Phil's Weblog May 1 to May 19, 2005

Where to Seed

I had a decent swim at lunch time (last real workout before Saturday). Again, I swam sub 8:30 for 500m, at a relaxed pace - which brings up the dilema of where to seed myself for Saturday's race.

The 500m swim uses a self-seeded time-trial format.

If I seed myself too fast, I'm likely to overdo it, burn out and perform horribly. I'll be super conscious of the swimmer's behind me, and try to go too fast.

If I seed myself too slow, I'm likely to catch up to slower swimmers, get frustrated, try to pass - perhaps burn out trying to sprint by someone.

I think I'm going to try myself at 8:40 -- I know I can do this time totally relaxed without hurrying - If I catch up to someone, hopefully, they're properly seeded, and I can draft off them without loosing too much time -- If someone catches me - that's too bad for them, I'll let them deal with trying to pass me. I'll give them one chance at the end of the lap.

8:40 is respectable. I'm not going to over-exert myself over 10 seconds! There, finalized. I'm glad I had this chat with myself. 8:40 it is.

Two Days To Go

Only 2 more days til the first Tri of the season... Still not too nervous. I just found out this morning, that the swim is the opposite direction to what we practiced on Tuesday -- argh! And that there's a 300m run to T1. Race Kit pick up tonight at Pecco's.

Cool Giro Video

So, I treated myself to a new Giro helmet last night. And just now, I checked out the Giro website (very nice). And I found this super cool video ---



Go to http://www.giro.com
Click on Downloads.
Click on Videos.
Turn the speakers up LOUD.

...oh and the stuff that they're doing in the video... yeah, I use to be able to do that.

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not.

Flipping For Fun

With my first Triathlon of the year coming up on Saturday, I decided not to do this Thursday's duathlon. So to make up for it, I took in last night's Masters Swim.

Posted Workout

Warmup:
400 Easy
3 x 100 Pull (Free, IM, Choice)
3 x 100 Drill (Free, IM, Choice)
4 x 100 Kick (1 & 3 with Board, 2 & 4 Without)
4 x 100 IM
100 Easy

Main Set:
4 x 100 (50 Front, 50 Back)
2 x 200 IM
1 x 400 (100 IM, 100 Free, 100 Kick, 100 Free)
4 x 100 (25 Easy, 50 Med, 25 Hard)
6 x 50 Sprint (Fly/Back, Back/Breast, Breast/Free, Fly/Back, Back/Breast, Breast/Free)

Cool Down:
200-400

Total = 4000 to 4200 Yds

What I did
When I fisrt saw the posted drills, I thought - it was a bit Mickey Mouse - I was so wrong!

I did the warm up as planned. (With a twist) Hélène (the instructor) had brought in a big elastic band - apparently she challenged everyone last week to see how far they could swim, with it tied around their ankles - in other words, you're legs just dangle in the water, all the stroke comes from your upper body. No-one could get past half a length. Of course, I like a challenge - and I took it on - swimming 4 laps flawlessly! (The trick, is to use your head as a counter-balance, similar to Total Immersion Freestyle, and your legs will float up on their own).

Anyhow, the warmup was a good one because lots of Butterfly, and lots of kicking - I was getting the full body workout.

The next set 4x100 with 50 Free/50 Back was fun, because, I've really got the knack down pat for the flip turn from free to back, and then a flip turn from back to back. Freestyle to backstroke is essentially 1/2 a regular flip turn (I couldn't do it a few months ago, because the water would just flood my nose, but somehow, I've managed to close off my nose underwater - so it's not so bad). Flipping from Back to Back is fun too, as you count 2-3 strokes when you pass under the flags, then twist into a 1-2 free style pattern, and flip at the wall.

...I digress...

After the 400 set, most people had abandoned the class (there were only 6 anyways), and it was essentially, just myself, the instructor and another girl - who was doing the triathlon too on Saturday. We were chatting about the way the pool would be configured.



The swim is 500m, 10 laps of a 50m pool. You weave your way from one end to the other by flipping under the lane markers at turn 3,5,7 and 9.

So, given there was just 3 of us left in the pool last night, we decided to practice it. And I'm glad we did - because it's a lot harder than it seems. Our pool is just 25 Yds, and only 4 lanes, so our total distance would be 200yds with 3 of the lane crossing turns.

The first time I did it - Flip 1) I caught my legs on the line, Flip 2) I came up on the wrong side of the line, Flip 3) I surfaced directly underneath the line. My 200yd time was 3:10 (not too bad, it was just an easy pace anyways).

"Let's do it again!" I said. And we did (however, Belinda opted not to) - this time, I figured it out, and didn't get caught. Time 3:05.

"One more Time!" (I was on own this round) - but again, I figured it out. Time: 3:10.

So, I was happy that I practiced.

Pain is temporary

I had a great 10K run today --- no, I had a fantastic 10K run. I beat my Previous Best and beat the goal I had set for this year by almost 4 minutes.

It could have been because I had a new CoolMax shirt on.
It could have been because I had a new Louis Garneau Run-Belt/Water-bottle.
It could have been because I had my favourite socks on.
It could have been because I had 3 hot dogs for lunch.
It could have been because I had run an easy 9K two nights ago.
It could have been because I had run 5K at 4% incline on the treadmill yesterday.
It could have been because I knew this would be the last run before my triathlon next Saturday.
It could have been because the weather was perfect.

It could have been any or all of the above reasons... or it could have been mental.

When I set off and hit my 250m Pace marker at 1:10, I figured I was going to end up with a 52 minute run. When I got to my 1K marker and saw I was 4:36, I thought - ok - let's see how fast we can do this 10K. I was on a decent pace through the first 3 kilometers, the fourth kilometer I started to whimper -- and then I remembered the present my sister gave me on the weekend.

It's a framed picture of me crossing the finish line, the photo is actually more like a watermark effect and on top of it is Lance Armstrong's famous quote:

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however, it lasts forever."

So I sucked it up a bit, and picked up the pace. I hit the fifth kilometer with a split of 4:36 - and then I knew something magical was about to happen - I kept going, But I was getting winded, "PAIN IS TEMPORARY" I shouted out loud (gladly no one was around) - I actually shouted it louder than I thought, and startled myself a little bit - But I kept running. I got to my 6th kilometer still under 5 minutes (4:51) and I kept saying it over and over in my head "pain is temporary, pain is temporary, pain is temporary" -- A little sarcastic voice piped up ("hopefully it'll be gone by next Saturday though").

I was running well. Usually at this point on the route, I'm clocking 5:20 - 5:30, but I was still under 5 minutes. At about 7.5K I had another conversation with myself -- a little bubbling sensation was tickling underneath my Adam's apple -- "Don't you dare throw up on me!" I screamed inside my head ... I didn't.

I got to the 9K mark, one last time outloud "Pain is temporary!"; 9.5K "Don't throw up!" (Again, I didn't). I hit the driveway (10K) at 46:19. What a run! And actually, it didn't really hurt.

The Splits

 1 K - 04:36.31
 2 K - 04:42.46  09:18.77
 3 K - 04:33.84  13:52.61
 4 K - 04:30.66  18:23.27
 5 K - 04:36.60  22:59.87
 6 K - 04:51.69  27:51.56
 7 K - 04:31.14  32:22.70
 8 K - 04:37.15  36:59.85
 9 K - 04:46.16  41:46.01
10 K - 04:33.65  46:19.66

Sub Zero doesn't stop me...

But apparently, it scared off everybody else. Last night's duathlon didn't happen due to low turn-out. Probably because of the COLD, COLD, COLD Northern Wind and the Sub Zero wind chill. Those of us who did show - we went on a leisurely 9K run into Orleans and back.

8 days until Triathlon #1 of the Season

Early Bird Sprint Triathlon. I didn't think I was nervous about it - until I actually had a nightmare about it last night:

It starts off, everything is fine, I'm in line at the pool waiting for the start (the swim part is in an indoor pool) -- someone asks me, if I got a got spot in the Transition Zone -- I panic, since I didn't set up yet in the Transition -- I leave the line, run to the change room to get my bike out of the locker (not sure how it fit in there - but it was a dream afterall) - I set everything up in the Transition zone (which is actually a McDonald's for some reason) - I even have my Tennis racquet ready for the third leg of the race -- Oh, for some reason, in my dream, you need a tennis racquet for the last part of the triathlon??? At this point, my parents see me - and strike up a conversation -- sorry Dad, but I'm kind of really late already -- I hurry back to the pool - and everyone's already gone! At this point, I was so stressed in my dream, that it actually woke me up.

Weird.

The Devil made me do it!

To run, or not to run... that was the question. I wanted to have have strong legs for Thursday's duathlon, maybe a run now wasn't a great idea.... my right calf was a bit sore from something... but, Of course, deep down, I knew I was going to run. (I am an addict afterall).

At one point, I had told myself, I'll do an easy 4K - up Beacon Hill - no rushing, nice and easy.

And then the Devil popped up - 4K!!? Are you kidding? What kind of Wus does only 4K - It's going to bring your average down - It's not going to help with your total mileage - When are you ever going to run 4K in a race?

In retrospect, all unreasonalbe arguments, but I settled on running 5K through Rothwell Heights. I convinced myself it was going to be an easy run - no pushing it.

I set off - got to my 250m Pace marker at 1:11. Good, I thought to myself, I'm not running too hard - I was at about 5 minute pace, which was reasonable for the first kilometer. At the 1K mark, I hit the LAP button - 4:55 (Perfect, I thought.... nice and easy... the Angel, was pleased figuring we'd finish with a 26:30 effort - nice and easy).

But, somehow, my legs started to go faster... I got to the 2K mark, and hit LAP -- 4:44.

At this point, it was a foregone conclusion - I would be attempting a 5K with negative splits... the Devil was winning.

3rd kilometer, 4:32 --- (Angel) "Woahh, easy big fella" -- so much for negative splits, 4:32 is pretty fast.

1/2 way through 4th kilometer - (Devil) "Are you really not going to even try?????" .... legs spinning faster....

4th kilometer, 4:31 --- (Devil) "Yes... that's my boy... now turn it on for the ride home!" (Angel) "Are you crazy! You're going to hurt yourself. You're going to be in pain. You're going to spoil Thursday nights run" (Devil) "Cmon!"

500 meters from home, I start breathing really hard (making slight wimpering sounds) I dare not look at my watch - If I'm fast, I'll be encouraged, and want to go faster; If I'm slow, I'll be discouraged, and want to go faster - It's a lose-lose situation.

250 meters from home (it's a straight line to my driveway). Legs are running on their own. (Devil) "Go Baby Go" (Angel) "If you insist on trying this, keep it at 90% - you don't want to collapse on the front yard in front of all the neighbours"

100 meters, Jim's out watering his front yard, (Devil) "Come-on, a little faster for the neighbours' sake"

20 meters, ***hurting**** (Angel) "I told you so!"

5K STOP: Lap - 4:22 (Yippee), Final Time - 23:06.00 (Not too shabby).

It wasn't a PB, but it was a good run. I walked around in circles for about 5 minutes afterwards, hoping I wouldn't cramp up. I felt ok afterwards, and don't feel any pain (yet) today.

So what did I learn?

a) I'm predictable - deep down inside, I knew I couldn't hold back.
b) I'm foolish - one of these days, I'm going to be sorry.
c) I can have fun - As dramatic, as the events were last night - I did have fun.

Somehow I shaved off 2 seconds

At lunchtime today, I swam a 500m PB in 08:25, beating my previous best by 2 seconds. I'm a little befuddled at how or why - I had an akward stroke, I was off balance and rushed, I only flip-turned 50% of the time. It wasn't pretty, but I'll take it.

I added 500m of pull-buoy with 3-5-7-5-3 breathing. A couple of weeks ago, it seemed like I had bilateral breathing down-pat, but today it just wasn't there, so I did these exercises to help a bit with lung capacity and side-to-side rotation.


Duathlon #2 in 2 days....

Triathlon #1 in 11 days!

Why Do I Train... and other ramblings

I had a mediocre swim workout at lunchtime. Since cutting out my weekly Masters swim, I'm feeling slow and weak in the pool - probably 90% psychological. I decided today, I would introduce some masters drills into my lunchtime laps.

Here was the plan: 400yds warm up, 6 x 100 yds (25 Easy, 50 Medium, 25 Hard), that would bring me up to 1000Yds - I'd add 4 laps of easy to get me to 1000m, and then *pool congestion permitting* I'd add an extra 500m of medium pace.

The 400 warmup went ok (06:13) - using my Triathlon Conversion Calculator, that works out to 01:41 / 100m -- slightly fast for a warmup.

Next came the 6x100s. My lane was virtually empty - so it wouldn't be a problem. Go on Blue (at 02:00) ... #1 - 1:30, #2 - 1:28, #3 - 1:30, #4 - 1:29, #5 - 1:23 (had to abort at this point as the lane had gotten too busy). I hopped over to the "medium" lane lane for some recovery, and then it hit me.... I was super fatigued. My heart was pounding. I must have gone anaerobic, and I didn't feel well. I putzed out 4 laps of breaststroke to get me to 1000 Yds, then talked myself into 4 laps of Total Immersion freestyle to get me up to 1,000 meters.

I thought I was better, so I started off at an easy pace to attempt another 500meters. But it was all for naught, and I decided to pack it in when I got back to the wall.

...and then I started to panic... What if this happens in a race? ...and then I started wondering... "Did I peak too soon?" My whole body had ached all weekend from Thursday night's duathlon.

And then I thought, "Why do I train?" ...which goes back to something Guylaine asked me on the weekend.

I was trying to convince her to do the bike portion of a triathlon relay, and she just wasn't interested. She said something like, "I'm not like you - I don't care about racing -- I exercise to stay in shape". And then I said something like, "If it weren't for racing - I wouldn't exercise at all".

Which may be true - here are the reasons I can think of for why I train. I've tried to assign a reasonable mark beside each one 1 = Not Really, 3 = Sort of, 5 = Strong.

1. To stay in shape (1)
2. To set a good example for the kids (1)
3. Fear of getting fat (4)
4. Fear of being perceived as fat (4)
5. To say that I do triathlons, self-validation (4)
6. To say that I do triathlons, bragging (3)
7. To make up for a (relatively) inactive life, age 13-30 (4)
8. To have a hobby (3)
9. To set a goal, and work to achieving that goal (5)

I'm no psychologist, but I'm not sure if my reasons for training are necesarily good ones.

...and then I got thinking more about me and triathlon... I would say on the following scale: Interest, Hobby, Passion, Obsession, Addiction; I'm probably halfway between Obsession and Addiction.

IS THAT HEALTHY????

Guylaine Saves me from Common Man Syndrome

Sunday night - 8:00 PM, we've just put the kids to bed. Tired and exhausted from the weekend, I'm not particularly feeling like a workout - even though I know I haven't done any substantial exercise - other than eating and snacking.

When I was tucking Andrew in to bed, I lay down beside him, "Your Bed feels soo comfortable" I said. "Yup, I like it" he grinned. "Why?" I asked -- "Because its perfect." How right he was.

I went to tuck Laura in. She grabbed me with a full bear hug and wouldn't let go. I collapsed on top of her -- I could have fallen asleep right there.

I dragged myself downstairs. Guylaine, said... "Shall we watch a movie?"

"OK" I conceded. I went downstairs to pick something out for the next night's supper. I came back up.

"If I bike, will you run?" She asked - and that was all I needed.

Sure enough, she did her stationary bike, and I did the treadmill. Common Man would have just lay down on the couch, undone the top button, and vegetated. With Guylaine's help, I defeated Common Man Syndrome for the evening.

Footnote

Guylaine (and I'm not writing this, because, she'll read it), is actually my best training partner and motivator. We've logged countless hours in the basement, watching our taped TV shows while biking together, or while one or the other was on the treadmill. Guylaine's a natural at the home-workout. She's been doing at least an hour a day since we've been together. Home workouts are new to me - I only really started in November. I wouldn't have the same fitness if it weren't for her help.

Saturday night meal out

On Saturday, Guylaine took me to Beckta restaurant for my birthday. Beckta, is apparently the *new* place to go.

We had a nice time.

Appetizers:
I had "Smoked Pig Cheeks", Guylaine had "Simply Raw" (Sushi of the day), we each had a large glass of white wine (Gruner Veltliner “Hugo” Huber, Austria 2002).

Main Course:
I had Canada's Kobe Beef, Guylaine had "Hand Crafted" Tagliatelle. We shared a bottle of red wine (Pinot Noir, Hollick, Coonawarra 2003) .... well, actually, I had about 3/4 of it ;-)

The steak was good. Apparently, the cows are hand-massaged with beer, and live in a semi-drunken state for their lifespan (I'm sure PETA would be a bit upset, but damn, that cow tasted great).

Desert:
I had Manjari Chocolate-Praline “Box”, Guylaine had "Steve’s Gone BANANAS"

Overall Rating:
Service: 5/5, Quality of Food: 4/5, Quantity of Food: 3/5, Atmosphere: 2.5/5, Value: 2.5/5

(It was an expen$ive meal; e.g. I could have bought 1/2 an Orca Predator 2 wetsuit).

I Finished First ????????

Last night was the first Thursday Duathlon of the year. 3K Run, 15K Bike and then another 3K Run. This is a training group that has been around for about 10 years now. I joined last year, and consistantly finished last -- or next-to-last (But always had a great workout - and picked up the "Rookie" award at the end-of-year party).

We set off in a pack together. I don't have much experience with group running, and I'm not able to chat and run at the same time, so I kind of broke away and ran on out on my own, at my own pace - I figured the others were just warming up, and would soon put me in their rear-view mirrors. At about 800m into the run, I could only hear Terry running behind me, I thought - Hmn, strange, they'll pass by soon. 1.5K into it, and it's just me out front (with Terry behind). I'm thinking - ok, I'm running pretty good, but the others will catch up and pass soon. 200m from the end of the run, there's a sharp switchback, and you can see down to see who's coming up behind you - I could only see Matt about 200 meters behind us. I started to get pumped. I'm going to win the first run.

Terry was right behind me when we went into T1 - "That was a good pace" he yelled. "You pushed me the whole way", I said. "You were pulling me!" he replied.

T1: I hit the lap button on my watch, and got to work. This was the first real test of my new cycling shoes - and whether or not I could get into them fast enough. My transition was about a minute. Terry had a 15-20 second lead on me out of T1.

The bike leg started fairly fast, with the slight wind at our backs. Terry seemed to be pulling away from me on his big blue Cervelo. I started to spin faster and faster. At the first turn-around, he was only about 20 seconds ahead of me. However, Matt was only about 20 seconds behind me. At about the 6K point, I was pretty much behind Terry. "Oh crap" I thought, I'm in the draft zone - I didn't want to practice drafting, so I had a choice to make, hang back - or go full out. Full out it was then.

I passed him. "You're teasing me!" I called out.

I kept aero, and pedalled as fast as I could, I glanced down at my computer, and I was at 108 cadence. I was breathing hard through my mouth, and a long string of drool was flapping in the wind. I got to the second turnaround - still in the lead - and I thought, "something's wrong here... why am I in the lead?".

Matt had passed Terry and was still only about 20 seconds behind me. I just pushed on. I decided I wanted to win the bike leg too - even if it meant, I wouldn't be able to run the second run. At about 11K - a shadow pulled up beside me. I knew it was Matt. "It was inevitable" I shouted as he passed. "Wha???" asked the puzzled rider. It wasn't Matt at all, it was someone else practicing on the Time Trial circuit. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else." I think the guy realized he was in the middle of a race, and so he slowed down, and let me by him.

I made it to T2 - and I was in the lead - with about a 40 second lead on Matt. At this point, I was just smiling from ear-to-ear. Let's see what happens on the run. Off I went - and my legs were totally shot - I wobbled a bit, righted myself and did the best I could to run.

300 meters into the run, and I got a cramp in my right calf -- "Ahhh.... the pain." Run through it - I told myself; and I did. I ran as fast as I could - which given the circumstances, wasn't super fast. I sighted trees in the near-distance, and told myself, to run as fast as I could until that tree - and then I'd pick up another tree- run fast to that tree. I remembered something someone posted on TriRudy, about how there's no prize for running the longest race - and you should always "run the tangents". So I did.

At about 400m from the finish line, Matt called out to me "Phil, you dropped your keys!" I didn't turn back, but smiled because, he sounded like he was far-far behind. I was going to finish this race first. At the switchback, I looked back, and couldn't see anyone.

Sure enough, I finished first.

I'll enjoy this for now. But I know it's probably the only one I'll win. It was a mixed turn-out, and the speedy regulars weren't there.

Run 1 (3K) 12:58.51 (4:20 /km)
T1          1:05.05
Bike (15K) 27:16.67 (33 km/hr)
T2          1:02.21
Run 2 (3K) 13:46.91 (4:36 /km)
Total      56:09.35

The Walk of Shame

The best birthday gift yesterday, was when Guylaine said to the kids, "Daddy's going cycling after supper".

"Yippee!" I thought, I'll get in a good hour's worth, 2 loops of the OBC Time Trial circuit, approx 40km in mileage.

I started off, at a leisurely pace, on my way to the start-hash, beside the Rockliffe Flying Club. (On the way down, I regretted not putting on my sun-glassess, as the "Clouds" of little black bugs were out - as it turned out, there was just one patch of them for about 200m). Anyhow, I arrive at the start line, all loosened up. A quick sip of water, reset the computer, and poof - I'm off.

I let it all out - the wind was slight - but it was at my back for the ride out. I was breathing hard - probably too hard - but I was riding fast. At the turn-around, my average was 35.4 -- this is going to be epic, I thought.

On the way back, everything was going well - I was in the zone - at one point, I even spaced out a bit - and realized, "damn, I haven't looked up since I turned around" (I have this bad habit of just staring down at my front wheel). So - I looked up, and it was a good thing I did, as about 100m down the road, there was a guy running on the shoulder - with his back to me - I would have hit him, had I not looked up.

"Passing Left" I called out, and I whizzed by. The wind was starting to slow me down. At about this point, I noticed the bumps in the road seemed particularly, every 2-3 seconds, I could feel the cracks, *thud.... thud... thud... *

"No--------------" I looked down to verify. It couldn't be! ....yup, I had a flat rear tire.

Of course, being naïve and "bullet-proof" - I don't carry a spare tube, or pump with me.

34km/hr was my average speed at the time of pulling over. 11km into the first 15k loop. I was trending for a PR 33km/hr finish.

Fortunately, I knew exactly where I was: 2km from home. So, I walked her home; the walk of shame. Average speed: 5.0 km/hr.

In other news

First Thursday night Duathlon of the season tonight! 3k/15k/3k. I have a lofty goal of sub 53 minutes. Let's see how it goes.

Psst Dad... C'est quoi ton nom?

Andrew's school, École La Véyrendrye, had their annual open house today. We had breakfast in the gym, and then we were invited into his Kindergarten class to watch the morning routine. It was nice to see the kids interract - of course, they were all quiet and well behaved (with all the parents watching).

At one point, the teacher, Mme. Hélène, asked the kids one-by-one to introduce their parents. I think Shaun was first, "Bonjour mes amis, je vous présenter mon papa, Dan." Next up was Andrew -- he came running over to us, "Psst Dad... C'est quoi ton nom?" (What's your name) - well, the whole class had a little giggle at that.

4K Easy Run in the Rain

We were running behind last night on our routine (I took Andrew for a hair cut, and some rubber-boot shopping). When I got home, it was late... and raining. Perfect, I thought - I'll take a short run in the rain. Guylaine thought I was nuts, "use the treadmill" she urged. Nope- I wanted to run in the rain, for some "rain-running" experience, in case it rained at an event.

So, I got suited up, and .... the rain stopped. In fact, it was very nice the duration of my run. I decided, I only wanted to run a short distance, so I opted for my newly marked out 4K route, up Beacon Hill.

Here are the splits:
1: 5:00 (Good, easy pace)
2: 4:55 (UP HILL. At this point, I'm thinking -- cool I'll do negative splits the whole way)
3: 5:13 (Wha???? I'm running downhill, slower than running uphill????)
4: 4:39 (Couldn't help myself sprint home).
Total Time: 19:48.87

Adversity Makes Me Stronger???

Perhaps adversity is too srong a word, but on more than one occasion, I've noticed that
a) I run faster INTO the wind, as opposed to with it.
b) I run faster UP hill, as opposed to down hill.

Lifespan of Carbon Forks

There's been some discussion on TriRudy about the life-span of carbon forks. This after a member was out on a ride, and had his forks fail (disintegrate) on him, sending him head over heals and off to the hospital. Until now, I'd never considered them to be dangerous at all. However, the initial buzz was that carbon forks were only good for 2 years (that seems a very short life-span)... Anyhow, here's an article that discussess this issue more in depth [VELO NEWS Technical Q&A with Lennard Zinn].

PS

Happy Birthday to me! (33 today).

Shower Etiquette

I swam 1,000 m at lunch today. I tried for a PB for the first 500m, but I swam it in 8:44 (not bad, but not a PB) - a little slower than I'd like it to be actually. I finished the set with 4 laps of breast, 4 backstroke and the rest Total Immersion style freestyle.

Later... I had the worst experience in the shower... and in fact, this has happened more than once in the past.



Exhibit A (above) is a schematic of the shower facilities at the Champaign Pool.

The numbered blue dots, indicate the shower heads - and are labeled in the "unofficial" order they are supposed to be used in. The Orange circles indicate the spray radius of each shower. The purple areas indicate the overlap.

At lunch time, when I entered, the shower stall was empty. I took position 1. Immediately behind me - Big Older Dude takes position 5. I like a long hot shower. Big Older Dude likes a cold shower - and I can feel his frigid second hand spray hitting my legs (***uuugggh***) .... it gets worse .... Big Older Dude has bad skin and hair, and uses this horrible, stinky bodywash/shampoo. I'm getting hit with second hand body wash (***uggghhh***). ... it gets worse ... I finish. Big Older Dude keeps going. I've got to walk beside him and through his stream of foamy second hand body wash to get out.

I feel so dirty. :-(

Somebody better call Alanis:

Man Suffers Fatal Heart Attack After Biking Cross Country

May 02, 2005

Broc Bebout's ticket to nearly 20 years of good health after quadruple-bypass surgery at age 39 was found on his bike. On Thursday he had just completed a grueling 2,400-mile cross-country trek from Carlsbad, California, to Brunswick, Georgia and was in a van with some other riders and was heading back to his Anderson, Indiana home.

While the other bikers were napping after their ride, the van driver says he looked in the rear view mirror and saw Bebout struggling. "He was struggling, not breathing," Janech Davenport, director of the group that organized the trip said. "His spirit was gone. Whatever made Broc was gone."

He died about 8 a.m. Thursday near Smyrna, Tenn.

The Washington Post notes that Bebout sent an e-mail to his wife Wednesday before a celebratory steak dinner, and in that note Bebout described what the trip had meant to him:

"An incredible experience with incredible people."

"It was a trip of a lifetime," Brinkman said. "We all have a list of things we like to say we did. That was right up there at the top."

Broc Bebout was 57 years old.

Countdown to Event One: 19 Days

Ottawa Early Bird Sprint Triathlon (500/22.2/5) [WEBSITE]

Last Year's official results

Using my Tri-Geek Triathlon Time Management Tool; I'm projecting the following splits:

500M SWIM: 08:45 (@ 1:45/100m)
T1: 04:00
22.2 K Bike: 41:21 (@ 32.2 km/hr)
T2: 02:30
5 K Run: 23:45 (@ 4:45 /km)
Total: 1:20:21

This would be good for 112 out of 338 on last year's field and 17/38 in age-group.

Oh Summer, Where Art Thou?

Ok - I'm ready for summer now.
A little warmer weather would be nice.
Ice Pellets on the ride in this morning was a little much don't you think?
I had a 40K ride on Saturday morning: My feet were ICE BLOCKS afterwards!

An Evening at Trombino's = Slow run

Saturday night, we went out to Trombinos in lovely Massena, NY. 23 pitchers, 18 X-Large Pizzas, 200 Wings later: I produced this less than stellar 10.5K run the following day. (I've compared my splits to the last time I ran the same route in March - strangely enough, I was hung-over then too).

		March 28		May 1
Loop	Distance (KM)	Lap Time	Pace /KM	Lap Time	Pace /KM	Delta
1	1.75	8:43	4:59	8:55	5:06	+ 0:12
2	3.50	9:01	5:09	9:16	5:17	+ 0:15
3	5.25	9:02	5:10	9:44	5:34	+ 0:42
4	7.00	9:00	5:09	9:54	5:39	+ 0:54
5	8.75	9:11	5:15	9:33	5:27	+ 0:22
6	10.50	8:17	4:44	10:03	5:45	+ 1:46
Total	10.50	0:53:14	5:04	57:27	5:28	+ 4.13