Challenge and Opportunity

Quite often, the wonders of the lives we lead present us with challenges. On initial reflection those challenges seem burdensome and inconvenient to our daily lives. However, more often than not, those challenges, seemingly a blockage in the road, end up developing in to the opportunity we didn't know was available. I don't believe it is for us to see this opportunity coming, like a train with it's headlamps blaring towards us. It is more like the plunge down a kamikaze slide blindfolded. You have a feeling of what awaits you, but you just can't see it yet.

Take for example my recent trip to Florida. Presented with a continuing and enduring challenge from a government agency that is so full of bureaucracy that I personally believe that hidden in their charter somewhere is a statement that "we shall be as bureaucratic as possible so as to infuriate anyone who deals with us", I was presented with this week's challenge of travelling to Florida to have a nice English gentlemen invigilate that I do indeed speak excellent English.To have two entire days consumed by 20 minutes of testing seems like a pretty unwelcome challenge to me. I began the challenge grumbling away, with snow falling around me. I grumbled all 3 hours of flight down to Florida. And then I stepped off the plane! It had gone from 1F to 70F in 3 hours and all of a sudden, as I shed the wool coat of 1F and embraced the shirt sleeves of 70F. All of a sudden this challenge was paying a more positive note. An opportunity was knocking. Enter stage left a Mustang Convertible.

I had never driven or ridden in the classic automobile. All of a sudden an opportunity to rent the powerful machine was on offer. I hesitated only momentarily, with my hand on the handle of a nondescript rental vehicle, I was pulled away and crossed the rental area and climbed into the Mustang. Top down, wind in the worryingly greying hair line and the sun beaming down, I was on the road. All of a sudden this annoying challenge was taking on a new set of spots.

A trip to Florida in December can only be embraced with an outdoor run. My hotel was positioned in such a location that to run to the Atlantic shoreline would be a 9 mile round trip. A new challenge, but one that was immediately converted to an opportunity. I love a good run in the sun. 9 miles later, via the town of Indiatlantic, all of a sudden, the burden of the trip was long gone and opportunities were being searched for, like a dog hunting for a rabbit. As is typical when I am in a strange town, I hunted for the local hippie hangout. Duly found, a coffee and veggie sandwich were in order for some recovery.

The next morning, the opportunities kept coming. A new meeting with an intriguing Englishman and a very nice drive down, really confirmed this trip as a great opportunity, albeit an unexpected and unwelcome costly one.

The run was simply fantastic, minus an unwelcome "porta-jon" stop. The perfect temperature. Slightly windy. However, more importantly, it was confirmed that all the strength training has paid off and continues to. The legs never felt like giving up and the next morning did not provide any concern. 9 miles for the first time in two months. A good result.

Good luck to us all!

Swimming with the tide

Inspired by my brother's increasing swim activity and his entry in to a masters program, I felt it was my turn. The trouble with always being the fastest swimmer out of your training group is that you fall under a grossly misrepresented impression that you are a great swimmer. Don't worry, a quick trip to a masters swim session will cure that quickly.

The past two weeks have been spent having a couple of morning swim sessions with a masters group in my local area. As we become increasingly winter like, as the snow is meant to begin to fall and the frigid wind sending you hurrying back inside for another layer, swimming becomes an appealing endeavor. Biking limited appeal on the inside of the house. Running continues strong, even with those chilly temps. However, it is swimming that can achieve the greatest leaps forward. Traditionally, we would gather at the local pool, chat long enough to put off getting in the frigid water, jump in and swim back and forth for an hour, often interrupting each length for a good catchup on what has happened to Justin Bieber this week! However, this year I was steered in the direction a local swim group. The immediate upgrade came when I entered their water for the first time and discovered music under the water. Winner! However, reality came crashing down when the coach pulled me aside to point out that I was indeed, wait for it, crossing over! Perhaps, the worst words a "swimmer" wants to hear. Once I had composed my fragile demeanor, I proceeded to attempt my new instructed technique. Who knew, it worked! I wasn't exactly flying down the pool at new speeds, but fatigue was longer to set in and my neck did was not as sore the next day. Break through!

The next session proved even more impacting. If you ever have a misbehaving child, this training method in the pool should do the trick in correcting any behavioral problems. Step 1, tether swimmer to one end of pool. Step 2, tell swimmer to attempt to swim to the other end of the pool. Step 3, swimmer will discover that the elastic cord is not in fact fully long enough and requires stretching. Step 4, induce stretching by swimming as hard as you can without adding vomit to the pool. Step 5, reach other end of pool and don't let go! Step 6, swim the other way, without the initial expectation that it will feel like you are superhuman, or being dragged by a speed boat. Entirely a new experience.

Next up, some more winter training.

Good luck to us all!

Glutes, Hamstrings and Posture

As I sit in yet another of the world's airports, preparing to sit in a posture destroying seat, I reflect on the last week's work. Since the cold end to the racing season, I have wondered what has caused all the aches and pains and lopsided form.

More time, without pressure to complete a specific workout, has permitted my time to be spent on cross training and working out for the sake of it. During these workouts, I have taken notice of the subtle lopsided-ness of my form, whether biking, running or in the gym. Research began. Not the rigid type of research you might find in a university library, but the modern type. The online type.

I Googled around and found a reference to those of us who sit for the majority of the day and the way this contributes to a gradual weakening of the hammstrings and glutes, further leading to poorer and poorer posture. This peaked my attention, as I too have found this developing in my body. A gradual hunching over, as if you are shrugging your shoulders at a question. I decided this needed to be worked on over the off season. More strength training was needed. I was to focus on the adbuctors, hamstrings and glutes. Two strength training sessions a week, combined with a focus on running and working with a Virtual Power meter to expose my imperfect and distinctly one sided biking technique, provided a much needed focus on improving my form and subsequent efficiency over the winter. This will continue throughout the off season (aka The Dreaming Season) in order to arrive in February very much ready for my third and hopefully last (at least for a little while) Ironman training season.

The side effects? Sore, worked out glutes and lower back, followed by 10 hours of sitting on an aircraft. Yet, my form and posture will benefit exponentially. What a combo!

Good luck to us all!

Blinnk and you missed it.

There's is always a joke in Minnesota that we have one of the shortest Autumn's. Lulled in to a false sense of security, the temperature drops slowly, like the slow rickety climg to the top of the roller-coaster, only to creep of the top and suddenly shock you in to winter. During our one week of leaves changing and temperatures at the autumn range - the range where you are no longer prefusely sweating, but instead, just right. What I call "Grandma Joan" temperature. 75 degrees fahrenheit, plus or minus zero degree - I managed to enjoy some very enjoyable runs. 

I had a fantastic morning run around Canada's capital city. The day was genarlly wet and miserable. The type of weather the Americans call a "movie day". The type that the English call "standard April day". However, the morning was fantastic autumn running weather, as you can see from the pictures. I was fortunate enough to take in all the sights of the city, matched with the fantastic colours of the season.    

Then the weekend arrived and autumn was complete. Arriving back in to Minneapolis, I found myself completely inapproriately dressed. Fortunately, my wamrly clad wife was on hand to scrape me up at the airport. I quickly descended to the basement to dig out my long running leggings and vest. Morning runs were going to be a frosty affair, with your breath the first sign that you were awake. 

The second sign it was truly changing, was the first sweaty and humid basement ride. Back to the monotony of staring at a movie, trying to forget that you sre inside riding a bike, literally on the road to nowhere. However, the season shall be improved by the accompaniment of other in my tiny basement living room, along with good ole Trainerroad. My saving software, that guides me through this sweaty indoor season, with new workouts and the ability to ride with others now. My wife will be thrilled at the prospect of multiple sweaty riders in the basement, grunting away as they attempt to reach the targets. What more can a girl wish for??

The final nail in Summer's coffin was the first indoor swim. Back to the pool I went. Meeting Napoleon and then unceremoniously getting the boot from the pool by the old peoples aqua class. However, not before I got to experiment with my gadgets. The TomTom watch was excellent, with the accompanying  music in my underwater MP3 player doing just the trick. It drowns out the ranting strike talk from frenchie. jk.

This evening, hopefully Traverse City will provide an apprioate late autumn run. The type where you find yourself just that little bit underdressed and shiver through your first few miles, trying to run faster to warm up before the end of the run. Traverse is a great city to run through, the biting wind off the lake reminding you that you are indeed in northern Michigan!

Good luck to us all! 

Swings and roundabouts

Swings and roundabouts

It's been a busy few weeks. Not busy like a bee trying to pollenate as many sprouting flowers as possible. Busy like a jumbled children's play pen, full of plastic balls with no end in sight. Every time one thing is completed, another is behind the next door to replace it.

That said, this is typically the time of year that I try to complete everything I missed last summer. My wife has taken over the busy schedule with school and work, whilst training has backed off considerably. A backing off on the energy output similar to a tree's leaves turning a shade of yellow, bowing out for the winter. A part of the beautiful and colourful Minnesota autumn that I enjoy the most. Short, picturesque runs through the parkways and around the calm, cooling water of the lakes. In particular, one of my favourite events of the year, Twin Cities Marathon weekend. Sunday comprises of the marathon and 10 mile races. This year was the turn of the 10 mile, having completed the colour filled marathon last year. As is the norm, a gentle run was unlikely to be the result, with Napoleon also competing. As is also the norm, he snuck ahead of me to finish an agressive 1hr 15min 10 mile, with me closing in a mere 3 minutes behind the Frenchman. Although, thanks to our never ending competitive spirit, my pace was upped considerably and my PR was matched at the end of the day. My proudest moment of the weekend, however, came with my wife finishing off the 10miles, with very little training, in a mere 1hr40mins. Not stopping once along the way, A great achievement!

The coming winter months will bring the passing of the leaves to the street gutter and the first snow of winter. Better fuel up the snow blower! What shall also begin will be the sweaty basement rides and chilly runs through and around the snow filled lakes. Something that should help with distracting me from the frost developing on my eye brows will be my new gadgets. I do like a good gagdet! The first addition of the autumn was my new TomTom Multisport watch. So far it's still in it's infancy, but the first impressions are really positive. My poor old Garmin 405 was showing the signs of age, clocking my HR at 252 at speeds of 200mph. A sign that my Hammer nutrition as working really well or a change was needed, and Tomtom stepped in with the best and most intriguing deal. Next up, are the Jabra bluetooth sport headset, currently awaiting me when I land in MSP in 3 hours. Looking forward to taking them out for a test run tonight. Hopefully I can persuade Mrs P to come along for the casual trot under the falling leaves.

In addition to all this fun and relaxing, we hope to add cross country skies and snow shoes to our list of goodies. Minnesota has a fantastic culture of winter sports and it would be a fantastic cross training experience if could get everything together before the first big storm of the year. Looking forward to changing the landscape a little with skiing and my other cross training in Rowsculpt. Same class I had taken part in during last year's off season, hoping to strengthen up the old body before next year's iron season begins and I start staring down the barrel at Boulder.

Good luck to us all

First run back: Stiff!

It was a perfect morning to head out of the hotel and experience one of my favourite morning runs along the Arkansas river. What better place to see how the legs are recovering from the beating they took two weeks ago.

My FO and I headed out the door early-ish, enjoying the peace and quiet of a Saturday morning run. I completed a 15minute dynamic stretching routine in my room beforehand. The back of my legs feeling particularly tight. The first fews miles were a gradual loosening of the tired fibers. They loosened up well. At about mile 3 (I had only planned on a 40 minute run, but got carried away. It was such a nice day!) the familiar discomfort I had felt during the race returned to the left leg. The "pain" I felt during the ironman, I suspect, was overuse from the day and it's uneven running surface and it subsequently showed up around mile 3 today. Uncomfortable would be a good word for how it felt. Not prohibitive. However, we ran just under an hour, holding about 9.5min/mile and that was probably all my legs would have wanted. Possibly less!

Definitely still very much recovering the legs. Biking doesn't appear too arduous and I haven't been back in the pool yet. The 10 mile run in 2 weeks should be interesting to say the least!

Now for some more recovery and social excessing for a few weeks. So much more fun when you don't HAVE to do it.

Good luck to us all!

Growing

Blog 09/17/2013

It's been a little over a week since the end of this season's Challenge Henley. The legs are up and working and the body appears to be well in to recovery. Occasionally, I will wake up stiffer than the day before, or the body will throw me a phantom pain as I walk the streets.

The temptation is to bounce right out the door and go for a run or a bike, even a swim at the local pool. To resist that urge is taking a lot of self restraint. These two weeks off are important to let the body get over what we did to it. I have one of my favourite races coming up in a few weeks - Twin Cities Marathon and 10 mile. Such a great autumn/fall race! Really well supported and a fantastic course. Hopefully, I should be able to get out for a run starting next week and loosen up the old bones.

Come fall, come autumn trail running series. This is a series of events I would have liked to have done a few years ago. However, this will be the first shot I have at partaking as I am finally off! Having said that, having missed the first two already, it will be a short series!  It's a great way to diversify and have a bit of fun in the process. Really looking forward to some winter sports. No real purpose but to head outdoors and embrace the season. Hopefully, Constitution can sort out the bike I'm trying to wrestle away from him and put some larger tires on it and winter riding can take shape.

As the weeks float by, I come to realize how much more my second iron distance race has taught me. Possibly, I grew a little internally. Progressed if you like. More professional take on work and my responsibilities around the house. Less lounging. More practical application. It's easy to be lazy. It's easy to DNF, which I considered multiple times last week. What's hard is to push on. And push on I did. When crossing that line, in a sense, you turn around to shake the hand of your imagined self who has been pushing you around that day. The side of you that did not allow you to pull off the course and succumb to the desire to stop. This side of you is the part that allows you to grow as a person and realize that you are capable of so much more (not just in triathlon!).

Good luck to us all!