Getting a Life: "From Couch to Competition"

April, 28, 2004 - More on running:  3.2 miles again today - awesome run on Heritage trail. It was 83 degrees and winds are high (gusting to 50) - but it is gorgeous. Here are some things that came home today:

• Did not wear my watch or heart rate monitor. Did not want to push time or worry about anything but enjoying the run. Time was actually improving in all likelihood and the endurance continues to build. So... run for the joy and not for the speed.

• Ditched the CD's and head set in favor of listening to the river, the wind, the birds and strangely the smells were much more evident than usual. Probably because my brain was not all wrapped up in the CD.

• What a joy to experience the cosmos / creation and the sense of the body connected with it all - functioning the way it was designed to function. (Well - at least on the way to that.)

• While running, I am was remembering the morning cup of coffee and cigarettes, hacking away and fighting bronchitis four or five times a year, spending most of my limited free time on the couch. It was like a toxic relationship with creation. Now while the sun is setting, a hawk is circling overhead, and I pass by a small  as I run over a bridge that spans the small river... there is a kind of relationship between the runner and the creation. Today, I am running for the joy of it all - no speed records are set, no great distance is achieved, no type A goals loom before me this time. This is a joy and when it is time to cool down then sit for a few moments just listening to the sounds that fill Heritage Trail - everything, including my body feels wonderful.

• For me at least - this is the real reason we do this thing!

April, 24, 2004  Geez... this guy on the left can't be me can it?  A gift from my darling wife who swears it's a spittin' image!

Some Lessons on running:  Today's run was great - 3.2 miles time was a bit under 11min miles, but time is not the issue right now. Years ago when I did regular running, I was out with back injury twice - here are some really important clues - especially for beginners.

• Don't worry about speed - it's endurance that counts most. In the beginning if need be just walk/jog/walk/jog until you are comfortable - breathing easy.
• Extend the run minutes - but stay comfortable. A few months ago, I could not run for more than three minutes without getting winded. Today, I was tempted to pick up the speed, but kept telling myself, "Just run easy - a pace you could do all day."
• Don't focus on the distant horizon - don't look at how far you have to go or how many miles you have to go. Just enjoy an easy pace and think only how far you've come.
• Strength training pays off - quad, hamstring and calf work will pay off big time. Also do some lower back work.
• Stretches after you run. Easy walk or slow jog to warm up then hit your jogging or run pace. Stretching hard before running aggravates the muscles.
• Take plenty of time for a cool down walk - or very slow trot then walk.
• Try to hit the road - or better yet - soft surface trail early morning or later in the day when wildlife is really active. As you run, focus on how great it feels to have your body functioning like it is. Enjoy how we were made to perform.
• Sharp pain is a serious warning sign - soreness from the exercise is a good sore. Relish that - you will soon look forward to it and feel "edgy" without it. It's the runner's equivalent of what the bodybuilding types call their "pump." (I enjoy the"pump" too!)
• When you begin to get tired - watch your form. When we begin to fatigue while running, we tend to rock side to side a bit more and bounce up and down. There is also a tedency to strike the heel a bit harder instead of landing more toward the ball of the foot. When you reach this point, you can push for additional distance - but you are close to your endurance base. Better to begin a cool down and stay healthy to run another day!

April 12 - 15  was an enforced recovery time.   Work was one of those day and night things so training was out for three days. Back to it Friday right?  Nope - it was a busy day - but not that busy. So...whazzup?

I could see a case of the "blahs" trying to get a foothold.  That's scary stuff for me. I know that the guy who used to live in me - the old couch potato buy with the pizza, beer, and remote is hiding in the bushes of my weaker moments. So got back at it Saturday - one way to treat the blahs is to do a higher intensity work out. Saturday it was running. Wanted to do six miles - mainly running. Ended up with 3.5 run and 2.5 walk. Here was the surprise for me - the endurance was fine - heart rate and all that was good, the run was not difficult. IT WAS THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PART... I could run fine, but my head was trying to tell me it was too hard, that I should walk well before my body physically needed to walk.

Sometime you will find the psychological part of getting back the most difficult. You look down that two mile stretch and it looks like way too far - so focus in closer - don't look at how far you have to go, but at the task right there in front of you. it is how far you've come that counts, not how far you have to go.

Another mechanism I use is to look for a bit of diversion. I'm training for specific triathlons - but sometimes a change up in routine is necessary. I'm looking at the RAGBRAI (the cross Iowa race) thousands of people do this ride annually. Maybe I will work this ride in next year. If I've been hitting it hard in riding - I give myself a leisurely ride on the Heritage Trail near our home - forget heart rate, spinning, pushing it and all that. Enjoy!

Biggest thing is to refrain from making this another job. This is to get fit and have fun. Fit is fun - so get off it. (That's my speech to type A folks like me.) More on all this in the May issue of BeginnerTriathlete.Com.

April, 12, 2004  After trying an Xterra Ventilator which was a tad small, decided to upgrade and get this suit. Fits great and can't wait to try it out. Swimming will be my weakest event - but looking at this triathlon thing as a long term venture, this year is a learning season.  Sticking with the basic Total Immersion method and trying to build a bit of endurance.

Are Wetsuits Necessary? For me - yes. For most people - yes.  Even for elite swimmers, a full wetsuit will cut time on the swim portion of the triathlon. Two key benefits are buoyancy and confidence in the water. Big clue - everything I am seeing says get some open water practice before your first event!