Half Ironman? Yeah Baby.

    It is not official yet, but I have found my first Half-Ironman event. The Pacific Crest Long Course Triathlon. It takes place in Central Oregon, just a few miles from where I raised my sons, my old stompin' grounds. I had heard of this event in passing a month or two ago, but just received my email invite from AASports. My first thought was to register for the Olympic distance, which I know I could easily be ready to complete with just a few months of training at my current level. But a Half? That will require a definite bump in my workout regimen. I have 7 months to prepare myself to swim 1.2 miles in the frigid waters of Wickiup Reservoir, bike 56.3 miles on The Cascade Lakes Highway, and a 13.1 mile run around Sunriver. I can do this, I know I can. It will be a matter of maintaining my focus, adding strength and stamina slowly and carefully, continuing to eat right and train right.
    I lay awake last night, my brain racing around planning and scheming, mulling over details and options. First off, of course, is training. One vital aspect will be to train at altitude. This event starts at about 4000 feet elevation, and the cycling leg climbs even higher. Those who don't get in some serious training at higher elevations will be sucking wind and drained of energy. My plan is to trail run twice a week up on Mount Hood during May and June. Yes, this will be kind of a pain in the ass, but it is a necessary step.
    Another point I pondered is my bicycle Joshua. I think he is up for the adventure, but will need a little modification. I still need to get a shorter gooseneck so I am not feeling a little overextended. I am debating his gear ratio, but I think that it will be fine, as long as I get my legs and lungs up to par. I think I will need to purchase cycling shoes that will clip into his original pedals. Clip-in shoes allow you to power all the way through each rotation of the pedals, increasing energy efficiency and reducing fatigue. But they are not cheap. I am also debating Aerobars, or an Aerobar extension for the handle bars. These let you rest your weight on your forearms, greatly reducing back and shoulder strain. But they make control a bit wonky, so this is something to add early on in training so I can adapt to them. For now, besides spending miles in the saddle, those are the salient bike points.
    Running. This will be a bit tougher to train for. My knees are not as happy about this as the rest of my body. Training for and running a half-marathon has the potential to leave my knees aching and protesting. I think I will need to research running shoes to find a zero rise that has a little more cushion than either my ZemTeks or my Merrell Trail Glove. I think I will start with the Merrell Dash with its 4mm cushion and zero drop sole. Also on the shopping list are performance socks, I don't want to be running on badly blistered feet.
    The swim I have less concern about. Yes, I still have the face-in-murky-water phobia. But as my strength, speed and stamina in the water increases, so does my confidence. I think this confidence will go a long ways towards quelling the underwater boogie-monster panic attacks. Also, I will be doing regular open water swims at The Cove. I plan on purchasing a swim mask, so a little more of my face is covered than just the eye socket coverage provided by my Speedo goggles. I am going to get myself a snorkel as well, so I can swim face down in the water, breathing fairly easily, to force myself to relax with my face in the water. Even if I have to swim with my eyes closed, I will make this freakout, panic mode dissipate.
    So much of just the physical to ponder this early in the game. I will start thinking of the psychological and material aspects later. I have several months to save my sheckels for the entrance fee, which is not cheap. Maybe I can find myself a few sponsors by then. There is always so much to do. My life has a way of feeling just on the edge of being completely out of control, and yet I thrill at the potential, the possibilty of tearing along pell-mell, hanging on for dear life. True, it does get exhausting to the point where I worry a melt down is imminent, but it is never boring.

Time Crunch Crunch

    What to do when time is limited? Fast and furious workout targeting a specific area. Tonight I opted for core and abs, since I feel that you can never work too much on the muscles that make you more than a floppy bag of entrails. I am really digging the Slosh Tubes, they are both dynamic and strengthening. Doing standing figure eights with the 2" x 5' and then with the 3" x 6' Tubes quickly warms up all the muscles in my torso and I can feel the pleasant strain of muscles being put to the test. I added in an Ax Chop motion with the 5' tube, which worked my abs and they are definitely going to remind me about it tomorrow. So total Ab/Core workout included 3 sets of 20 each: 2" x 5' Tube; standing figure eights, side bends, bent over twist, full sit-up, seated figure eights, ax chop. 3" x 6' Tube; standing figure eights, full sit-up, "good morning" bow. Also side crunch, standard crunch with twist, crunch with legs straight toes towards ceiling, twisting crunch with legs straight toes to ceiling, scissor kicks with shoulders off the ground. It ended up being about 40 minutes of exclusively torso work, and I know my muscles will be grumbling a bit about it tomorrow. But when you are Time Crunched, do Crunches, your abs will thank you later.

The Countdown Is On

    I feel as if the countdown is on. I am about 5 weeks from starting the Firefighters Academy and want to be in the best physical shape of my life. True, I am currently in the best physical shape of my life, but I want to be better, stronger, and faster. I know I should be really working on my cardio and upper body strength, and have been adding to my current workouts accordingly. The addition of the Slosh Tubes to my weekly regiment has been pretty awesome, I must say. I feel as if they will really increase my core strength and help prevent strains and injuries when I am slinging heavy fire hoses while in my full gear. I need to be able to hack my way through a door or roof, so core, back and shoulder strength will be essential. The Slosh Tubes are great for this. I am increasing my swimming as well, pushing myself harder with each progressive visit to the pool. I can now swim 50 laps without stopping, I can easily swim 20 laps at a decent clip, or 10 laps at what used to feel like a sprint pace that I could barely maintain for 2 laps. So my heart, lungs and muscles are improving steadily. Having good cardio will be imperative when working in the SCBAs (self contained breathing apparatus) since the better your cardio the less oxygen you burn, and the longer a tank will last.
    I am feeling nervous and more than a trifle terrified at the prospect of getting to be a firefighter. There is no way to know how I will react mentally when faced with a real emergency call, but I do know that I can make Body prepared, strong, supple, and ready for anything. If Body is rarin' to go then Brain will have less reason to freak. I have always known that Body is the temple, the fortress, that houses Brain and Spirit. There are many times when there is little I can do for Brain and Spirit, but I can always work Body. I can keep the temple strong and protective. It is one thing that is totally within my power, within my control. So I prepare Body for the rigors of keeping pace with a bunch of recruits half my age. I have been told by most of the guys at the station that I am in good shape and that I "have nothing to worry about." I will be the judge of that, and I will not let their assurances lull me into passivity. I know I am stepping into a rigorous avocation, and I will be ready. If Body is strong, then Brain and Spirit will follow.

Next Endeavor

    I have my next adventure coming up in a few short days. The Shellburg Falls Trail Run; 7 miles out in the woods, at decent elevation, in the rain and/or snow. There will be hills, and mud, and water crossings, and ducking behind the falls itself. It is bound to be a cold, wet, hairy adventure. As usual I don't feel particularly ready for this. It will be the furthest I have run, by a bit. Although I would not be too surprised if I ran nearly 7 miles during the Multnomah Falls Trail Run since I doubled back when I thought I had taken a wrong trail, back tracked, then had to re-run a long, jagged section of rather primitive, steep trail.
    I have decided that The Taper is somewhat over-rated for anything other than a serious, endurance event, a half-marathon at the very least. I am not running this week though, I have developed what I am sure is mild Runner's Knee aka Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, so I am babying my knee right now, letting it rest up a bit before the run on Saturday. The last thing I need at the end of my racing season is to be side-lined with a nagging injury. But I have been continuing to work my legs in the pool with the use of the Aqua-Jogger flotation belt, and am pushing my cardio higher and higher in my swims. This can help, hopefully, offset the lack of miles I am putting in.
    This year I have not been racing to beat the other runners, or tear up the track, I am doing it for my own sense of accomplishment. I am racing as an incentive to workout harder and longer, to test my mettle, to continue to improve my own physicality. I am out to set personal bests, not course records. So with a 7 mile run in my near future, I am eating carefully, as usual, and working out with an eye towards continued improvement, as usual. I am not really Tapering, but I am being mindful of resting my legs so I don't start the run with muscle fatigue. Once again though, I am being assaulted by my own body, and am heading into the race anemic and with a low PCB. But it is what it is, there is no getting around it, so I will just soldier on, as usual. Despite it all, I am excited for this little adventure race, the chance to run a new trail, see new places and faces, the chance to challenge myself again. I do love trail running.

Stay the Course

    During a week when most people are likely to overindulge and have moments of self-recrimination, I have managed to keep relatively on-track. Relatively. I made a promise to myself that I would enjoy Thanksgiving without obsessing over what was going in my face. It was good to indulge myself a little bit, though my delicate gut had other, less polite things to say about it. I do love baking, and made a number of delicious foods to add to the family feast of over abundance. And I thoroughly enjoyed the eating.
    I will say, I intentionally made it a point to hit the pool hard monday, wednesday and friday. I logged my best swim ever on wednesday; swiming 20 laps, then 20 minutes with the aquajogger belt, then 50 laps non stop and strong, for a total of 2 miles. I even felt I could have swam longer, but I swam right up to closing time and they politely kicked me out of the water. I swam again yesterday, strong and with good form. I put in a two 20 minute sessions with the aquajogger belt because I can really push my cardio up when I am "running" and "cycling". I swam 55 laps total, and the last 10 I swam hard while being very cognizant of keeping a quick tempo and good stroke technique. I want to get to the point where I can swim a solid mile, 35 laps, with long, quick strokes. My wind is getting so much better, but I am still using the pull buoy so it is arms only. I do a constant debate with myself about the use of the pull buoy, knowing I should work on my kick. But since my competitive swims will likely always be in a triathlon, I really do need to be able to swim using mostly arms, saving my legs for the rigors of the cycle and run. And, as Attila the Yoda told me during my swim lessons, when she swam distance, she rarely used her legs, just the occasional kick here and there. So I feel justified in focusing on upper body strength.
    I admit, the day after the Thanksgiving feast, I did feel like I had a food hangover. Dairy, wheat and rich foods are not friends of my poor gut. I headed to the pool still feeling full from the day before, and opted to swim without any pre-workout food other than some black coffee and a small handful of almonds. Even after, I was not my normally voracious, post-swim self. Only wanting a banana and a Clif Bar. But it seemed appropriate to let my body have a little down time from food so it could continue to process everything I had done to it the day before.
    Yes, I obsess over what I eat. Yes, I obsess over how I workout. But truly, I prefer to think of it not as "obsession" but as "dedication." Long past are the days when I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted, workout regularly but without really pushing myself, and maintain a decent level of fitness. Maybe if I decided to stop striving towards being a competitive athlete, went back to the notion of just staying fit, then I could relax my standards a bit,. But that would be tantamount to giving up, throwing in the towel, losing faith in myself. I don't know if I would ever quite forgive myself for that kind of betrayal and lack of confidence. I have worked very hard this year to reach the level I am at now, and I know there are higher levels within my grasp. If I just stay the course, keep the faith, continue on the path I have laid out before myself, then I can only imagine where I will be in another year. This last year has brought so many changes, changes that I can take almost full credit for, I am excited to see where the next years will take me.

Playing Catch-up

    With the everyday, magnificent chaos of my life, I find I am falling behind on my writing. Keeping my logs current, writing every day, or nearly every day can often fall between the cracks as I race through life pell-mell trying to fit as much into every day as I humanly can. I do find myself flagging a bit at times, when fatigue manages to catch up with me. I have actually allowed myself an hour here and there of down time, when I am doing exactly nothing except relaxing. Yes, only an hour now and then, but for me that is an improvement. I think it may be that my body wants to slow down a bit as winter approaches, but I can't allow that to happen.
    I continue to workout daily, even if the most I can do is squeeze in a 45 minute leg workout. Friday was great, I returned to the park where I ran the 8K trail run a few weeks back and hit the trails. I decided to do one loop for 4K. Well, it didn't quite turn out that way. I decided to run the home stretch first, as a bit of a warm up before plunging down the switchbacks to the river. Once I was warm and heading down hill and deeper into the woods all was going beautifully as I ran the paths, confident in my abilities, until I hit a section of trail that didn't look too familiar. I had looped back to the parking area. I turned and ran back the way I came. This became the standard for the day as I traversed the woods, up hills, down hills, over bridges, staircases. But I ran on. It was a good day for running, meaning it wasn't raining and the paths weren't flooded. I enjoyed my back and forth journey, running along happily and feeling good. I did finally find myself on the home stretch and sprinting for the finish, feeling great. I figure I ran an easy 3+ miles with my back and forth, up and down route. And it felt good. The best part? I wasn't the least bit sore in ensuing days, which makes me feel good about my current level. Yes, there is always room for improvement, and I am always working towards being the best I can be.
    Saturday was a day off as far as workouts were concerned, there was much daily life to be had. With the help of my dearest friend I managed to come into possession of a fabulous little '98 Mazda pickup. I have named him Wallace, and he will be great for hauling my bike Joshua to triathlons next year, as well as being a marvelously fuel efficient mode of transportation for me.
    Sunday I was back to my workouts, of course. I know I am having to take it easy on my knees, so can't run as long or as often as I would like to. Instead, I am trying to make my workouts really count, trying to eliminate "junk miles," those long, pavement pounding, drudgeries that beat holy hell out of my knees no matter how gently I run. I repeated my previous treadmill workout: alternating 30 second walks, with 1 minute runs, adding .5 mph about every other circuit, up to 7 mph. This makes for a nice, quick, vigorous, speedplay workout. And it lets me work on my pacing.After my quick run I put in another hour on legwork using body weight, 6' large slosh tube, or weights. It was a good, Sunday evening ass-kicking.
    Monday, back to the pool. I have had some trouble incorporating a Monday swim since the place tends to be jammed up with the high school swim team. But I figured out a workable ploy: Get to the pool a bit late, 5:20, get into gear, wait til I hear the sound of encroaching teenagers, shower quickly, then pass the gaggle as they hit the locker room, and I slip through the masses and into the water. Easy-Peasy. It did shorten my swim by nearly 30 minutes, so I was only able to do a total of 45 laps, with two 20 minute "cycling/running/leg" stints with the Aqua Jogger belt. Then I headed for home and 45 minutes of core/ab/shoulder work with slosh tubes and kettle bell. yes, I kicked my ass again.
    So, now I can relax a moment, having at least caught up with the basics in my workout Journal. Tonight legs and abs, tomorrow back in the pool.

Food, For Thought

    I love good food. I love variety, spicy, cheesy, creamy, gooey, toasty, meaty, crispy, healthy, naughty. I just love good food. The tragedy? Food has become a nefarious enemy. I keep trying, desperately trying, to pinpoint exactly which foods are wreaking havoc with my system. Just when I think I have the evil-doers identified I am proven wrong, gut wrenchingly wrong, literally. I have eliminated dairy and wheat as viable culprits, since they are the felons most often attributed to gastrointestinal distress, and for a while that seemed to be the ticket. Now, I am beginning to suspect that it is not a particular food or food group, but nearly all food that lies at the heart, or gut, of the issue. This would lead me to deduce that no matter what I eat, I am setting myself up for a nauseating, unhappy aftermath. I am nearly to the point of putting myself on a fast of water, and a few raw foods that don't seem to be currently an issue with my rebellious body. That would actually limit me to almonds, bananas, oranges, berries, maybe some leafy greens. That is it. I guess that would make smoothies still a viable option. But g'dammit, with the holidays upon us, the very last thing I want to do is suffer through Thanksgiving dinner nibbling on almonds and sipping a smoothie whilst before me lay a spread of delightful, fragrant, heartwarming foods. I refuse to knuckle under to the terrorists that are holding my stomach hostage. I will not negotiate. At least not til after Thanksgiving.
    The biggest dilemma for me, besides the often painful side effects of eating, is the difficulty of getting enough food to stoke my system. Enough food, and the right foods. I workout quite a bit, and need to eat accordingly if I plan on maintaining speed, strength and stamina, not to mention my desire to improve and build my skills. An engine needs good fuel, and enough fuel, or it will leave you stranded at an inopportune moment. I can't let that happen. So I will keep experimenting, eliminating, juggling, depriving. But it is getting old, and so very not fun. I want to be able to eat anything, anytime, not tiptoe around food like it is the cranky neighbor waiting to chase me off the lawn with a shotgun. Food should be, if not friend, at least an ally. Food should be my support staff, not the office mole waiting to sabotage my best efforts. G'dammit, I just want to be able to eat.

New Wednesday Workout

    Wednesdays I get to go to the station and visit with my beloved Fire Engines. It is about my favorite night of the week, but getting home from work, squeezing in a workout, eating, and making it to the station by 6:45 makes for an action packed evening. Last night I came up with an interesting, effective running workout. Yes, I am limited to the treadmill most days now, it gets dark so early, and there is no such thing as sidewalks or streetlights out my way. I modified a workout I found at Runner's World. Here is how it worked:
Warm up: walk @ 3.5mph for 30 seconds, Run @ 4.5 for 30 seconds. Repeat for 5 minutes.
Next, increase the run speed by .5mph, and time to 60 seconds every set up to 7mph, then decrease speed by .5mph every set until back to 4.5mph. Okay, I ran at 6mph for 2 sets, and 6.5mph for 2 sets on the increase and decrease, just because I felt like it. I feel really good running at 6mph and 6.5mph, it feels like my "new" natural pace. I don't know how long I can keep that pace up, but it feels easier with nearly every run. Even 7mph felt good, though I was breathing a little hard at the end of a minute. This workout plays out like a Fartlek/Speedplay run, and I enjoyed the intensity, despite its brevity. My total time running was about 25 minutes. I think I will incorporate this into my weekly regiment.
    After the run I still had time before I needed to clean up for drill. I got out my newly made  3"x 6' Slosh Tube, 20lbs of unstable weight made expressly for my personal pleasure. I didn't want to overdo it before drill, and I always approach my first workout with a new toy or new series of exercises with a bit of caution so I don't cripple myself in my zeal. I shouldered my Tube for a couple of sets of wide squats and deep squats. It was interesting, feeling all the small shifts of weight and my body responding to counteract. I tried a split squat, but only did 5 per side, it is hard to balance in that position with the Tube doing its damnedest to mess with you. I added in a few sets of one-legged squats, leg raises, and regular split squats before I ran out of time. It turned out to be a great, compact workout. I worked up a sweat, got my cardio up, and got to play with my new self-torture device.
    I don't know if I have posted this video yet, it is how to make a Slosh Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYt2cIKLLPg

Swimming Better and Better

    After having my Monday swim thwarted, I was bound and determine to make up for it on Tuesday. And indeed I did. I got into the water just after 5pm and didn't crawl out until 7:15. I started right in with warm-up laps, I was not really feeling it though, my muscles were tired and sluggish. Hell, I was tired and sluggish. But as is my Standard Operating Procedure, the more tired I am, the more likely I am to really push myself. I refuse to let myself give in to fatigue. I decided that I needed to really work on my crawl stroke, and not let myself wuss out by doing an easy lap of backstoke every 5 laps. I still am not all that great of a swimmer when I am doing the flutter kick, I have a "weak kick," polite term for my kicking-sucks-so-bad-it-is-a-hinderence. I tell myself that one of these days I will need to put some serious time and energy into rectifying the situation, maybe. It is common knowledge that Triathletes try to save their legs for the cycle and run, using their legs in the swim as little as possible. Even my instructor admitted that when she did distance swimming races, she didn't kick much. So I will continue to improve my stroke and work on speed and stamina. And this is exactly what I did Tuesday. Using the pull buoy I swam three 20 lap sets, using hands or hand paddles about equally. Between sets I strapped on the Aqua-jogger belt and worked the holy hell out of my legs for 20 minutes, doing the "cycling" down and "running" back routine, adding in hard, upright side scissor kicks, and front/back scissor kicks. I tell you, damn near kicked my own ass. The last 20 laps I did non stop crawl, no hand paddles, just my own delicate hands. I really focused on form. Every aspect; hand position, finger position, where my hand comes out of and how it enters the water, curve of arm during all aspects of the stroke. I lengthened my stroke, stretching my entire body into it, feeling long and lean. Yes, the last 10 laps were tough, but getting easier. Big triumph: I finally was swimming a little faster than the 60 year old woman who used to be able to lap me. She has swam competitively through a good part of her life, and has a nice, easy, fluid style. And it used to bug the hell out of me that she could swim faster and longer than I could. Now I can honestly say, I swim longer, and even just a tad faster. Some days it is the small victories, but it let me see that I have progressed quite a bit since my starting days back in late June.
    I really want to be swimming at least twice a week, it may be tough to manage through the ensuing months, but you all know how I like to challenge myself. A major upside of a long hard swim: it makes me so damned hungry I feel like I have a hollow leg, and I can eat accordingly, guilt-free. Like I said, Small Victories.

Thwarted.

    Sabotaged. Stymied. Thwarted. Yes, this was my attempt to hit the pool last night. I do have to drive out of my way to get to the pool, not far, but a solid extra 15 minutes. First off, I missed my turn, had to pull a nearly-illegal turn to rectify the situation. As soon as I turned onto Toliver Road the second roadblock appeared, quite literally. There was a jackknifed tractor/trailer rig in the road, and two emergency vehicles taking up what road the semi wasn't. True, I was tempted to stop and oogle, because my love of firetrucks is no secret. Instead, I pulled an actual illegal U-turn as quickly as possible. Then I tried to find an easy way around the obstruction, only to find myself in the hellish maze of suburbia. Finally, numerous stop signs, speed bumps and cul-de-sacs later I was back on track and pulling into the pool parking lot, only 15 minutes later that what I had hoped. inside, the polite young man informs me that all the lanes are full, and most of them are already doubled-up, so there is no room for me. No. Room. For. Me. I was forcibly reminded of why I do not swim on Mondays, ever. Sadly (and more than a little annoyed) I return to my car and head for home. Now what? I do not like having my plans jacked around. And I just wasted a solid 30+ minutes on this futile endeavor. I could have been home and already working up a sweat doing something else. But what?
    I had a 15 minute drive ahead of me to decide what I would do with myself. To myself. I knew I needed to burn some energy, so weights would not be enough. I didn't want to work my legs too hard since I was still a little stiff from Saturday's trail run. But what the hell, an 8K trail run is just like a good workout, not an endurance event. So I get home, fill a pot with chicken, onions, garlic and seasonings for later and change into workout gear. I really did not want to over work my legs so I did a fast 10 minutes on the bike (on rollers), ran a quick and easy mile on the treadmill, and another 10 minutes on the bike. Enough to get my heart and respiration up, work up a sweat and get my muscles warmed for some abuse.
    I opted for mostly core/ab/glute work, a solid 45 minutes that had me making ridiculous faces, and pathetic noises. 3 sets each: Dead Lift; 5' Slosh Tube figure standing and bent-over 8s; 5' Slosh Tube situps and reclining/crunch figure 8s; Crunch and Crunch with twist, with legs straight, pointed to the ceiling; Bridge with leg lift; Side Crunch; Side Leg Lift; Pilates Leg Kick Back; Pilates Corkscrew.
    So much for being obsessive with my schedule. But like I have said before, I have to be able to roll with the punches. Yeah, I may have a little internal hissy-fit first, but then I move on. Life is to short to waste too much energy on pouting over the shit that doesn't work out, figure out how to make Life work for you, and make the best of it. YOLO.

Pickles

   On an interesting, and nearly forgotten note: Pickles. Baby Kosher Dills, to be precise. Enigmatic reference? Not really. My last few events I had some muscle cramping issues. After the Portland Tri it seemed like it took forever for me to change shoes, since every leg position other than standing straight up triggered a cramp in one major muscle or another. And let me tell you, It Sucked. Big time. I have been conscientious about proper nutrition and hydration before an event, and am always trying to fine tune all my prep. The cramps have made me think that it is beyond hydration and on to the fact that since I do not eat prepackaged foods, I do not get so much sodium in my diet. And many high sodium foods also have potassium and trace minerals which help maintain homeostasis (water balance) in the body. Too much water can lower electrolyte levels, and actually prevent muscles from retaining water. I am not inclined to pour the high sugar, unnatural sport drinks into my body except under dire need. So, what to do? This time around, I chose Pickles. Chock full of salt, vinegar, spices, and garlic they are a great source of sodium and potassium. So into my lunch box the day before the race, went half a dozen Baby Kosher Dills. Not only did I eat them during the day, I topped off my pre-race dinner with 2 more. And you know what? No cramps. Not a one. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. It does make solid, nutritional, deliciously natural sense. So, adding to my pre-race rituals: Pickles. Next time I may throw in some sweet pickle chips.

Obsession

    I know that to some I may seem obsessive. But in all honesty, I have always been obsessive to some degree over something. How obsessive I appear depends on how focused and public my obsessive nature is at any given time. Participating in racing events can only be rather public. I guess I could keep my racing life to myself, pursue NPRs in secret, train in the privacy of my own home. Oh wait, I do train in the privacy of my own home, so scratch that. I know I am focused. I know how obsession can take on a life of its own, leading me hither and yon, enticing me away from daily doldrums, even making me have to chose between the obsession and having a social life. I like to think that I may be learning how to find a balance, though the enticement must be great.
    Part of my obsessive nature is that I plan out my schedule on a daily, weekly, monthly and yes, even yearly basis. On a weekly basis I like to plan which days will be swim, leg, run, core, cycle, rest. Day to day I think ahead to the details, the minutiae, what will go in my face, what exercises will make up my evening routine. To say that I have a little trouble with an abrupt change of plans would be a mild understatement. But I am getting better. I know that routine is what saves me some days. Those days when I am tired, sore, stressed, depressed, routine will intercede on my behalf, in its implacable, irresistible fashion.
    This week, in my manner of planning ahead, I am going to swim monday and tuesday. Yes, I don't like doing the same workout 2 days in a row, but my life has taken on a life of its own, as it were. Events, obligations, relationships, have had a way of bringing a wonderful distraction into my day to day existence, and I am glad of it. It does mean I have to be a bit more stringent on my planning ahead though. Hence, back to back swim days. I love my swim days. One aspect of my obsessive nature is that I love having a certain amount of predictable repetition in my workouts. I know this may make some people cringe, flinch away from the boredom of lap after lap, rep after rep. It is one thing I have always loved about weight lifting; the mentally soothing counting. So many people I know decry weight lifting and lap swimming as "boring." I, on the other hand find it calming, a chance for brain and body to disengage from the world. Swimming has the added advantage that since my ears are under water so much of the time, the only thing I am hearing is the muffled sound of my own body moving through the water with a steady rhythm, my own breath bubbling out of mouth and nostrils, my own heartbeat. It is the perfect escape for someone who is often on sensory overload just from the constant barrage of the noise of the world around me.
    So, planning ahead, in my rambling fashion. Monday: Swim. Tuesday: Swim and upper body/core strength training. Wednesday: Legs and abs before Firefighting Drill. Thursday: Body weight upper body and core exercises. Friday: R&R. Saturday: Swim and upper body/core workout. Sunday: Run, cycle and leg work. Yes, this may change. Hopefully it will not. Obsession keeps me on track, for better or for worse. At least I can make my obsession work for me, and not against me, most of the time.

Kevin's Cup Trail Race

    I absolutely LOVE trail runs! It is a new and glorious outlet for my seemingly endless nervous energies. Yesterday just reinforced my desires to run trails, for fun and in races. Kevin's Cup, a casual affair where many of the entrants were sporting mustaches, real, fake and drawn on with eyeliner. There were costumes and even a B52s style pink beehive wig. I ran in my standard attire; pigtails, cold gear running pants and shirt, striped hoodie, purple fingerless gloves and lucky running hat. Of course, in my standard M.O. I got a late start, then took a wrong turn, and ended up pulling onsite just in time to be reassured by all the mustaches at the starting line the second before the starting horn. So I found a parking spot, strapped on my Merrills and knee brace, sprinted for the check-in table, and hit the trail a solid 10 minutes behind the pack. I am okay with late starts, I am not in this to win glory or prizes, and it allows me to run solo instead of crowded within the mass of competitors. Unfortunately, this was not a chip-timed race, so everyone gets the same start time, which did mess with my stats. But No Big Deal. I felt great. My legs moved easy, my breathing was steady. I ran up the road, trying to find the way. I stopped a soccer dad, "did you see a bunch of runners come through here?" He pointed up the road, I ran on. Knowing I had to be reaching the trailhead I saw another guy, "Runners?" "Take a left at the crosswalk," he pointed. Groovy. I was on my way. The trail was beautiful, wending its way through autumn forest, the path littered with fallen leaves emitting that particular, pungent spice of  Fall. I ran easy, feeling great, waiting to see how my legs would hold up to that first mile. I have said, "The first mile is the hardest," since it seems to take me forever to truly warm up and find my stride. Not this day. I ran easy, let myself pick up my pace a bit, letting my feet find a smooth steady rhythm, lungs working easy, blood coursing strong. I ran along, happy, peaceful, feeling fantastic.
    Oddly, I came out into an open area, and through the distant brush I could see the glint of parked cars. Rounding a wide curve, to my dismay, the starting line came into sight. I must have gone the wrong way. I ran back to the registration table, sure I would be told to turn around and find the correct trail. Instead, to my relief, I was told, "No, just keep going." The trail was a figure eight. Happy, I ran on. Now the trail became more interesting, steep downhill switchbacks leading to a sandy beach, a small water crossing, then through a boulder strewn section. I scampered over the stones, feeling like a lithe gazelle, surefooted, legs feeling like corded steel springs. Yes, I know I over glorify in my mind as I run, but it is a response to my marveling over the changes in my own body over the last 9 months. Last winter I never would have imagined that I would be running in any race. Running? No. I had told myself for a lifetime that "I am not a runner." Now, once again, I was proving myself wrong. There are times when it is wonderful to be wrong.
    I ran on, and started catching the stragglers of the pack. Catching and passing. I felt glorious. I let myself power walk the steep uphills, knowing I could walk them faster and with less energy expenditure than I could run them. I reached the crosswalk and headed into the section I had already run, and felt elated knowing I was so near the finish line. How could I be feeling so great? I picked up my pace, letting myself put in a nice kick for the last 1/4 mile. The finish line came into sight, I smiled, and picked up the pace a bit more. I see a small group of semi-official folk lurking about, "Woohoo, keep it going, one more lap to go," they shout encouragingly. One more Lap? What. The. Hell? The absurdity hits me, I laugh at my over-confidence and arrogance that had been so strong just a few moments before. I see the time clock, I had been running for 34 minutes. And I felt great. Seriously. Great. I ran on, eager for more running, happy it wasn't over yet.
    Retracing my footsteps, still enjoying the run, the trail, the sights and smells. The sun breaks out and warms my back, illuminating the forest, glinting off the wet leaves. It is a glorious day to be running through the forest. I run. Downhill. Switchbacks. Sand. Water. Dance across the rocks. Uphill. Legs pumping but moving easy, lungs cooperating. I feel great. Yes, there were a few points when I started feeling a little fatigued, when my legs didn't want to move quite so easy, my lungs wanted to rebel. I did have to take a few hits of the asthma nebulizer. But I ran on. When fatigue threatened, or my breathing started feeling laborious, I focused on my technique. Head up, shoulders back, relaxed, deep diaphragm breathing, feet landing softly. A footfall, not footstrike. Oxygen pulled fully into my lungs, nourishing my muscles. Then my energy would return, and I felt great.
    Striding back into the open area, the glint of parked cars. I was nearing the finish. The True Finish Line. I pick up my pace, keep my shoulders relaxed, my breathing easy and deep. I make a kick for the finish line. I feel great. I cross the Finish Line. See the time clock. My final time is 54 minutes. I am thrilled that my second lap actually came in 4 minutes faster than the first lap. And I feel great. I love Trail Running, Trail races. I want more. I think I may have found the event that will take precedence. Maybe. My life is full of fun events, exciting endeavors, new adventures. I do Love My Life.

Relax. Digest.

    Today has been a bit odd. Work was stressful and frustrating. My stomach has been giving me grief all day. I felt disjointed and dysfunctional all day. I almost thought I was going to have to pull over and puke on my way home from work. I would love to figure out what the hell is going on with my digestive tract, I am about to cut myself down to a few, easy to digest, non-allergenic foods and see what happens.
    I was feeling sick enough I almost skipped my evening workout, telling myself that it was Drill Night and I could take the the day off from workouts. Instead, being the lunatic I am, I decided to do an hour upper body and core workout with resistance bands, kettle ball, barbell and slosh tubes. I was feeling a little ragged, but had a decent workout despite it all. Granted, sporadic dizziness and my delicate stomach made me disinclined to make my normal post-workout, uber-healthy-chock-full-of-goodness-protein-laden smoothie. Instead I ate 5 cornchips, a small banana and a spoonful of peanut butter. Not my optimal dinner, but it was all I could manage.
    It was Drill Night at the fire station, my favorite night of the week. I debated calling in sick, my whole body was feeling wonky, but I knew I had to sack up and go. We haven't been able to do much beyond rig checks and meetings the last 4 weeks, so it was great to be able to practice gearing up. Once I was at the station, going through the rig check, playing with the fire trucks and SCBAs, I managed to ignore my rebellious body and focus on the tasks at hand. Despite it all, I put in my best times on gearing up in full Turnouts and SCBA. We have to be able to gear up in 2 minutes or less to pass the academy, tonight I hit PBRs: 1 min 52 sec and 1 min 47 sec, putting in the best times of anyone. I realized as we were setting out gear that it was much like the transition area of a Triathlon: set out the gear in a comprehensive manner, visualize the routine, don't rush and fumble, find your race pace. It helps me keep a level head, and work smoothly. True, when the day comes that I am putting on my gear for a real call, I am sure I will be far less composed, but practice makes perfect.
    60 hours until my next race, I am excited, eager, feeling ready. The wonky stomach is a bit problematic, but I will figure it out. The important thing is to relax and find my race pace.
   

So Tired, Swam Anyway

    Thoroughly kicked my own ass last night. I was so damned tired. And with the time change, girly issues, swimming on monday (not one of my usual days), and getting there late, I felt "Off" at the pool. So, what do I do when I am tired, lethargic, and mildly anemic? I push myself, as hard as I am able. I opted to focus strictly on swimming, no Aqua-Jogger this time around, and fell into my normal lap routine in sets of 5 laps, with 20 pull-ups on the dive platform halfway through the 5th lap. Yes, this is kind of repetitive, and maybe not the absolute optimal, but I work diligently on form, breathing, stamina and consistency. I am really focusing on my stroke form, striving to make every stroke long, smooth, steady.  So, as tired as I was I managed to crank out 50 laps, going past the time limit for lap swims, but I decided to swim until they kicked me out. Let me say here, the Molalla Aquatic Center has the nicest bunch of kids on their staff, and despite the fact that they all make me feel kinda old (how can fresh-faced athletes in swim gear NOT make me feel a tad old?) they would never be so impolite as to "kick me out." That being said, my final 10 laps, I kept my head down and did not pause at either end of the pool, hoping like hell to get to 50 before anyone said anything. At the deep-end turnaround of my very last lap, I feel a gentle tap on my head, "Ma'am, we're pulling up the lane dividers." That is all, no "Time to get out of the pool, lady," or, "Get outta here!' Just a kind, "Ma'am..." (told you, they make me feel kinda old). I apologized, told him it was my last lap, swam to the shallow end, managed to pull myself out of the water and staggered shakily to the shower and my post-swim banana.
    Since I was so tired, and I am insane, when I got home I decided to do an upper body strength workout with resistance bands, barbell, medicine ball, and Slosh Tubes. I admit, it was not the fastest that I have blown through a workout, and the last round was more than a little slow and ponderous. Three sets each, 10 to 20 reps, last set to failure. Resistance bands: single arm boxer's press with twist, French curl, fly, singled-arm row with twist, press, upright row. Upright hand to hand toss/core rotation with medicine ball. Barbell: upright row and bent-over reverse row. Slosh Tubes: upright windmill and side bends with 5', double axe swing with two 24". Yeah, the last set was to failure on nearly everything, because I was totally kicking my own ass with all this.
    One of the best things about swimming, besides the fact that it makes me feel long and lean, is that it makes me ravenously hungry. Ravenously and justifiably hungry. I feel damned near hollow, but know I can have a well-deserved hearty meal. I have been fighting carb/sugar cravings the last few weeks, with the approach of winter hibernation mode, so I am forcing myself to be cognizant of what I put in my face. Yes, I am allowing myself more sweet carbs, but am focusing on fruits, yams and granola-ish foods to keep the Sugar Beast at bay. Last night's dinner was a spinach, black cherry juice, berry, pineapple, whey smoothie and a bowl of granola. Sweet, satisfying, and still healthy. Yeah, I wanted chocolate, but I purged the house of chocolate chips (okay, I ate the last of them and am resisting buying more). With the holidays and winter on the horizon I need to keep on track and focused, more so than I have had to for the last 8 months or so. It isn't easy some days, but then I flex my glutes and hear that cheerful voice in my head, "you have a cute ass," and manage to keep moving forward.

Personal Best

    My next trail run is just days away, and I am getting excited. It is an 8K called Kevin's Cup, and is reported to be pretty rugged, and a little brutal. I am looking forward to it. The weather has been mild lately, but that is due to change just in time for the weekend. Of course. But I was expecting this to be a cold, wet race. I mean, hell, Willamette Valley, in November? When is it not cold and/or wet? This weekend it is looking to be both.
    I am not going to taper much, as much as an experiment as anything. I won't run after tomorrow, mostly because I won't be able to on wednesday or thursday, but I do plan on swimming friday. I will run tomorrow, but not anything too zany. I know that there is nothing anyone can do in the week before a race to increase their fitness level, but I just don't want to take much downtime. And like I said, it is kind of an experiment. I have done fairly diligent tapering before my previous events, even the lesser events, and I am not real sure just how much difference it made. I am not doing massive endurance events. It is not like I am running marathons or Ironmans. Maybe I am mentally downplaying my races? Maybe I am under-appreciating just what I am doing. This is my first year of racing, and I am 50 years old, so even a sprint tri is pretty cool, really. But it is not an incapacitating ordeal. It is 2 hours of a hard workout. Okay, a really hard workout. Okay, a freakishly hard workout. But it is only 2 hours. So, with an 8K on saturday, I am not going to alter my week much from what it would be if I had saturday off. We will see just what happens saturday. Worse case, I am the last to finish, and that doesn't phase me much.
    I do find that I have slipped into a racer's mentality though. I look ahead to pending events and alter my workouts accordingly. With trail runs the only events on the agenda until spring, I am working glutes and legs hard. I am really focusing on strength and plyometric power. I have been running, but trying to spare my knees as much as possible. Even in the pool now I am working legs and glutes. But I am also very focused on core and upper body strength. The more I study, the more I learn just how vital core strength is to powerful running and cycling. And I have a major event pending: Firefighter Academy. It is the most important physical event I have ever set myself up for. It will be 14 weekends of tough training, both mind and body. I want to head into it with every physical and mental advantage I can glean from my health and fitness regiment. It is one event that I will not be happy to place anywhere but in the top percentile. One event where finishing last is not an option. So, I train for events. Keep my mind on Track. Keep my eyes on the prize. My prize? Being the best I can be, for no one else but myself. I am my Personal Best.

Great Ride

    It was a freakishly warm day today. No rain, warm wind from the south. The air was soft and humid like late spring, but with the musky spice of Autumn. I knew from the moment I opened the back door to let out the dogs this morning, and stood there in my manky robe inhaling mild, fragrant morning air, that I would have to get Joshua out for a ride today. I waited until about 2pm, when my late breakfast of Yamcakes was decently digested before heading out. It felt good to have my brain bucket on and feet in the peddles. I haven't ridden Joshua since the Portland Triathlon more than a month ago, and I have missed him. It was warm enough for short sleeves and rolled up tights. The air moving across my arms and calves, tickling my hairs to attention felt wonderful. The wind in my face was delicious and exhilarating.
    Of course I headed straight for Wildcat Road aka Kick-my-ass-and-leave-me-in-the-ditch-to-die Road. I have only ridden Joshua here twice before, but had taken Fury on it a number of times. I vowed to work it hard today, and did not disappoint myself. Since Wildcat Road has no flats, absolutely none, it is definitely a hill workout. There is no getting around that. But today I made it a sprint workout as well. If I was not hard at a hill climb, or on such a steep down hill that I could not pedal fast enough to engage the wheels, then I was sprinting with all I could muster. I peddled as hard and fast as I was able, whenever I had the opportunity. I pushed myself hard. And it felt great! True, I did have some nausea problems. At one point, just after the turnaround, I thought I was going to have to pull over to puke. Instead I focused on my breathing, let my pace ease just a bit, which wasn't too hard, since I had some nice downhills to bomb down. I managed to get my rebellious stomach under control, and finish strong.
    Now that we have set the clocks back for Winter, I know I won't be getting in any after work rides, so that makes me doubly happy that I got out today. There will not be many opportunities over the next 6 months to get out on dry roads. And to have had such amazingly glorious weather, I could not have asked for a better day to challenge Wildcat Road. It made for a great ride.

The First Mile

    "The first mile is the toughest." You've heard it before, and very likely dismissed it as ridiculous. But it is truth, for me at least. I have noticed this in almost every run, whether training or racing. I am beginning to be disinclined to run 5Ks because it seems as if it takes 4K for me to hit my stride, and feel like I am moving and breathing easy. Seems odd, I know. I haven't had a lot of experience in straight up running races; two 5Ks, a 10K, and a 6 mile trail run. The 6+ mile obstacle run doesn't really count, although the first half mile or so was straight-up running, keyword "up" as this was a very steep course. Everything else has been triathlon, which puts the run into a different category. In both of the 5Ks I felt fatigued for easily the first half of the run, granted, I did not rest and eat quite as well beforehand as I should have. The 10K started oddly for me, as I was running late, and had a fun time sprinting from parking lot to starting line, and across the highway to catch up to the pack. I felt good throughout that race, hitting a bit of a fatigue point at about the 3K point, but then ran through it easily. The trail run was a bit different as well, since the bulk of the race was either hard uphill, or hard downhill. There was not a single level piece of trail on the whole route.
    I have not been able to run outdoors as much as I would like, life seems to get in the way. But I have had several good runs in the last few weeks. Last night I had an easy run in the wilds of Lake Oswego smiling at grim faced cyclists, and dodging bullish Mercedes that do not like giving way to puny runners. I ran decently easy through the entire run, although I did slow to walk a few paces several times. I am trying to be cognizant of my stride and pace, posture, and arm movement. I am feeling more natural as I run. Even so, it wasn't until I had been running for 25 minutes or so that I felt relaxed, muscles warm and breathing easy. I am working towards having the first mile be as easy as the ensuing miles, but not really sure exactly what I can do to make this happen. So I will keep running, eventually I will figure it out.

Seriously? Stomach?

    One annoying roadblock to trying to keep on track and focused as far as fueling the machine that is me, is my recent inability to eat a wide variety of foods due to gastrointestinal distress. It seems as if I can't eat without having some form of digestive dilemma. Frankly, this is pissing me off more than just a little bit. Healthy, amazing foods are often proving too much for my delicate constitution. The list of forbidden foods seems to grow daily. Even when I keep it simple, gluten free, and dairy free, my stomach sabotages me. On the bright side, it does make me uber-conscious of what goes in my face. But when even fresh, delicious, simple foods backfire, it seems so wrong on every level. I mean, seriously Body, what the hell?! I do my damnedest to keep you healthy and happy. Hell, I bend over backwards catering to your finicky requests. Bendfuckingover Backwards! And still you whine and complain, piss and moan, grumble, gripe, and cause me all kinds of pain. I would put you on bread and water, but I can't eat fucking bread anymore. Even black coffee has become problematic, but I will be g'damned if I am going to give up my coffee for you. I have given up so much already. What next? I have reached a point where I think of eating only fresh fruit and raw nuts, and drinking only water. Or just saying "Fuck You," and eating whatever the hell I please. Granted, that would be the this-hurts-me-more-than-it-hurts-you approach, and I'm not really ready to go down that road. Not yet. But c'mon Stomach, give me a break. Please. I am doing my best to keep Body fueled and strong, and to keep you pain free and happy, but you are making it difficult on nearly every level. I am trying. So cut me some slack, m'kay?