Subscribe in a readerJune 13, 2008
My Peachtree Number Arrived
It's that time of year. The weather is hot. The days are long. And the packets for the running of the Peachtree Road Race get mailed. I met my goal this year of being in time group 1A. That means I've run a qualifying 10K road race in under 50 minutes in the past year.
Could I do that now? I'm not entirely sure. My training for the last 6 months has been entirely endurance based. Furthermore, my change in companies and increase in responsibilities has kept my volume a little lower than I would've liked. But all in all things are going really well. I expect to be under 55 in both the upcoming Possum Trot 10K and Peachtree Road Race 10K. I'm not going to push it with Ironman being so close (37 days from today!). This fall I will work on my speed and see about sustaining those 7 minute miles across the full 10K for next year.
Posted by Mike at 11:51 PM | Comments (1)
March 30, 2008
ING Georgia Marathon - 4 hrs 34 minutes
Training Run Report
It was cold. Maybe 42 at the start and 44 at the end? And windy at times. I missed coming in under 4 1/2 during the last 10k. It got hilly and a blister that I had on my foot made shuffling up the last 3 good hills impossible for me.
I liked the route a lot better this year. Druid Hills was around mile 17 and I cruised through there with ease. Last year that was the 13 mile mark and combined with the heat it really broke me down. There were only a couple of roads that really had a bunch of cars on them. Made for a pretty good route. Plenty of fluids on the course. A little road rage (welcome to Atlanta).
And shortly after the finish line - Five Guys Burger & Fries. No better way to get 1600 calories in one sitting if you ask me! So it was a pretty good training run. I just wanted to be in under 5 hours. Today was about testing out my nutrition plan and it worked like a champ. Never felt like I hit the wall. Never felt like I had a gut bomb (even after FIve Guys!!!).
Posted by Mike at 5:14 PM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2008
The Day After The Marathon
This video made me chuckle...
Posted by Mike at 7:30 AM | Comments (0)
February 1, 2008
January 2008 is in the books!
My January was remarkable on several levels. First, I turned in my 10k PR of 49:59 on New Year's Day. Second, I ran a half and a full marathon on back to back days. Third, we had two snow days in Atlanta and colder than normal temperatures. I included this picture from a recent run where my sweat frosted over on me. Yikes!
Through all of that, I managed to still get my workouts in, not to mention tapering and recovering. All in all, I am happy with my training volume for this past month and feel well in control of my Ironman dreams that are now only 170 days away.
January Statistics:
Swim - 15550 yards (8.8 miles)
Bike - 155.7 miles
Run - 73.11 miles
Lower volume than I expected, but it was all quality. On to February.
Speaking of February - this whole leap year thing really stinks. Has anyone noticed that the extra day is a Friday?!? For those of us on salary, that's a day we're working for free.
Posted by Mike at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)
January 7, 2008
2008 Race Schedule or What Was I Thinking?
Here is what I'm looking at for 2008. What was i thinking?
January 1 - Resolution Run 10k completed in 49:59
January 12 - Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon
January 13 - Walt Disney World Marathon
That's right. A half and a full back to back. It's called Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge. I signed up back at the end of January 2007 and can't believe a year has already passed. Yes - I am ready for it and looking forward to it!!!
March 30 - ING Georgia Marathon (anyone up for a century ride in the North Ga mountains the 29th?)
April 26 - Tri The Parks Carrolton Sprint Triathlon (?)
May 17 - Beast of the East 1/2 Ironman (*)
July 4 - Peachtree Road Race (*)
July 20 - Ford Ironman Lake Placid
October 5 - Emerald Point Sprint Triathlon (?) A return to the site of my first triathlon
October 25 - Ridge to Bridge Marathon (?)
December 13 - Rocket City Marathon (?)
? - indicates a tentatively planned event
* - indicates a definite that I just haven't registered for
bold - indicates my 'A' race. THE 'A' RACE THAT I'M TOTALLY STOKED FOR! Sorry for yelling. BUT I JUST CAN'T WAIT!!
Ironman is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Of course I see it and deal with it every day. In fact, I'm 194 days and 22 hours away from the starting cannon right now. It's not so much the gorilla for what it is as much as I don't know what the rest of my season will look like after it. I know what I want to do, but I'm going to listen to my body as I recover and do what my body tells me. Right now I know that I can run a marathon one day and 3 weeks later run another. Starting July 21st I'll learn what proper recovery from an Ironman means.
I'm sure I'll do a 5k somewhere along the way, and maybe the Possum Trot in June. But that is basically it. This is the year of Ironman for me. Hopefully it won't be my last.
Posted by Mike at 8:00 AM | Comments (1)
January 3, 2008
New to Running? Tips for the Newbie and Uninitiated
Running is a very healthy, life-long habit that can improve your physical and mental well being throughout your life. When I was younger, I ran to stay in shape for tennis. I never timed my runs, bike rides, or laps in the pool. Nor did I really know how far I was swimming, biking, or running. However I did know how many unforced errors I committed in a match, my first serve percentage, and the tension of both the main strings and cross strings on my rackets.
That changed 4 years ago with the passing of my father. A picture of him skinny as a rail at roughly my age sent me into the gym 3 days a week on my lunch hour. It started with an unbearable 25 minutes on the elliptical and gradually worked up to 45 minutes to an hour. As my knees and ankles regained strength (and I rapidly shed 30 pounds) I took to the streets to pound on the pavement. The following is a collection of things I learned along the way that may help you if you seek to discover the nirvana that running has brought me.
Knowledge <sic> Begins Here
Theoretically, running is cheap. You just put on shoes and go run. But I will say this - properly fitted running shoes can make all the difference between happiness and an abandoned hobby.
Keep track of mileage on your running shoes. 300-500 miles is the lifespan of a typical shoe. Your mileage will vary depending on your weight. If you're not religious about tracking miles, keep track of how many months you've run in them. After 6 months of even limited sweat and pounding, the cushioning will become worn out and replacement will make you happy again.
If you get to where you're running for more than 30 minutes, a technical running shirt will work wonders for you. Cotton just isn't comfortable once you get sweaty since it's not a wicking fabric.
Compression shorts with a spandex / polyester mix will work wonders from the waist down. Old schoolers wear the short shorts where your ass hangs out. If you don't mind my snickering at you, you can too.
Guys - your nipples may bleed. They will hurt like hell. Suck it up and be a man. NipGuards work really well, as does Body Glide
In general, friction sucks - but it's inevitable. Members of both sexes should coat the appropriate friction points with Vaseline
If you're running more than 40 minutes, you definitely need water. If it's exceptionally hot or cold, you should probably carry water on runs of more than 20 minutes. Hydration is as important as a pair of properly fitted running shoes. Drink before you are thirsty. I carry a Fuel Belt
General wisdom these days is that unless it's exceptionally hot or you are running more than 2 hours, you should just be drinking water. Sports drinks are good at replenishing electrolytes, but they are usually sweetened by high fructose corn syrup, much like most colas on the market. Research and personal experiences suggest that your body metabolizes this sugar substitute differently and that may have an adverse affect on your diet.
The remaining tips are really for running races.
The finish line is not the stopping point. You need to keep moving through the chute. I repeat DO NOT STOP AT THE FINISH LINE. I will run your ass over 'cause I can't just stop.
It's great that you want to run a race with your kids. I highly encourage it. I also suggest that you start towards the back of the pack. Your 8 year old is not going to be able to hold a 7 min/mile pace for very long. Those people around him/her will not appreciate the sudden stop as we are running 7 min/mile and can't just stop.
Look around at the starting line and seed yourself according to your ability. If you're not going out at a 5 minute per mile pace, you shouldn't be on the start line. If you're not going out at 6 min/mile, you shouldn't be able to see the ass of anyone on the starting line. Starting at 7 minutes / mile?? You shouldn't see anything below the shoulders of the people on the starting line. These are general guidelines, but you catch my drift.
Hopefully I haven't scared you off. That wasn't my intention - instead I wanted to prepare you for some of the lessons I learned the hard way. Don't worry - you'll still get to experience the pain of a sawed-off nipple (guys) or a sports bar strap rubbing your back raw (ladies); having this information and then heeding the advice are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!
Happy Trails!
Posted by Mike at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 1, 2008
2008 Resolution Run Recap
Happy New Year!
Mine started much as it has the past several years - with the dogs barking at fireworks 10 minutes before the stroke of midnight. Fortunately they calmed down (the dogs and the fireworks) by 12:10 am and I went back to sleep.
At noon today, I gathered with roughly 1000 fellow, dedicated runners to kick off the new year with a 1 mile, 5k, or 10k run. This is an Atlanta Track Club no-frills race. You show up, pay $5, get a t-shirt, and run. The location moves around the city every few years based on who is running the race. This was the 2nd year in a row that it was out off Barrett Pkwy, very close to I-75. The 10k course is a 2 loop affair, with roughly half of each lap containing an out-and-back portion in the middle.
It was a mostly sunny day. A cold day (39 degrees fahrenheit). A windy day (gusts to 20 mph). A day on which I would try to turn in my first sub 50 minute 10k. The first 5k was a quick 23:40. I did the math in my head and figured I could run as slow as 8:40 per mile and still be under 50 minutes. Not that I wanted to slow down, but I just needed to know what my target was.
This is where things started to go downhill. Turning left 1/4 mile into the second lap I was greeted with a stiff headwind. The wind was here when I came through earlier, but I was in a pack and mostly protected from it. With the 5k runners finishing I sort of ended up in no-man's land. I looked at my HRM and checked in with my body and just tried to keep a consistent amount of effort and not be too concerned about pace, much like on the bike you'd look at a power meter rather than miles per hour.
When I hit the 5 mile mark, the time keeper there yelled out "40 even". I said a choice four-letter word under my breath. I had given away time out there. I was 1 minute behind where I wanted to be and I had to run an even 8 minute pace with a 1/4 mile uphill at the finish. So I picked my lines carefully, staying on the proper side of the cones but running through the apex of the turns so as not to run any further than I had to.
I hit the final hill and got really cold. This stretch was in the shade and the wind was removing sweat from me VERY EFFICIENTLY. I turned left and saw the 6 mile mark. 48 minutes and some change. Can't slow now. Need to dig deep and motor. I told myself "DO NOT GIVE THIS AWAY". As I crested the hill, I could see the finish line. The clock read 49:42. Another gear kicked in from somewhere. Maybe it was a tail-wind. I don't know, all I know is I felt like I was in a sprint.
As I crossed the line, the clock ticked to 49:59 and a second later the time guy said "50 flat". But that was for the guy behind me. I was in. 49:59. I had joked with friends over the last couple of weeks about my goal time. They all knew I wanted to go sub 50 to get in time group 1A for the Peacthree, but kept prodding me for one of my famous time predictions. I told them "All I know is that if I hit 49:59 I'd be ecstatic."
I am ecstatic.
Next year I'm going to predict 35 minutes and see how that works out for me.
Just kidding.
Happy New Year! May all your dreams for this year come true. My first one just did!
Posted by Mike at 6:49 PM | Comments (3)
December 31, 2007
2007 is in the Books
Wow. Very few posts the last couple of months and here are 3 today. 2007 officially ends in my neck of the woods in 12 hours, but training for the year ended when I got out of the pool this morning. Here are my stats for the year:
| January 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007 | |
| Swim | 217387.42 yards / 123.52 miles |
| Bike | 2354.04 miles |
| Run | 864.82 miles |
That's a total of 3,342.38 miles of swimming, biking and running. I've included an image to help put that in perspective. It's a total of 3,352 miles to drive from Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida. So essentially, I swam, biked, and ran from Seattle to within 10 miles of the Miami city limits. Must've gotten attacked on the outskirts of town, I guess.
My run mileage was lower than I would've liked, thanks in part to an injury in February following the Austin Marathon. I set a new PR there, but it was over a month before I could run again (just in time for the ING Georgia Marathon). Couple that with more focus in the pool and on the bike and you have a recipe for <1000 miles of running this year.
The bike mileage is a combination of road and trainer miles. I didn't start cycling in earnest until late May in preparation for the Macon Half-Ironman. That has changed as I have a new bike and several pieces of cold-weather and rainy-weather gear. I expect to be closer to 3000 miles on the bike this time next year.
I couldn't be happier with my swimming. Moving over to the YMCA gave me access to a cooler pool and slightly easier access to getting a lane. It looks like that last statement may be changing a little as the master's swim program is moving days... SO I may be looking for a new pool in 2008. Either way, it will work out fine.
My 2007 race schedule was quite packed. You never would've known I had a bad knee injury in mid-February!! Here's a recap of my races this year -
January - Resolution Run 10k
February - Austin Marathon
March - ING Georgia Marathon
May - My Next Tri (1st in division)
June - Macon Rock & Roll Half Ironman
June - Possum Trot 10k
July - Peachtree Road Race 10k
August - Hiawassee Summer Sizzler International Distance Triathlon
September - South Carolina Half Ironman
October - South Carolina Marathon
November - Atlanta Marathon
December - Jingle Jog 5k
2008 promises to be even better. Here's to a prosperous, safe, and injury free 2008! Thanks for reading!
Posted by Mike at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2007
Hi
Not much to say as of late. I've been busy with work, training, and personal development. I earned my Project Management Professional credential last month. Yes, I'm still a software architect, but project management has a lot of overlap in my field so it made sense to pursue the credential.
The Atlanta Marathon has come and gone. My time was 4 hrs 42 minutes. A few minutes better than last year which was really good since it rained on us and washed all the body glide off me by mile 7. Fortunately the nipple guards held, but I have one nasty blister that has just almost healed on the arch of my right foot. I posted pictures to my flickr account and might put some up here later.
Training for Goofy's Challenge is going well. I can't say that I have expended as much mental energy on it as perhaps I should. But I feel ready to run a half-marathon on Saturday and do the full on Sunday. Lots of nutritous food, some ibuprofen, and well placed ice should get me through it. All these miles that I swim, bike, and run have gotta count for something!
Christmas is 11 days out. The house is decorated. The stockings are hung from the chimney with care. The Jingle Jog 5k is this weekend. I'll be there with bells on and two unwrapped toys for the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
I'm working out my racing plans for next year and will post them in the next week or so.
Posted by Mike at 3:28 PM | Comments (0)
November 9, 2007
?Donde Esta Miguel?
Sometimes life gets in the way of living. Or at least talking about living. I've made most of my runs, all of my rides, and have been in the pool 3 times this week. I've got a new PC at work that absolutely SCREAMS! Unfortunately, that has meant rebuilding my development environment (something that has desperately needed to happen anyway for the last 6 months). So I FINALLY have equipment at work that is better than my own personal computing stuff (of course that's only because I've been spending my money on a new bike, running shoes, etc).
This weekend I'm running with a bunch of my peeps from the Y in the Strong Legs 10K supporting Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta. I'll be sure to take some pictures there although I probably won't carry my camera on the run. A couple of people haven't hit their sub-54 minute 10k to qualify for the Peachtree next year so I'm not going to be loafing about!! There are a couple of pretty steep hills down there, one on Renaissance Dr (I think that's the name of the road) around mile 5 and another on Courtland in front of Georgia State University. The weather looks to be nice so I'm going to shoot to get them in around the 52 minute mark.
Sunday will be an easy 10 miler and maybe an easy ride of 30-40 miles.
Everyone have a good weekend!
Posted by Mike at 7:00 AM | Comments (1)
October 31, 2007
Race Report - 2007 Spinx Run Fest / Palmetto Bank Marathon
8 am. October 28, 2007 - Greenville, South Carolina
My day started by getting up just before 4am to make the drive to Greenville. We arrived just before 7am and strolled up to the starting line to pick up our numbers and chips. Dawn had not yet broken, and we had over an hour to lace up our shoes and strip down to running clothes. It was 45 degrees fahrenheit at race start, but was expected to warm up to around 60 by noon. I opted for my Sugoi running shorts, Brooks Sprinter base layer, and a Nike Dri-fit sleeveless shirt. And of course, nipple guards.
The assembly area was the size of roughly 1/2 city block. I asked one of the volunteers how many people were running but she didn't know. Last year, there were around 300 marathoners and closer to 400 half marathoners. The highest marathon number I saw pre-race was 150, I saw a half marathon number just over 1000. Turns out there were only about 160 marathoners, but the half had grown to over 500 people. Here we are at 7:53 am waiting to start.
camera along with me, so I was able to take a bunch of pictures while running. You read that right - all pictures were taken while running (except the one above before the start). Savor the digital image stabilization goodness! Here we see the sparse spectator turnout. These folks probably just went to Chick-Fil-A to get a biscuit and coffee and couldn't get out because all these stupid runners came through. Of course maybe they were actually cheering for people the knew.
As for volunteers - they were great. There were over 400 on the course manning aid stations and assisting at turns. There seemed to be a lot of turns on the marathon course, but you get so brain damaged by the end it's really hard to say whether there were more than average or not.
After running out a back entrance from Furman, we ended up on country roads for many miles, headed out to Travelers Rest and back. The leaves were changing, the traffic was light, and the crown on the road wasn't too bad.
The only real negative about the course was that there were some really bad drivers out there. As long as you kept your head up and were predictable, it wasn't a problem. What a beautiful day to run.
The finish line was just outside of Falls Park. You run for 5 blocks down tree-lined main street. It was a great site for a finish. After picking up your medal, bagels, oranges, bananas and water were available at the park.
All in all it was a great race. It was well stocked and marked. Many potential entrants will be turned off by the lack of crowd support. If you're one of the Rock & Roll marathon types who looks for high energy events, this race is probably not for you. But if you can get lost in thought and changing scenery, this course is a great way to mark another knotch in your 50 state belt.
There are a few more pictures up in my Greenville Marathon set on Flickr. Enjoy!
Posted by Mike at 6:17 AM | Comments (1)
October 30, 2007
4 States Down, 46 (and Maybe D.C.) to Go
This past Sunday I completed my 5th marathon. The 3rd annual Spinx Run Fest - Palmetto Bank Marathon was the venue, and it represented the 4th state I've run a marathon in. Keep in mind this will probably take 20 to 30 years for me to complete all 50 states. There just isn't enough time or money to make it go any faster. Fortunately, completing an Ironman event counts towards the total, so I've slated New York, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Idaho to be knocked out in that fashion.
Here's a map to show my progress to date. I'll post a race report and pictures from the event later in the week. Yes, the map looks kinda kooky. I through it together on my lunch hour. I'll try to make it look better when I knock out Florida next January.
Posted by Mike at 6:40 AM | Comments (1)
October 3, 2007
Buford Dam 5k Run This Saturday
For those of you looking to run a 5k, try the Buford Dam 5k coming up this Saturday October the 6th. I don't know the exact course, but the whole bank of the dam is flat. Whether it's 1.5 miles long (to get 5k out and back) I don't recall. But it'll really be flat. And you can use great lines like "Where do I get my dam t-shirt?" and "This is the best dam course I've ever run".
This is part of the celebration of the 50th birthday of Lake Lanier. Unfortunately it is over 12 feet below full pool right now, and may fall another 5 feet in October if we don't get any rain. What would've been a very scenic race will be a little less-so with the exposed red clay shoreline that was once under 5-10 feet of water.
Posted by Mike at 4:00 PM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2007
It's 5:45 am at the Fowler YMCA
And all these people beat me here. That was Monday. Today I got there just before 5 and there were people lined up to get inside. This is nothing new - I've witnessed it over the past 5 or 6 months. It's simply amazing to me. I used to work out at Gold's Gym in the mornings and there were never this many people there. Granted, they didn't have basketball, a swimming pool or an indoor track. But STILL??
Today was a brick day. It started with a 55 minute (or so) spin class (a roughly 17.5 mile equivalent) in a hot room. I normally will drink around 24 ounces of Powerade in a 1 hour spin, but today I drank the full 32 ounces. I felt like dog meat. I was sweating like a pig. Maybe it's always like that and with the different music I was just more in tune with the pain. I don't know.
It was great to finally get outside of that musty room for a 3.5 mile run. It was hard to get my legs under me, and REALLY hard to run in the dark. The sun didn't poke it's head over the horizon until after 7 and by then I was back to the Y. Total of roughly 39 minutes on the run. Sad - I know people who can run a 10K in that time AFTER swimming 8/10 of a mile and biking 25 miles!!!! Oh well - I can't compare myself to them.
The day was rounded out with a 1 hour martial arts class. Roughly 30 minutes of it was fighting technique - the other 30 minutes was a mix of cardio and core work.
As you can see by the post time, I'm up later than I wanted to be. Tomorrow will bring a long run in the morning. Hopefully my body will be up for it!!!
Posted by Mike at 9:51 PM | Comments (0)
September 4, 2007
One Long Weekend
Last weekend was the Labor Day holiday here in the U.S. For most people, it was a weekend of relaxation, barbecues, and maybe a trip to the pool or the beach. For me, the long weekend represented a weekend to GO LONG. This was basically the final preparation for the South Carolina Half IM coming up in just 3 weeks.
Friday was a long swim. 2750 yards isn't really that long, but the 1.2 mile swim I'll face at the end of the month only represents 2112 yards, so 2750 puts me in really good shape. The rest of the day was spent eating and resting (yes, work counts as rest when you're a desk jockey) to get ready for the next day's workout.
Saturday was a day of bike tune up and riding. I got in roughly 32 miles on my Suwanee / Buford / Sugar HIll loop. By the time I got out there traffic had really picked up. It wasn't as enjoyable of a ride as it could be, but I replaced my tires, lubed everything up, and the bike itself felt great. The rest of the day was spent eating and resting for the next day's workout. Notice a trend forming??
Sunday was my day to run long. I did 15 miles on the Suwanee Greenway. They had closed a portion of the trail for construction of a new bridge. Progress is good, but that took away almost 3 miles of trail from me (really 6 since that's an out-and-back portion). So, I had to improvise a route. It was really repetitive, but I suffered through it pretty well. My legs felt great at the end, so I couldn't really be happier. The rest of the day was spent eating and resting... blah blah blah.
Monday I went out and rode the Silver Comet trail to Rockmart. The comet is cool if you just need to get in some saddle time. There are bridges, tunnels, and scenic countryside along the route. Unfortunately, there really aren't any hills to speak of since this is an abandoned train track. But there are a lot of people in spots, so you can get in some practice dodging them. I'll be back out there, but it can't be my exclusive training site. I rode around Rockmart a little bit since my mom grew up there. Total ride was just over 60 miles.
Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend. I loved getting all the rides and run in. Having to eat as much as I did got really tiring. Almost sickening. But all in all it was good and I can feel all the progress I've made since doing the Macon Half. Bring it on!
Posted by Mike at 6:29 AM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2007
2007 Possum Trot Results and the Arrival of my Peachtree Number!
Today was the annual Possum Trot, benefiting the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Here are the results.
My gun time was 52:33. Actual time was more like 52:13, but what's 20 seconds between friends?? I'll tell you. My 10k PR was set in January under much cooler conditions, when I actually got a good night's sleep (3 in a row, actually). It was 51:20. I think I could've matched it if the dogs weren't up every 2 hours last night. Oh well. I've at least got my qualifying time for next year's Peachtree.
I run these things to gauge my progress in terms of fitness. On this same course last year, under similar weather conditions, I ran it in 58 minutes flat. So today's performance was a 5 and 1/2 minute improvement. That is progress, my friends. I was also 29th out of 71 in my age group. My goal was to be in the top 1/3 of my age group and I only missed that by a minute!
Overall I am very pleased with my finish time and only wish that at least one of the usual suspects had been around to run the event with me. That's right - I flew solo on this one. Don't get me wrong - competing in road races and triathlons is a solo effort. But you get used to the comraderie of training and racing that you realize what all those people mean when none of them are around!!!
On another note, my Peachtree number and timing chip arrived today! Look for me in time group 1-B.
Posted by Mike at 3:12 PM | Comments (0)
June 5, 2007
Friction is Your Enemy
Sports Pickle ran a satirical article about a guy who got bloody nipples while running his first marathon. I've sawed off my nipples a few times with a variety of shirts while running and biking. Running specialty shops sell a product called "Nipple guards" that work absolutely fantastically. Band-aids also work, but the glue on them is not as strong as I've found the nipple guards' glue to be.
Showering with bloody nipples is quite painful. Salt gets crusted on your body and when you shower it gets washed into the wound. This can be more excrutiating than the event itself. Sunday I learned that blisters on your feet can be much the same. When I took my sock off, the skin peeled up, exposing raw skin. When I jumped in the shower, all the salt that crusted on my over 7 hours washed down my leg, and into the blister. It was pouring salt straight in. OUCH.
So, the morals of this story are:
1) Guys need to wear protection over their nipples to protect them from being sawed off.
2) Use a product like body glide to protect other friction points (where the arms rub, where your shoulder rubs your neck while swimming, etc)
3) Re-apply either of these treatments if the previous one wears off.
4) After your event, you might was to try sponging off the excess salt before jumping in the shower. This might help reduce your pain.
And one last tip - don't ever use someone else's body glide stick. There are a couple of friction points that are just a little toooooo personal and private!!!
Posted by Mike at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
June 4, 2007
Training To Succeed
I've heard people amazed with the hills on the 1/2 ironman course in Macon. Same at the Emerald Point Triathlon last year. At the same time, I read people listing favorite training places as being the Silver Comet Trail, spin class, or some greenway somewhere. Those places are fine - but at some point you need to get out on roads with some elevation change.
Here I am at the top of Fort Mountain after climbing roughly 2500 feet over 7 miles. It started at around mile 17. That's roughly the amount of elevation change over the 56 mile 1/2 ironman course in Macon this weekend. We rode roughly another 25 miles after taking this picture.
Don't get me wrong - my time wasn't the fastest you've ever seen in Macon - but I felt great at the end of the ride! And that is the bike I rode, no time trial setup for me. Training days like the one pictured here are my secret. Now you know.
Posted by Mike at 8:40 PM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2007
Train in the Conditions You May Experience
Right now there are massive wild fires burning in South Georgia, and smoke has blown all the way up to metro Atlanta. 11 days away from the half ironman in Macon and I realize that there is some likelihood that this condition will arise during the event (especially on a one loop, 56 mile bike course).
The National Weather Service issued this statement:
THE SMOKE WILL ENHANCE THE AIR QUALITY PROBLEMS TODAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE METRO AREAS OF ATLANTA...ATHENS... COLUMBUS...AND MACON. PEOPLE WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS AND THE ELDERLY SHOULD REMAIN INDOORS IN THOSE AREAS WITH THICK SMOKE.
I'm about to go for my lunch time run. Sounds crazy, but I'm almost as healthy as they come. Don't worry, I'll take it easy out there.
Posted by Mike at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2007
A New Marathon PR!
5500 people were registered to start the marathon, only 4553 finished. I think that number may go down some because of cheating. I wish I had gotten the dude's bib#, but I wasn't going to lose time over it. He really only cheated himself.
| number of finishers: | 4553 |
| number of females: | 1756 |
| number of males: | 2797 |
| average time: | 04:25:23 |
| (updated: 2/19/2007 22:50) | |
| bib number: | 3572 |
| age: | 33 |
| gender: | M |
| overall place: | 2549 out of 4555 |
| division place: | 247 out of 373 |
| gender place: | 1817 out of 2801 |
| time: | 4:27:21 |
| pace: | 10:13 |
| chip2: | 0: |
| gun time: | 4:32:23 |
| 2m: | 20:25 |
| 10m: | 1:42:09 |
| 17m: | 2:50:19 |
| 21m: | 3:31:57 |
Posted by Mike at 9:20 AM
January 1, 2007
2007 Resolution Run - My New 10K PR!
Today was the annual Resolution Run put on by the Atlanta Track Club. This year it was way out in North Cobb county off of Barrett Pkwy. A 5K and 10K were offered, with the 10K encompassing two laps of the 5K course.
It was a pretty good day for running. The sky was fairly clear, temperature around 50, but there was a solid 10-15 mph breeze hitting you. The volunteers were great, the course was well marked, and aside from several pocks in the pavement just big enough to wrench your ankle there was nothing to complain about. In the words of one of the old men running around me "you're not going to find a much flatter course to run anywhere around here." He was right. That's not to say this coures was flat - rolling is the best description. But compared to some of the places I train, it sure felt flat!
So enough about the course - what about me? I think my first my split was around 7 minutes 45 seconds. I had been looking at my gps and thinking it was wrong. But it's never been wrong before over a whole mile, just here and there when there were a lot of trees affecting its satellite signals. I backed off a tad, and hit the 5k mark at 25:12. This was quite exciting. My goal was just to be sub 55 minute. I kept my emotions in check and proceeded to manage the course to keep everything in line.
My finish time - 51 minutes, 20 seconds. Yeah, baby! My old official PR was 58:00 at the 2006 Possum Trot in June. It was warmer that day, but that course is much flatter too, so I think it's a fair time comparison.
All in all, not a bad way to start 2007.
Posted by Mike at 8:00 PM