For those that need a reminder of what Malört is, I present this video reminder:
Thursday, September 8, 2016
What to wear
A triathlon is a collection of 3 different disciplines. While many choose a Tri suit for both biking and running, I'm more comfortable in a bike jersey and running shorts. And isn't that what completing an Ironman is really about - being comfortable? While there isn't much I could do to the wetsuit, I had the bike jersey and run shirt special made from my own designs.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Stats time
It's no surprise that this has been my most active year ever. I've put in pool time, trainer time, biked throughout the burbs, and run every street in my area. This is what I've accomplished in 2016:
Count: 367 Activities
Distance: 3,168.37 mi
Time: 234:45:36 h:m:s
This the culmination of what started when Jenny died. With her as a living inspiration, I started running and completed a couple of 5k's. With her passing, I became a runner, and eventually a triathlete. The numbers below really bear this out.
In the 10 years before Jenny passed:
Count: 40 Activities
Distance: 142.16 mi
Time: 22:41:38 h:m:s
In the 3.5 years since:
Count: 1,005 Activities
Distance: 6,233.18 mi
Time: 520:28:33 h:m:s
All of those hours are leading up to next Sunday, and I'm nervously excited. I've done the work, and now it's time to enjoy the race.
Tim
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Swimming in the wide open water
What am I the most worried about for next Sunday? THE SWIM.
What do you do when open water swimming makes you nervous? You go swim in Lake Michigan.
Friday afternoon I donned my wetsuit and headed out into the choppy water. The waves weren't crushing, but this was NOT flat water. I put my face down and started my swim. Exactly 2 minutes later, I paused my watch so my mini panic attack would not count against my time. I calmed down, and set off again. 2 minutes later, repeat same thing. This was not boding well. I set off a third time, and instead of stopping, I flipped to my back and finished a half mile loop in backstroke.
At this point, I was having serious concerns about next week. Another swimmer then finished her lap, and complained how bad the water was. She said she was going to do 2 miles, but was now just hoping to finish 1. This helped - it wasn't just me. I decided a need to to at least do another half mile, so down my face went again, 10 yards behind the other swimmer.
Things went much better this lap. I could breathe steadily, and my wetsuit didn't feel like it was crushing my chest. Things went so well that when the woman turned at the quarter mile marker to head back, I kept going. I finished a mile lap at a much faster pace than the first lap. More importantly, I know that I can complete the swim next sunday, as long as I get my panic attack out of the way before the cannon goes off.
What do you do when open water swimming makes you nervous? You go swim in Lake Michigan.
Friday afternoon I donned my wetsuit and headed out into the choppy water. The waves weren't crushing, but this was NOT flat water. I put my face down and started my swim. Exactly 2 minutes later, I paused my watch so my mini panic attack would not count against my time. I calmed down, and set off again. 2 minutes later, repeat same thing. This was not boding well. I set off a third time, and instead of stopping, I flipped to my back and finished a half mile loop in backstroke.
At this point, I was having serious concerns about next week. Another swimmer then finished her lap, and complained how bad the water was. She said she was going to do 2 miles, but was now just hoping to finish 1. This helped - it wasn't just me. I decided a need to to at least do another half mile, so down my face went again, 10 yards behind the other swimmer.
Things went much better this lap. I could breathe steadily, and my wetsuit didn't feel like it was crushing my chest. Things went so well that when the woman turned at the quarter mile marker to head back, I kept going. I finished a mile lap at a much faster pace than the first lap. More importantly, I know that I can complete the swim next sunday, as long as I get my panic attack out of the way before the cannon goes off.
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