For months, a colleague has been training really hard for the NYC Marathon. Last year he ran it in just over 4:30, and I know he really wanted to be under that this year. He has trained steadily, and run regularly in distance races, like the Boilermaker 15K and assorted half marathons to stay sharp.
A few weeks ago he was 19 miles into a 20 mile training run - and he fell, hard. He got up and finished the race, but the damage was done. He cracked a rib and collapsed one of his lungs. An air pocket formed outside the lung, and it was touch and go for a while as to whether it would dissipate on its own, or whether he would require surgery. Turned out it dissipated, just like all his hopes, dreams and plans to run that Marathon at all, let alone in under 4:30.
Those of us who know him, especially those of us who train and compete, felt really bad for him. Most of us who enter races or triathlons have performance goals and we know that to reach those goals we have to log a lot of hours - on the road, in the water, in the gym - and that we all have to overcome the inertia not only of physics, but of our own minds. And most of us have been injured badly enough at some time so we could not race, could not train, and had to sit while inertia crept in again. So, we empathized with him, and wished him well and cursed the fates and his bad luck.
Then we learned this - while the doctors were treating him and trying to assess the damage from the fall, they happened to find a small spot on one of his kidneys. Yes - it is cancer. Since they found it early and since it is small, he has a number of treatment options, including radiation, laser and surgery, and the prognosis for a full recovery is very good. He had no symptoms, no idea that there was anything going on. If it had hidden until there were symptoms, his course would have been much tougher. There are no guarantees in the races we run, but in this arena, I bet we'd all rather be running a 5K than a marathon. We're pulling for him to win his.
You never know when the Lord is handing you a blessing.
After My First Tri: Pinebush '06
Me & Coach Andrea - Armed and Dangerous!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
We All Get Along Swimmingly!
Been a while since I have blogged here - work, weddings, family illnesses and competition for the keyboard have all taken their tolls. It's a quiet Saturday morning now - the steady rain is keeping me inside, and the competition for the keyboard is either sleeping, out or in Paris (that would be my daughter who is abroad this semester). This morning it's just me and the laundry (behind on that, too), so I thought I would try to catch up.
We have finished all 7 weeks of the Stroke Improvement Class - I made it to 5 of the classes. I like going - I like the teacher, I am getting a good workout each week and getting better in the water and, of course, I really love getting together with my friends and tri team mates each week. We have all signed up for the next session. Before the next session begins, I thought I would share some observations about this one:
Aaron
Let's start with the teacher - we call him "Coach". Aaron says he has been teaching this class for 5 years now, and I think he does a good job. He used our first session - which I talked about in an earlier entry - to figure out what we could do, and who we were. Over the next weeks, he worked from solid "lesson" plans, but also managed to individualize for each of us. That's pretty impressive. Because we are all older and pretty self-motivated, we all talked to him about what we felt we wanted and needed from the class and he always listened and responded positively. Case in point:
You Show Me Yours.....
We all noticed during our fist session with him that Aaron has a piercing through his left nipple. The second time I saw him, Week 3 since I started during week 2, I noticed he had a bandaid over it. I asked him about it and sure enough, he said he was afraid someone in the class might see it and be upset. I don't know if one of his bosses had said something to him or not.
I have seen covered piercings before on young working people, and was pretty sure that's why Aaron had his covered. By the way - it is actually kind of an interesting insert - it's two small bars, one on either side of the nipple, rising up in a gentle curve and capped at each end with a small sphere. Kind of reminded me of the deely-boppers on a snail - a little different than your standard circle or straight through pin. Kelly and Dodie and I all said we didn't mind at all - with the women speculating more on the fact that it was probably painful having it done - for obvious reasons.
We notice that after that, Aaron just wears a sleeveless red lifeguard shirt during the lessons - piercing doesn't show, but he doesn't have to rip off chest hair after each session that way.
I had something to show him, too. No - not a piercing - a rectangular bruise, shaped just like a brick, located below my right boobie. Nope - it's not what you think - I did not get it the previous week's "brick" workout. I got it doing wall pushups on the side of the pool. If you are Kelly and are strong and have like 0% body fat, you do the pushups the way you are supposed to - straight up and down. If you are me and not that strong and have a bit more than 0% body fat, you kind of lean forward a little as you go up and down, and certain, shall we say, protuberances rub up and down on the gutter with each repetition.
Anyway, I told Aaron that I didn't think I should do anymore pool pushups, and that I didn't think I was benefiting from trying to swim on my back with the brick using just a flutter kick - and he was fine with it. In fact, he pointed out that he told us last week that we didn't have to do the brick, but Dodie and I, being good Type A's, not only did it once, but insisted on doing it again! Which was true. So - kudos to Aaron.
The Brick - Part 2
True to his word, no more bricks for me and Dodie. Until week 6, when we all learn that Aaron can be a little sneaky. During the week 6 session, Aaron brings out two bricks. Dodie and I are puzzled. I mean, Kelly has been doing the brick thing all along and is as seriously awesome bricking in the pool as she is out on the road. But come on - how is she going to cope with 2 bricks at the same time? I mean, two bricks together weigh about as much as Kelly does, soaking wet.
But, no - this time he tosses them both about half way up the length of the pool and tells me and Dodie that we are going to get them. But before I begin to seriously think that he has lost his marbles or his memory or both - he confesses: this time he wants us to use the back frog kick to get them in, not the flutter kick. In fact, he says the drill has been designed that way, and that everyone he knows prefers that kick, except Kelly, the Queen of the Flutter Kick.
Dodie and I like Aaron and trust him - sort of - so in we go and do our best Golden Retriever imitations and"Fetch" And sure enough, it goes pretty well. Then he tosses them in again to the same place and we go get them again. Only this time I bend over and pick mine up - not too tough since I am only in chest deep water - say, "Oops" and toss it out deeper. After I go out and get it and bring it back, Aaron says, "I thought you were afraid of the deeper water." I say, "No - only when I have to try to swim on my back with a brick using my crappy flutter kick and I am pretty sure I am going to get to know Davy Jones up close and personal."
I don't mind diving into the deeper water. In fact, one summer when I was a teenager working at a YMCA summer camp, the chef, who had been a diver in the navy, introduced me and some of the other staff to SCUBA diving. I liked it a lot. I spent most of my free time that summer snorkeling in the lake, and got where I could easily go down 30 ' and hold my breath for 2 minutes. Can't do that any more, but I would really love to get certified and go reef exploring some day - maybe in a couple of years after I retire. It's on my life list.
Different Strokes
Aaron pays a lot of attention to his lessons. We warm up, then we work on different skills and strokes.
Sometimes we isolate on the legs, either with or without the kickboard. Aaron: "Kelly, go fetch that brick, using just your legs." Kelly, "Ok, coach - but how am I going to get it off the bottom?" Aaron: "You have teeth, don't you?"
We also do sets of the crawl, the backstroke, the elementary backstroke, the breast stroke and the side stroke - either working on each stroke individually or in combinations. It's funny - each of us has our favorite stroke - and each of us has one that comes hard. For me, it's the backstroke. I have to remember to keep my head back and chin up, or else I inevitable get water up my nose when I rotate my hiops to the side for each armstroke. Usually I am able to breathe through my mouth and keep the back of my nose closed so I don't swallow the water, but it results in a lot of disgusting snorting and blowing when I get to the end of the pool.
For Dodie, it's the breast stroke. She says it tires her out. I guess she has never really done the stroke, and like everything else she does, she works really hard at it when that's the stroke of the moment. I find it a very relaxing stroke, but I was taught from an early age to count "Glide, two, three" at the end of each sequence, and I'm all for anything that let's me goof off a little. I think that resting is against Dodie's work ethic. Her frog kick has really improved since she started - Coach tells her this, too, but she is hard on herself. Here's a confession - last week when we were doing combination sets, Dodie and I were doing the breast stroke side by side, and I had a hard time keeping up with her - and it's my best stroke.
I'm not sure about Kelly - I think she is not too fond of the backstroke, but you wouldn't know it by the way she powers through the water.
Here's another confession - last week Kelly and I were side by side during the crawl stroke - just for jollies I tried to keep up with her. I went as fast and hard as I could - she was just gracefully stroking along - and I couldn't even stay close for one length.
I Love Flipper
Not the TV show that featured a dolphin (you old enough to remember that - or are they doing reruns on Cable's TVLand?) Speaking of dolphins, used to be you could eat dolphin at restaurants (poor Flipper!). Actually, dolphins as in "Flipper" are mammals, and a protected species - dolphins on the menu are fish - not the same species at all. You can't order dolphin in restaurants any more - they apparently got tired of explaining the difference and renamed the fish mahi mahi.
Flippers as in swim fins. I absolutely love them. Aaron introduced us to these during some of our legs only drills. Man, what a difference. My flutter kick is awful - my ankles are rigid I tend to compensate by bending my knees- which produces a bicycle kick and makes me go backwards. But, with the fins, I am Aquaman! We get to use little shorty fins and my favorite, the long ones SCUBA divers use. I can go so fast with these I create a wake! The great part about using fins during the drills is I get to strengthen my legs and go forward in the water.
Wrapping It Up
The 4 of us survived the session - oh, I forgot to mention - someplace around week 3 or 4, Al joined us. He's a pretty good swimmer and often gets paired in a lane with Kelly during the drills. He doesn't say much - well, it's really more likely that Dodie and I talk all the time - but I remember this: the first time he came and got a look at Kelly swimming he said, "What's she doing in this class?" And all four of us have signed up for the next session.
It's good to have it on the calendar, to know that no matter how tired you are, you are going to get a good work out and going to see your friends. We laugh a lot. Tough to do when you're in the water, but we manage.
Last week was open house for the aquatic programs, and a couple of people stopped by to watch. I admit to being selfish, but I like this group a lot and like the individual attention we can get from Coach, and from each other, so I am kind of hoping no one else joins.
I am pretty sure that Dodie and Kelly feel the same way - after last weeks class, my hair was taking a walk on the wild side, my face was red, and my goggles were askew and I guess I was quite a sight. Dodie said, "Take a picture of him." Kelly said, "Yeah - we'll show it to people who are thinking of taking the class and it will scare them away!" And it was one of the best compliments ever - I think!
We have finished all 7 weeks of the Stroke Improvement Class - I made it to 5 of the classes. I like going - I like the teacher, I am getting a good workout each week and getting better in the water and, of course, I really love getting together with my friends and tri team mates each week. We have all signed up for the next session. Before the next session begins, I thought I would share some observations about this one:
Aaron
Let's start with the teacher - we call him "Coach". Aaron says he has been teaching this class for 5 years now, and I think he does a good job. He used our first session - which I talked about in an earlier entry - to figure out what we could do, and who we were. Over the next weeks, he worked from solid "lesson" plans, but also managed to individualize for each of us. That's pretty impressive. Because we are all older and pretty self-motivated, we all talked to him about what we felt we wanted and needed from the class and he always listened and responded positively. Case in point:
You Show Me Yours.....
We all noticed during our fist session with him that Aaron has a piercing through his left nipple. The second time I saw him, Week 3 since I started during week 2, I noticed he had a bandaid over it. I asked him about it and sure enough, he said he was afraid someone in the class might see it and be upset. I don't know if one of his bosses had said something to him or not.
I have seen covered piercings before on young working people, and was pretty sure that's why Aaron had his covered. By the way - it is actually kind of an interesting insert - it's two small bars, one on either side of the nipple, rising up in a gentle curve and capped at each end with a small sphere. Kind of reminded me of the deely-boppers on a snail - a little different than your standard circle or straight through pin. Kelly and Dodie and I all said we didn't mind at all - with the women speculating more on the fact that it was probably painful having it done - for obvious reasons.
We notice that after that, Aaron just wears a sleeveless red lifeguard shirt during the lessons - piercing doesn't show, but he doesn't have to rip off chest hair after each session that way.
I had something to show him, too. No - not a piercing - a rectangular bruise, shaped just like a brick, located below my right boobie. Nope - it's not what you think - I did not get it the previous week's "brick" workout. I got it doing wall pushups on the side of the pool. If you are Kelly and are strong and have like 0% body fat, you do the pushups the way you are supposed to - straight up and down. If you are me and not that strong and have a bit more than 0% body fat, you kind of lean forward a little as you go up and down, and certain, shall we say, protuberances rub up and down on the gutter with each repetition.
Anyway, I told Aaron that I didn't think I should do anymore pool pushups, and that I didn't think I was benefiting from trying to swim on my back with the brick using just a flutter kick - and he was fine with it. In fact, he pointed out that he told us last week that we didn't have to do the brick, but Dodie and I, being good Type A's, not only did it once, but insisted on doing it again! Which was true. So - kudos to Aaron.
The Brick - Part 2
True to his word, no more bricks for me and Dodie. Until week 6, when we all learn that Aaron can be a little sneaky. During the week 6 session, Aaron brings out two bricks. Dodie and I are puzzled. I mean, Kelly has been doing the brick thing all along and is as seriously awesome bricking in the pool as she is out on the road. But come on - how is she going to cope with 2 bricks at the same time? I mean, two bricks together weigh about as much as Kelly does, soaking wet.
But, no - this time he tosses them both about half way up the length of the pool and tells me and Dodie that we are going to get them. But before I begin to seriously think that he has lost his marbles or his memory or both - he confesses: this time he wants us to use the back frog kick to get them in, not the flutter kick. In fact, he says the drill has been designed that way, and that everyone he knows prefers that kick, except Kelly, the Queen of the Flutter Kick.
Dodie and I like Aaron and trust him - sort of - so in we go and do our best Golden Retriever imitations and"Fetch" And sure enough, it goes pretty well. Then he tosses them in again to the same place and we go get them again. Only this time I bend over and pick mine up - not too tough since I am only in chest deep water - say, "Oops" and toss it out deeper. After I go out and get it and bring it back, Aaron says, "I thought you were afraid of the deeper water." I say, "No - only when I have to try to swim on my back with a brick using my crappy flutter kick and I am pretty sure I am going to get to know Davy Jones up close and personal."
I don't mind diving into the deeper water. In fact, one summer when I was a teenager working at a YMCA summer camp, the chef, who had been a diver in the navy, introduced me and some of the other staff to SCUBA diving. I liked it a lot. I spent most of my free time that summer snorkeling in the lake, and got where I could easily go down 30 ' and hold my breath for 2 minutes. Can't do that any more, but I would really love to get certified and go reef exploring some day - maybe in a couple of years after I retire. It's on my life list.
Different Strokes
Aaron pays a lot of attention to his lessons. We warm up, then we work on different skills and strokes.
Sometimes we isolate on the legs, either with or without the kickboard. Aaron: "Kelly, go fetch that brick, using just your legs." Kelly, "Ok, coach - but how am I going to get it off the bottom?" Aaron: "You have teeth, don't you?"
We also do sets of the crawl, the backstroke, the elementary backstroke, the breast stroke and the side stroke - either working on each stroke individually or in combinations. It's funny - each of us has our favorite stroke - and each of us has one that comes hard. For me, it's the backstroke. I have to remember to keep my head back and chin up, or else I inevitable get water up my nose when I rotate my hiops to the side for each armstroke. Usually I am able to breathe through my mouth and keep the back of my nose closed so I don't swallow the water, but it results in a lot of disgusting snorting and blowing when I get to the end of the pool.
For Dodie, it's the breast stroke. She says it tires her out. I guess she has never really done the stroke, and like everything else she does, she works really hard at it when that's the stroke of the moment. I find it a very relaxing stroke, but I was taught from an early age to count "Glide, two, three" at the end of each sequence, and I'm all for anything that let's me goof off a little. I think that resting is against Dodie's work ethic. Her frog kick has really improved since she started - Coach tells her this, too, but she is hard on herself. Here's a confession - last week when we were doing combination sets, Dodie and I were doing the breast stroke side by side, and I had a hard time keeping up with her - and it's my best stroke.
I'm not sure about Kelly - I think she is not too fond of the backstroke, but you wouldn't know it by the way she powers through the water.
Here's another confession - last week Kelly and I were side by side during the crawl stroke - just for jollies I tried to keep up with her. I went as fast and hard as I could - she was just gracefully stroking along - and I couldn't even stay close for one length.
I Love Flipper
Not the TV show that featured a dolphin (you old enough to remember that - or are they doing reruns on Cable's TVLand?) Speaking of dolphins, used to be you could eat dolphin at restaurants (poor Flipper!). Actually, dolphins as in "Flipper" are mammals, and a protected species - dolphins on the menu are fish - not the same species at all. You can't order dolphin in restaurants any more - they apparently got tired of explaining the difference and renamed the fish mahi mahi.
Flippers as in swim fins. I absolutely love them. Aaron introduced us to these during some of our legs only drills. Man, what a difference. My flutter kick is awful - my ankles are rigid I tend to compensate by bending my knees- which produces a bicycle kick and makes me go backwards. But, with the fins, I am Aquaman! We get to use little shorty fins and my favorite, the long ones SCUBA divers use. I can go so fast with these I create a wake! The great part about using fins during the drills is I get to strengthen my legs and go forward in the water.
Wrapping It Up
The 4 of us survived the session - oh, I forgot to mention - someplace around week 3 or 4, Al joined us. He's a pretty good swimmer and often gets paired in a lane with Kelly during the drills. He doesn't say much - well, it's really more likely that Dodie and I talk all the time - but I remember this: the first time he came and got a look at Kelly swimming he said, "What's she doing in this class?" And all four of us have signed up for the next session.
It's good to have it on the calendar, to know that no matter how tired you are, you are going to get a good work out and going to see your friends. We laugh a lot. Tough to do when you're in the water, but we manage.
Last week was open house for the aquatic programs, and a couple of people stopped by to watch. I admit to being selfish, but I like this group a lot and like the individual attention we can get from Coach, and from each other, so I am kind of hoping no one else joins.
I am pretty sure that Dodie and Kelly feel the same way - after last weeks class, my hair was taking a walk on the wild side, my face was red, and my goggles were askew and I guess I was quite a sight. Dodie said, "Take a picture of him." Kelly said, "Yeah - we'll show it to people who are thinking of taking the class and it will scare them away!" And it was one of the best compliments ever - I think!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Hard Core Bikers
Jill
Jill emailed me and asked me if I had some time after work to go for a bike ride. I confessed to her that I hadn't been on my bike since the Pinebush in July, but she was ok with short, flat and slow. We agreed to meet on the bike path at Lion's Park after work on Tuesday. I was looking forward to seeing Jill again - we had trained together for last year's Pinebush, and I hadn't seen her since last August. Jill is a lot of fun to train with, another social athlete, and she is pretty inspirational to me. She runs 11 minutes miles - but she runs a whole lot of them, back to back to back. I cheered for her in June of 2006 as she ran and completed the Lake Placid Half Marathon, and not only did she run up that beastly finishing hill, she was smiling while she did it. I like Jill.
Rich
I asked my friend Rich to join us - he had gotten a new hybrid for his birthday, but hadn't had much opportunity to ride. We have done a couple of rides together, including up and down Blatnick Hill, and the 15 miles Schenectady Community College loop which goes down the bile path and back Rt 5 over the Scotia Bridge. Rich is definitely not a Clydesdale, and he was a pretty good athlete in HS - he was recently inducted into the VI Sports Hall of Fame for track. He's got bad knees know, but he ran 4:45 miles in HS - pretty good. We kind of look like Mutt and Jeff together. Jill thinks he'd make a pretty good triathlete.
I finished work at 5, and because we didn't have a lot of light left, I changed in the men's room before I left. Rich lives about 3 miles from downtown, and but it took me thirty minutes to get to his house because of the traffic. After I inflated his tires to max, he put the bike, his helmet and his backpack into the back of the CRV. and we headed for Niskayuna at quarter to six.
It's Got to Be the Goin', Not the Gettin' There That's Good - Nah!
We made good time until we got to Rosendale Rd, only to find it barricaded with a detour sign. No problem. We went down a block to turn at the Reformed Church, only to find another barricade and detour sign. At Mohawk Rd, same deal. It was now past 6, and I did not have Jill's cell phone number. I swung around and headed east on Rt 7 again, going all the way to Buhrmaster Rd and was relieved to find it open. We went down the hill turned left on River Rd, and back to Rosendale - only to find more barricades.
I couldn't see any reason for the barricades - and I was within50 yards of Lion's Park - so I snuck around the barricade, and turned into the lot at about 6:10. Jill was waiting for us on the path, sitting at the table in front of the old train station. Since she drives home that way every night, she knew about the barricades, and knew enough to ignore them, but couldn't call me because she did not have my phone number either. Apparently the barricades are up because they are doing a lot of tree work farther down Rosendale, towards the turn off for the Lock. The barricades are to keep traffic away from the chippers. (No - this is not Cali, so the CHP's http://www.chp.ca.gov/ and Poncherello have nothing to do with this story).
Back in the Saddle Again....
Given that it was a little later than we wanted, and given I had run a 5K on Sunday and swam, and jogged and swam on Monday, we decide to call this a "recovery ride", meaning we headed east, away from Blatnick Hill, and rode on the flats. Good call. We averaged a rip roaring 10 mph, stopped both coming and going to look at the magic-hour sunset vistas on the river which open up 2 miles up from Lion's Park, just after you cross the wooden bridge, and we turned around 4 miles out, just before the path headed down to the road and barricades in the stretch before the twin bridges. Meaning we did no (zero, nil, none, zippo) hills.
We talked a whole year's worth of catch-up during those 8 miles, and we never once put our heads down and hammered. And, miracle of miracles, we did not feel compelled to jump off our bikes at the end and do a brick. We will probably fry in Triathlete's Hell (uphill both ways, into the wind both ways, and HHH), or at least Purgatory, but I don't care. It was nice to remember that, in addition to doing the 2nd leg of a triathlon, my bike can also be used as a recreational vehicle. We had a really nice time. We are going to do it again.
Jill emailed me and asked me if I had some time after work to go for a bike ride. I confessed to her that I hadn't been on my bike since the Pinebush in July, but she was ok with short, flat and slow. We agreed to meet on the bike path at Lion's Park after work on Tuesday. I was looking forward to seeing Jill again - we had trained together for last year's Pinebush, and I hadn't seen her since last August. Jill is a lot of fun to train with, another social athlete, and she is pretty inspirational to me. She runs 11 minutes miles - but she runs a whole lot of them, back to back to back. I cheered for her in June of 2006 as she ran and completed the Lake Placid Half Marathon, and not only did she run up that beastly finishing hill, she was smiling while she did it. I like Jill.
Rich
I asked my friend Rich to join us - he had gotten a new hybrid for his birthday, but hadn't had much opportunity to ride. We have done a couple of rides together, including up and down Blatnick Hill, and the 15 miles Schenectady Community College loop which goes down the bile path and back Rt 5 over the Scotia Bridge. Rich is definitely not a Clydesdale, and he was a pretty good athlete in HS - he was recently inducted into the VI Sports Hall of Fame for track. He's got bad knees know, but he ran 4:45 miles in HS - pretty good. We kind of look like Mutt and Jeff together. Jill thinks he'd make a pretty good triathlete.
I finished work at 5, and because we didn't have a lot of light left, I changed in the men's room before I left. Rich lives about 3 miles from downtown, and but it took me thirty minutes to get to his house because of the traffic. After I inflated his tires to max, he put the bike, his helmet and his backpack into the back of the CRV. and we headed for Niskayuna at quarter to six.
It's Got to Be the Goin', Not the Gettin' There That's Good - Nah!
We made good time until we got to Rosendale Rd, only to find it barricaded with a detour sign. No problem. We went down a block to turn at the Reformed Church, only to find another barricade and detour sign. At Mohawk Rd, same deal. It was now past 6, and I did not have Jill's cell phone number. I swung around and headed east on Rt 7 again, going all the way to Buhrmaster Rd and was relieved to find it open. We went down the hill turned left on River Rd, and back to Rosendale - only to find more barricades.
I couldn't see any reason for the barricades - and I was within50 yards of Lion's Park - so I snuck around the barricade, and turned into the lot at about 6:10. Jill was waiting for us on the path, sitting at the table in front of the old train station. Since she drives home that way every night, she knew about the barricades, and knew enough to ignore them, but couldn't call me because she did not have my phone number either. Apparently the barricades are up because they are doing a lot of tree work farther down Rosendale, towards the turn off for the Lock. The barricades are to keep traffic away from the chippers. (No - this is not Cali, so the CHP's http://www.chp.ca.gov/ and Poncherello have nothing to do with this story).
Back in the Saddle Again....
Given that it was a little later than we wanted, and given I had run a 5K on Sunday and swam, and jogged and swam on Monday, we decide to call this a "recovery ride", meaning we headed east, away from Blatnick Hill, and rode on the flats. Good call. We averaged a rip roaring 10 mph, stopped both coming and going to look at the magic-hour sunset vistas on the river which open up 2 miles up from Lion's Park, just after you cross the wooden bridge, and we turned around 4 miles out, just before the path headed down to the road and barricades in the stretch before the twin bridges. Meaning we did no (zero, nil, none, zippo) hills.
We talked a whole year's worth of catch-up during those 8 miles, and we never once put our heads down and hammered. And, miracle of miracles, we did not feel compelled to jump off our bikes at the end and do a brick. We will probably fry in Triathlete's Hell (uphill both ways, into the wind both ways, and HHH), or at least Purgatory, but I don't care. It was nice to remember that, in addition to doing the 2nd leg of a triathlon, my bike can also be used as a recreational vehicle. We had a really nice time. We are going to do it again.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
I Am Really Slow
How Slow Are You?
Yesterday I was out jogging with Donna and we took a short cut across a parking lot. I am so slow that the attendant came out and made me put a quarter in the meter!
Yesterday I was out jogging with Donna and we took a short cut across a parking lot. I am so slow that the attendant came out and made me put a quarter in the meter!
A New Kind of Brick Workout
When I Signed Up for Stroke Improvement, This Wasn't What I Envisioned
Last week Dodie, the "Fat Tire Flash", emailed me and told me she had signed up for a stroke improvement class at the Y and that I should come join her. At first I begged off, but after some thought, I remembered that triathletes participate in 3 sports, and that swimming was one of them. Since I had not been in the water since the Pinebush in July, and since I wasn't exactly setting the water on fire during that race (how's that for a mixed metaphor?), I reconsidered.
Which is how I was sitting on the bleachers at the shallow end of the Y pool at 7:25, listening to the nice young man tell the member that no, he could not swim in the closed off lanes, because he, Aaron (the nice young man) was scheduled to teach a "stroke improvement class in 5 minutes. But, since no one was there, and if no one came, he would open the lanes. Now, I know I am invisible to women, but ......... I may be invisible, but I can definitely be heard , so I spoke up and said I was the stroke improvement class he was waiting for. He looked at his clipboard and said, "You're not on my list" I explained that I had signed up and paid on Sunday, but he still didn't seem convinced. Then I said the magic names" "Dodie emailed me and and encouraged me to join" and "Kelly told me she might be here after her open house" Wow - worked like a charm! Wrote my name on the clipboard and everything.
He had me get in the pool and swim a lap using the breast stroke, while he watched. After I finished the laps, he said my arms were fine, but that I was lowering my left hip on the kick, and that my right leg was lifting up as it was going out, instead of remaining level in the water. He suggested that I try keeping my knees together as I brought them up to my chest, and to concentrate on starting both legs out at the same time. Great observation and great tip - it really helped and I'm going to work on it. (I do have to say that when I visualized his description of what I was doing wrong, I thought I should maybe be looking for a fire hydrant or a bush or something...)
Same deal for the crawl stroke - up and back, while he watched. He noted that I was crossing my right arm over, and that hands were entering the water on an angle that was a little too steep. He suggested concentrating on placing the right hand in straight, placing them into the water on a shallower angle, and on really extending each arm stroke. These were good tips, too, and I will be working on them.
And then the fun began. He said that in addition to technique, we (Kelly had finished with her open house and had joined us in the pool - he didn't look for her name on the clipboard! Dodie was still at her open house but will be returning next week - probably won't look for her name on the clipboard, either) needed endurance. Reminded me of the punchline to a joke about the wedding night conversation between a woman and her minister husband.
Anyway, to get this endurance, he has some drills for us - boy did he have some drills for us!
Who knew you could do pushups on the edge of a pool? And they are tough, too! We did laps with the elementary backstroke, and between laps, we did wall pushups. Then we did kick drills - on our faces, then on our backs, with the board and without the board. And - you guessed it - between drills we did wall pushups. Then we treaded water in 20 second intervals - first legs only, then hands only. We did this for two cycles and on the third cycle, a special treat, legs only and hands straight up out of the water. (Note - along with downhill on a bicycle, treading water is one of the few times when a little excess body fat is a good thing - good for Ron - not so good for Kelly, who has, like, 2% body fat)
But, my favorite was when he said we would do "bricks." As a triathlete, I know a "brick" as two disciplines back to back, especially bike to run. Since we are already in the pool, I'm wondering if we are now going to run or bike or what. No! When he said brick workout he meant we were going to work out with - bricks - 10# rubber- coated bricks, one for each of. I'm thinking maybe we are on the set of the "Sopranos" and he is going to tie it to my ankle.
I won't swear to this, because I was pretty tired by this time and I had a lot of water in my ears, but I think Kelly asked which one was heavier. To be fair to her, she probably had water in her ears and didn't hear him say that they were both 10#'s. Given our relative sizes and buoyancies, probably would have been fairer if I had the 10#'s and she had 10 oz.
No - he had an extra special treat for us. First we walk, with the bricks, to the middle of the pool. Then we each put a brick on our chests, and cross our hands over the brick, keeping our arms tight against our bodies. The he tells us to lean backwards into the water and kick, until we reach the wall. He neglects to tell us that leaning over backwards with a 10# brick on your chest means that your head immediately submarines to about 40 fathoms under the surface, and that about 38 of those fathoms immediately rush up your nostrils, making it very difficult to breathe. His solution was I should push my upper lip against my nose to seal off the nostrils - I can tell you that bit of contortion was not the solution that sprang to my mind. What's next - eyebrow licking?
He also tells us to lift our legs up close to the surface while we kick, neglecting to mention that getting the angle too steep means that you are propelling yourself not to the end of the pool but to the bottom. After 8 rounds of kick, sink, snort, resurface, blowhole and breathe, I reach the end of the pool. (Kelly struggles a little, but does really well and makes it to the wall long before me)
He says that he normally has the class do this several times, but taking note of my stellar performance - and the advancing clock - he says we (mostly me) don't have to do this again. Guess he didn't understand the masochistic nature of triathletes - even if they are SFT's like me. So - we go out to the middle, grab the damn brick and do it again. This time, it only takes me 6 cycles to reach the wall. Wow - 25% improvement!
At 8:15 he tells us class is over. We mention that he had done an hour last week with Dodie. He says yes he had, but then Dodie told him class was just 45 minutes, which it is supposed to be. I ask if he is ok with going the last 15 minutes. He is game and says he is leaving at 8:30 anyway, so, why not? So, we work on the mechanics of the back crawl, learning new ways to snort water, feel graceless, and torment new muscle groups.
When it is all over, he tells us if he has done his job right we will be sore tomorrow, and that the sorer we are, the better he will feel. Does that sentitment seem as skewed to you as it does to me? Kelly and I both thank him and say goodnight. After, we go to the hot tub - Kelly to soak her sore calf (from the backstroke kicking) and me my sore hamstring (I strained it during the first 3 blocks of my noontime run today) and we both decide that this was work and that we will be sore - and that we both like it and will definitely be back next week.
Last week Dodie, the "Fat Tire Flash", emailed me and told me she had signed up for a stroke improvement class at the Y and that I should come join her. At first I begged off, but after some thought, I remembered that triathletes participate in 3 sports, and that swimming was one of them. Since I had not been in the water since the Pinebush in July, and since I wasn't exactly setting the water on fire during that race (how's that for a mixed metaphor?), I reconsidered.
Which is how I was sitting on the bleachers at the shallow end of the Y pool at 7:25, listening to the nice young man tell the member that no, he could not swim in the closed off lanes, because he, Aaron (the nice young man) was scheduled to teach a "stroke improvement class in 5 minutes. But, since no one was there, and if no one came, he would open the lanes. Now, I know I am invisible to women, but ......... I may be invisible, but I can definitely be heard , so I spoke up and said I was the stroke improvement class he was waiting for. He looked at his clipboard and said, "You're not on my list" I explained that I had signed up and paid on Sunday, but he still didn't seem convinced. Then I said the magic names" "Dodie emailed me and and encouraged me to join" and "Kelly told me she might be here after her open house" Wow - worked like a charm! Wrote my name on the clipboard and everything.
He had me get in the pool and swim a lap using the breast stroke, while he watched. After I finished the laps, he said my arms were fine, but that I was lowering my left hip on the kick, and that my right leg was lifting up as it was going out, instead of remaining level in the water. He suggested that I try keeping my knees together as I brought them up to my chest, and to concentrate on starting both legs out at the same time. Great observation and great tip - it really helped and I'm going to work on it. (I do have to say that when I visualized his description of what I was doing wrong, I thought I should maybe be looking for a fire hydrant or a bush or something...)
Same deal for the crawl stroke - up and back, while he watched. He noted that I was crossing my right arm over, and that hands were entering the water on an angle that was a little too steep. He suggested concentrating on placing the right hand in straight, placing them into the water on a shallower angle, and on really extending each arm stroke. These were good tips, too, and I will be working on them.
And then the fun began. He said that in addition to technique, we (Kelly had finished with her open house and had joined us in the pool - he didn't look for her name on the clipboard! Dodie was still at her open house but will be returning next week - probably won't look for her name on the clipboard, either) needed endurance. Reminded me of the punchline to a joke about the wedding night conversation between a woman and her minister husband.
Anyway, to get this endurance, he has some drills for us - boy did he have some drills for us!
Who knew you could do pushups on the edge of a pool? And they are tough, too! We did laps with the elementary backstroke, and between laps, we did wall pushups. Then we did kick drills - on our faces, then on our backs, with the board and without the board. And - you guessed it - between drills we did wall pushups. Then we treaded water in 20 second intervals - first legs only, then hands only. We did this for two cycles and on the third cycle, a special treat, legs only and hands straight up out of the water. (Note - along with downhill on a bicycle, treading water is one of the few times when a little excess body fat is a good thing - good for Ron - not so good for Kelly, who has, like, 2% body fat)
But, my favorite was when he said we would do "bricks." As a triathlete, I know a "brick" as two disciplines back to back, especially bike to run. Since we are already in the pool, I'm wondering if we are now going to run or bike or what. No! When he said brick workout he meant we were going to work out with - bricks - 10# rubber- coated bricks, one for each of. I'm thinking maybe we are on the set of the "Sopranos" and he is going to tie it to my ankle.
I won't swear to this, because I was pretty tired by this time and I had a lot of water in my ears, but I think Kelly asked which one was heavier. To be fair to her, she probably had water in her ears and didn't hear him say that they were both 10#'s. Given our relative sizes and buoyancies, probably would have been fairer if I had the 10#'s and she had 10 oz.
No - he had an extra special treat for us. First we walk, with the bricks, to the middle of the pool. Then we each put a brick on our chests, and cross our hands over the brick, keeping our arms tight against our bodies. The he tells us to lean backwards into the water and kick, until we reach the wall. He neglects to tell us that leaning over backwards with a 10# brick on your chest means that your head immediately submarines to about 40 fathoms under the surface, and that about 38 of those fathoms immediately rush up your nostrils, making it very difficult to breathe. His solution was I should push my upper lip against my nose to seal off the nostrils - I can tell you that bit of contortion was not the solution that sprang to my mind. What's next - eyebrow licking?
He also tells us to lift our legs up close to the surface while we kick, neglecting to mention that getting the angle too steep means that you are propelling yourself not to the end of the pool but to the bottom. After 8 rounds of kick, sink, snort, resurface, blowhole and breathe, I reach the end of the pool. (Kelly struggles a little, but does really well and makes it to the wall long before me)
He says that he normally has the class do this several times, but taking note of my stellar performance - and the advancing clock - he says we (mostly me) don't have to do this again. Guess he didn't understand the masochistic nature of triathletes - even if they are SFT's like me. So - we go out to the middle, grab the damn brick and do it again. This time, it only takes me 6 cycles to reach the wall. Wow - 25% improvement!
At 8:15 he tells us class is over. We mention that he had done an hour last week with Dodie. He says yes he had, but then Dodie told him class was just 45 minutes, which it is supposed to be. I ask if he is ok with going the last 15 minutes. He is game and says he is leaving at 8:30 anyway, so, why not? So, we work on the mechanics of the back crawl, learning new ways to snort water, feel graceless, and torment new muscle groups.
When it is all over, he tells us if he has done his job right we will be sore tomorrow, and that the sorer we are, the better he will feel. Does that sentitment seem as skewed to you as it does to me? Kelly and I both thank him and say goodnight. After, we go to the hot tub - Kelly to soak her sore calf (from the backstroke kicking) and me my sore hamstring (I strained it during the first 3 blocks of my noontime run today) and we both decide that this was work and that we will be sore - and that we both like it and will definitely be back next week.
Time after Time
Donna, who is my colleague, friend and training partner ( and likely triathlete next season) runs in a lot of 5K's, at least one every week, frequently two in a weekend, and every now and then, two in one day. She is strong and fit, regularly runs in the high 20's, and seems to thrive on them.
But our conversation after last Sunday's Teal Ribbon 5K http://www.caringtogetherny.org got both of us thinking that maybe she should cut back just a little.
Donna: The timing people here today are the same people who timed the DARE Race in Niskayuna yesterday
Me: You recognized the people at the finish line doing the timing?
Donna: Sure. And I thought I passed their truck on road when I was driving over here this morning.
Me: You recognized their truck, too?
Don't know about you, but the only thing I see at the finish of a 5K is the big clock and the numbers, and I'm trying to make it in under some arbitrary number, like, say, 90 minutes. I am usually aware of the chute, because there is usually one there, and I am vaguely aware that someone is prompting me to slow down (ain't that ironic ) and trying to steer me into the tangle of ropes and tiny little flags. But as far as I'm concerned, the voice is disembodied, and I have no clue who or what it belongs to.
When I get to the end of the chute, somebody or several somebodies want me to stop so they can rip the tag off my race bib (Maybe if I do this long enough and get really, really svelte and fit, someone will want to rip my shirt off - but that's more along the lines of a hallucination than a fantasy) At this point, I am trying to remember how to breathe, and trying really, really hard to keep it together enough so that some well meaning volunteer isn't going to say to me, "Sir, are you all right?" in a tone that means "Should I get the paramedics over here, stat?" Gees do I hate it when they call me "sir"
And I am trying to stand up straight and put my hands over my head, as opposed to bending over, grabbing my knees and begging my lungs to start working again, because my running companion Nick L told me what he'd been taught: that I finished the race, that I am a winner and I should act like one and not slump over like a loser.
Given all that, Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel could be in that chute and I would neither recognize nor remember either one of them.
So I am amazed that Donna not only sees the people, but she recognizes them, calls them by name and asks after their kids. Next thing you know, she'll be putting them on her Xmas card list. At that point, she really should cut back a little on her 5K's!
But our conversation after last Sunday's Teal Ribbon 5K http://www.caringtogetherny.org got both of us thinking that maybe she should cut back just a little.
Donna: The timing people here today are the same people who timed the DARE Race in Niskayuna yesterday
Me: You recognized the people at the finish line doing the timing?
Donna: Sure. And I thought I passed their truck on road when I was driving over here this morning.
Me: You recognized their truck, too?
Don't know about you, but the only thing I see at the finish of a 5K is the big clock and the numbers, and I'm trying to make it in under some arbitrary number, like, say, 90 minutes. I am usually aware of the chute, because there is usually one there, and I am vaguely aware that someone is prompting me to slow down (ain't that ironic ) and trying to steer me into the tangle of ropes and tiny little flags. But as far as I'm concerned, the voice is disembodied, and I have no clue who or what it belongs to.
When I get to the end of the chute, somebody or several somebodies want me to stop so they can rip the tag off my race bib (Maybe if I do this long enough and get really, really svelte and fit, someone will want to rip my shirt off - but that's more along the lines of a hallucination than a fantasy) At this point, I am trying to remember how to breathe, and trying really, really hard to keep it together enough so that some well meaning volunteer isn't going to say to me, "Sir, are you all right?" in a tone that means "Should I get the paramedics over here, stat?" Gees do I hate it when they call me "sir"
And I am trying to stand up straight and put my hands over my head, as opposed to bending over, grabbing my knees and begging my lungs to start working again, because my running companion Nick L told me what he'd been taught: that I finished the race, that I am a winner and I should act like one and not slump over like a loser.
Given all that, Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel could be in that chute and I would neither recognize nor remember either one of them.
So I am amazed that Donna not only sees the people, but she recognizes them, calls them by name and asks after their kids. Next thing you know, she'll be putting them on her Xmas card list. At that point, she really should cut back a little on her 5K's!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
A Lot of Running Around, but No Running
Brenda Deer, Sort Of
I planned to run in the Brenda Deer - really, I did. But, Emily wanted to get to Boston on Saturday to see her friends before she left for Italy, and she wanted to go to a BC football game, the only one she would get to this year. So, I did a lot of running around on Saturday morning, while the final packing and preparations were being taken care of at home, and off we went. In other words, nothing runs like a deer, but I didn't run in the Deer.
But, our very own Kelly the Quick, and Jenn B and Donna C did. Kelly the Quick took a first in age group and 4th overall (women)! Jenn B said the weather and pace made it a very hard race for her, but she toughed it out and finished in a very good time. Donna also told me the 3 H's made this a tough race: hot, humid, and THE HILL. She also had a good time and finished just a few seconds behind Jenn. You can find the results here: http://www.albanyrunningexchange.org/results/searchResults.php?Race=../results/csv/2007/0908brenda5k.csv
By the way, Kelly, Donna and Jenn are all training for longer races later this season - half marathons, Stockade-athon. etc. Good luck to them - but given how hard they all work, we know that their success will have very little to do with luck.
Guess What They Have in Newton, MA? (No, not figs)
While we were waiting to get Emily on Sunday, we stopped in Newton, MA, just down the street from the BC campus in Chestnut Hill. A quaint and lovely town, with public gardens, complete with sculptures, sidewalks and the kinds of shops where you can spend both the whole day and the entire contents of your wallet. We ended up in a pizzeria for lunch (2 slices of sundried tomatoes and caramelized onions for me) Gives you an idea of the kind of training I got in last week. But - even if I was not running, I was thinking about it.
Bill's House of Pizza sponsors a 5K! Who knew? And you know what everybody gets after the race? Not bagels - PIZZA! Wow - I may just have to check my calendar and make the trip. If BC is playing at home that day, it could be the perfect trip. If you are going to be in the Boston area at the end of October and want to check it out (the town, the race, the pizza or all three), here's the link: http://billspizzeria.com/
Coming Up Next....
Up next, the Teal Ribbon 5K, a benefit for ovarian cancer research. Donna will be there, and Kelly's husband, too. If you have the time, come on down to Washington Park and cheer on the runners and support a great cause. Here's some additional information: http://www.cbs6albany.com/onset?id=23523&template=article.html
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