500m Nonstop!

Okay, this post is just plain self-satisfied happiness. All you good swimmers out there will scoff, but today I swam 500 meters without stopping. A trivial achievement to many, I know, but given that four months ago I couldn't swim 25, it's a big deal for me.

To be fair, it was alternating freestyle and backstroke (25m of each), but the key was that I didn't stop. Even when I thought I was going to pass out, I kept going, and finished it! That's the distance I need to swim for the Charlottesville Sprint Tri, and half the distance needed for the Breezy Point Tri. It's still a long way to go before June 1st, but it's the most progress I've made so far!

It WAS a little disconcerting the way the life guard (Mirjana, three-time Olympic swimmer for Macedonia) was looking at me, with a very concerned "Is he going to pass out" look. But she smiled when I was done.

Recommitted

Perhaps it would be more apt to say that I should BE committed, but as of yesterday I have filed all my recommitment paperwork with Team in Training, pledging that I will, in fact, be seeing this whole thing through.

This pack o' paperwork included my race entry form, hotel and food arrangements, wetsuit sizing form, TNT race clothing form, and other stuff, too. But it's all in, there's enough money in my account that they probably won't break my legs at this point (but the fundraising continues!) and I'm physically on my way to being able to do it. So... June 1st, here I come!

(Note the silence as June 1st fails to cower in fear at my approach).

Martha Jefferson 8K

Another race under my belt, and a fairly decent time even -- This past Saturday I ran the Martha Jefferson 8K through downtown Charlottesville. My goal was to finish in the top half, which I managed to do. I was 209th out of 437, with a time of 44:14. That meant a pace of under nine minutes per mile over about five miles, which is a PR for me for that distance! Woohoo! Nothing stellar, but decent performance for someone who is probably not genetically tuned to be a serious runner. I was 20th of 33 for my age group, so a little on the slow side there, but still...

The weather was, um, icky. Chilly, gray, drizzling (except the brief downpour 20 minutes before the race started), and utterly uninspiring, except that it made you want to get it over with quicker. I blame the weather for my relative performance not being better, because I presume the less-serious runners probably stayed home; attendance was a little lighter than I expected. So it was just the die-hards, and the folks (like me) not smart enough to stay home in bed on a dreary, wet morning.

All in all, though, I'm pleased about the race. It felt good, I had a decent time, and I at least feel my running base is now pretty solid (given that I sort of forgot about the race and didn't train much in the couple weeks leading up to it).

Brick

And now for something completely different...

(If you're not into Monty Python, I'm sorry -- you probably won't get the reference :)

It's mostly been all about the swimming the last few months, but I HAVE actually been doing other things, like, oh, say, cycling and running, too. (I've also been taking a boxing class, but that's just in case things get ugly on the course -- my right cross is getting pretty good.)

We did our first actual "brick" workout with Team in Training a week or so ago. For those not in the know, a brick is not just a building material, or what becomes of your iPhone if you try to hack it to use a different mobile provider. It's also a term referring to a combined bike and run workout. Why brick? Go cycle hard for an hour, jump off the bike, and try to run. Go ahead, try it. For a little bit, you'll feel like you're carrying a load of 'em. So we practice this somewhat painful transition in training.

The nice thing was, for this workout, we actually did more than the bike distance for Breezy Point (14.9 miles -- BP is 12.4 miles), and about the same run distance (3 miles, 0.1 mile short of BP). And tougher, because we biked and ran basically the C'ville Sprint Tri course (which I'm also planning to do, on June 22), which is a hilly ride and a hilly trail run. Breezy Point is flat, being in Norfolk. So, I just need to work on speed. Oh yeah, and surviving the swim so I can get to the rest. :)

I've Been a Bad Boy

I hide my face in shame -- I've been bad about updating my training log. BUT... that doesn't mean I've been bad about training! Quite to the contrary, I've gone off and done something remarkable. Amazing, even (at least to me). Somewhere in the last couple of months, I've actually learned to swim. Really! Okay, I've got a HUGE amount of work to do to be able to do more than backstroke the whole 1000 meters, but I'm getting there.

I'm now swimming at least three and often more times per week. I'm in my second round of lessons, and we're at the point of refining technique and working on endurance. I can tread water and/or float for at least 10 minutes in deep water. I may (possibly) have a chance of doing this thing! Woohoo! Thanks for all the support from everyone.

Triathlon Swimming

This may be tougher than I thought...

New Training Plan

We just got the next four weeks' worth of training plan from Ned. He sounds so encouraging. So kind. So "can do!" And yet, I wonder... what is the price of failure? Is he merely drawing us in, till we're committed with no hope of turning back? This is the man who just ran a marathon and a half marathon in the same weekend! I fear for our wellbeing.

(Please help out with a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through my fundraising page -- Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!)

Four-and-a-Half Sixths

Woohoo! We're more than six eighths of the way to the goal! That's over one-and-a-half halves! It's even more than three quarters!

We've now hit 76% of the way to our fundraising goal. I hope to have it all raised by my rapidly-approaching recommitment date, whereby I have to have raised my goal or be willing to pony up the rest myself. Ouch. I told you these people were like the mob.

Thanks so much to everyone who's helped so far. Only a little bit more to go. C'mon, we can make it! Drop by my fundraising page to help out! Please?!?!

Stationary Bike Trainers

I just want to take a moment to say that I'm not thrilled with stationary bike trainers. Spin classes are great when the weather is less than favorable, but the bikes are so unnatural. And the oversized video of the badlands of New Mexico via the shaky helmet-cam of some poor rider out west... Sigh... But it's a good workout, and there aren't any potholes. And you REALLY have to work to do an endo off a stationary bike. So I guess I shouldn't complain. But I still can't wait till I can get back outside on my real bike!!!

(Please help out with a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through my fundraising page -- Thanks so much!)

A Little Better at Swimming

Dead fish seemed about right... they float, but aren't much to look at.

Good news! I went swimming today, and actually felt halfway decent in the water. I'm sure that to the seasoned swimmers it sounds silly, but for me, the fact I could make it from one end of the warm water pool to the other AND BACK swimming freestyle is a big deal. Woohoo! My backstroke was a lot stronger, too. I'm actually feeling pretty good on the backstroke. There's still a long way to go (a LONG way), but today I felt like I made progress. It felt doable today. I'm still glad there's nearly six months, though.

Thoughts and Prayers

This is a break from my usual snarkiness to give thought to someone important in my life who suffered a stroke two days ago. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, hoping for a full and speedy recovery.

Take a moment and reflect on all the good things in your life, and realize how tenuous it all is, as is life itself. Make sure those you love know it, and live generously and graciously. Most of all, find joy in every day and live life to its fullest, so that you may never have any regrets.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! Santa was good to me this year; I got a Garmin Forerunner 305 to further my training pursuits. (I also got a titanium spork and a USB Rocket Launcher -- I now rule my domain!)

Now, anyone who's been paying attention will note that I have not, um, exactly, um, been great about training over the course of my holiday break. But I shall soon be hard at it again, I promise. If nothing else, I'll need the exercise to overcome the vast quantity of food that has been pervasive the last few days.

One last good note -- $600 in donations were forthcoming from various sources. That bumps me over the two-thirds mark toward my fundraising goal! Woohoo!

Like a Cat in Water

It was back in the pool for more swimming practice, with a gentle grace reminiscent of the Andrea Doria rolling on her side and slipping quietly beneath the waves. Except it floated longer.

Honestly, I think I AM getting better, there's just that breathing thing. I'm finding that inhaling with my face in the water is less effective than I thought it might be. I think I'll try something different next time.

On a brighter note, the group run on Saturday morning was good. Six miles easy running, followed by a shoe clinic at Ragged Mountain Running Shop. Kudos to Mark there for getting me in good shoes, replacing the improper shoes one of the other running stores sold me. Now, if I could just run through the water, life would be grand!

(Please help out with a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through my fundraising page -- Thanks so much!)

The Training Plan Has Arrived

Our coach (Ned) has given us our first four weeks of training plan. I've added it to my exercise log so we can all see how good or bad I am about meeting the training goals. Hmmm, though now Ned can be like Santa... he knows when I'm bad or good. But maybe he gives good presents! More likely, this may be a coal sort of year (although... rocks that burn? COOL! :)

Charlottesville Men's Four Miler

It was only my second actual race, but it went pretty well. It was a chilly morning (about 34 degrees at race start), but the cold was good once I got going. I ran four miles in 34:11 (my official time was 34:34, but I started pretty far back, so I timed it from actual cross of start line to finish line). I was hoping for 32 minutes, but all in all I'm reasonably happy with it. Finished 153rd out of 281, and 17th of 28 for my age group, so overall a fairly average, middle-of-the-pack finish.

It was a bit disheartening to be about half a mile from the turnaround and see two kids about eight years old already running back. But it did motivate me to keep going. And I did beat my father-in-law Jack (in picture). Okay, he's 73, but he's been a runner since he was a kid. And if I can't beat the eight year olds, I can still beat Grandpa! (I've got standards ... they're just really low). Though seriously, I hope I can even finish four miles when I'm that age, much less come in under 40 minutes (which he did, and won his age group -- Go Grandpa!)

(Please help out with a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through my fundraising page -- Thanks so much!)