Saturday, August 08, 2009

Gila recovery trip


I took a break from life in general and headed down to the Gila Wilderness for a few days. Ja'dii and I hiked the Middle Fork Trail to the Meadows, and then hiked over Big Bear Canyon to the West Fork trail.


It sure was a good time. Just me and the dog for a few days - dodging rattlesnakes (actually, only one; see evidence below) and avoiding bears and lightening.


Sure I missed a bunch of workouts, and sure my long run this morning suffered, but I'd like to think it recharged me. I start my real job-type job on Monday. It involves commuting to Santa Fe for the foreseeable future. I'm concerned about getting my workouts in with the schedule. Any tips? I'm planning on swimming a few days during lunch up there at a city pool. Should I workout before the day starts (like 5AM?) or should I wing it in the evening? Decisions decisions. A few days ago, all I had to decide was when to stop hiking and munch on some jerky.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Socorro Tri - post bar celebration

I just finished racing Socorro this past Saturday. After participating for the first time last year, I think this will be a staple in the triathlon schedule. Its a whole lot of fun. An outdoor 50m pool, great volunteers, a good bike course, and a great pool of people racing.

I was a little worried, however, going into Saturday's race. I just finished my epic study-a-thon for the NM bar exam. I missed a whole bunch of workouts. Heading into this race, I think I was pretty unprepared.

[Pic of me trying to remember all the subjects on the bar exam]

The race began with a snake style swim start. I was number 79, and thus, about the 79th person into the pool. I decided to "take it easy" during the swim, and just focus on form and steady rate. I was also wearing my heart rate monitor for the first time during a race. Everytime I kicked off the wall, the strap slipped further and further down my torso. That was an odd feeling. I passed one or two people, and was passed by two. I hustled up to transition and caught two people.

T1 was slow. Real slow. Socks. Mountain bike shoes. Helmet. Sunglasses. Jeez, I'm a diva. Anyway, I headed out and wanted to build up a good speed to maintain. I noticed, after adjusting my heartrate monitor, that I was hitting about 180 bpm. Couple deep breaths later, I lowered it a bit.

The course did not seem nearly as hilly as the year before. I caught a few people, and was absolutely obliterated by a member of Enderance Endeavors on a fly tri bike. After hitting the last hill, another guy and I traded spots a few times.

Heading into T2, I threw the shoes on and started running. Soon enough, the guy, whose name turns out to be Dave, and I started a conversation. Turns out we've been side by side before in other races. It was good to run alongside someone with the same pace. He ended up having a little more in the tank than me, and I just tried to keep him just in front of me.

So I finished. Total times:
Total        Swim    T1     Bike     T2     Run
1:07:26.3 7:15 1:34 35:24 1:05 22:11


I did alright. I bettered my time from last year by about 6 minutes.
[last year's times:
1:13:37.1    7:37    2:06   36:56    1:04   25:57 ]

I also placed in my age group. Here's the evidence:


Paula also raced and did a great job! She's working on running and hasn't been swimming or biking as much as she usually does. Kudos to her for getting out there and getting it done.

Here's us after the race:



Next up? I think the Patriot in Rio Rancho. Elephant Butte fo sho. And a half-marathon in Oct. Oh yeah bob.


And, my job starts in a week. I'm taking my last vacation as a quasi-student tomorrow and heading down to backpack in the Gila. Hopefully, I won't wonder into Iran.