Wow. What a slacker I have become. I realized my last post was in November. Nice hiatus Big Fella…
Actually, my absence has really only been on the writing. In November, I referenced a total of 8 Indoor Triathlons that I was targeting to participate in. Little did I know that several of these were being held on the same date (well done organizers) and that one of the events I had targeted was the same weekend my oldest was bowling in the Michigan State Youth Bowling Tournament. I am pleased to report that I completed 5, have one more this coming weekend, and participated in a 5k (walked it with Sam). That gives me 7 events and considering that at one event, after my own race was done, I swam again as part of a “team” with Max handling the bicycle and Sam running. That gets me to 8 events!
During this time, my wife decided that I need not be the only crazy person in the house and joined a triathlon training class held Friday mornings. She has been dutifully getting up to be at training at 5:30 Friday mornings. She has stayed on course finding ways to work in swim, run, and bike workouts throughout her busy week.
Her efforts are inspiring.
She did one indoor tri right before her class started to set a baseline. I can’t wait to see what she does this weekend. She will rock!
That said, I have looked at the structure of her class and am convinced that it would help me as well. As the indoor tri season is wrapping up there is not going to be another class like hers. The next starts at the end of May and is designed to prepare for a “sprint triathlon” held at the Sherman Lake YMCA known as “The Shermanator”.
I’ve signed up.
“The Shermanator” is 500 yards of swimming, 10 miles of biking, and 3.2 miles of running. 500 yards of swimming is basically 10 laps in a pool. That is less than 5 minutes of swimming to me and would be considered…relatively easy…except this will be out in a lake with all the other swimmers churning up the water and swimming on top of each other. I will need to figure out how to handle the crowds, the lack of lanes, and how to stay on course. I am certain the class will help.
The biking is 10 miles and follows the roads around the area. There are some hills to deal with but I can comfortably go 6 miles now so I will need to simply train up.
And then the run.
It always comes back to the run doesn’t it?
I am reminded of my childhood when while living outside Pittsburgh, my Mom slipped on some ice and broke her ankle while taking us kids to swimming lessons. She was laid up and not able to do much for 3 months. My Dad had to go to work, get groceries, cook, clean, and keep my brother, sister and me in line. At one point we had a big ham. Dad took the leftovers and made ham salad in the new blender. It is important to note that my Dad does nothing on a small scale so when I say we had ham salad…I mean gallons of the stuff. What really topped it off was he put pickle relish in it.
Excuse me. Simply writing those words made my gag reflux twitch…
That winter I ate as much ham salad as I will ever need to. One Saturday morning my Dad was trying to get food into us so we could get down to the Y for our swim lessons. The plates with the ham salad on Wonder Bread were waiting for us as we came into the kitchen. With one look I knew I needed someone to eat my lunch for me. My sister wouldn’t make eye contact with me knowing if she didn’t engage…she wouldn’t have to say “No”. I’m begging my brother… “Please….just eat it…make it go away”. “I don’t like it any more than you do!” he whispered so Dad wouldn’t hear. Dad did. He heard everything. Flustered, he tried to approach the matter logically: “If you don’t eat your sandwich…you don’t get to go to swim lessons”. It sounded like brilliance only displayed by the likes of Ward Cleaver! That is when I spoke back to my Dad for the first time in my life….
I blurted out “Going to swim lessons is how we got into this mess in the first place!”
I don’t remember my Dad’s reaction, but I am certain it caused him to get that exasperated stare that all parents get at moments in life….maybe even the eye twitch.
But I digress…
The run will be a 3.2 mile jaunt around the tree lined campus of the Sherman Lake YMCA. Something I am not sure my knees will allow me to do on a good day, let alone after a 500 yard like a bunch of salmon and riding 10 miles on a bike!
The run….
To paraphrase myself from 40 years ago…
“Trying to run was how we got into this mess in the first place!”
My knees have actually been treating me better and I will be taking the time leading up to my program getting started to build up some endurance.
No time like the present to get things started!
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