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Jacksonville, FL, United States
In Life as well as in running the secret is Pace.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 Recap and 2011 Goals


The Triathlon Listserv I have been a member of since 1996 asks it's members to do a Yearly recap.  My response is below:



1. What one word describes your 2010 season? Does it match what you said last December in anticipation of this year?
 
Confirmation


Last year I said RATS



And while RATS was an unforgettable journey...  not just through the desert either...  it was a journey of self-discovery through training, diet, and rest...  and yes even more training on top of training.   It was not and end all over-the-top kind of experience...  it was a peak, however, a perch from which I was able to look around at a myriad of other possibilities.


I chose the word confirmation for 2010 because in the end I think I have become what I at one time thought I could not be...  a decently fast competitive endurance athlete.  This was my 13th season of multisport and the first time I've felt this way.


2. What one word comes to mind when you think about your 2011 season?

Competitive - I have some lofty goals for 2011


3. What was your greatest thrill or joy this year from training or racing?



A Familiar sight Judi and Me Using my station wagon as a transition spot

Judi - I met my dream girl...  with whom I do 90% of my training and racing...  and we have a blast together...  and she has only missed getting hardware at one race this year.


Sorry if that's mushy or whatever...  it's just the fact.





4. What was your biggest disappointment this year from training or racing?

Jax Marathon - it was just not my day


5. What was your favorite race in 2010?


Atlantic Coast Triathlon


I think this was my favorite race in 2009 as well...  just a small and simple 1/2 IM race in October...  the perfect end of season triathlon


6. What is your race schedule for 2011?


A- Feb 13 - 26.2 with Donna          http://www.breastcancermarathon.com/
C- Feb 19 - Iron Horse     http://www.ironhorse100kmclub.com/
B- Feb - Guana River 50k Trail Run
C- Mar 12 - Gate River Run            http://www.gate-riverrun.com/qualifying.htm
B - Mar 19 - Jetty-2-Jetty               http://www.performancemultisports.com/Jetty2JUltra.htm
B - Apr 10 -BFAST Duathlon           http://www.bfasracing.org/
A - May 1st - Tour de Forts           
C - May 7th - BFAST Sprint Triathlon series #1       
C - June 11 - BFAST series #2        
C - Jun 25 - JAX Sprint Triathlon Series #1
C - July 9th - BFAST series #3        
C - July 16 - JAX Sprint Triathlon Series #2 C - August 6 - JAX Sprint Triathlon Series #3
B - Oct 1-2 - MS 150        
B - Oct ? - Atlantic Coast Triathlon            
A - Oct 22 - GFT  http://greatfloridian.com
B - Nov  Outback 1/2 Marathon  
A - Dec Jacksonville Marathon


The "A" races we will definitely do the "Bs" probably and the "Cs" maybe some of them



Utah was Beautiful


7. Did you meet your 2010 goals?


RATS - Yes - was so much more than a race... 
Triathlons - Yes - I became a competitive age grouper this year...  something I thought I'd never be Marathon - No - I've got a BQ inside me... have not yet gotten it done









8. What are you goals for 2011?


Place in my AG at GFT
5k - sub 20
Marathon - Sub 3:30

Let's Ride
 


By the numbers:


2009 totals:


Run - 1,534 Mi
Bike - 4,782 mi
Swim - 1.7 mi (3 races)
Begin Weight - 196
End Weight - 186


2010 totals:


Run - 2,262 Mi
Bike - 5,352 mi
Swim - 1,867 minutes
Begin Weight - 186
End Weight - 179


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Pilates...

Pilates.  
Yeah I remember that dude from History class.  His first name was Pancho if I recall and he and his buddy Lefty were outlaws in the ancient Middle East.  or something like that.






Monday's discussion:
Me:  "Mark is gonna run the trails at 1615.  I know that you might need a day off after the 18 miler yesterday we can do something else"
Judi: "how about Yoga?"
Me: "I have gas"
Judi: "no, I mean Pilates"
Me: "okay"


Now I had zero idea what happens in a Pilate's class.. never seen one.  never been to one.  never bothered to ask anyone who had either. Nevertheless we were going.
But first we went to the grocery store to buy something for diner.  we were having chili for dinner.  recipe here:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/12/spicy-vegetarian-chili/#more-4214
and.  you can't have chili.  even girly vegetarian chili. without beer..  so we bought some. and take it home.  well.. 

we are just going to Pilates.  so we have one.
Then it's off to class.  First I ask if we need shoes.  neither of us know so we wear ours because the floor is cold and we don't want to have cold feet The instructor arrives and advises the removal of our shoes.  I am grumpy. and cold.

The first thing we do is line up our pointer toes with our pelvic bone and our bottom rib.  this is "VERY IMPORTANT" and if we don't continuously keep these all lined up we are doomed.  then we are told to put our heels together with our toes out at a 45 degree angle. this is the key stance for all of Pilates we are told. In the back of the class I silently ask why does this new stance violate the pointer to with the pelvic bone thing.. I have little time to dwell on the inconsistencies because soon we are stepping from side to side with our arm straight and touching our knee.  I think that this is soooo easy.  must be a class for old ladies.

This lasts for a minute or so until we are told to all a kick with our left foot. On the right side. while we exhale and raise our right arm.  Mary-mother-of-god..  I can pat my head while rubbing my stomach but this..  I cannot do.  I feel uncoordinated and awkward until we thankfully move to shoulders.
Perhaps this is a good time to tell you that I have bad shoulders.  I tore a rotator cuff lifting weights in college. and have struggled with them ever since. so I just don't really *do*  shoulders.  but in Pilates it seems shoulders is like 1/3 of the class.  it sucked. I sucked. and completely quit a few times and even put my hands in my hips in disgust. with me.  with Judi.. With the instructor. and even with the creator in general for designing me in such a poor way.

After 15 minutes that seemed like an hour we moved on.  she said to lie down on our stomachs.. I thought heck yeah baby.   lie down! Well.  lemme tell you.  it was just the beginning of suckage..  The next 15 minutes she had me grunting and flailing around like baby Shamu on the poop deck.. 
this is an actual Pilates move

 I looked stupid. I felt stupid.  and once when I raised my head up to see if anyone was laughing at me.  I could see through the crack in the blinds.  the gathering dusk.  and thought of Mark out running trails. how the sunset would look filtered through the trees out on the trails as the roots, and sand, and leaves passed beneath our feet.

Eventually we flipped over on our backs.  here we did "normal" type ab work and I was able to hang.  at least for a while..  Not long enough to start getting cocky but a while..  We move from abs to some side hip raises that I obviously did completely wrong and I totally got away with it because I didn't get corrected by the teacher and it was in no way unpleasant or painful.

The end of the class brought me back to feeling like a fish out of water again. the instructor said "okay class.  our time is almost up, let's get in the something-or-other-position" (mermaid position I was later told) everyone kind of relaxed and smiled.  sat with one leg crossed in front.  and one leg drawn up behind.  as I'm trying to figure this out. they start doing some kind of side bends..  I try and try to accomplish the sitting technique.  and I feel pretty good about it as the class is finishing up their side bends.  I throw my hands up and try one to only to flop over sideways (I blame the beer).

The class switches front and back leg positions and I simply give up and flop around aimlessly until we do the "stand and roll up from the waist and give yourself a pat on the back part" which I do with a smirk. As I roll up my mat..  Judi and the instructor are talking about the moves and techniques and "next time".  I say to myself.  "for me. there will be no next time"

 

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Race Report - Jacksonville Marathon - A disappointing PR

I already hear the smirks as you read this… How can this guy go out and PR a marathon and have the balls to say that he is disappointed


Well… it’s simply true… I wanted more… I expected more… out of myself… out of my training… and out of my execution

In short…

My legs felt dead from mile 1

I ran the first 15 at about 10 sec/mile above goal pace

Had some GI issues at mile 17 that I let get to me

At mile 20 I had the decision... turn myself inside out to go sub 3:30 or “mail it in”


I chose to “mail it in”

One of the reasons I kinda gave up was because I was so cold… cold enough to have stopped and gathered up a couple of random gloves to wear between miles 20 and 22.





Happy hands… stoic face:






final time 3:36:5X

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Easy like Sunday morning...

I used to hate to run in the morning…  well really I used to hate training in the morning…  okay that’s not the whole story…  I used to hate mornings in general..


As a younger man I was not a morning person…  and I used to drink…  kinda excessively and kinda on a regular basis…  Hangeroverish and morning training do not good friends make…


But… things have changed…  as of a couple of years ago…. no more liquor for me…   


I then found that I could ride in the morning…  but…  only if a nap was imminent.


Then I met this girl…  she is a morning person…  and I started training with her…  in the morning…  really early…  I liked this girl a lot…  but before 0730 every day… liking just barely won out…  on a daily basis…  breaking up with her so I could go back to bed and get some sleep…  cycling, swimming, Lifting were all crappy in the morning…  but…  running was the worst…  I hated it…  but…  I liked her so much the rest of the time… that I kept on showing up


Well…  then it was my turn to be the pusher…  she had never run more than 15k at a time…  so I started taking her on my long runs…  we did a couple of long runs on Sunday afternoon…  but other commitments soon drove us to settle on Sunday mornings…  before church…  oh…  and get this…  church starts at 0830.


But a funny thing has happened…  I started liking these early morning adventures…  it started with us sneaking thru a swanky gated community…  then we added a loop through our outside mega-mall… which is really cool in the cool darkness at 0545 on a Sunday… then we added a loop or 2 of a trail system nearby…  running in the woods in the grey mist of dawn is spine tingling…  Last week we ran out to the beach…  and saw the sunrise over the ocean


Now…  I look forward to Sunday morning all week…   seriously…  like a kid at Christmas… I talk about it all week…  plan, scheme, map, discuss.  It is our own little epic adventure…  and yet… it’s like our little secret at the same time…


This week’s installment really started on Friday…  when the speedwork we’d put off on Wed and Thursday was re-inserted into our training schedule.


We did 7ish miles with the 4.5 in the middle at 7:15 pace…  I did push it on the last full mile to get a 6:59 just for “fun”


Judi did 4 ~7:45s...  and only took one wrong turn.


On Friday evening I met Mark for a couple of loops of the UNF trails….  We got in 6 miles in 54ish minutes….  And had a nice chat along the way.


That said…. And done…  my legs were cooked


Dawn on Saturday was clear and crisp (35ish F).  We did not, however, attend but instead slept in until about 8:30 then rode the Baldwin rails to Trails loop at around 10:30 when it had warmed up 20 or so degrees.  Beautiful fall scenery at a nice relaxed pace…  42 miles


Sunday morning… I kid you not…  I woke with a start…  raring to go running…  only to look at my watch which read 0230…  I thought to myself…  “Dangit…  gotta sleep 2 more hours”


Alarm went off at 0400…  finally it was time…


And we had a plan…. Loosely based on this:




basically…  we run together for the first 13 miles…  then I turn around and run back .5 miles…  reverse direction again and try to run Judi down…  we both would pick up the pace for the last 5 (for her) and 6 (for me) miles.  I was hoping to do a nice crescendo from about an 8:30 pace to a 7:20 over the 6 miles….  Judi was just going to run…


the course was mapped:




We hit the road at 0450…  ran the first 2 at 10:15 pace…  Judi asked me how I felt about a half mile in…  “my legs are tired” was my response.


That does not mean that we weren’t having fun tho…  miles 3-8 quickly passed under our feet… we stayed at about a 9:45 pace…  while talking, laughing, listening to music, and dancing…  we even saw a couple walking down one of the streets in Jacksonville Beach drinking beer and carrying a cooler at 0545 on a Sunday morning…  now *that’s* hardcore.


After a store stop  around mile nine we started to slow a bit…  we had tuned into a headwind… our tired legs were just slowing down…  and I, for one, was trying to gather myself for the discomfort of running hard for the last hour.  Miles 9-12.5 slipped to a 10:30 pace…  It has been months since we have run that slow….


No matter….  We stopped at the top on the Atlantic Blvd Bridge…  “Shook hands”…  and parted ways.  I was not ready…  and did not immediately pick up the pace much…  maybe to a 9:30…


Mile 14 I tried to up the pace…  my legs said “no”… my head said “yes”  my legs said “maybe”  then my head said…  “that’ll have to do” and off we went to run a 9:05


I tried to up the pace again for the next mile…  Really working hard and managed to drop it down to an 8:35…  I had planned to be sub 8 for the last 5…  it just was not to be…  I was giving it all I had.


Somehow I managed to keep edging my pace down 8:20 for mile 16, then 8:16, and finally mile 18 was a 7:56…  I wanted to up the ante one more time…  I really wanted a 7:40 for mile 19 but I did not have it in me…  I used every mind game I knew and only came up with an 8:11…  I finished up the last .82 in just under a 10 pace…  like the beaten man that I was.


Oh, and Judi….  I never even caught another glimpse of her…  she had finished, stretched and gotten in the shower by the time I came rolling to a stop.


Now… you may think… that I feel defeated…  and in a way I do….  I did not meet my goals and as a goal oriented person I am disappointed in falling short…  but…  that is so not the case.


For three hours, ten minutes, and 12 seconds on Sunday…  I was a runner…  doing what I love… with my favorite person… testing myself… and I can hardly wait 5 more days to get out there again.
 

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