occasionally looked for a buoy. Supposed to be several along the way. A large crane in the distance, a large water tower. What should I follow?   I should mention that despite my plans in the summer to get prescription contacts, I didn't. I could not see well. I just sort of went with everyone else. I bet a view of me from the air showed a zig zag pattern.  I had a bandage wrapped around my right thumb over a burn. I had to pinch it to my pointer finger as I swam.  Standup paddle-boarders and kayakers lined the way.  After about 45 minutes of swimming I saw the bright orange triangle shaped buoy.   This is where we would turn left. The straight swim of about 1.5 to 1.8 miles up Banks Channel took me almost an hour before I got to the buoy.  There were now houses on the north side of the channel. My arms were really starting to tire. The tide that usually helps the swimmers in this race was perhaps just now starting to come in. Another 5 or 10 minutes I was turning right and headed toward what I could barely see as the finishing dock. A bright orange flag flew there. I was soon along side large boats tied up. Hoped I would not get a mouth full of gasoline or diesel taste.  Got to the dock and was able to climb up the first ladder of many. People were there to help I guess but that is against the rules. I ran along the dock and up a ramp to the concrete walk. I began removing swim caps and goggles. A guy helped strip my wetsuit off as I lay on my back. Off and running again and into a warm shower tent. This took a minute but got the saltwater off my head. Running again towards the T1 area.  A 400 yard run total with bare feet on asphalt so it was tiptoe running. Many people lined the street cheering us all on.  Crossed over the first timing mat and into transition. 1 hour and 19 minutes.  Headed directly toward my bag and grabbed it. Ran to the mens changing tent and in. Nowhere to move. I went back outside. I used the large hotel towel to dry off my head and tri-suit as best I could.  It was very cold and I struggled to put on a jersey. Then arm warmers, leg warmers, head cover and helmet.  Sat down and dried off my feet and put on socks, bike shoes and full shoe covers. No cold feet for me. Shoved my wetsuit, towel etc into my bag and tied it up. Ran to my bike and decided to put on my rain jacket also for added warmth. Gloves on too. Ran out with bike over timing mat (about 15 minutes in T1) and onto the road. Mounted my bike and started going slow.  It was cold but sunny. Biked a twisting course slowly and then over the metal drawbridge. I began passing riders soon. Started getting into a rhythm. I passed many riders that were better swimmers than me. Up Military Cutoff Road. Police seemed to be at every intersection. Soon we were on I-140. Cyclists on the interstate. We had the fast lane and motorists on the right.  I remember looking at my watch and seeing that 2 hours had gone by and I was surprised how fast it had gone by. Started seeing waterbottles dropped along the road. I continued to pass riders. Must do it in 15 seconds once you enter a zone within 15 feet of them.  At mile 20 I went by a aid station and decided to grab a bottle of HEED, a product from Hammer nutrition. I had my own stuff and really didn't need it yet, but I had an empty water bottle cage so just an impulse.  Northward we went into a headwind. I expected it from the forecast. At about mile 22 there were some railroad tracks. The guy ahead of me crossed over them and a waterbottle flew out of his behind the seat waterbottle cage. As he looked back at it he lost control of his bike and crashed what looked like pretty bad. I crossed the tracks and stopped and grabbed a couple of water bottles and handed them to him. I told him to rest and regain his bearings.  Another guy started helping him. I took off. About 5 miles later he would pass me! The miles went on. It was a four lane divided road for a long ways. Riders ahead and behind as far as you could see. I kept seeing "litter" of pills, GU packets, bottles, CO2 canisters gloves and so on.  Oh yea. My speedometer was not working at all but that didn't really bother me. I was watching the heart rate on my Polar watch and using my perceived exertion level as a guide.  I think at mile 40 or so there was another aid station. I stopped to get some Hammer gels and to volunteer gave me 4. Right before this station I had pulled over on a side road for a nature break.  I saw a guy pass me around this time. I guessed he was a half iron rider and one of the faster ones. His butt said "Duncan - USA". A nationally ranked rider with an official USA rider outfit. He was smoking fast.  Compared to 2 years ago I was feeling warm. Well dressed and no rain. Felt good about that. But my left front hip was already hurting and my area where the saddle contacts my sit bones was hurting. Was going to be a long painful ride.  Finally at about mile 50 we turned west. Soon the middle aid station with my special needs bag and the half way point. Also I hoped the headwind would subside.  Got to the aid station and they yelled my number and got my back very quickly. He pulled out my can and handed it to me.  I can't even remember stopping. After I passed the station I decided to pull over. I drank my chocolate shake. I also took off my rain jacket. I was wet with sweat inside it. I jammed the jacket into my jersey and took off maybe spent 4 minutes there.  Much better that 2011 and they hypothermia shaking.  Mile  60 or 70 or so I pulled over for another nature break. I was feeling good after the chocolate shake but the pain in my hip was worse.  I began to sit up and even stand up and stretch it as I coasted. The saddle sore was painful as well and I tried to shift my weight off the small spot of pain.  At about mile 80 we headed south. I still was passing people but began to be passed by riders I had passed. Every 5 miles I would coast, stand up and stretch my left hip. I would stand and pedal and sit upright too. The aero tuck was hard to stay in. I struggled to ignore the pain and peddle hard and aero. The headwind remained. I was expecting a tailwind by this point, but I was disappointed.  I passed the next few aid stations.  I had started a second Powerbar. Mile 100 went by. Mile 110 went by and I was so ready to be off the bike and start running. We came into Wilmington and climbed over the very large draw bridge and downhill toward the convention center. I saw runners out on the course. The crowd there was large and noisy.  I screeched to a halt at the dismount line and almost fell over. Ran with my bike up the ramp and handed the bike over to a volunteer. Time to run. 

B2B Saturday part 1

B2B Saturday, part 1 Got up at 3:40 am and began the frantic activity. Ate a Powerbar and started a banana. had a good bathroom movement and hoped that would be all til at least I was done with the swim.  Putting on my tri suit was easy. Putting on my wetsuit is very hard. I use mineral oil to help it slide on.  It is very tight. I put on an old hooded sweatshirt and old shoes too. The hoody and shoes would be abandoned at the beach for donation for Goodwill (not sure the shoes would be wanted though). Got my T1 bag and special needs bike bag and duffle bag for after. Drove downtown parking on a unrestricted street. Walk down to the Hilton at 5:15. Get on a bus and sit next to a lady from Denmark. She was temporary living with her husband in Virginia due to his work. She had torn ligaments in her shoulder but still wanted to race before she had her surgery.   Her goal was 15 hours.  Got to T1. Our bus nearly got hit as it did a 3 point Uturn in the street. I handed in my T1 bag and then my spec needs bag. It only had a can of Walmart brand chocolate shake like a Slim-Fast.  Had to Go no 1 so I hit a portapotty.  Had to undo wetsuit arms do my business and struggle to get arms back in suit.  Got on a trolley car for the beach. I was the last one on this car unfortunately as I will explain.  I think it was 6:15 at this point.  Sat next to a guy from Florida who wasn't used to the cold temperature. We talked about this and other races.  So anyway this trolly had NO WINDOWS! The announcer at T1 who kept yelling at us to go get on a shuttle bus/trolly said they were all heated. So the nice breeze as we traveled in the 38 degree air was just great!!!!  And then the driver took a wrong turn at the island and finally someone told him. We got going back in right direction again. 6:30 or so drop off at beach area. 1 hour to go. Went where there was three big propane heater units and some non athlete guys could not get them to start or at least two wouldn't. I got into it and got one of them (with missing knob) to start after reading the directions. It did not heat well. Worked on another one with another athlete and it got going after 10 minutes of work.  Bladder was starting to feel full, but was not going to remove my wetsuit. I was in a crowd of people. Stage fright. I had to put myself in a zen like trance while leaning against the box van (Goodwill) just a certain way.  After 5-10 minutes success. It was a wonderful feeling. But now my shoes were wet so not so good. This is a rare occasion when it is acceptable to pee in your pants. You have to grab those opportunities! At about 7:20 or 7:25 the officials began herding us toward the beach start area. We walked about 3 minutes thru the dunes to get there. I took off my shoes and hoody and ran up to the other athletes in the huddle but turned around and got my shoes and coat back on. This was during the time they were saying a prayer and then the national anthem. It was so cold!  In a few minutes I took them off again and the starting horns sounded. I was near the back of the pack but didn't care. Off into the water I went. 

B2B Friday

B2B Friday So I got to Wilmington at 7 am Friday after maybe 3 hours of sleep. That sleep occurred off the side of the road at some dumpy old restaurant near the state line. I should have left for Wilmington at 8 pm and gone interstate as much as possible and gotten there about 2 am. Then slept 2 to 10 am.  Anyhow, I drove around downtown awhile then parked way out from downtown on a free (no parking meters or restrictions) street. Walked around downtown and used the bathroom at Cape Fear Community College. Went back and slept for a few hours but not well. Got back downtown to the convention center at 11:45 and the packet pickup line was long. missed the noon athlete meeting. So with time to kill i shopped at the expo. Got valve extenders for my spare tubular (the spare may have been useless otherwise). Got some special Yankz shoelaces and a Powergel (Kona flavored).  The shoelaces were to replace regular ones on my Asics shoes I might wear on Saturday.  So I went into the ballroom for the 2 pm athlete meeting at about 1:30 and sat at a big round table. I talked to a lady from Raliegh NC. She was going to do her first 70.3 race.  The meeting from 2 to 3:30 ish.  Drove to T1 or Wrightsville Beach. Took 30 minutes due to heavy traffic and construction on the draw bridge to the island.  Unloaded and prepared the bike. Lubed the recently cleaned chain and pumped the tires to 110 psi. Went and racked the bike and walked around trying to visualize how I would run in and where my bike would be amongst the 2200 bikes.  Drove back to the downtown area and walk to convention center (with a duffle bag containing all my stuff for T2 and then some)  at about 5:30 pm. I went to the athlete dinner (4 to 6 pm). It was while the 5 pm athlete meeting was occurring so the place was packed full of people.  It was a great buffet style meal. Pasta, some grilled chicken etc Realized I had to turn in my T2 bag by the 6pm cutoff. Got it in at 5:58 I think.  I chose my Zoot shoes and hoped they would be ok for a marathon. Went back to buffet and ate more dessert.  Left and got to truck about 6:30 pm and headed to hotel. Had to check in, unload all my bags to the room. I relaxed a bit but still had to pack T1 bag and organize for the morning. Watched some TV and got on Internet. Set alarms for 3:30 and after.   Didn't get to bed til midnight. Bad me. 

Beach Bound

Beach Bound I'm headed to the coast (Wilmington NC) this Thursday night. Driving scenic highways at night (SC 76 & 34) May sleep soon. Don't want to wake up late Friday morning and have a long drive.  Burnt the heck out of my thumb at work Wednesday. Size of a nickel is worst area. Huge bubble blister. Very painful.  Got a glob of molten plastic on it. Not sure how to best protect it Saturday.  Fire ants maybe bit me Monday as I changed my oil. Must have been in their path. Swollen and sore. My hips hurt and my left quad is still not right. Weak and worst if I squat. Right knee pain sometimes still. Kneecap gets sticky after a long ride.  It is going to be 36 degrees Saturday morning. I have stuff to wear but it is never easy to judge what best to use. Warm up to 64 maybe during the day.  So I guess I am prepared to suffer. The run will be toughest. Hope I hold up. Will be looking forward to finishing and being able to rest. 

Oct 7 thru 17: bad luck

10/7/13 - 10/18/13 Beach 2 Battleship Iron distance triathlon on Oct. 26. Only a  week away.  I am not sure what to say about my training for this period except it is not good outlook due to the dog incident and previous left hip injury.  On Tuesday October 8, I headed out for a few hours on the bike. I crested a hill and began to descend. I notice a woman walking with her dog in the road. The dog was unrestrained. I went slowly and as far away from them as possible. Then the dog, a large boxer type, charged after me , caught up to me and ran into my front wheel.  I hit the asphalt on my right side. I was badly hurt.  I will omit the details of the incident after that but I went home and treated my wounds. Went to the doctor the next day. A lot of skin missing on my hip but also elbow, hand, and shoulder. No broken bones but severe bruising.  I'm hoping it all will heal up for B2B and I think the skin will be renewed well enough. I can't swim for awhile. Went to gym and simulate swimming movements with weights.  I have been able to do some biking. My only hope of holding onto my fitness rests in my biking.  Some short runs reveal my left hip still has a lingering pain.  I am unsure if I will be able to finish the marathon at B2B. Will the pain become too much in my left hip?  Should I even try?  I will have to just wait and see. 

sept22 to oct6

September 22: Sunday night after 3rd day of work ran 3 miles easy pace (28 minutes). Then ran 3 miles at a fast pace (22 minutes). Then ran 2 miles easy pace for 8 miles total. Ended this 7 days [5 day (65 hours) work week} with about 11 hours of training. Sept 23 - Monday: 70 mile ride on the tri bike. Mostly rolling hills. Hard effort, but temperatures were luckily in the mid 70's so that was nice. 18.8 mph average. Later in the day swam 1000 yards. Sept 24 - Tuesday: 22 mile bike ride then a big swim of 3000 yards. Sept 25 - Wednesday:just work, it was raining anyhow. Sept 26 - Thursday: 9 mile run after work. Sept 27 - Friday: 36 mile ride then ran a 5K and did some upper body and core exercises. Sept 28 - Saturday: rode 98 miles in the mountains on my heavy Specialized bike. climbed 8000 feet. Paris Mountain, Ceasars Head, Dupont Forest, Flat Rock, Watershed, home. On the way down a big hill right before crab creek road a big van passed me and went into the other lane giving me plenty of room, but there was a small car coming at me and they freaked out and swerved into my lane then back into their lane just as the van was getting back into my lane. That was a scary situation. The van driver should have waited for a clearing or the small car should have applied their brakes. Anyhow after I got home I ran 5 miles hard/fast. I used a few calories today. Sept 29 - Sunday: Wait I woke up at 12:30 pm. I made French Toast with 6 or 7 pieces of whole wheat bread and 4 eggs and milk. Got to get some calories. Went to the Y (on my bike with panniers) and swam 100 laps or 5000 yards or 3 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Take the long way home, slow and easy in Greenville for about an hour; so I biked maybe 16 miles today. This last week got in 22.5 hours of training. I think this will be my peak number. Sept 30 - Monday: ran zero miles after work. October 1 - Tuesday: Ran after work. First mile slow (10:00), 2nd mile medium (8:00), 3rd mile all out (6:12). Thought I was going to pass out at the end. My arms were hard to hold up. I walked for a few minutes to catch my breath. Then ran a mile at 9:00 pace and a 5th and final mile at 8:00 pace. October 2 - Wednesday: Rode the tri bike again late in the day. Wade Hampton to SC14 to SC 80 to SC101 south to Woodruff. I made the 25 miles to Woodruff in 1 hour and 8 minutes. Back home with 20.7 mph average. I used a water backpack thing (like a Camelback) which is not what a road biker is supposed to do but it was convenient. Went to the Y and swam a mile without stopping. Went to gym and did upper body strength training for 15 minutes. October 3 - Thursday: Mid afternoon rode the heavy bike to the Swamp Rabbit trail and changed into my running shoes. Locked up the bike at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe. Ran 8 miles (out 4 and back) at a good pace. Rehydrated and took off again. Got slower and left buttocks and hip got sore and very minor soreness in the right knee. At 16 miles i almost gave up due to the hip pain and the lateness of the day. I went and ran a half mile before I realized I left my cell phone on the picnic table next to my bike so I turned around and went back. That was it. I changed and got back on the bike and went home. 18 miles on the bike. oct 4 and 5: just work. Oct 6 - Sunday: after work and internet, etc I started to run. about a half mile into the run the pain in the left hip came back very bad and I had to stop running. For about 10 minutes i walked and stretched in a church parking lot. It was dark. I saw a deer run into the woods. Actually I had seen many deer lately run into the woods as I approached in the dark. Anyhow, I resumed running very slowly and with very small strides. the pain was minimal. I continued this way until i completed 3 miles. The pain was at bay so I did another 3 miles up Broad Street. The pain started to slowly come back as I came back to the start and it started to rain. Got 6 miles in total. The pain in my left hip is a big concern and I will have to stop or curtail the running for awhile. Only 3 weeks until B2B.

Peak training for B2B

9/21/13 Still ramping up for Beach 2 Battleship Iron distance triathlon   on Oct. 26. Only 5 weeks away.  9/9: did a 77 mile ride on the tri bike. Mostly rolling hills. Hard effort in hot sun.  1500 yard swim.  9/10: 22 mile ride and 3000 yards swimming.  9/11: just work 9/12:  6 mile run after work 9/13: 30 mile ride then swimming 9/14, Saturday: rode 130 miles in the mountains with 8500 feet of climbing. Took it slow. Rode up to Saluda, NC then over west to Hendersonville. Continued thru Dupont Forest and then Ceasars Head. SE to downtown Greenville. 9/15, Sunday,  3 mile run. bike and swim I can't remember how much.  These last 7 days I got in 21 to 22 hours of training.  9/16: Ran 6 miles after work.  9/17:  no training?? 9/18: rode the tri bike again for an hour or more then joined up with the Gusto bike shop group. At the 4 mile loop I sped up and a couple of guys chased me for a few laps and they gave up!  Very hard effort for half an hour or so. 50 miles total. Some swimming too, maybe 1500 yards. I joined the Y and will swim there now. The apt pool is overloaded with fallen leaves.  9/19:  Ran 20 miles Thursday. Swamp Rabbit trail - hot and sunny. Actually I joined the 6 am group with the Greenville police chief but I got there 10 minutes late so only got in 4 miles. Three news crews were there reporting. Slept til noon then did the other 16 miles in 5 and 6 mile chunks. A bit scattered. Joints and muscles sore at a normal level so that is good! Swam a bit in evening. 1000 yards. Left calf very tight and sore.  9/20: ran 6 miles after work.  9/21: no training.  The strange spasm in my left quad muscle may finally have gone away. It took several weeks. Was hurting my maximum power or standing and climbing on the bike. Been taking magnesium supplement for the muscle. Still not sure what to think.  Some long hours of training still ahead. I am at peak/maximum training levels now. 

After Langley Pond Tri

Blog update 9/8/13 Been trying to recover from Langley Pond international triathlon 8/31 and also ramp up for B2B late October.  Langley was down by Augusta, GA so I tried to see the Masters course while I was down there, but it is well hidden. Saw some of the downtown. There is a nice trail called the Greenway in North Augusta, SC that I may try if I ever get back down there.  After my event I went to a trail system in or near Aiken. Called Hitchcock Woods or Cathedral Arch Trail.  I was considering running long, but due to a hard race and high heat I only ran 3 miles. More for horses those trails but very serene woods.  So anyway the tri went pretty well overall and I came in ahead of my 2011 time (same course) and got third place in my age group. My first ever podium finish so to speak.  Increasing long runs. I got in a 16 miler a few days ago (Thursday) on the swamp rabbit trail in 90 degree heat. Biked there and back for 19 miles as well. I was stretched to my limit on last two miles of run. Off Friday, Saturday I ran 3 miles easy, and tonight Sunday I ran a moderate 7 miles with a few bursts.   I plan on running 18 miles in about 10 days if I am up to it. A strange spasm in my left quad muscle won't go away. It started after the tri. Not severe or frequent, but I am very concerned about it. Never had such a condition. It really only shows up after I do a deep knee bend or climb stairs with a load.  Need some big rides soon like 80 - 100 miles.  Try for that tomorrow. Also need to get in the pool. Some long hours of training ahead. 

Late august

Blog update 8/25/13 Been training for Langley Pond international triathlon at end of month and also for B2B late October. Langley is down by Augusta, GA.  Increasing long runs. I got in a 12 miler recently. I plan on running 14 or 15 miles soon. Also just increasing the frequency of runs too. My joints are normally aching afterward so that is good.  No 100 mile rides lately.  I need to get some long rides on the tri bike on not too hilly terrain.  Vacation for a week in Indiana and Ohio allowed me a ride with each of my brothers so that was nice.  Had a nice little 5 mile run in Charleston recently. Went down Meeting street to the waters edge and ran up Bay Street past Rainbow Row. So many restaurants that had awesome scents coming out. 

Long hard day

July 20 workout I recently read a quote "your hard days are too easy and your easy days are too hard". It was on a triathlon website and it was perhaps an advertisement for training services. I have had a friend and extraordinary triathlete (G-man) tell me this as well that you should have some very hard days in training to stimulate the body so it can adapt for big races. Saturday I would strive for a hard day.  Saturday morning I was planning on riding to Carolina Triathlon downtown and joining the 8am group ride. I got a late start and got there at 8:10. So I tried  to go out and see if I could intercept the group. I thought they might ride to the west of Greenville on a route I was vaguely familiar with. I headed south on Anderson street and realized I would get lost. I went and ended up on SC 123 and headed west. I had talked to Doug Guth on Friday night and he had said something about that being on that ride. I went until I hit a stop light at Fishtrap Road. I recognized it as part of their route.  I went south on it and got lost. Came back went another way I didn't remember. Headed back to 123. Went north on Fishtrap road a long ways and recognized it. After 10 minutes I went backwards back to 123. Having not seen them and guessing they had already come thru I went north again on Fishtrap.  On shop rides this way I have always been watching the wheel in front of me and not really known the route too well. But I did recognize it going forward. I went up to Farrs Bridge road (aka SC 183) and headed to Greenville.   Coming into  G-ville on what was now Cedar Lane Road, I felt I was in little Mexico with all the Latino businesses and Spanish words on signs.  Found my way back to the bike shop at about 10:05 am. They had just opened up at 10am so great timing.  I asked Randy about where the group went or where they were and he didn't know what route. About ten minutes later the group started coming in. I asked Ben and he said in effect that I had been on the right route. I was too early however. I talked to Randy (shop owner) about his recent trip to Colorado for the Specialized product preview show. He met Craig Alexander (triathlon world champ) and Ned Overend (Mountain bike legend and Xterra champ). also caught some of the tour (TdF) on the TV. Jens Voight was charging ahead and trying to win the stage.  Met or re-met a friend of Doug's (Rex) that was just getting back into biking after a 4 year absence. He had been hit by a car while he was cycling and it was a horrific one and a story in itself. The lady who hit him was probably on drugs. She had hit someone else (car) earlier in the day. A year later she would be dead. Hard to summarize the whole story here. Good for Rex to be biking again.  Anyhow got with Doug and we headed towards his house in Simpsonville. Took bike paths and or route (pleasantburg bypass route). Tried to get on the Conestee / swamp rabbit trail near the sewage plant but it was under water. Got to Conestee park but trails were loose gravel - no good for road bikes. We circled around into Conestee Falls and onto asphalt trail (SRT?). It was fun in the shade of the woods and on boardwalks. I dubbed it "tour de sewer" as it was along sewer manholes and all the swamps and the sewer plant not far off.  Back to Conestee Falls and Doug led the way to S-ville. Standing Springs road, Old then new, and around the spaghetti bowl area of I-385/US 276. Almost onto SC 14 when I saw a knife blade in the road and had to back up and get it to save someone a flat tire.  I should mention that Doug was on his single speed bike. Also on nearly every hill he would go ahead and I was unable to keep up with him. I would shift down to more optimal gearing and spin for more power (watts). His long legs, his 180 mm crankarms, his strength. He is a machine. Diesel Doug.  Got to doug's where he filled me up with more Gatorade and a sample of a Virgil's root beer. We talked about a pre-amp he had repaired and Various other things. Met his daughter and wife.  I had 60 miles to this point and a low average speed of 14.3 mph. I wanted a big ride today and I was now set to carry on solo again.   So after I left Doug's, I went backwards (from where we had come) to a shady road and stopped and put on SPF 60 on my arms and ate a Powerbar. Then I went up to SC 14.  I got aero and rode steady and fast northward towards Greer.  At about 4 pm as I was nearing Greer on SC 14, it got so sunny and hot I pulled into the shade and rested. My average speed was up to 14.7 mph.  Perhaps it was 95 degrees and very humid). I put on more sunscreen on my calfs (calves?). Drank what was left of my Gatorade.  I was so tired as I lay my head down on handlebars and started to doze off. After a bit I revived and headed up the road and into a Subway to fill up the bottles with cold water and made more Gatorade with my powder.  I headed up into Greer feeling better and determined to do a century.  So I got onto Victor Hill Road and headed east. I figured when I hit 85 miles that I could turn around and it would be about 15 miles to home. Took that road a long ways, over I-85 till it dead-ended at Barry Shoals road (north of Reidville). My odometer showed 84.7 miles. Time to head for Reid School Road- Taylors.  So now I was facing northwest and saw a very seriously dark sky approaching. Could I give it my all and get home before the storm?  I made good speed as there was a slight tail wind and the road was fairly flat. Got back to Greer and still no rain but it was getting dark all around me. I had to work thru the town and side streets. Small drops of rain started. I put a plastic bag over my injured hand and kept on.  Past the Home Depot and it was raining and thunder was heard. I got to a CVS at Wade Hampton Blvd. and pulled up to it as the storm got intense. I leaned against the building under an awning for about 5 minutes and felt like I was in a hurricane. Then the winds shifted and I was getting soaked. I went inside with my bike. The automatic doors were not working right but someone on the inside let me in.  The rain was blowing sideways and lightning constantly lit up the sky.  I talked to Doug on cell phone about the storm and its track. I went to the bathroom and roamed the food aisles for a snack. I chose a big Cadbury chocolate and almond bar. Sat at a patio table they had set up inside (why would anyone go to CVS for a patio table set???)  and was eating it when I noticed the sky lighten up.  So about 30 minutes or about 5:10 pm the rain let up and I hit the road. It was 4 miles in light or no rain. Only problem was the river of water going down the gutter area or emergency lane. Slow going.  Got home at 5:30 pm. Average speed was 14.8 mph. Ending up with 99 miles. Close enough for me to goal of 100.  After a few hours rest I went out and ran 7.2 miles. Did this mostly on Wade Hampton towards the CVS of earlier in the day. Turned around at the Target entrance. Ran past a huge outdoor party at a bar where many bikers (not cyclists) were at. A band was playing loud rock music and there was a huge food trailer marked as "Smokin Butts" and a picture of a pig and his rear end highlighted.  Got home at about 9:30 pm soaking wet. Yes it was so humid. Enough for one day. I think it was a hard enough one. 

Tri the Midlands

Tri the Midlands 500 meter swim 14 mile bike 5k run  Lake Carolina near Blythewood, SC.  Saturday, June 22, 2013  I was overall happy with my result of 1:18 and change for this Sprint triathlon. I came in 4th in my age group (45-49) and was beaten by only 14 seconds by 3rd place guy. So that fact gnawed at me since I could have been 15 seconds faster.  I used alot of near gear since my last triathlon way back in late 2011. Yep no triathlons last year for some reason. Anyway I had primarily a new tri bike QR with aero wheels and tubulars. I rode almost 22 mph for the course.  I swam with a one piece tri suit and ran and biked with tri specific shoes.  So my transitions were about a minute each which is much better for me. No socks. Also I had a aerodynamic TT/Tri helmet. All this needed to be tested out in a race finally.  My right knee has been a problem this year and I lack depth in running however the knee was ok and I did a good run. The swim was not so good and I am not sure why. Poor first 100 to 200 meters with everyone bumping into me was stressful drank some lake water. I will try to improve my place in the future. I was like 140th out of 190 men. My swim wave was much smaller.  On the bike I did well passing maybe 50 guys. I rode the course the day before so that helped me. I did not use my aero water container. I just used one frame mounted waterbottle with 250-300 calories. Next time I will use the aerobar mounted hydration system.  Still trying to figure out my next race. 

Miracle Ride

Miracle hill challenge 2013 Saturday June 8 Didn't get much sleep the night before as I changed my mind at near midnight about which bike to take. Had to work til maybe 1:30 am and got up at 5:30 am. Had a modest breakfast and a caffiene pill. No time for coffee.  I drove to the start, this year starting from Furman University. I got my packet and found that I was number 2! At about 7 am we left. Doug Guth led us out, but had a problem with his computer and he told me to lead the group out. Yikes. I didn't know the exact route thru Furman, but luckily had my que sheet and pulled it out. In a few miles a fast group pulled ahead and I was off the hook.  It was a very foggy morning as we rode toward Daucasville and then Ceasars Head. I took a wrong turn and for almost half a mile before I realized it and turned back. Got back with Doug for a while. At a rest stop before CH I lost him for good. He was ahead of me.  Met Ms. Rose Wilson. She was on a triathlon bike and said she was going to do Lake Tahoe ironman  (IM) this summer and make a vacation out of it. I passed her before CH but she would finish before me. She was 50-60 years old I would guess. Doug would later marvel at her speed.  On CH I met and talked to Rex Morgan. He is a serious triathlete as well. We talked of Lake Placid IM and tubular tires. We climbed CH at a moderate pace. Rex felt it was an easy pace. My average HR was 149, not into the red zone, but close.  I think it took me 50 minutes to do the 6 plus miles climb. Stop there at the ranger station to fuel up and use bathroom.  Met up with two guys after CH ranger station and we did a pace line for the next 8 miles or so. Each time I pulled my HR went up like 20 beats. I had to drop and find a place to pee again. Went up a driveway (nearing Brevard) and got caught by a very quiet Prius - very embarrassed.  Got on then with Dr. Bruce Gray's quartet (Jay, Stephen and ?) We rode along the east fork of broad river. Plenty of trout fishing was going on. Later we saw a male turkey in a field of turkeys with his feathers spread real big displaying.  Such a great route, except for the Walnut Grove climb - very steep. Hey it is a challenge, not a stroll in the park.  After the church rest stop on 178 I was joined by David Smith, a manager at Hubbell lighting. He had never done a ride on 178 and I told him of the road and it's appeal. Zoom down from the eastern continental divide, across the state line, into Rocky Bottom, and finally down Beasley Gap and the 20 or so switchbacks. What a road.  Ride past SC 11 and onto 288 to the Miracle Hill Childrens home. Eventually a pack of about 8 joined us before we got to the home. Rest stop refuel and bathroom. I had to rush to get back to the group as they left.  Turkey vultures were seen right before Daucausville as they flew off some road kill right before some riders up ahead got to them. They caused me to wreck last year.   It was now getting mighty hot and full sun. I was starting to cramp. Made very strong Gatorade back at the home and hoped for the best. I was thankful the cramps subsided.  Got to the end and clock showed 6:45. I had probably 20 to 30 minutes of stopped time so about 6:20 ride time. Pretty darn good for a ride that in April I didn't think was going to happen with me in it! I didn't have a cycle computer, but was told the route Had 7,000 to 8,000 feet of climbing. No Paris Mountain this time but we made up for it. Great route,  event, people, and weather. $160,000 raised. Amen. What I ate: Shot blocks. 200 calories 2 honey stinger gel 120 x 2 =240 cal GU = 100 cal banana 100 Gatorade 4 bttls =~ 400 bonk breaker ~127 cal Peanut butter pretzels est 20 pcs =~300 cal Cookies est 200 cal At the end I continued eating sandwiches, Pepsi, potAtoe chips. Add it all up, and, well, it's alot.

May 10 - 27 update

Memorial weekend Since May 10th started riding again and like I'm making up for lost time. Almost 180 miles in 5 days (while off work) and included a trip to Saluda.  On May 20 a 41 mile ride klkto "old camp Indian".  On May 21 a 71 mile ride to Caesars Head ranger station.  Preparing for the Miracle Hill cycling challenge charity century on June 8th.  Monday May 20th was 3rd visit to Doc about my right knee. No MRI planned and I am hopeful my knee stays just OK. It is still not right, but it is better.   Apartment pool opened on the 23rd so back to swimming soon. May 24 did 25 miles. May 25: I started at 6:30 am and rode 22 miles to Miracle Hill childrens home near Pumpkintown. It was 50 degrees upon starting and because I only wore a jersey and shorts it was freezing.    Joined group for ride up Ceasars Head. Stayed with a newbie/first timer Mary up CH and we did the climb in 1 hour 3 minutes (well behind the main group). I didnt want her or anyone left behind.  Main group took off just as we came into ranger station. I began eating pretzels and cookies. Got 2 bottles full of egg nog, y ha gottcha, Gatorade.   Then I debated on chasing them as they went toward Brevard and over to US-178. Would have been about a 115 mile day. Too much.  I did go solo up to Camp Greenville and "Pretty Place". Back to MHCH. Ate a bit then joined Jerry and Marsha back to Marietta. Solo home with 7.3 hours riding, 95 miles and 7,500 feet climbed total. Because I went easy and it was cool, I wasp Start trying a little jogging on May 26 with 3 miles.  Wait til after June 8 much more than that distance.  Also did a "tempo with hill sprints" 22 miles.  This is all very routine for me over the past, but after being injured, it (particularly the 95 miler) felt epic.  

May 2013 begins

May begins Went to dr again and he put me on oral script NSAID. Diclofenac is generic name.  Not been running, but he said I could. So other night I rode 11 miles. Yep it felt weird. Still don't want to run.  If still not better, then MRI.  The above was written May 9th

Veg

April 22 Vegetables are good for you.  So today I went to the orthopedic doctor for my right knee. It has been very bad the last 3 days. I barely made it thru work this weekend. Sore and swollen. Took X-rays (nothing bad seen). Doc shot some cortisone into the knee.  Synovosis (??) I guess was the diagnosis. See doc in two weeks.  It is such a nice day and after the appointment I just sat in the truck and vegetated. Watched squirrels playing, listen to the radio. Read. Ate some snacks. Drove to the Y but then just sat and figured out my mpg for the last few months. Read some more. Listened to the radio.  I came to the Y to swim, but this vedging thing is nice. But I need to exercise some. Heck I signed up to do a century early June. I could just be a volunteer.  I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I am grateful to be able to walk, that I got into see the doc on short notice, that I can swim. Thankful I don't have arthritis (yet).  I could go on.  I guess Kobi Bryant was tweeting recently how down and out he is. He can't play basketball. He is bummed and worried he may have to retire. He has a few dollars that may get him by.  Over 3 hours after I was done at the Dr. I guess I will step out and head into the pool. But I'm not excited about it. Not one bit. Yawn. I want to take a nap. Vegetables are good for you, but being one is nice too. 

1st Quarter finish

End of march So I'm sitting here in the parking lot of Bi-lo and I just got done shopping. Hungry. A block of sharp cheddar cheese stared me down. I nearly never buy blocks of cheese but I had to have it. Anyway this will not help me achieve a lower "race weight". I did choose the reduced fat version. I'm am sure Dr. Oz would approve.  Training over the last couple of weeks has been ok. Right knee has been the focus of concern. Went to Indiana on 3/15 and ran the treadmill a few times in mom's basement. On the 19th I was in downtown Chicago overnight and I jogged the sidewalks/streets for about 4 miles at night. Ran the stairs in the hotel (a tower). Anyhow after all that my knee was sore and stiff. Off of running for a good while to help it heal. Torn cartilage or tendinitis not sure. Pain is low. Dr. Visit if it persists.  A MTB ride in the woods prior to Indiana/Chicago trip may have been where the knee stress peaked; climbing a very steep little hill and I felt something.  Doing the Cooper River Bridge run was a goal a year ago but it is April 6 and I work Fri/S/Sun. So I would have had to take vacation. The knee is not good and my training has been weak too. So maybe next year.  So swimming all I want and a gradual buildup on the bike. By the end of April I hope to peak on swimming with a sustained effort of 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 miles in the pool. My PR in distance was a few years ago at about 3.3 miles in like 2-1/2 hours. I've been doing 500 yards to 1700 yard timed efforts within larger swims, but no days over 2500 yds (1-1/2 miles).  Easter weekend rode 30, 20, and 56 miles on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Right knee seems ok. Friday took the QR TT bike out with a new cassette and gave normal 22 mile (1500 feet vert) loop a good effort. 1 hour 18 minutes. Oh yea, forgot to inflate  tires (23c) and they were 70 and 55 psi !! Dumb. A lot better than a recent 1 hour 36 minute effort on the heavy Allez.  Sunday ride towards Saluda, but rain started and I chickened out; turn back at Mine Mtn. Road. Drizzle off/on whole way back. It was 65 to 70 degrees so it was ok. 3550 feet vertical. Beautiful flowers and a greening up going on.  Spring has sprung.  Well I ate over half the cheese block (360 calories, 200 fat calories) with a bunch of  pretzels to go with. Yogurt and a big navel orange. Dinner is over.  April 1st 2013

Jan/feb review

January February review There were no official events these months but still training in the 3 sports. Might run twice a week at most. Try to go to the Y and swim every day I'm off but usually it works out to 2 times a week.  Bike rides with Gusto Cycles bike shop on my off Friday and Saturdays if possible. Had one epic ride in Feb where a snowstorm hit at the end of a 50 mile ride and I rode about 5 miles in it.  I signed up for the Miracle Hill bike ride (100 miles) on June 8 so I will be training for that.  No commitment on the Charleston bridge run 10k. I want to do it but work that weekend.  

March start downtown

On  march 1 I rode with the Gusto Cycles group which was actually a bunch of the Finishstrong bike team. We went to Paris mountain and climbed up. I decided to not return with them yet go down the backside and to the Swamp Rabbit Trail. I headed down the mountain and it had lots of debris from a recent storm. Got on the SRT and headed downtown. Got there and went up main street and ate a snack and people watched a bit. I noticed signs saying no parking after 11pm. So I thought "what event?". Was there a run? I am so dumb for not knowing.   Later I saw a Trek Travel van with bikes on it. I went and looked at it and it was by the fancy old hotel. Then I saw t-shirts in boxes by the hotel fountain or circle. I rode over to them to see them. I then eavesdropped on an older guy (R.D.) near the shirts and another young guy greeting a young lady (NG) and a gentleman. I recognized the young guy as John Stoer a local elite runner. He was in his running apparel.  So this lady was saying she just flew in. She and the gentleman were also in running wear. The RD guy told the lady that he went to school with Bob Bowman. I think Bowman is the guy who started Nike. I watched as the 3 of them ran off. I figured that a race was tomorrow. I talked to the older guy (RD= race director). The race was the Reedy River Run (RRR). A long tradition in Greenville but one I had not done yet. I started thinking "what if I sign up?" The gusto ride on Saturday morning was cancelled due to possible snow on Saturday morning per last email I had but one of the Finishstrong guys said Beth may have changed her mind.  So I rode back up the SRT and up the backside of PM and home. 45 miles total. Ate a pasta dinner and I later called my mom and she looked up the race info online. This was at 8:30 pm. I drove back downtown (not really knowing if i would make it before the 9pm closing) and walked into the Ale House and registered for the 10k race at about 8:55. I was the last person to register!   So last minute.  Got my bib number, a t-shirt, studied the course route on a big poster board and left with the people who had just helped me. They were taking out the left over t-shirts. I seemed to be following these darn t-shirts around town.  I drove home, set my alarms and ate some more. I remember watching the 11pm news and they had a segment about the race. And they interviewed the race director!   He said to pin your bib to the layer closest to your body because you will take off layers as you run. I went and slept on that advise.   Got up about 6:30 am and ate cereal. Had made cookies night before and ate about 6-8 of them. Drove downtown around 7:45 am. It was snowing lightly as I drove, So yes it was cold. I parked right by the 6 mile mark on broad street.  I saw lots of people running around in small groups and alone. I had on a heavy coat and gloves and sockhat. I ran across the reedy river falls bridge to a public restroom. It was occupied.  I ran to another near the Lazy Goat restaurant. I got done with my last minute "system flush" and was back outside. Those cookies were not sitting too well in my stomach but I hoped I would be ok.  I ran to the start area then back to my car and took off the coat, exchanged the heavy gloves for thin ones, and the sockhat for a baseball type hat. Jogged back to the start. I had on my cheap walmart (Starter) running pants and a long sleeve technical tshirt under my new white RRR t shirt. I was cold.  There was no rain but the road was wet. I ate an energy gel at the last minute and unable to find a trashcan I shamefully dropped the wrapper as the starting gun went off. I did not see the first mile marker but estimated a 8:00 pace. At mile 2 I took the split and it was 14:45. Much faster than I expected. Also the heart rate monitor was showing like 172 bpm. I was nearly maxed out if it was accurate. Mile 3 at 21:40. A very light drizzle occurred but not for long. By now I was warm to the point of sweating and glad I shed before the race. We ran along the river and through Cleveland Park. At mile 4 I took the split of 28:40. I was loosing energy badly but it was flat. A guy wheezing or hacking up a lung was passing me.  At about the same time a guy about 10 years old was passing me too. I was wishing i could hang on to them. At mile 5 it was 36 plus minutes. Still a wonderful (for me) average of like 7:20 pace. Then the hills started. I took small strides but did not stop to walk even though my body said " walk! ". Up McDaniel and I was getting passed alot. Up Broad street past my car and up to main street.  Downhill the last 1/4 mile I flew. I finished in just under 48 minutes. I squat down for several minutes leaning on a pole. Seriously exhausted.   Grabbed a waterbottle from a guy and walked. Grabbed a sandwich and found a place to sit and eat (beside Pedal Chick bike shop) and continue recovering. I knew I would soon be getting cold as I cooled down. Headed for the car (jogging) and got back on the warm stuff and headed back to the finish. Got more free food and walked.  I heard an announcer say that at 10:45 they would award prizes. I went into the military outfitter store and looked around. Store has been there many years, has many old and interesting items. No 12 inch dagger or gas mask for me today. Later stood then sat on curb and listened to the winners. Non cash winners got a special glass tumbler. Actually I curled up and fell asleep for awhile. I stayed for the whole thing and the RD said if you can hear me come up and take one of the remaining glass tumblers. So I got a little something else out of it.  Very pleased with result (47:40 chip time) considering I only had run about 17 miles in the last 4 weeks!  Also the "longish" bike ride with 2x paris mtn had not helped my legs to be fresh. Good amount of biking and swimming helped my heart be able to cope.  I was 181 of 985.  Wonder what result I could have gotten if I had trained for it.  Oh yea, the girl who flew in was 22 year old Neely Gracie from Lake Orion, Michigan and she was the first female with a time somewhere less than 34 minutes. She broke the course record and won almost $1,500. The overall winner had a time of just over 30 minutes.