The Plan Is Coming Together --

The best portion of a good man's life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love. -- William Wordsworth

These things are going EVERYWHERE!

It has been a bit light, training-wise, for the last week or two. I have been trying to get a lot of miscellaneous things taken care of so I can focus on the training, and I think I have managed to do so. Tonight I plan on swimming and possibly a short run on the treadmill. I am still a bit concerned about the left knee but with light activity it seems to be okay so far. I rolled the other night and there were some muscles definitely getting my attention.

The back of the Support Shirts

In other news, Mike J got my Supporter shirts printed, and I have added the pocket labels for the various groups... Coach Jeff and Coach Briana, my Cardiac Tri Team, the Crew, and the Cardiac Team - survivors but not athletes. I am so excited... these shirts are going to New York, Pittsburgh, LA, and of course, Plano and Austin. I already told you that part of the monies from selling the shirts will support the fight against heart disease, so it is all good... the first batch is completely spoken for!

There is a story with one group of shirts, but I will have to wait to say anything to see if the plan comes to fruition.

Went out to Lake Pflugerville this past weekend to do a mini-tri but the water was so freaking cold, I lasted in there all of about 2 minutes before my feet were numb! So a 2-hour ride and a 40-minute run. Sunday it was time to spectate and cheer on my friends running the Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon. Accidentally got to meet Bart Yasso of the running fame... AND a 5-time Ironman finisher! How cool is that!

Things That Make You Stop and Think

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - Martin Luther King Jr.

It has been a bit rough coming back from the 3M Half-Marathon run. The left knee felt a bit stretched out afterward, so it was difficult to run for a few days. And working on putting in a wood floor for somebody tends to have an effect on the knees and the shoulders - climbing around in closets and under built-in shelves doesn't help matters, either. But I have managed a couple bike rides and some swims, so I will be building back to the Half Iron in April.
Got some bad news last week, and better news yesterday. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer last week... and that was pretty much all we knew until I talked to her yesterday. She has a single small lump which will be removed, and then chemo and radiation on her schedule as well, both short-term. I did tell her I was better looking bald than she will be, and that this might be the perfect opportunity to see if she wants to be a redhead or a blond. At any rate, it appears after this year of fighting heart disease, I should consider the Breast Cancer races...Susan G. Komen, here I come!
I think with the work floor-wise and this ordeal with my sister, I have managed to get my shoulder muscles all balled up with the stress and the contortions in the closets. I need to work those out soon so they do not impact the training...maybe I should buy a hot tub?
I also am looking at doing the Rev3 Triathlon in Cedar Point in September rather than the Redman in Oklahoma City...no decisions yet, but lots of thinking needs to occur.
Well, hopefully better news in the next post. I was supposed to get the t-shirt mock-up yesterday but didn't, so hopefully I will see it today.
With all the wind we have had, and a fellow TNT rider getting blown into a parked car, it is even more important to remember to keep focused in your training! Heal well, Dickie!

Recovery, and on to Tri Training

“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance.” -- James Baldwin

This past Sunday I ran in the 3M Half-Marathon for the first time. They say it is one of the faster runs people can do because it is mostly downhill. This year's run started out with a little wetness on some of the roads early in the run. I had one episode of slippage when a rather obnoxious runner cut me off going around a corner, but other than that the dampness was not a factor.

The first 4 or 5 miles went pretty well. After that, the humidity started kicking in because the sun had come up to warm things up. The temps were pretty decent, but I think because of the humidity there should have been more frequent aid stations with water.

With all the training on the treadmill, I had pretty well figured out that the Performance gel buttons and water was going to be my nutrition plan for the run, and I feel like that worked well for me. 

I managed 2:26:41 for the run, which is about 8 minutes slower than the same distance on the treadmill. I feel pretty good about that, given the pounding the body takes on the pavement. I was thinking the Athlete's HoneyMilk folks were going to be at the finish since they had included a bottle in the pre-race goodie bag. Having a cold bottle afterward makes my recovery so much better. Unfortunately they were not at the Austin race, and I could really feel the difference later. The legs got pretty tight, and the left knee got a little stiff. Note to self: pack a bottle in a mini-cooler with the frozen gel bags, and stick it in the post-race clothing bag.

It may be that I need to put cushion pads in the heels of my shoes to lessen the impact. I will work on that going through training.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the result. My finish was about 50 minutes faster than my run in either of the Half-Iron races, so it will be interesting to see how much better I can do with the 70.3 in Galveston in April... training for the run distance as opposed to training for a sprint might just make a difference.

Now it is time for more swimming and bike time. Getting the bike nutrition nailed down will be a big key in the next month or so.

Pedal On!