Family and work life have put a serious dent in my racing. I'm approaching 40. I've toyed with the idea of racing another Ironman in 2021 for my 40th. There's a new race here, IM Tulsa.
So now comes the deliberation - do I start training for it? Can I handle training with family and work commitments? More importantly, can my family handle it?
I'll start the evaluation process. I've got some time.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Disuse and Arcadia Triathlon
So, it has been far too long since I've updated this blog. After I started my new job, I decided to go dark for a bit. Well, I've started another job since then. And, we had a daughter. Exhibit A:
She's wonderful, and about to be one year old this week. Needless to say, I've fallen off the training bus hard. I've done a few runs here and there, and competed in the RedMan 2012 against a co-worker. But, being a father and helping my wife out where I can has cut into the training. And I've lost that edge I had when I was training in 2011. I'm working to get it back.
Which brought me to this morning. I signed up for the Arcadia Triathlon and raced it this morning. I figured out that if I didn't find a triathlon and compete, it would be the first year since 2006 that I didn't race. That was unacceptable. So, with what little fitness I have, and the extra pounds I've stashed away, I brought myself to Lake Arcadia to swim, bike, and run a sprint triathlon.
I raced this venue back in 2011. As I recall, I had biked 80 or so miles the day prior and treated it as a training day. This time, I was nursing a mildly sprained ankle from an indoor soccer game from Friday. I taped it up and got ready to rock.
The swim was a short 500m around the north side of Lake Arcadia. As I warmed up with a short swim, I felt the tape around my ankle loosen up and fall apart. I made the call to tear off the wrapping right before the start. Off went the gun, and away we went. It was an uneventful swim. I sighted fairly well, but was horrifically out of swim form. I've only been swimming a few times here and there and it definitely showed.
10:50/500m 1:58/100yds
Arcadia's bike course is a rolling 12.4 miles with a simple out and back. I started out feeling a little pressed and uncomfortable, but I carried on. It was a short day on the bike, so I put some effort into it. I wasn't as strong up the hills as I'd like, but it was ok. Two strange things happened though. (1) My watch fell apart midway through (the face came off the band) and (2) my seat came loose and came apart with a few miles left. That was tricky. I had to balance the seat on the seat post with my rear end and refrain from standing, otherwise it would slip away. I had to stop and try to fix it, but was unable to. So, next time I go for a ride, I'll be sure to check my seat clamp. Wild.
I also saw a guy in a Sports Systems kit from Albuquerque. Hadn't seen one of those in awhile.
36:22/12.4mi 20.5mph
The run was bad. I felt heavy, dull, and slow. Just awful. The course was entertaining enough with a two lap, out and back. You had the chance to see all the competitors in front and in back of you. It was a nice distraction from the awfulness that was my running form. My ankle held up fine.
22:52/5k 7:23/mi
Total time: 1:12:04
My family surprised me and met me at the finish.
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All in all, I'm glad I got out there. My time wasn't that much slower than 2011, with the vast majority of time lost being the two or so minutes on the run.
2011: 1:08:17 (total) 10:19 (swim) 1:00 (T1) 35:59 (bike) 0:44 (T2) 20:17 (run); 3/19 AG
2013: 1:12:04 (total) 10:50 (swim) 1:05 (T1) 36:22 (bike) 0:56 (T2) 22:52 (run); 6/26 AG
There seemed to be so many more fast dudes out there.
I'm planning on training for the Tulsa Marathon. We'll see how that goes.
She's wonderful, and about to be one year old this week. Needless to say, I've fallen off the training bus hard. I've done a few runs here and there, and competed in the RedMan 2012 against a co-worker. But, being a father and helping my wife out where I can has cut into the training. And I've lost that edge I had when I was training in 2011. I'm working to get it back.
Which brought me to this morning. I signed up for the Arcadia Triathlon and raced it this morning. I figured out that if I didn't find a triathlon and compete, it would be the first year since 2006 that I didn't race. That was unacceptable. So, with what little fitness I have, and the extra pounds I've stashed away, I brought myself to Lake Arcadia to swim, bike, and run a sprint triathlon.
I raced this venue back in 2011. As I recall, I had biked 80 or so miles the day prior and treated it as a training day. This time, I was nursing a mildly sprained ankle from an indoor soccer game from Friday. I taped it up and got ready to rock.
The swim was a short 500m around the north side of Lake Arcadia. As I warmed up with a short swim, I felt the tape around my ankle loosen up and fall apart. I made the call to tear off the wrapping right before the start. Off went the gun, and away we went. It was an uneventful swim. I sighted fairly well, but was horrifically out of swim form. I've only been swimming a few times here and there and it definitely showed.
10:50/500m 1:58/100yds
Arcadia's bike course is a rolling 12.4 miles with a simple out and back. I started out feeling a little pressed and uncomfortable, but I carried on. It was a short day on the bike, so I put some effort into it. I wasn't as strong up the hills as I'd like, but it was ok. Two strange things happened though. (1) My watch fell apart midway through (the face came off the band) and (2) my seat came loose and came apart with a few miles left. That was tricky. I had to balance the seat on the seat post with my rear end and refrain from standing, otherwise it would slip away. I had to stop and try to fix it, but was unable to. So, next time I go for a ride, I'll be sure to check my seat clamp. Wild.
I also saw a guy in a Sports Systems kit from Albuquerque. Hadn't seen one of those in awhile.
36:22/12.4mi 20.5mph
The run was bad. I felt heavy, dull, and slow. Just awful. The course was entertaining enough with a two lap, out and back. You had the chance to see all the competitors in front and in back of you. It was a nice distraction from the awfulness that was my running form. My ankle held up fine.
22:52/5k 7:23/mi
Total time: 1:12:04
My family surprised me and met me at the finish.
.JPG)
All in all, I'm glad I got out there. My time wasn't that much slower than 2011, with the vast majority of time lost being the two or so minutes on the run.
2011: 1:08:17 (total) 10:19 (swim) 1:00 (T1) 35:59 (bike) 0:44 (T2) 20:17 (run); 3/19 AG
2013: 1:12:04 (total) 10:50 (swim) 1:05 (T1) 36:22 (bike) 0:56 (T2) 22:52 (run); 6/26 AG
There seemed to be so many more fast dudes out there.
I'm planning on training for the Tulsa Marathon. We'll see how that goes.
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