Training Update
The start of Kerr YMCA's tri club training this year has been great. I mentioned the time trial in a previous post, and to date I've completed a running time trial and the inaugural master's swim practice among the first workouts. The time trial was called a Cooper test, which involves running on a track for 12 minutes and recording the distance. The result is compared to the times of a runner's age group. Here are my results from the coach:
Distance: 2850 yds age group=excellent
Estimated VO2 Max: 52.427 ml/kg/min superior range for age group
I've never heard of this test, so I can't say whether the predicted VO2 is accurate. I'm also a little shaky on the whole VO2 thing too, but at least I have a baseline to gauge my training this winter.
Swimming was another eye-opener. Steve, the coach, was very cool and full of good advice. My warm up yardage amounted to about 1/2 of my previous workout yardage. Did I mention that I'm a rock? I'm short with broad shoulders, and someone once described as a human fire hydrant, and float like one too. The next few months with Steve will certainly be interesting. I'm sure he was entertained with my kickboard drills. What is the proper technique with those things? There were times my legs were moving like hell, but my body was basically stationary. Any advice from the swimmers will be much appreciated.
My next tri-project will be to buy a new saddle for my bike; a converted Specialized Allez. Its been a good ride so far, I shortened the neck by 10mm to help with the aero bars, but I want to try a forward seat post. I feel like my body wants to move to the front of the saddle, which isn't comfortable for the sprints, and will get worse with longer distances.
Moons Over My Hammies!!
They're sore...very sore. The first week of training with the tri-club at the Y has been great, but did I mention that my hamstrings are sore? Through a combination of core weight training with Ronnie, a cycle time trial with Kurt and running on my own, I can't tie my shoes without an audible grunt.
Our tri-specific swim was cancelled last week due to a short thunderstorm. The storm didn't do a thing to help the water situation, but the lightening cut practice short by all of about 15 minutes. I did meet the Masters coach, Steve, and will swim with him soon.
The cycle time trial with Kurt was an eye-opener. The route was a ten mile, out-and-back with small rollers. Going out was great; a lot of downhill, and the speed was fast. Coming back, however, was less of a party. Only one section was steep enough to climb out of the saddle, so the rest was just thigh-burning, lung-aching pedaling. I finished in 35:08 or 17.1 mph with a an average HR of 142. Kurt promised our group more improvement, and I'll need it.
Ronnie the trainer wrote a core weight program for the triathletes that is killer. It will ultimately consist of four phases with the first designed to strengthen core muscles and tendons and improve flexibility. Did I mention my hamstrings are sore? Hack squats, Rumanian deadlifts and medicine ball torso raises are just a few that have kept me in pain from my neck down to the back of my knees.
We're off to western NC for our annual Thanksgiving excursion. The boys have gotten older, so we'll hike more this year. The Blue Ridge Mountains are gorgeous and where Lance decided to comeback after cancer. Asheville expects light snow and cold temps, which is perfect for cutting the Christmas tree. I can't wait.
The God's Must Be Crazy
After reading the posts about weather, here's the update from NC. Its not all sunshine and balmy temps in the south. We're in a severe drought this fall. Yesterday, Raleigh implemented stage 2 water restrictions in order increase conservation. Apparently, the city's water supply (Falls Lake) is less that a foot away from an all time low, and if current consumption is not curtailed, it could run out by mid January.
In related news, our local iron distance race, The Blue Devil, was cancelled for 2006. Apparently, they did not get the news that I have started doing tri's. This race was on my radar for the future. Where is the swim leg? Falls Lake, of course. The reason for the cancellation was listed as not enough participants, but the organizers may have had one eye to the skies.
My grass is dead and my car is dirty, but at least I can drink, bathe and swim laps at the Y. Duathlons anyone?
Race Report: The Old Reliable Run 2005
Well, my 2005 racing season officially came to an end Sunday at the finish line of the Old Reliable Run 10K. It was a well run event; lots of activities for non-racers. Young and Associates does a great job; they have enough experience since they do just about all road events in the Triangle area. At race-time, almost 1000 people lined up for the 10K event, and the temp was 73 degrees with a little humidity. The course wound through the historic Oakwood district of Raleigh, went by the Governor's Mansion, made a U-turn at the bell tower on the NC State campus, and finished at the News & Observer office in the heart of downtown.
I saw some familiar faces from previous events including one tri-geek with a Garmin 301 (sweet); that's how I recognized him. He's got the speed to back up the gear because at one point on the course, I passed him and thought it was for good. Wrong! I heard him say to his partner, "Are you OK, I'm going to speed up". He blew by me and I never saw him again. I have got to get one of those things...
After starting intentionally slow, I hit the half-way point at 25:01 and picked up the pace. The five mile mark saw 40:03, and I was really pushing hard. I finished in 48:16 (7:50 per mile). My goal was to break 48 even, so I'm happy with the effort. The tempos and intervals definitely helped.
It was a good ending to a spontaneous "season": a 5, 8 & 10 K and three sprint tri's. Now its off to join the tri club at the Y for an off-season of serious base building and swim improvement. There are two Olympics in 2006 with my name written all over them.
To All Who Shall See These Presents, Greetings
These lines are spoken first at any military awards or promotions ceremony. I thought them fitting to start my post today, since it is Veterans Day. All Veterans alive or gone deserve our thanks today. I am especially humbled by the sacrifices made by their families. Below is an article sent to me from a buddy in Iraq about their constitutional election last month...stirring.
Before I conclude, thanks to all those who commented on my first post. My first 24 hours as a blogger were cool, and I can tell there's a lot of passion and energy out there.
A few notes about training before I conclude: I'm running the Old Reliable 10K this weekend. My goal is to break 48 minutes. In the Dalmation Dash 8K last weekend, I ran 37:55 (7:39 per mile). More to come!
A Resentful Vote Amid deserted streets, Sunnis in Iraq’s insurgency-ridden Anbar Province swallow their bitterness and vote on a new constitution.
NEWSWEEK’s Owen Matthews recounts his day with U.S. Marines in Fallujah.
WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Owen Matthews
Newsweek
Updated: 8:17 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2005
Oct. 15, 2005 - 7:30 a.m.: Only a few vegetable vendors and children playing move on the empty streets. Cars are banned today for fear of car bombs. About one kid in three waves at our convoy as we drive into Fallujah from the downtown Marine base—a relatively warm reception. We have heard one explosion early in the morning—an unsuccessful bomb attack on a U.S. convoy.
8:30 a.m.: Voters massively resent the government and the Iraqi security forces. Perhaps surprisingly, Fallujans seem to resent the Iraqi army, largely dominated by Shias, far more than the Americans. One man calls the Iraqi Army an "occupation force." People passionately hate Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari and his government. When pressed to say which politician they most respect, many Fallujans say Ayad Allawi, the U.S.-installed prime minister who preceded Jafari. He quickly allocated $200 million to rebuild their city after the U.S. war on insurgents in November 2004. Jafari seems not only to have ignored Fallujah but also deployed Shiite security forces in the mainly Sunni city.
"Jaafari? Go outside and see—there’s nothing but damage; half of our house was destroyed in the fighting last November and we still have not been able to repair it," complains Juma Abid, 30, an engineer. "Of course Allawi was much better than Jafari," says Abu Yasif, 28, a teacher. "It’s a rule. The last premier was better than this one, the last interior minister was better than this one. Things are getting worse for us Sunnis."
Sheikh Anad Aboud, 65, a tribal leader in a flowing robe and white headdress, said Allawi had been less sectarian. "Yes, he ordered operations in Fallujah, but he ordered operations in Najaf too," said the elder.
9:00 a.m.: "The government are just a bunch of liars," complains 42-year-old Yussuf Al’ Lami, standing in a huddle of his neighbors and children in a dusty street corner near a polling station in the Fillistin area of Fallujah. "They want just to annihilate Sunnis. They don’t want us to vote or have a voice in Baghdad. No one in Baghdad cares about us."
But the enthusiasm for Allawi is muted, at best. Some Fallujans also vehemently resent the rule of exiles. "We need a real Iraqi. These people sitting at desks now, they say they represent the Iraqi people but they have never passed through the real Iraqi experience," says Muntasar Al Alwani, a 36-year-old businessman. "Allawi is no better than any of those other politicians who came to our country on the back of American tanks."
10:00 a.m.: The Muslim clerics, or sheikhs, of Fallujah, are trusted above all politicians. Rafeh Al Wan, 48, retired movie producer, gave a typical response: "I trust the Ulema [clerics’ council] above all, they are the ones who have the interests of all Iraqis at heart," he said. "We need the Ulema to give an Islamic flavor to the government. You ask what Jafari did wrong—I ask what he did right? We feel no security here. My wife is a Shiite, she is the mother of seven kids, we have no problems in our family with Sunni, Shia, Kurds. This is all new. All I know is that before we were secure and now we are scared."
11:00 a.m.: Some people wax nostalgic for the days of Saddam. About one in five of the men I spoke to today support him outright (though more, about three in five, said they most respect the Ulema Council). "Bring back Saddam. He’s better than all of these people," said Sheikh Anan Aboud, 65. "Under the former regime things were better, the roads were safer. He was an oppressor but this gang is worse. We believe that [Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi was a legend invented by the Americans."
4:00 p.m.: U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad arrives at the Civilian-Military Operations Center in downtown Fallujah in a heavily armored humvee. I’m napping on a cot in the sandbagged hall when he arrives to meet with local leaders. Cots, kitbags and Marines’ laundry fill the room, once a theater. Sheikh Kamal Shawkur, chairman of the Fallujah City Council, begs for local boys held in Iraqi prisons to be turned over to the Marines. "At least we know that with the Marines they will be back in a month, a year," Shawkur told Khalilzad. "With the Interior Ministry you never know if you will ever see them alive again." Fallujah’s police chief General Salah Al Ani asks Khalilzad to allow 70 former Army officers to join the police, despite an Interior Ministry veto (on anti-Baathist grounds). "Of course Baathists should be allowed to stay in positions of power," says Gen. Salah. "We are all Iraqis in the end. Why call them ‘ex-Baathists’—ask if they are good Iraqis. The biggest mistake was to dissolve the army—I would like to ask [former U.S. administrator Paul] Bremmer why he did that."
The local dignitaries ask Khalilzad for two more things—to give Anbar Province more parliamentary seats than the current nine (which they reckon is too few), and to release money due for reconstruction and compensation.
Khalizad seems in his element. Fawzi Mohanad, deputy head of the city’s reconstruction council, says that the government owes the city $400 million. Khalilzad comes back with $110 million, and promises to work on it in Baghdad.
But when Sheikh Kamal Shawkur, chairman of the Fallujah City Council, mentions "the situation before 2003" as a benchmark for Sunni representation, Khalilzad steps in with a reality check. "We worry that people are nostalgic about the past," he says. "The past was not that good in Iraq. Iraq could do much better." The City Council chief invites him to break the Ramadan fast. Khalilzad says he has to meet the prime minister. The Fallujans smile politely.
6:00 p.m.: We dine on Meals Ready to Eat as polls close.
9:00 p.m.: Lt. Col. Patrick Carroll, the Arabic-speaking Marines Foreign Area Officer for Anbar, serenades downtown Fallujah with his Scottish bagpipes, a nightly tradition. He stands in the middle of a boxing ring in the courtyard and plays a selection of patriotic Scot and American airs, culminating in the Marine Hymn. The unit’s pet turkey, who lives under the boxing ring, appears calmed. The grunts say they’ve made the turkey a little joke ID card, which expires on Thanksgiving Day.
Midnight: As we prepare for bed, a State Department rep tells us that turnout has been very high in Fallujah, but low in the rest of Anbar province. "How low? Embarrassingly low?" we ask. "No, not embarrassing," he says. "Maybe just very low. But very high in Fallujah." That’s going to set off a lot of politicking—Fallujah has demonstrated that Sunnis can vote en masse (though they probably voted no). A lot of politicians will want to cultivate them in the two months before general elections in December.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.
Welcome to the launch of Boy Meets Tri!
My goals are to enjoy triathlon and endurance sports in general and get to know others in blogdome doing the same. First, a little education about the name. I don't think of myself as the superhero (only a cell phone on my belt); it was my radio call sign in the Marine Corps. There were other characters like T-Bone, Sheriff and Sweetroll, and the names were used more than their real names. Eventhough its been a few years, alright thirteen...it still feels like yeserday.
I'm a tri-newbie. I ran my first three races this past summer. Three wasn't the original plan, but after starting "official" training in February, a mid-August race made me impatient. After training for four months, I ran the Mission Man Triathlon (awesome race!) and had a total blast. Funny newbie stories to follow. Four weeks went by and two more races went under the belt, and I was hooked. I've never had more fun doing such an intense thing as triathlon. Its a sight to behold seeing hundreds of people romp all over a course, push past their human limits and smile like kids at Christmas when they're finished (it must be the bagels covered in peanut butter!).
So here I sit typing my thoughts after running five miles today; eagerly awaiting my pool time tomorrow; thinking of my next post; and eating a bagel covered in peanut butter. Life is grand...
Me and my "monkeys" at the UNC Super Sprint in August. This was the original goal race, but as you can see, I'm wearing the Mission Man t-shirt. OK, I know...
Coming in off the bike leg. I was clipping out and wobbled a bit. Its a good thing my wife wasn't in position at the start of the bike; my chain fell off and I almost fell over from pedaling so fast. Thats the "young one" waiting for a high five...I couldn't have better fans.
