Cross Fit to be Tied....

It’s been a while since I’ve posted.  It’s not that I have been taking time off rather life has been very busy!  This fall I was introduced to Cross Fit Training. Conceptually, you are training your entire body.  High intensity, at least 3 major joints in motion in each exercise, and your workouts constantly change to avoid falling into a rut.  You literally do not know what you are going to be doing until you get there…or right before you begin! 

Each workout is broken into four sections.  First is a “warm up”.  When I got started, the warm up itself would kick my butt.  A typical warm up might include a 200 meter run, 15 sit ups, 10 pushups, and 5 “burpees” (think squat thrust followed with a jumping jack).  This series is repeated twice. 

The second section of training works on skills.  This may be learning proper technique of certain exercises from running to dead lifts and clean and jerk. 

The third is known as the workout of the day or "WOD".  This is where things get interesting.  WODS can vary dramatically.  One included squatting down and exploding up tossing a 20lb Medicine ball up against the wall (at a target @ 14’ on the wall) 10x followed by jumping /stepping up onto a wooden platform 1x.  You progress to 9x Wall Balls and 2x jumps.  8x/3x, 7x/4x, etc… until you do 1 Wall ball and 10 platform jumps.  You go as fast as you can.  Trust me.  It’s a workout.  Other WODS have you work in groups of 2 or 3 rotating through various exercises.  Occasionally, a WOD takes a different turn.  One night we all got to do 150 Wall Balls.  The recommendation was to do “as many as you can before you have to take your first break”.  Uh….okay….  I got through 20x when my lungs were screaming.  A quick walk around in a circle and a few breaths later,  I picked up the ball to continue.  I figured I could get maybe 15x more done and then settle into sets of 10x.  6x Wall Balls later and my lungs felt like I sprinted a marathon…    Another interesting WOD was when we were given a choice.  We could do one set of 100 Burpees, 100 sets of 1 Burpee, or any combination that would get you to 100.  WODs like that are timed so you can compare your results for improvement.   

There are also WOD’s that are “set” that use specific movements, weights and repetitions and are timed to measure yourself against others.  These often are named.  One is “Fran” 135lb “Thrusters” followed by pull ups.  21x each followed by 15x and then 9x.

After the WOD, there is a cool down/stretch session.  These are HIGHLY recommended.  Often rolling out your muscles with a foam roller will save you a lot of tightness and pain the next day. 

There were two obstacles I needed to deal with, other than the physical activity, with Cross Fit.  The first was that coming from running/swimming/biking, I pretty much knew what I would be doing and could adjust my schedule to what I felt like doing that day.  I can turn my brain off and just…”go”.  With Cross Fit, you can’t turn your brain off.  Quite the opposite, your brain is fully engaged in what you are doing.  You can’t just turn it off.  It sounds like a small difference, but it is really a big one.    The second was that in Cross Fit, you are pushed to failure.  When I swim, I can adjust the pace to how I feel.  I have a series of distances I plan to swim or maybe one long one, and I just…”go”.  In Cross Fit, if you don’t fail, you are not pushing yourself fast/hard enough or you need to increase weight.

Once I got used to the ambiguity of each workout and pushing myself to failure, all I needed was to learn to deal with the physical aspects of the workout.  I found muscle aches I never knew through football or rugby.  There are far fewer bruises however…

I wish I could say I have dropped a bunch of weight as a result.  I can tell you that my body is "re-sculpting" itself.  My legs have these “things” where my muscles used to be.  They look like…well… “muscles”.  My chest and shoulders are firming up.  My clothes are fitting very differently.

In a few weeks my indoor tri season starts.  I will be interested in seeing how my workouts will impact my results.

I have some issues with flexibility in my legs but I can work on that.  I feel I am getting closer to getting over the hump and having a breakthrough running.  Getting my legs back under me will do wonders for me.

The journey continues…one strange workout at a time.

Reflections on the Shermanator....

I’ve waited a couple of weeks to update because I wanted to get some perspective after competing in the 2012 Sherman Lake YMCA aka “The Shermanator”.

So as Jerry Lewis might say before updating the board with the total number of dollars pledged at his MDA Telethon….. “TIMPANY!”

I finished.

At this point, you might be wondering…huh?  You swam 500 Meters, biked 10 miles, and ran a 5K and all you can say is “I finished”???

Yep.

Kinda makes for a boring blog, so I will elaborate.  I had been on vacation the week before the race.  We rent a cottage every year on Lake Michigan and spend a week in the sun, water, exploring the wonders of the lake front etc…  It’s very nice.

Throughout the week, I knew I had the race coming and was very excited…okay…for those of you who know me….anxious… about it.   Kimm and I had taken the boys for a bike tour, we had been very active, I even tore off a 10 mile bike ride on my own. 

I came home from the lake a day early. Kimm had offered to come home with the boys a day early so she could come but I insisted they stay and enjoy their last day at the cottage.  I unpacked and headed out to Sherman Lake as I volunteered to help set up the transition area.  It was a lot of work, but it allowed me to acclimate myself with where I wanted to be in the area as well as how I would need to navigate through once the race started. 

I had gotten a call from Tim Ferris.  Tim and his wife Connie have become some of our dearest friends since we moved to the Kalamazoo area.  He was wishing me good luck for the race.  “What time do you have to be there?”  he asked.  I told him I was leaving the house at 5:15 as packet pick up started at 5:45 and I wanted to be early to get a good sport in the transition area. I also said he was welcomed to join me.   There was a pause “5:15…well good luck with that!”. 

I spent the evening packing and re-packing.  Anxiously, I thought and re-thought each move I would have to make.  The phone range.  It was Tim calling back.

“If I’m not there when you leave…just go ahead.” 

My alarm went off right at 4:15.  I wanted PLENTY of time to re-think through everything and have my body wake up.  I ate a banana, had a granola bar, and drank some water. 

At 5:05, I realized there was a car out front.  It was Tim.

I gotta tell you having him there was a blessing because he proceeded to tell me a story that had me laughing the entire way out there.  I was the second person through registration and the second one setting up in the transition area. 

Tim was gracious in finding a good spot to view the spectacle from.  I would bounce back and forth chatting with the other triathletes and popping back out to make sure Tim was having fun.  All was good.

The park filled up, the National Anthem was sung and before I knew it, I was getting in the water to begin my first tri.  I hung back in the crowd avoiding the chaos of the start.  After the first 100 yards, I realized I needed to place myself further up.  I was stuck behind guys that had shot out and were now floating, doing elementary back stroke, or simply treading water.  I had to navigate around this like they were pylons at drivers training.  After I got clear of them, I was able to get a nice comfortable stroke going as was at the bouy to turn and come back at.  I found myself zig-zagging a bit but got settled and the final 100 meters flew by.  I was hoping to break 15 minutes and had finished in under 13.

Usually when transitioning from swim to bike, I have plenty of time.  In this race, I needed to run through sand, around the entire transition area on matts, enter the back of the transition area and get ready to go.  I guess I pushed harder than I should.  I realized I was pretty winded.  I had a water bottle set to rinse my feet with and my socks and shoes all laid out.  I still took twice as long in the transition area as most.

Once on the bike I felt pretty good.  There is an incline to climb getting out of the lake area and rolling hills the rest of the way.  The first few sets of hills were fine.  I was able to push down hill and build momentum for the uphill portions.  The course was an out and back, with two 90 degree turns that had a big hill in the middle.  One would think that out and back means that it evens out…that every hill you go up, you also get to go down.  The problem was the hill between the two large turns made you slow down and you lose all momentum.   From mile 2 on, my “push hard downhill/pop back uphill” plan would not work.  I had to grunt it out.  What I had hoped would take 40 minutes ended up taking close to 48.  On top of that, I had to use a lot more energy than I expected.

Back in transition, I parked my bike, swigged some Gatorade, popped an energy blob of some sort into my mouth and headed off for my run.  Again, the transition area by the lake is in a “bowl” that the run course had to exit.  I initially walked to get my legs back under me and because I was pretty darned tired.  I got to running a bit but once on the flats, the shade was gone and the temperatures got high.  I knew I was going to have to alternate walking and running, but quickly realized it would be more than I had planned. 

As an aside, I must say that when competing in an event like this, the people you meet are amongst the coolest in the world.  People were cheering each other on, providing words of encouragement.  Letting you know there’s yet another hill around the next corner....(Thanks!)

I make it through the flat open areas and get back to where I am running in the shade and back down  into the bowl towards the finish line.  With about a half mile to go, I run into Paul Emenheiser, one of the leaders of the trizelle program I participated in.  He “runs me in”.  This means he runs with me, providing me words of encouragement, how much further to go, and reminding me of what I am about to accomplish.  With about 50 yards to go he drops off.  I wish he’d stay with me as his presence was comforting but I realize he wants me to do this on my own.  We all get to finish on our own. 

I lengthen my stride and cross the line trying to look as fresh as a daisy but fooling no one.  People are cheering and I see Tim trying to get a picture.  I am pretty certain it will not turn out.

After I cool down, I trade stories of the race with Tim and other folks milling around.  I met many people who were awe inspiring.  One woman had just turned 50 and was doing the race, her first, for her husband who is serving in Afghanastan.  There were people of all shapes and sizes.  One guy had a flat tire and ran his bike the last mile in...before starting the normal run!   My guess is that a few may have even been inspired to see this big old bear of a man finishing a tri. 

I finished.   I aimed to be in between 1:30 and 1:45.  It took me 1:49:41.  Almost 5 minutes longer than I hoped.  As my brother once told me “I don’t want to do something that feels GOOD for that amount of time!

On one hand, I accomplished a major goal of finishing a tri.  I met a lot of amazing people.  I got to spend time working out with my wife and kids and living a healthy lifestyle.  I realized that I am blessed with many friends who have and continue to support me.   I did something I honestly thought I couldn’t do. 

On the other hand…I wanted to do better and have to deal with the fact I’m still a tortoise.

At least I have a goal time to beat next year.

Oh yeah… my next race is September 1^st in Niles.  A new mountain to climb.....

This was the 5 days that was.....

Last week, a five day schedule began that was both physically and emotionally taxing.  I had planned on it being a physically challenging stretch, but as an old saying goes “Man makes plans…and God laughs”.

Wednesday, I had planned to swim my first open water event, a 2K swim at the local Boy Scout camp known as “Roto Kiwan”.  Logistics had us juggling several things that day including a tryout for Sammy for a travel Soccer team.

I rushed home got changed and was ready to go when I heard our cat, Linus, meowing very loudly…and strangely.  I went to check on him.  He had gotten sick and was sitting on a chair looking not to happy.  I cleaned up the mess and checked on him.  His eyes were bright and he purred when I pet him.  He looked to me like he had a tummy ache and wanted to be left alone.

I headed off to my race.  Max came with me for moral support and being that it was 94 degrees, to play in the water during the race.  There were about 30 of us and most were swimming open water for the first time.  We got started along a triangular course that looped around the middle leg of the course once.  The total distance is 1.2 miles.  I had swam this is a pool and knew I could make the distance.  I wanted to practice swimming in a crowd and sighting in the water.  I found the first two legs to be non-eventful.  The crowd thinned out pretty quick and I was able to take 50 strokes, look around, make course corrections and continue.  The third leg proved to be a challenge.  The slight wind we were swimming with on the second was now blowing in our faces.  Even though the lake was set down below a pretty good tree line, the wind created just enough chop to make breathing something you needed to concentrate on.  I also found sighting into the sun to be more challenging as well.  I zig-zagged my way through this leg probably adding another 100 yards of distance.  The fourth leg was with the wind again and I was able to catch up and pass to the pack I had originally found myself with.  The final leg was crossing the wind and sun worse than the third.  Fortunately it was not as long.  I felt strong coming in.  I finished in just under 61 minutes.  I had estimated it would take a bit longer, so I was happy. 

I got dressed and Max and I headed to the car.  I planned to go right to Sammy’s tryouts to cheer him on.  Remember that saying about plans?  God laughed.  I called Kimm to let her know we were on our way.  Apparently, when she had gotten home, Linus was still feeling ill.  In fact, he was a lot worse.  His eyes were no longer bright and he could barely lie in his chair.  She had rushed him to the vet and he was in really bad shape.  No one was sure if he would even make it through the night.

I went from really feeling good about my accomplishment to being very concerned and sad about our furry little buddy.  I began rethinking how he looked to me.  Should I have seen something more?

Thursday, Linus had to be put down.  His little body was simply not able to process glucose.  He was not getting better.  He looked sad.  Kimm and I had to pull ourselves together and be strong for the kids who were going to be devastated.  It sucked.  Linus was a silly animal who slept on his back in the most awkward places.  He hid much of the time but would wake me up by standing on my chest while I slept.

I miss him a lot.

We have a 14 year old dog, Bailey, who has dodged the Grimm Reaper a couple of times.  I never thought she would outlive Linus.  I guess you never can tell….

The swim drained a lot out of me physically.  Losing Linus had me emotionally drained as well.  Friday I had my Trizelle training first thing.  We were going to be swimming at Woods Lake, outside for the first time.  We swam about 600 yards in the open water.  Normally we have a bicycle workout and run after the swim.  I had to leave early to get to Grand Rapids for work. 

My arms were still pretty sore from Wednesday as we started swimming.  The distance was nothing compared to the 2K, but my arms felt like Jell-O.  It was nice being in the water while the sun came up over the trees.  The camaraderie of the trizelle group made it easier as well.

I took Friday night off of any training as the State of Michigan Games were to be held Saturday and Sunday.  The State of Michigan Games are an Olympic-like event that takes place in and around Grand Rapids.  It is a tourist attraction that had over 5800 athletes to the areas competing in a wide array of events.  I didn’t sleep well without having Linus on my chest and climbing onto the windowsill to look out at the neighborhood while it slept.

Saturday morning, Kimm took Max off to the site where the bowling was to take place.  Max has medaled the previous two years.  She would then run him over to where Sam and I were competing in Track and Field. 

We were in a variety of events.  Sam had done long jump last year and wanted to do it again.  On a whim I decided that I would as well.  I never had before but I figured…give it a shot.  What’s the worst thing that can happen?

“Don’t break your ankle, Dad” Sam offers, right before I run down the ramp. All the other folks in line start laughing.  “You can’t do that Sam!” I said.  “Now the only thing I can think of is breaking my ankle!”

I run down the ramp and realize that trying to time a jump off the board is not as easy as it looked.  I pretty much ran through the pit.

“That’s not very good” Sammy observed, again to the delight of the fellow competitors around us.  “If you can get six feet I’ll buy you a Dilly Bar” he offered.  “Never underestimate what the Old Man can do when food is on the line” I growled like a bear.   

The pit officially opened.  It was my turn to go.  Running down the ramp, all I could think about was breaking my ankle.  I awkwardly jumped about two feet behind the board, made it into the pit and fell forward.  I could feel my left ankle “tweak” a bit on the landing.   Not too bad but “NostraSamus’s” prediction rang in my head.  I was covered in sand.  “Seven Feet Eight Inches” the judge called out.  “Done” I said.  I got a legal jump in, beat the goal Sam had set for me, and despite my best efforts, had done so without breaking my ankle.  It was time to concentrate on the events I really came to compete in.  There were so many jumpers and such a small window for them to get their 3 jumps in I didn’t want to get in the way of any of the kids really trying to do something in the Long Jump.

I headed to where the shot put and discus field were leaving Sammy to get his three jumps in.  Discus would be next.  At 47 I still have to throw the college-weight 2K disc.  Compared to the 1.6K high-school disc I threw growing up this feels like a manhole cover.  I have not practiced enough to control a spin, so I stood at the front of the ring and heaved.  I managed to get one out over 90 feet which was a 2 foot improvement over last year.  This was good enough for second in my age bracket, so I was pleased.  Max arrived from bowling with the gold medal he won around his neck.  He was pretty pumped up.  Kimm and my Mom were there to cheer us on.   Max also got to throw discus.  He beat last years’ mark of 33 feet (1K disc) on his first throw.  His next throws increased gradually to 38 feet.  The only other boy in his age group had thrown 45 feet 2 inches, so I did not expect Max to catch him.  On his last throw, however, it all came together.  The judge marking the spot had to back up a couple steps!  44 feet and 7 inches!  What a great effort!  I was so proud of my boy!  He took second but he really gave it his all. 

I missed out running the 50meter dash as it overlapped with my time throwing.  No worries.  I was not too upset that I did not finish 5^th in an event while I was placing in one that actually meant something to me.  I did manage to muddle my way through the 100 meters.  No photo finish here…sketch artist.  The pounding on my ankle wasn’t really needed.  Going back for the Shot Put, it was really sore.

Meanwhile Sammy had taken silver in the long jump and 200 meters again improving on his 2011performances.  Again…Dad was as proud as could be!  The last event for us was the Shot Put.  All three of us were competing in it and we were in the very last flight of the day.  I knew that I was not going to catch the first place thrower at 35+ feet (16 pound shot) but remembered the only other thrower threw around 25 last year.  My ankle had swollen and I had a noticeable limp.  I thought I had to only get a decent throw off to take second.  It turns out I was going to have to beat a 27 foot 4 inch throw.    I coached Sam and Max through their throws and then had to focus on mine.  Sammy took another second place.  Max, while improving form last year did not medal.  I had six chances to get over 27-4…  My first two throws were pretty feeble.  I was not shifting weight over onto my left at all.  I pretty much was all upper body and in the high 25’s and low 26’s.  I did plant off my left softly and got out to a high 26 on my third throw.  I went for it on my fourth and got a big shift in the ring.  My ankle stung pretty good and I knew I had gotten off my best so far.  27-3….just an inch behind.  I had a couple of minutes before my last throws so I tried “walking it off” knowing it would not work but hoping to loosen it up for one good throw.  I know that these games are meant to be fun, but I never met a competitor that given the choice, didn’t want to win, if possible.  The ankle was loosening up and I knew I’d get one decent push.  I started thinking about fourth and goals in football, push over scrums in ruby, anything to get me pumped up and get some adrenaline going.  I could do this…I would just have to dig deeper than I had planned.  When called, I got my shot and headed into the ring with purpose.  I knew that getting that 16 pounds moving as quickly as possible would be key.  I did not take long.  I bent and exploded as fast as I could.  Maria Sharapova would have been proud of my scream.  I quickly exited the back of the ring.  I knew it was the throw I needed.  I wanted to show some excitement but to do so would have been showing up the other thrower.    The call came “Twenty Nine feet, three inches!”  I allowed myself a small fist pump and I prepped for my final throw.  Knowing I had done what I set out I could not overcome the sting of my ankle.  My last throw was nowhere near the previous. 

As a family we took seven medals.  Sunburned, exhausted, and sore we headed home. 

All I could do was hydrate and l rest that night.  My arms were still sore from the swim and competing in four events had beaten me up pretty good.  I went to bed early.  My weekend was not done yet.

Sunday I crawled out of bed.  My treatments on my ankle had helped a lot.  I could walk with only a slight gimp.  I kitted up because I still had three more events to compete in…swimming.  I never had participated in a swim meet before and noticed that the State Games had the kids swim Saturday, during the track and field, and the adults to swim on Sunday.  I registered for the 50, 100, and 500 Freestyle. 

Sammy came along for the show and my Mom met us at the pool.  The event only had a couple dozen participants.  This turned out to be the best thing for me as everyone was very friendly and it felt more like a “get-together” as opposed to an “event”. 

My first race was the 50 Meter.  Once down and back.  I hoped to complete in 42 seconds.  Despite an awkward start and turn, I still managed to post a time of :39.33.  I got to rest for a short while and prepped for the 100 Meter race.  My goal was 1:30 and I snuck in under that at 1:28.  Finally, I had the 500 meters of 20 lengths of a 25 meter pool.  I hoped to beat 10 minutes.  I completely overestimated the time needed for that as I was able to finish in 9:09.

Over 5 days I swam 2K, and additional 600 yards, competed in 4 track and field events, and swam in 3 more races.   I experienced the highs of personal achievement and the lows of losing a beloved family pet.  I high-fived my boys and had them crying on my shoulder.

I’m gonna take a couple days off.

Breakdown...then breakthrough

In reviewing the year I have been posting my trek from tortoise to hare, one theme keeps recurring like a broken record.  I’m really having trouble running!  At first I wrote it off to simply being way out of shape and that I had not really run for a while.  When I tried to run the pain in my feet, ankles, knees was terrible.  I thought this was something I had to train through.  Eventually, I avoided running and focused on swimming or bicycling.  My running was just not improving.

As part of the Trizelle triathlon program put on through Gazelle Sports that Kimm participated in last winter, and I am working though right now, is an association with a locally based sports related physical therapist.  Kimm had a “gait analysis” done and determined she needed to do some specific exercises to strengthen parts of her body and she needed different shoes.  Her running woes have disappeared.

I muddled on.

My swimming and bicycling have gone very well.  I am feeling confident in both skills.  My running has not improved…period.  Finally, one Sunday my body actually felt pretty good.  No pain.  I decided that if I’m going to get a decent run in, it would be that day.  I kitted up and stepped outside.  We had learned some basic good form running skills that revolve around posture, arm swing, where your foot should strike, and taking “quick” steps.  I stretched a bit and began jogging down the road.   Almost immediately the pain returned.  It was different this time, however, because I realized that I was running on the outside of my feet.  My foot was not rolling back onto the ball of my foot!  Try walking that way…you’ll see how much it hurts!

Coming home, I knew what I needed to do.  I needed to have a gait analysis done, just like Kimm had.  I was able to get an appointment set for a few days later.  The therapist I saw, Scott, was awesome.  He has been associated with the Trizelle program and has completed an Ironman Triathlon.  He knows first-hand what I am trying to do.  He listened to my story, did an examination of my feet, ankles, knees and hips.  Turns out…I’m “pretty tight” and need to do some exercises and stretches.  The “highlight” though, was getting on a treadmill and running while being videotaped from behind.  If you are self-conscious about how you look, I recommend you NEVER be videotaped running.    Top down, I started off well.  Head and shoulders positioned well.  My arms were moving evenly and in good motion.  My hips even are in good alignment.  We then jumped down to my feet and worked back up.  My sense of running on the outside of my feet was confirmed…but I then was able to witness the effect on my ankles.  Seeing how my knee were compensating for things made me hurt just watching.  In the world of physical therapy, they have a medical term for my gait…”a hot mess”.

As it turns out, I was wearing quite possibly the worst shoes for me.   Scott wrote a recommendation for a specific shoe best designed for my needs and reviewed the exercises I need to do to loosed up and strengthen my legs.   I purchased the shoes that night.

Last Friday morning was my first attempt running in my shoes.  The “Trizellians” swim, bike, run, and wrap up with a session on a training related topic.  The swim and bike went great.  When the run started I focused on using the good form we had been taught.  There was a lot of traffic that day and getting a “herd” of runners across a busy street is not as easy as one would think.  I finally got into a groove.  “Posture…arms….quick feet” I kept repeating in my head.  I made maybe a half mile when I began feeling pain in my quadriceps and my lungs were crying for a break.  I began to walk.  One of the other participants asked if I was okay.  I was embarrassed that I was not able to go further.  “Yeah…just out of shape” I muttered. 

It was then it hit me…it was not my feet holding me back, it was just “out of shape”!  THAT is something you can train through.  THAT is something you can improve on.  THAT is what you expect to feel when you go running!  I can’t tell you how great it felt to be out of shape!  Okay…that’s an overstatement, but I knew that without having to combat the pain of my feet, I can improve the rest.

Having been involved in sports all my life, not being able to run has really been hard.  It has messed with my psyche.  Not seeing the problem for what it was and moving towards a resolution left me a bit upset with myself.  I know that beating myself up does no good so I’ll just channel that energy into getting into better shape.

My goal for this program remains the same.  Finish the sprint distance triathlon.  I’m not sure if I will be able to get to where I can run the entire distance.  I’m told some people walk the entire race.  As one of the instructors pointed out to me:  “If you finish last…you beat the people that did not finish…and they beat out the ones without the courage to try.”  He very insistently added…”and YOU will finish!”

“Trizelle” Training Impressions: Day 1.

I will readily admit that I was somewhat nervous about the first day of triathlon training.  Despite the fact that Kimm had gone through the previous session, there was an “unknown” factor involved.  I’m not good with that.

First, I mentally had worked through all the gear I needed to take.  I’d wear my swim gear and running shoes and shirt and just put on dry shorts after swimming.  Make sure you have goggles!  You don’t want to look like a total “Noobie” and forget your goggles!  I grabbed a water bottle, snack for after and loaded up my bike and helmet.

Everything was laid out and loaded up so I was all good to go.  Being the first time getting everyone together, they asked us to be ready to go by 5:45 so we could be in the pool by 6:00.  I set my alarm for 4:55 so I would have plenty of time. 

I’m ready.

Now… you just need a good night’s sleep.

Ooops!

Being a bit anxious about sleeping through my alarm, I woke every 30-35 minutes and would stare at the clock.  This was not helping me rest much.  Finally I woke at 4:15.  I lay there trying to get back to sleep.  Finally at 4:30 I figured, oh just get up!

I dressed as quietly in the dark as I could and headed out.  Being very early I drove around town taking in the sights and sounds of Kalamazoo before it woke up.  I got to the pool, found a good parking spot and listened to the radio until I saw signs of life inside.  I grabbed my kit bag and headed in.

I checked in and got the bicycle shirt that comes with the program.  I headed to the locker room to prep.

All I needed to do was get out of my shoes and shirt and grab my towel and goggles and I was ready.  I had meticulously packed the bag so everything was going to go smoothly…except for the goggles.  My goggles were right on top of my towel…right?  No.  They must be rolled up in the towel…no.  Did I pack them in one of the end caps?  No…  I am instantly pissed at myself.  “Noob!” I mutter.  “You are going to look like a total Noob”!  The one discipline I can actually do…and I forget my flippin’ goggles. FML…

One of the Training Directors, Paul, is wandering through the participants and I sheepishly admit my situation to him.  He instantly offers up a spare pair he brings for just such situations.  His “no problem…no big deal” attitude quickly eased my worries and soon enough the introductions and goals for the day were being reviewed.

We had four lanes of the pool to work with and would have to share.  Swimmers with college/high school swimming experience were to go to the far right. People who swim on a regular basis were to hang in the middle lanes and those with little/no experience/fear of water were to go to the left lane.  This is affectionately known as “The Shark Tank”.

Swimming went well.  While clearly not one of the top swimmers, I would place myself in the upper 1/3 of the class.  I did learn two things:  First, I need to widen my stroke.  (Who knew?) Secondly I have a very poor kick.  While trying to kick down and back holding onto a board, I commented to another participant… “I think I’m actually going backwards!”  This is why we practice….

After swimming we moved onto the bike.  I go out to get my bike from the back of my car and spot my goggles on the ground.  They had fallen out of my bag.  “Noob”…  I muttered.

We train in the order of the race as it will prepare us for making the transitions during race day.  It is an “out and back” approach.  That way nobody gets lost.  We go for 10 minutes out, turn and come back.  The faster athletes just go further.   This portion also went very well.  I was able to train at a pace higher than I thought and was able to go further than expected.  The lesson learned from this day…wear your sunglasses.  Even if you don’t need them for the light they do keep bugs out of your eyes.

Finally we moved on to the run.

Ugh.

The run was pretty much everything I expected…and in a pleasant way… less!  Running usually has my knees and ankles aching with each step.  Having swam and rode immediately before really warmed me up and probably had some endorphins kick in.  I was able to run without any join pain. That is the less…less pain.  In a strange way it may be easier for me to run the 5K as part of the tri easier than if I just were to go out and run…  Go figure.

The instructors in the program are great.  As there are many different levels of athlete participating, they simply assist each one in taking the next step in improving.  Whether swimming, biking or running, they spread out to stay with each level of participants.  I have already mentioned the “shark tank” in the pool.  I am certain for some this is their greatest challenge.  I will also guess that some biking had not done so for many years.  This is their challenge. 

As we prepared to run, they announced certain instructors would go out with the rabbits and lead the way.  One of the instructors was going to hang in the back and was designated “The Sweeper”.  I immediately had a vision of the street sweepers in “Soylent Green”.  My goal:  Stay ahead of the sweeper and don’t become “goodness from the sea”.

Heading out, I met Jamie who was moving at about the same pace as I was.  We headed down the street discussing the morning, telling our stories.  We’d have to stop at cross streets for traffic to clear and I don’t think either of us were too concerned as we were a good 50 yards in front of the sweepers.  We made the turn at 10 minutes to head back.   Though my knees and ankles were good, I realized that my greatest need was to get my muscles back to where they need to be.  My quads were screaming.  Jamie was quick to agree when I said, “I need to walk for a second…”  The problem here was that as we had to back track over the course we came out on, we lost our lead over the sweepers… they were now right on our tail! 

I muddled through the course on the way back.  I got passed by the real runners.  I got passed by the runners who I passed on the bike.  I got passed by those from the shark tank.  One of the instructors, Paul…my “goggle savior”…ran me in.  Paul reminds me of the guys I used to play rugby with. I instantly feel comfortable around him.   He has done many of these races including the Ironman.  He chatted me up as we finished the last half mile.   I realized that I had actually ran better than I thought I would.  Lots to improve…but that’s what the next 10 weeks is for.

The class had about 30 registrants.  There were about 20 there.  Kimm told me about half do not make it past 7 weeks.  What is clear is that everyone there has a goal in mind.  Each is on their own separate journey.  My guess is that, like me, that journey is to do something they have never done before.  It may be to do it faster…better…farther.  It may be to prove it to a friend, spouse or as in my case, myself.

My takeaways were these:  Sleep better, zip your bag shut, bring your sunnies, and stay ahead of the sweepers.

…and one more…  I think I’m going to be able to do this. 

Changes in Latitudes…Changes in Attitudes

Having made the decision to compete in my first Sprint Triathlon, I thought it best to enter a training program through a local sporting goods retailer that specializes in running and related activities.   My wife, Kimm, participated in the program over the winter and found the structure, training, positive atmosphere, and motivation to be of great assistance.   Seeing how much it helped her, I signed up for the program that has targeted the Sherman Lake YMCA’s 10^th Annual Triathlon a.k.a. “The Shermanator”  as the event to prepare for.  Come August, I will swim 500M in a lake, bike 20K, and then run 5K.  It actually scares me when I read those words.

Having sat through the introductory meeting, I was glad to see that all the praise Kimm heaped on the staff involved was spot on.  I was really glad I chose this route.

There were about 15 of us that were there.  I’m not sure how many were or have signed up for the program.  It starts Friday morning at 6:00 a.m.  We will be meeting at the pool on the campus of Kalamazoo College.  We will have a swim work out, move on to bike, and then a run.  Eventually we move out to Woods Lake and swim in open water…something we better get used to if we are going to swim in open water with 424 other people all wearing the same colored swim caps with a number on the side. (Mine will be the one stretched REALLY TIGHT)  What a sight THAT will be!

When I started this blog, my intent was to get to where I could "run" again. At least run without feeling so out of place.  What I've come to understand is that not participating in life is what makes me feel out of place.

As a result, my goals have changed.  I have found the concept of "challenging myself to do things I’m not sure I can do" to be exciting.  Getting out and participating in trail races is a lot of fun!  Kimm and I can do this with the boys as a family.  

You set off on one adventure and you find yourself off on another.  Isn’t it funny how life does that?

I have not yet completed the first training session but I have already mapped out a “To Do” list of events that a few years ago I never would have imagined myself considering:

1.     There is a one mile open swim in a Gougac Lake in Battle Creek in July.  I am going to  do it…

2.     Two separate opportunities to swim 2K in a lake at Camp Roto Kiwan.  I am going to do both…

3.      I will be leading a group of Cub Scouts on a 5 Mile hike of the Appledorn Trail at Roto Kiwan in order to help them earn badges.  I want to do at least one trial run before I have a bunch of boys with me.  They can earn a badge in each “season” they do it in and a larger badge for earning all four…  I am going to lead these boys on each one.

4.     There are several 5K runs my wife is looking at running.  I know I will get sucked into a couple of them…

5.     There is a Triathlon in Niles in September….

6.     There is a Triathlon on the campus of MSU in October…

7.     The indoor tri’s will start in December.

Doing...Doing...Doing.....

  

What the hell happened to me?

Last year I was fretting about signing up to run a couple of sprints at the State Games of Michigan. 

Oh yeah.  I’m throwing Shot Put and Discus at those again in June.

…and running the 100 Meters…

…and the 50 Meters…

…and participating in the Long Jump (Why the hell not?).

As I was signing the boys and myself up for our events, I noticed a posting that “Champions may participate in the State Games of America”.

I Googled “State Games of America” and learned that this is the “parent” event of the games the boys and I have participated in the last two years.  It will be held in June of 2013 in Hershey PA and to qualify, you must have medaled in your States events in 2012…or 2011! Cool!

I then realized that based on our efforts from last year, Max, Sam, and I qualify already!

I think my “To Do” list just got a bit longer….

Life’s little…and slimmest… of victories….

So I competed in my last Indoor Triathlon of the season last Sunday.  These races have you swim, bike and run for a set amount of time, in this case 20 minutes each.  You basically go as hard as you possibly can in each discipline for the time allotted and then move on to the next.  The scoring is weighted as to equal out the value of the disciplines, otherwise the bike portion would overwhelm the run and swim.

I normally do not worry about the point system.  My participation is based on proving to myself I can still do it and being amongst the amazing people that also participate.  They are truly inspiring.  The reason I detail out the scoring system is that for this last race…well…I did worry about it.

My wife, Kimm has challenged herself to compete in the races.  She did one a few months back to establish a baseline of what she could do…without any real training.  She then joined a “Trizelle” program put together by Gazelle Sports that runs 10 weeks and prepares you for an indoor tri.  She has been getting up Friday mornings at 4:30 for the organized trainings and has religiously followed the training schedule of 6 days per week of gradually increasingly difficult workouts.  She has approached the program like a warrior.  Her program culminated in the race this weekend.  Many of her fellow program mates were also competing.  I was so impressed with the program, I am going to go through the next session starting in late May.

When our heats were e-mailed, we checked to make sure we were separated so one of us could watch the boys and assist/cheer on the other as needed.  She was in at 7:25 a.m.   I was at 9:55 a.m. 

That’s when I found out I cared about the scoring…

It turns out in the Male 45-54 age bracket, there was only one other racer.  Again, I rarely beat people so I joked that I only had one person to beat…  “Sure” said Kimm.  “That’s Doug Smith from Trizelle.   He’s in my heat.  I work with him at Stryker”.    Now I had heard her speak of some others in the Trizelle program…mostly women…but I remembered her speak of one man who would make me “look small”.  It was then I blurted out a question that I did not expect to be in a position to ask…  “Can I take him?”

“You will beat him in the swim but he will clearly beat you in the run”.

Now…I don’t like to think of myself as “overly competitive”.  I can go to the fair without winning a stuffed monkey and be fine with it.  Something deep inside was stirred though…

I envisioned a big bear of a man that I would attempt to out work.  Hopefully, my swimming advantage would more than offset his running advantage.  We would find out on Sunday.   As Doug works with Kimm at Stryker, I knew he would be a classic “Type A” personality and be pushing himself to succeed.  It’s just how they are wired.  This would not be a cakewalk.

Race day arrived and Kimm and I packed out gear in the car with the boys.  We arrived and found a good spot for the boys to camp out by the pool while Mom got ready.  Of course, one needed to find the bathroom.  I walked them through the locker room to the bathroom.  On our way out, a gentleman asked me if I was Kimm Mayer’s husband.  He introduced himself as “Doug Smith”.

I had met the enemy…and he was a really good guy.  Damn.  For starters, he was not bigger than me…he probably weighed what I did in High School.  This was not going to be easy.  We chatted before the race.  He said he enjoyed the training program so much he was going to be in the next one.  Cool.  I already made a friend with someone in the class.  Damn…I had to race a friend.

Kimm and Doug’s heat started on time and they were off.  Kimm did very well.  She completed 34 lengths in the 20 minutes.  This was an improvement of almost 20% from her first race!  Not bad for a person not fond of swimming.  Upon moving over to the bike portion it was clear from the start that Kimm was moving faster than those in her heat.  She ended going 8.11 miles which was also a great improvement over her first race.  In the run, she once again improved covering 2.4 miles to round out her efforts.  In a word…she rocked.  Okay, that’s two words but you get my point.

I could not help but make mental notes of Doug’s scores as well.  Doug swam 27 lengths, biked 7.53 miles, and ran 2.34 miles.  Kimm called it spot on…it was going to be a horse race…and this horse had to swim, bike and run well.

Now I knew that the scoring provided you get @ 1.5 points for each lap swam, 1 point for each tenth of a mile biked, and @ 16 points for each mile run…forgetting the “decimal dust”…  That meant that Doug had scored @ 154 points more or less.  I figured out that if I swam my normal 38 lengths, could match his bike, it would come down to me running 1.3 miles.  Not my strong suit to begin with and especially after the swim and bike, it would be achievable, but not easy.

When my heat started, I felt pretty good swimming but not as strong as normal.  I had Lasik surgery on my eyes in March and had only been cleared to swim a few days before.  I had only swam once in the previous 3 weeks.  I could tell I was not where I wanted to be and getting to 38 lengths was going to be harder than expected.  I managed to squeak out 37 lengths.  I prepped for the bike knowing I had a lead, but questioning if it would hold with my weaker two disciplines ahead.   “Make it up on the bike.” I told myself. 

I got to the room with the spin bikes and focused on getting the seat to the right height and my feet strapped in correctly.  I made sure to hydrate and soon enough we were off and racing.  I had a good pace going.  About a quarter way through I realized that the handlebars were still set for the petite woman that was on the bike before me.  This was causing me to lean far more forward than I was comfortable with.  And when I mean “comfortable”… I mean “bike seat”.  Kimm helped me get the handle bars set higher and that eased the discomfort associated with the incorrect setting and I could simply focus on getting to 7.5 miles, or more, behind me.  With 10 minutes to go I was exactly 3.75 miles along…  Not good.  Half way to go with half the time gone and my legs were burning already.  Giving it everything I had I was able to get to 7.34 miles.  Again, I was behind where I wanted to be.  During the transition I was trying to rework the numbers in my head.  “If you can get to a mile and a half…you should be okay…”   I took some water and stretched my legs (who were not happy with me) as much as I could.

Getting on the treadmill I was familiarizing myself with its operations…and trying to figure out how fast I need to go.  A competitor beside me asked what my goal for the run was.  “I need to go a mile and a half”.  “So do I” she said.  “4.5 mph”.  As the run kicked off I dialed it up to 5.2m.p.h. and found a comfortable trot.  My thought was to get ahead of the pace as much as possible as I knew the 20 minutes would require some stretches of walking.  Fortunately, my knees co-operated and I really only had to deal with muscle fatigue and lung capacity concerns.  My pace changed up and down as my body would allow.  I mentally kept trying to run the math through my head.  I had the overall scoring calculations in my head as well as the changing pace on the run.  I knew I had to keep moving because a “kick” at the end can only cover so much.  At the 10 minute mark I was just over half way through.  I knew I did not have to save anything for another day.  That said, my body was now beginning to fight me.   Trying to run multiple calculations through my head while running and dealing with the pain left me confused about where I was and where I needed to be.  “Am I stressing myself over a lost cause?” I laughed.  I figured with 5 minutes to go, “screw it”.  Just push as hard as you can and let the chips fall where they may.  I abandoned my calculations. 

Without anything to keep my mind busy, the voices of my lungs and legs had a direct line to my brain.  I needed a distraction…anything for a couple more minutes. 

I mentally found myself on a rugby field lining up for a kick.  I saw the faces of my teammates.  I felt the wind on my face.  I smelled the grass underfoot.  I saw the ball kicked high, arching over the field I moved down in coverage.  As I got to the first breakdown the ball spun out to the wide side of the field, I continued "running" in pursuit. 

It worked.  The time passed and I was able to “manage” those last minutes.

They counted down the last 30 seconds and I went as hard as my body let me.  At the end… I looked at my mileage:  1.49 miles.   It was further than I had planned.  It was further than I had gone before in a race.  After I caught my breath I headed over to where Kimm and the boys were.  “How’d you do?”  she asked.   “It’s going to be close” was all I could say.

At the awards ceremony they listed the top 3 finishers in each category.  Kimm finished second in hers.  Considering her bracket was amongst the most competitive, she did great.  When they read the results for the Male 45-54, it turns out I had done enough.  I won.  It was a good day for the Mayer family indeed.

Yesterday, we got the e-mail from Gazelle with all the final numbers.  As it turns out, Kimm’s score was even more impressive.  She actually beat the winner in the bike by over half a mile.  Kimm was right on her tail in the run.  The winner, however, had swam 48 lengths…thirds most of any competitor that day!   Kimm actually had distanced herself from the 3^rd place finisher by 10 full points.  Her score would have handily won the race last year.  Not bad for her first “real” race.

In looking at my results I expected that my victory would have been by a point or two.  I was amazed when I saw the final tally:  John Mayer 154.403, Doug Smith 154.140.  I had won by .263 points!  The “decimal dust” I had written off so easily was now the size of boulders!  Basically, Doug’s score was 99.8% of mine.  I literally, won by a nose.

I laughed with Kimm because I am well aware that I had the advantage of knowing where I had to get to and if the positions were reversed Doug would have found a way to win.  Regardless, I will take the win and move on.  I now have a month before my Trizelle program starts and I prep for an outdoor sprint triathlon.  I have a lot more work to do.

I know in the big scheme of things, my winning a silly race doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.  However, to paraphrase Leslie Nielsen as Officer Frank Drebbin in one of the Naked Gun movies:  “Well… this is MY hill…and these are MY beans!”  That said, I am truly grateful for one of life’s little victories, especially one coming by the slimmest of margins.

“He never calls… He never writes…”

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!