True to My Word

As this morning dawned, it meant it was time for my 5:30 AM track workout. I didn't feel like doing it. For some reason I did not sleep well last night. I was very restless all night long, tossing and turning and unable to fall into a deep sleep. I didn't have anything on my mind. I wasn't overtired. I just couldn't sleep.

I diligently put on my running clothes and drove to the track, hopeful that I would feel more like running once I got there. I did my warm up mile and still felt less than enthused about running repeat 800's. So, I told myself that I would continue my workout until someone else showed up on the track. Then I would complete just one more 800. Someone always shows up at some point during my workout. Surely someone would show up before I completed all six of my 800 repeats.

After Repeat 1, I scanned the parking lot and area surrounding the track - no one yet. Repeat 2? No one yet, but surely they are on their way. Repeat 3? Not yet. Repeat 4? You've got to be kidding... someone is always here by now.

Five 800's later, still just me on the track. It was very warm and humid. I was tempted to stop early even though I was alone on the track. Who would know? Then, in an odd way, I realized that "no one showing up" forced me to "show up". I had a choice to quit or be true to my word.

Most of us are pretty good about following through on our word to other people. We like to think others can count on us to be true to our word. We like to believe those around us consider us to have integrity - our actions and words are true. That's the easy part.

How about the things we say to ourselves inside of our own heads? Are we as true to those statements as we are to what we say out loud to other people? I've heard it said that you should never promise something (even something seemingly very small or insignificant) unless you are sure you can deliver.

All of us know of someone who we can count on to not be on time, to not complete tasks as promised, to not show up when they said they would. So, we begin to count on not counting on them (and their word). Here's the truth.... Not only do we all know someone like that, we all are that someone at certain times and in certain situations.

I actually believe it is just important that we follow through on those things we say in the privacy of our own heads. Each time we do so, we are more in integrity with ourselves. Each time we do so, we begin to count on ourselves and believe in our own word.

So, thank you to everyone who did not show up on the track today! By doing so, you helped me show up for myself.

Park to Park (to Park) Race Report

Typically the weather at race start for the 5 mile Park to Park race is very warm (often already approaching 80 degrees) and quite humid. This year we were greeted with cool temperatures (58-60 degrees) at the start, relatively low humidity and light winds. So all of the usual excuses for not running well went immediately out the window.

I had two strategies for the race - one was to run it hard (with a goal to beat my last Park to Park time of 42:30 run in 2004), the second strategy was to run it fairly hard, but not so hard that I wouldn't feel like running back the other direction. The race goes from Miller Park in Bloomington to Fairview Park in Normal. I've never run back the other direction, although I know many runners do that in order to pick up their cars.

I ultimately decided to run 8:30 pace (which would match the 2004 time), and then run back to Miller Park with Terry (the Team in Training coach). Two disadvantages to this plan - it would mean skipping the post-race treat of ice cream (runners get to select a free ice cream treat from the ice cream truck) and it would mean running back with Terry. Terry ran a 32-minute Park to Park. I'll save you the math calculation and let you know that is 6:30 mile pace.

I ran a 42:42 which is 8:32 mile pace and placed 1st (out of 20) in my age group. As a parting gift I received a lovely mug which I would be happy to give to any interested person. Words really can't describe the beauty of this mug.

I did run back the other direction and felt pretty good. We ran at my pace, not Terry's. 8:30 mile pace for Terry is very, very easy. So basically I ran both directions at about the same pace.

Keeping my next two goal races (Evergreen Olympic Tri and Steelhead 1/2 Ironman) in mind, I did manage to sandwich three other workouts in my holiday weekend. I managed a 7-mile run on Saturday morning, a 3/4 mile swim on Sunday morning, and a 1 1/2 hour bike mid-afternoon Sunday with temperatures in the upper 80 - 90 range.

The reason I had the word sandwich in italics was because most of my holiday weekend involved the cross-training activity of eating. Friday's lunch consisted of fried cheese curds (delicious) accompanied by a mixed green salad and a salmon sandwich with roasted red peppers and goat cheese. Friday's dinner consisted snacks and assorted buffet foods from a 4th of July picnic at a friend's house, followed by the obligatory popcorn while watching the fireworks. A surprise greeted us at Fairview Park - free pie! Baker's Square was giving out free slices of pie. Yum. This was the first time our two granddaughters (Ella age 2 and Madison age 3) had gone to the fireworks. They loved them!

After a short night's sleep because of neighborhood fireworks continuing well into the night, Saturday morning arrived. 7:00 AM seemed way too early to be getting up for a run, but we all managed to do it. Another opportunity to run and another day to enjoy food and good company.

Saturday morning's run was followed by a leisurely stroll around the Farmer's Market while sipping coffee. We moved at such a slow pace around the market, it would have been difficult for the casual observer to believe the three of us (Howard, my sister and I) had actually taken a running step that morning. Lunch was a healthy brown rice, black beans, steamed broccoli and slices of red and yellow peppers. Before you get too impressed, know that our Saturday afternoon found us at a local winery.

We sat outside on a beautiful afternoon, sipping wine, eating cheese & crackers, a fresh fruit medley of raspberries, cantaloupe, and green grapes, and looking out at the vineyard. We followed this with an all-American cookout of hamburgers and grilled zucchini, and ice cream at a local ice cream place with our two granddaughters.

Sunday morning began with coffee and quiche at our favorite coffee place, followed by lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. (I told you I got a lot of cross training in this weekend.) Believe it or not, after all that leisure activity, I did manage to get on my bike Sunday afternoon and ride for 90 minutes. The mama bird still comes after me every time I ride by her territory, but I'm ready for her now.

All in all, it was a wonderful 4th of July weekend! We included many of the favorite American pastimes - fireworks, apple pie, cookout and time with family. We didn't play baseball.

Release Your Inner Masterpiece

I happened to read an excerpt from a book and found it fascinating. Now I need to get the book. The book entitled "The Michelangelo Method ~ Release Your Inner Masterpiece & Create an Extraordinary Life", is written by Ken Schuman & Ron Paxton.

The authors recount how Michelangelo carved the David from a block of stone so damaged that his contemporaries considered it ruined. Michelangelo considered his job to be chipping away and clearing away what was not needed in order to find what was waiting inside.

The premise of the book seems to be that we each have our own masterpiece to sculpt and create - it is the life that we are meant to live. It's inside waiting for each of us. Our job is to chip away and clear away all that is not needed (fears, beliefs imposed on us by others, self-limiting patterns of thought and behavior) and discover the beauty waiting on the inside. We won't find this on the outside of ourselves - we won't find it in what and who others think we should be. We won't find our own masterpiece in external elements. We can't be who we are meant to be if we are just pretending.

Training progress/update

This past week was a challenging week of training. My week included:

• 2 open water swims (each about 3/4 of a mile),
• 3 outdoor pool swims,
• 3 bike rides,
• 1 track workout (repeat 800's),
• 1 easy recovery run, and
• 1 tough 11-mile long run.
  
  And I managed to balance that with a weekend filled with family activities. Our son Brent and his girlfriend Callie came home on Friday evening and left late afternoon Sunday. So my "cross training" family activities consisted of going to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, getting coffee at our favorite downtown coffee place, driving to Springfield for our daughter Lisa's birthday, playing with granddaughters, playing bocce ball, lots of eating, driving home Saturday night, more coffee on Sunday morning, washing cars (I was the window cleaner), and generally hanging out.
  
  This week is even more challenging in terms of training and balancing the family activities with the 4th of July. The schedule includes:
• 4 bike rides (including the 3-hour ride I did today which I moved from Sunday, and a 4-hour ride scheduled for this coming Sunday, and 2 shorter mid-week rides),
• 5 swims including one 3350 yd pool swim and one 3600 pool swim, 2 open water swims, and 1 recovery swim,
• 5 run workouts including 1 track workout (repeat 800's again), 1 race (Park to Park 5 mile on the 4th of July), 1 long run (2-hour run on Saturday, following the race on Friday), and 1 brick (30-minute run immediately following the 4-hour ride on Sunday).
  
  Our daughter Lisa, her husband Gary and our 2-year old granddaughter Ella will be arriving Thursday night. My sister will be arriving around lunch time on the 4th. We'll also be spending time with our daughter Lauren, her husband Kirk and our 3-year old granddaughter Madison.
  
  As I was riding my long ride this afternoon, I was getting tired, I was riding back into a fairly strong headwind (as usual). I started to think about the female triathlete at the Naperville Triathlon who crashed on her bike. I had hoped to have some news about her condition. I have not been able to find any information on her, although most people who witnessed the crash and have some medical background seem to believe at the very least she suffered a significant brain injury. The last time she was on a bike, it took her away from her family - hopefully only for a short period of time while she recovers, but possibly forever.
  
  This reminds me of just how important it is to balance training and family - to find the appropriate amount of time spent training that will allow me to be trained well enough to race safely, and yet to keep my priorities in the proper order.
  
  Thinking of that young woman also reminded me of what a gift it is to be able to ride along on the open road, on a beautiful day, and to most importantly arrive safely back home to my family.

Appreciate Smooth Road When You Have It ~ be grateful for the bumps as well - that's where the learning is

This afternoon I headed out for what was supposed to be an hour long ride. I was looking forward to the ride because there was very little wind (unusual for central Illinois afternoons), low humidity, and pleasant temperatures. For my weekday rides, I usually head east on a country road. There isn't a lot of traffic, although it does tend to pick up during the after work hour.

It didn't take long to realize this ride was not going as I had expected. There was a nice layer of fresh chip rock on the pavement. For those of you who have not attempted to ride a bike on that, it is a bit like riding on marbles. I was tempted to scrap the ride altogether. I had been looking forward to a nice quick little ride - not much wind, plenty of opportunity to ride fast.

I decided to stick with the ride and turn it into an hour long bike handling skills ride. I rode 30 minutes out. I knew it wouldn't be any faster riding back into town because of the chip rock. It certainly couldn't be any worse, could it? After all, I was getting accustomed to handling the bike in the deep gravel.

Well, the answer is that it could get worse. Hello, headwind. Not a strong wind, but when added with the already difficult to navigate road conditions, I found my legs getting quite tired. It couldn't get worse than this, could it?

Of course, you know the answer. Yes, it could. The post-work traffic had begun to pick up since it was now 4:30 PM. That meant that cars were headed home. They, in fact, were in a hurry to get home and not at all concerned about flying by me going the opposite direction. This meant rocks were flying right at me. I got pelted on my shoulders and took a couple of good zingers to the chest. Quite a few of the rocks bounced off my helmet and sunglasses, so I was glad to have those areas protected. And I was soon covered with dust from head to toe. It couldn't get worse than this, could it?

Tell that to the bird. I heard a squawking overhead - quite loud, in fact. And then I felt a hard blow to the top of my helmet. It took a minute for me to realize what was happening. The bird was actually dive-bombing me. Now I had to handle the bike on the chip rock, into the wind, pelted by rocks from passing cars and try to stay upright while the angry bird tried to take me out. He took 3 more dive-bomb attempts before moving onto more exciting prey.

I eventually made it back to my car. I came away with a renewed appreciation for smooth road to ride on and an equal appreciation for the bumps. The learning happens as a result of the bumps. The times when the ride, or life, isn't going as smoothly as expected, may well be the time when you learn the most about riding, or about life.

"Don't look back. We ain't going that direction." ~ John Wayne

Today is Wednesday. Wednesday mornings are my track workout days. This morning I felt less than motivated to face those repeat 800's. I felt very tired yesterday from my long swim in the morning and the evening run. Added to the fatigue was the lingering headache caused perhaps by my swim goggles being too tight during my swim. So basically, you could say I was internally whining to myself about the speed workout.

And then I saw her - a young college girl was running on the track in front of me. As I passed her (yes, I did pass her), I read the quote on the back of her shirt. "Don't look back. We ain't going that direction." At first it made me laugh and as I thought about it, I realized John Wayne's words are very wise.

It really doesn't serve me that well to dwell on yesterday's training. last year's training and level of conditioning, or past races. The direction to be looking is forward. A quick glance back is useful to gain information, but after that it is time to get on the horse and ride forward. I don't think cowboys looked back very often- perhaps a quick look over the shoulder to be certain no one was chasing after them. Too much looking back could prove to be a very costly move. Looking back slows down the forward momentum.

I completed my workout and am noticing significant improvements in my times. This was only my fifth speed workout, so I can expect to see continued improvement over the next several weeks. I plan to continue the track workouts through the third week of September in preparation for the St. George, Utah Marathon on Oct. 4th. Perhaps the way to approach these future track workouts is like John Wayne - look in the direction of the goal.

Back on the Open Road

This past Saturday was the Red Cross Ride & Stride. Cyclists could choose routes of 35 miles, 65 miles or 100 miles. Given the spring weather we have experienced, I knew I was not ready for the 100 mile ride. I also knew 35 miles was too short. This left the 65-mile route which I knew might be a stretch. My long rides have been on the trainer, with the longest ride of about 2 1/2 hours in length. I have done about 5-6 outdoor rides, but they have only been about 20 miles in length. What a difference a year can make! Last year I did the 100-mile route and I noted in my training log that the weather was very, very hot.

The good news? It was a beautiful day to ride. Low humidity, only a light breeze and temperatures in the mid-70's to low-80's during the ride. The 65-mile route went from the Tipton Trail area to Morraine View Park (Dawson Lake), to LeRoy, to Downs and back to Tipton Trail.

The bad news? My right quad started cramping up after about 35 miles. I've been having issues with my right knee (medial side), especially on hills - whether riding or running. After riding some of the hills in the Morraine View Park area, I could tell things are still not right with that right knee. Since only my right quad was cramping up, I'm sure it is related to the knee. My left quad felt fine.

More good news? I continued on for a total of 55 miles (Downs), before having my own personal sag wagon pick me up. Thanks Howard. At least I was able to get in a 50+ mile ride for the first time this season. I've already gone the distance that I need to ride for the 1/2 Ironman in August.

I have to admit that ride took a lot out of me. I felt pretty tired the remainder of the day on Saturday and was still feeling the fatigue on Sunday. It is discouraging to know that last year I did my first 100-mile ride at this point in the season.

Today I have an appointment at the Sports Enhancement Center to get my knee checked out. I am hopeful that some physical therapy will solve the problem.

One positive side benefit of the knee problem is that I've been doing a lot more swimming over the past couple of weeks. I've had some wonderful outdoor swims early in the morning at State Farm Park. Generally there have only been one or two other swimmers in the pool while I'm swimming. It is so peaceful in the early morning with the sun just rising higher in the sky and reflecting off the water. The water temperature has been perfect and the chlorine is very tolerable, unlike the 4-Seasons lap pool. I hope to do all of my swimming outdoors from now on.