Triathlon Workout...Endorphins...Lead to Buckeye Trail 50K
This is my usual day off, but starting next week--everything changes! I won't have a minute to myself until the kids go back to school in late August. Actually, I'm very excited for a summer with the kids, but I know half way through July I'm going to have fond recollections of my days off where I had 6 hours in a row to do as I please. I crammed all the domestics in yesterday; I was going to make the most of the final six hours solitude. I decided to swim, bike and run! I did a bit more than a traditional sprint triathlon today, except I did them with some eating, laundry, grocery shopping, and stretching separating the three, in the traditional order of swim, bike, run. Now, the only thing missing was the race day adrenaline to seamlessly glue the three events together! It dawned on me that I was grossly underestimating my level of fitness. I thought I had so much more work to do to get ready for my end of July sprint triathlon, but I realized that I was ready today! I swam for about 50 minutes at the city pool which is much more than I need to do for a sprint swim distance, then I came home, hopped on my bike and did 12 hilly miles around my neighborhood.
I was really feeling mellow after this and while I was cramming my face full of food (big on fuel, you know), I got sucked into an e-mail volley with the trail running group. Kurt is going to start doing these Sunday morning trail runs organized through a local running store, culminating in the Buckeye Trail 50 K. Maria asked me about doing this some time ago. The distance really flips me out, but I realize that you can't compare trail running with road running--at all, they're two different breeds of running beasts
Trail running is much easier on the body and can make you a stronger road runner; case in point; I refer to Addy Ultra Runner who just sliced like an hour off her marathon time with all the trail running she does in California. I'm sooo proud of her!!! I get a soft spot for the young ones, like Addy and Josh that have taken to this sport at such a young age. I tried to do a little matchmaking but Addy feels being on two sides of the country is a romance impediment! But they have Web cams now! Anyway...I think it's just awesome how she just keeps venturing forward, not letting anything get her down till these unexpected PR treasures, like this come along. It's my feeling, that all the trail running has made her a stronger runner all around.
Also, trail running will be just the thing to keep my ADHD-like brain occupied. I won't have the Hell's Green Corridor effect, since trail running demands constant attention to what you're doing so you don't kill yourself or go careening down an embankment. It's slow too....I could run along and have the aerobic inclination to talk to myself if no one was around. Yes...I want to do the Buckeye 50k race even I come in DFL, which Mike explained to me means dead fucking last. I don't care if I have to walk every hill. I will look it as a slightly faster than hiking all day venture. Is that realistic for a first 50K? And you get to look forward to PB & J sandwiches every five miles! The best thing about this is I have experienced Ultra-runner friends like Kim, Mike, and Kurt to learn from; I'll leech off their Ultra knowledge like a pesky red-headed parasite.
So do I tell Mr. Sensationally now? Should I wait awhile? Hmmm...how to do this without him thinking like my disease has just been elevated to a new level? So, Maria and I are going to tackle our first 50k together. Can you imagine the echos of all the four letter words that will bounce off the walls of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area with the two of us doing this race? We'll provide spice to the back of the pack. Too bad you fast runners will miss out on a good time (Tony)
Once I send in the meager race fee (only $30!)--I'm committed! I guess there's the good possibility that Maria would want to barrel ahead. That would be cool too--I'll just talk to the squirrels and hope there's still food at the end.
This is my usual day off, but starting next week--everything changes! I won't have a minute to myself until the kids go back to school in late August. Actually, I'm very excited for a summer with the kids, but I know half way through July I'm going to have fond recollections of my days off where I had 6 hours in a row to do as I please. I crammed all the domestics in yesterday; I was going to make the most of the final six hours solitude. I decided to swim, bike and run! I did a bit more than a traditional sprint triathlon today, except I did them with some eating, laundry, grocery shopping, and stretching separating the three, in the traditional order of swim, bike, run. Now, the only thing missing was the race day adrenaline to seamlessly glue the three events together! It dawned on me that I was grossly underestimating my level of fitness. I thought I had so much more work to do to get ready for my end of July sprint triathlon, but I realized that I was ready today! I swam for about 50 minutes at the city pool which is much more than I need to do for a sprint swim distance, then I came home, hopped on my bike and did 12 hilly miles around my neighborhood.
I was really feeling mellow after this and while I was cramming my face full of food (big on fuel, you know), I got sucked into an e-mail volley with the trail running group. Kurt is going to start doing these Sunday morning trail runs organized through a local running store, culminating in the Buckeye Trail 50 K. Maria asked me about doing this some time ago. The distance really flips me out, but I realize that you can't compare trail running with road running--at all, they're two different breeds of running beasts
Trail running is much easier on the body and can make you a stronger road runner; case in point; I refer to Addy Ultra Runner who just sliced like an hour off her marathon time with all the trail running she does in California. I'm sooo proud of her!!! I get a soft spot for the young ones, like Addy and Josh that have taken to this sport at such a young age. I tried to do a little matchmaking but Addy feels being on two sides of the country is a romance impediment! But they have Web cams now! Anyway...I think it's just awesome how she just keeps venturing forward, not letting anything get her down till these unexpected PR treasures, like this come along. It's my feeling, that all the trail running has made her a stronger runner all around.
Also, trail running will be just the thing to keep my ADHD-like brain occupied. I won't have the Hell's Green Corridor effect, since trail running demands constant attention to what you're doing so you don't kill yourself or go careening down an embankment. It's slow too....I could run along and have the aerobic inclination to talk to myself if no one was around. Yes...I want to do the Buckeye 50k race even I come in DFL, which Mike explained to me means dead fucking last. I don't care if I have to walk every hill. I will look it as a slightly faster than hiking all day venture. Is that realistic for a first 50K? And you get to look forward to PB & J sandwiches every five miles! The best thing about this is I have experienced Ultra-runner friends like Kim, Mike, and Kurt to learn from; I'll leech off their Ultra knowledge like a pesky red-headed parasite.
So do I tell Mr. Sensationally now? Should I wait awhile? Hmmm...how to do this without him thinking like my disease has just been elevated to a new level? So, Maria and I are going to tackle our first 50k together. Can you imagine the echos of all the four letter words that will bounce off the walls of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area with the two of us doing this race? We'll provide spice to the back of the pack. Too bad you fast runners will miss out on a good time (Tony)
Once I send in the meager race fee (only $30!)--I'm committed! I guess there's the good possibility that Maria would want to barrel ahead. That would be cool too--I'll just talk to the squirrels and hope there's still food at the end.