Wetsuits are Here!

I've just received word that our wetsuits have arrived and we'll be picking them up this Wednesday. Because really, what better way to improve your speed workout at the track than with a brand new wetsuit?

I've been trying to learn a few things about the fine art of successfully wearing and swimming in a wetsuit, and of all the bits of wisdom I've picked up, I think the most helpful went along with the attached picture... "Never fart in a wetsuit".

A Victory for Blood Cancer Research (Bad News for the Homecoming King)

Taking a break from tri training to think about the greater good of blood cancer research, I was heartened to read in that most reliable and serious news journal, The Onion, about Albany High School sophomore Brett Oster's full recovery from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Brett's story was really only a quick mention in this article about their yearbook staff's quest for a fitting dedication for their 2007 yearbook, but nevertheless it's good to know that blood cancer research has saved another life. Unfortunate, perhaps, for Ryan Edwards, but sometimes life goes that way. Being a homecoming king and star athlete can lead to tragedy.

Want to help save more lives like Brett's? (Sorry, Ryan) Help out with a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through my fundraising page.

Speed Workouts

(I liked this picture of a British police officer preparing to use a phased plasma energy weapon to evaporate cars speeding down a rural English highway. The Brits are such a polite group of people; I'm sure he'll apologize afterward.)

This past week saw the introduction of a new sort of pain into my life. From here on out, Wednesdays are speed workouts at the UVa track. At first glance, it might seem this would be a welcome thing, because it's much shorter than any other workout. This past Wednesday consisted of only 2.6 miles, and was done in well under an hour.

The pain comes from the fact that it's FAST. One mile warm-up at a reasonable speed, then alternating fast laps or half-laps with moderate-paced laps or half-laps. When you normally run at an 8.5 to 9.0 minutes/mile pace, running laps at 6.5 to 7.5 minutes/mile is rough. As always, serious runners will scoff at my pathetic pace, but it's a tough pace for me. It was hard enough at the time, but my failure to properly recover/rehydrate/renutriate (yes, I made that word up) afterward REALLY did me in. I was wiped out for nearly 24 hours. I'll do better next time.

So, looks like Wednesdays will be speedy from now till June. Weeeeeeeeeeee...