The 2015 Heart O' Dixie Triathlon has come and gone and once more I was near the bottom of my age group. Several things were different about my training this year. I swam less but biked a little more and ran a lot more. The results reflected that.
We left Greenwood, Penny and I, about mid-afternoon Friday. The sun was bright, the humidity oppressive, and the temperature outrageously hot, but on the north and eastern horizon dark clouds were building in a threatening fashion. Not long after driving out of delta and into the hills, the storm hit with a uncommon fury. The rain came down gently, then hard, and the intensity continued to build. Traffic slowed until by necessity we were all creeping along at just a few miles per hour. Somebody stopped dead in the highway and we all had to follow suit. I saw a little side road and decided to ease off the four lane. The rain was coming sideways and it looked like clouds blowing across the road. As I was pulling off, the truck moved, was blown a few feet sideways across the pavement. "You need to pray right now," I told my wife. She did and we sat there and watched the wind for maybe two or three minutes until it slacked up some and we were able to resume our journey.
When we got to Louisville it was still dry but looking more and more like rain. We stopped at Lake Tiak-O'Khata and picked up my packet then resumed our journey to Noxapater where we had reservations with Aunt Mary and Uncle Paul. Mary Darby is the sole survivor of my paternal grandmother's nine children and is always happy to see us and us her. She cooked fried chicken and butter beans and squash and fried corn bread. I ate too much and resented it the next day. What else is new?
That storm that hit us Friday afternoon came through in the night and cooled things off. The water in the lake was far from cool but it felt better than usual. Despite having swum 19 miles in June, I was not in top form on race morning because I just have not swum much of late. I did swim well, however, and knocked off a 12:37 which was actually a few seconds faster than last year's 12:52 and good enough for top spot in my age group. My T1 was even a few seconds faster as I decided to forgo wearing a shirt for the bike leg.
On the bicycle, the temp was comfortable and I quickly found a rhythm and felt confident on two wheels. Nevertheless, I was passed over and over just like a year ago. Once, some guy passed who had the biggest snot bubble on the end of his nose that I have ever seen in my life. It was flapping in the wind, hitting his cheek and upper lip. I was shocked, amazed, and sickened. After he passed, I alternated between gagging and laughing out loud. Later I saw a large woman crash and all her gels and bottles scattered across the highway. Since there was a firetruck, several firemen and some other race volunteers on site (there is warn people about the pavement), I didn't stop. I finished the 27.5-miles bike leg in 1:34:10 compared to 1:40:50 in 2014. A little more riding this year, a little faster time in the race.
The cool temps we had on the bike quickly left us as the sky cleared and the heat built just in time for the run. It always does, and that is one of the memories that has enabled much of my training in the heat this year. Every day I went out to suffer in the 105 and over heat indexes, I reminded myself that I would have to run in similar conditions at the HOD.
As usual, the run was a little less than I hoped for. I did it in 1:13:18 as compared to 1:16:40 of a year ago. I fell off pace after that hill at mile four, like I always do, and I even fell off more on the dirt horse track at the finish on the Neshoba County Fairgrounds. The heat had gotten dangerous by then. I dropped my overall time from 3:17:08 to 3:05:15. That was a nice improvement, but still short of the sub-three hour time I was shooting for.
Maybe next year.
When we got home, I was flipping through an old notebook and found where I had written out a strategy for achieving my time goal at the 2015 tri. Here is what I wrote down a year ago:
1. Ride the bicycle every week of the year.
2. Squat every week of the year.
3. Sign up as early as possible.
4. Work on my weight every week of the year.
5. Do transition work on the trainer and treadmill.
6. Get some new biking shoes.
7. Get running shoes I can wear without socks.
8. Build long bricks.
9. Commit to stretching.
The only one of those I did was number seven, buy new biking shoes. So to achieve a sub-three hour HOD in 2016, I am writing down one step.
10. Do the above.
This year's Heart O' Dixie Triathlon is another illustration of a biblical truth: You reap what you sow. Sow sparingly, reap sparingly. I hope to sow a little more for next year's race when I will be in a new age group. Maybe then I can climb off the bottom.
Showing posts with label Heart O' Dixie Triathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart O' Dixie Triathon. Show all posts
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Tension
I am in constant tension. Training is the issue. Every time I do the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon, I vow to train differently over the upcoming year. Specifically, I need to ride the bike more, do high quality work when I do, and push running off the bike. But that resolution, made on the run to the Neshoba County fair, fades over time and I return to default mode: swimming a lot, and running a bunch of slow miles.
The same tension applies to my running, and I usually resolve, after a tough battle with a fat lady at the 300 Oaks 10K, to run more high quality miles and do lots of leg work in the back yard gym. That resolution, like the New Year's kind, also fades as my legs default into their old-man plodding day after day. A couple of reasons for the plodding make a lot of sense because they include pleasure and pain. Specifically, I enjoy long, slow runs. That kind of training fires up my neurotransmitters and makes me happy. Also, I have learned the hard way over the years that too much pushing the pace in training inevitably leads me to injury. Injury means no running at all and no running means I am a hard-to-live-with man. My wife deserves better.
I have the same issues with swimming. Hammering tough sets in the pool all alone can be less than fun. In fact it can be difficult even impossible at times. I rather swim long and leisurely and rack up impressive weekly yardage totals. But I know that if I want to be able to perform (which mostly means finishing the Chicot Challenge and beating Randy Beets at Swim the Suck) I have to swim hard, at least some of the time.
I also have tensions in the gym. By "gym" I mean my back yard masterpiece that I will write about in the near future. I need to do a lot more leg work, but that throws me into conflict with how much I can run. I also don't really like leg work so it doesn't take much for me to talk myself out of it.
All in all it is a tension between pleasure and pain, between having the will to train and having the will to train properly. My general stance on exercise is to find and do things you enjoy. If you don't enjoy it, you won't do it year after year.
Did you notice?
I am mixing terms and that itself is reflective of my tension. I have been using "excercise" and "training" as synonyms and properly they are not. I guess that is what I face daily when I think about my workout for the day. Am I going to exercise or train? It's a real tension for me. In my mind there is a heirarchy in all of this. In order of importance with "1" being the most important, I rank things thusly:
1. Health (exercise)
2. Enjoyment (exercise)
3. Athletic performance (training)
In actual practice, I sometimes get the order differently. That creates problems.
Age is another factor in all of this. I have been struggling with my running because I keep getting slower. I hate that and I have not been able to admit, even to myself, that age has anything to do with my declining performances. I blame it on "the tension." If I can just stay healthy (the tension has something to do with that) long enough, I will get it back, maybe even better that when I wore a young man's running shoes.
As I have grown older the tension has become more pronounced because there is one byproduct of my age that I have been able to admit to myself and that involves recovery. I just can't structure a running week that has three hard workouts in it, and I need four. My legs just won't stand for it. So I have a further tension of what workouts to do. I need to cycle them, that's one answer, because there are at least four types I need to do, and I can only do two per week. I need a long run, a tempo run, a vVo2 max run, and some strength work. But for some reason, I can't bear to go two weeks without a long run. I need the long run, for mental reasons as well as physiological ones, once per week.
And then there are the tensions brought on by races. If I taper for a race and try to cycle my hard workouts, things get all out of wack. If I don't taper, the fat lady always beats me and that is devastating to my ego. More tension.
There are huge tensions with food. At my age, it is getting more and more easy to gain weight. Athletic performance demands I get and stay light. I am, by the way, still overweight from the stress fracture last December. It's not just athletic performance that calls for me to stay lean. I am literally and metaphorically running and swimming away from diabetes. It runs in my family. I have seen how bad that condition is. Controlling body weight is a huge risk factor with Type 2 Diabetes. To lose weight, however, one must go into a negative calorie balance. That puts one on a razors edge if one is doing endurance training. Go too low and you bonk on your next workout, which takes the pleasure principle out of the equation and well as the quality principle of training. Go too high and you just stay fat. Nutrition is a constant tension of mine.
Recently, I changed my lifting routine. I am speaking upper body here. I split my upper body from one huge workout to three smaller ones. The split allows me to hit specific body parts even harder than before and the sessions aren't nearly as long. However, the reprcussion I am bumping up against is the way I feel in the pool after lifting hard. During the winter, I swim twice per week and lift on the off days. Now I am hitting the water the same day as hitting the weights. The jury is still out on this one.
Tension. How to train? What to do today?
One of these days, I'm going to figure it all out. By then, however, I will be too old to do anything with my vast, hard-won knowledge. Maybe when that day arrives some young guy or gal will come along who has big goals and needs a coach to help him or her get there.
That would be great.
The same tension applies to my running, and I usually resolve, after a tough battle with a fat lady at the 300 Oaks 10K, to run more high quality miles and do lots of leg work in the back yard gym. That resolution, like the New Year's kind, also fades as my legs default into their old-man plodding day after day. A couple of reasons for the plodding make a lot of sense because they include pleasure and pain. Specifically, I enjoy long, slow runs. That kind of training fires up my neurotransmitters and makes me happy. Also, I have learned the hard way over the years that too much pushing the pace in training inevitably leads me to injury. Injury means no running at all and no running means I am a hard-to-live-with man. My wife deserves better.
I have the same issues with swimming. Hammering tough sets in the pool all alone can be less than fun. In fact it can be difficult even impossible at times. I rather swim long and leisurely and rack up impressive weekly yardage totals. But I know that if I want to be able to perform (which mostly means finishing the Chicot Challenge and beating Randy Beets at Swim the Suck) I have to swim hard, at least some of the time.
I also have tensions in the gym. By "gym" I mean my back yard masterpiece that I will write about in the near future. I need to do a lot more leg work, but that throws me into conflict with how much I can run. I also don't really like leg work so it doesn't take much for me to talk myself out of it.
All in all it is a tension between pleasure and pain, between having the will to train and having the will to train properly. My general stance on exercise is to find and do things you enjoy. If you don't enjoy it, you won't do it year after year.
Did you notice?
I am mixing terms and that itself is reflective of my tension. I have been using "excercise" and "training" as synonyms and properly they are not. I guess that is what I face daily when I think about my workout for the day. Am I going to exercise or train? It's a real tension for me. In my mind there is a heirarchy in all of this. In order of importance with "1" being the most important, I rank things thusly:
1. Health (exercise)
2. Enjoyment (exercise)
3. Athletic performance (training)
In actual practice, I sometimes get the order differently. That creates problems.
Age is another factor in all of this. I have been struggling with my running because I keep getting slower. I hate that and I have not been able to admit, even to myself, that age has anything to do with my declining performances. I blame it on "the tension." If I can just stay healthy (the tension has something to do with that) long enough, I will get it back, maybe even better that when I wore a young man's running shoes.
As I have grown older the tension has become more pronounced because there is one byproduct of my age that I have been able to admit to myself and that involves recovery. I just can't structure a running week that has three hard workouts in it, and I need four. My legs just won't stand for it. So I have a further tension of what workouts to do. I need to cycle them, that's one answer, because there are at least four types I need to do, and I can only do two per week. I need a long run, a tempo run, a vVo2 max run, and some strength work. But for some reason, I can't bear to go two weeks without a long run. I need the long run, for mental reasons as well as physiological ones, once per week.
And then there are the tensions brought on by races. If I taper for a race and try to cycle my hard workouts, things get all out of wack. If I don't taper, the fat lady always beats me and that is devastating to my ego. More tension.
There are huge tensions with food. At my age, it is getting more and more easy to gain weight. Athletic performance demands I get and stay light. I am, by the way, still overweight from the stress fracture last December. It's not just athletic performance that calls for me to stay lean. I am literally and metaphorically running and swimming away from diabetes. It runs in my family. I have seen how bad that condition is. Controlling body weight is a huge risk factor with Type 2 Diabetes. To lose weight, however, one must go into a negative calorie balance. That puts one on a razors edge if one is doing endurance training. Go too low and you bonk on your next workout, which takes the pleasure principle out of the equation and well as the quality principle of training. Go too high and you just stay fat. Nutrition is a constant tension of mine.
Recently, I changed my lifting routine. I am speaking upper body here. I split my upper body from one huge workout to three smaller ones. The split allows me to hit specific body parts even harder than before and the sessions aren't nearly as long. However, the reprcussion I am bumping up against is the way I feel in the pool after lifting hard. During the winter, I swim twice per week and lift on the off days. Now I am hitting the water the same day as hitting the weights. The jury is still out on this one.
Tension. How to train? What to do today?
One of these days, I'm going to figure it all out. By then, however, I will be too old to do anything with my vast, hard-won knowledge. Maybe when that day arrives some young guy or gal will come along who has big goals and needs a coach to help him or her get there.
That would be great.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Throwdown at the Heart O' Dixie Thriathlon
Throwdown at the Heart O' Dixie
By Jay Unver
The 35th annual Heart O' Dixie Triathlon was metaphorically as well as literally marked and marred by an epic fight between Justin Nunnery and Zane Hodge. Nunnery, the latest contract athlete signed by Big ASS Endurance, won the Association's World Triathlon Championship with a close, hard fought victory over a complaining and pugalistic Hodge.
The battle started at 6:30 am on Saturday, July 26th, as the athletes were ushered, one at a time, into the water for a half mile swim in the beautiful Lake Tiah O' Khata. Hodge, starting only a few positions behind Nunnery, quickly caught and passed his almost-as-tall-as-Randy-Beets rival. Hodge's swim margin over Nunnery was an astonishing 1:56.
 |
| Hodge emerges from the water after kicking Nunnery's hinder parts. |
When the race moved to the road, however, Nunnery quickly made up the deficit and then some. On his bicycle, he caught the slow-pedalling swimmer before Noxapater and was out of Hodge's sight by the time they passed through the tiny town.
Hodge never threatened Nunnery again, during the race that is. After the race proved to be a different story.
With no Nunnery in sight, on the run Hodge began a desperate battle with an unidentified fat lady. The two took turns passing each other until Hodge finally settled that struggle on a steep hill at mile four of the run course. Hodge passed the big woman near the top of the hill and expanded his lead over the next mile. He was later to say, "I whupped that fat lady like she was my red-headed step child."
Hodge stumbled onto the half-mile dirt track at the Neshoba County Fair and finished his race in 3:17:01, a good three minutes ahead of the fat lady, but a disappointing minute and forty-eight seconds behind Nunnery's 3:15:13. The fireworks started soon afterwards.
When Nunnery was announced the 2014 Big ASS World Champion, an irate Hodge began a yelling match with Nunnery and several others.
"He cheated!" a furious Hodge yelled. "When he passed me, his wife was towing him and his bicycle behind her car!"
 |
| Nunnery plays to the crowd as he clebrates his victory. |
At this point, Hodge ascended the platform and faced up with Nunnery. There were more accusations from both athletes, some shoving, and then the fight broke out. Nunnery placed Hodge in a headlock and the two then tumbled down the platform steps onto the red dirt track below where there was punching and pummeling and eye-gouging until order was restored at the arrival of a Neshoba County Deputy Sheriff.
Hodge was ushered off the fairgrounds and ordered not to return until the 2015 race.
"I'll be back," Hodge yelled over his shoulder. "I'll be back, and I'll get even!"
Friday, July 25, 2014
HOD Tomorrow
Another Friday morning with cats and coffee and the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon is only a day away. Penny and I are spending the night with my aunt and uncle, and she is cooking supper for us. That's just one reason I still do this race. Both Mom and Dad were from Louisville, and many of my relatives still live there. When Uncle Teddy Bear was alive, we always stayed with him and we got to see Aunt Mary at his house. Now we stay with her and Uncle Paul in Noxapater, which is on the race course from Louisville to Philadelphia. At Philadelphia, we dismount our bikes and run to the world famous Neshoba County Fair and finish on the half-mile dirt horse track.
I'm not that fit, overall. My swim is good, but my running is poor, and my biking is only slightly better than last year which was as bad as it gets. I know some fat ladies will pass me on the bicycle, but if they try to go around me on the run, I'm gunna get physical. It will be a good workout and help me get ready for the Bikes, Blues, and Bayous ride next week.
Wednesday I did a transition workout that went something like this: squats, bike trainer ride, treadmill run for three rounds. It was brutal, but the idea is to be able to get off the bike and immediately hit a running stride at a decent pace. At the pool that night, we got thundered out although there was only a twenty percent chance of rain. In fact, it rained five inches in one hour. That is two days in a row we had a twenty percent chance of rain and got rained out. That reminds me of the time I took a boat trip after I graduated from Wesley Biblical Seminary in May of 1998. My graduation present to myself was a trip up the Tallahatchie River. I left early one morning in my homemade wooden boat with a small tent, a sleeping bag, twenty-six gallons of gasoline, some water and fried chicken. There was a twenty percent chance of rain for the day I left and it rained not five, not six, not seven, not eight but TEN inches that night. TEN inches!
Thursday John and I had clear skies and an empty pool at Twin Rivers. Brent showed up and we did something we almost never do. We did a couple of sets together. We did 100s on 1:57. I would not have been able to do but a few on my own, but together we knocked off ten of them. Then we did my 800 countdown set, as I call it. I finished with 3,000 meters and a 2.71 mile run earlier in the day.
I'm not that fit, overall. My swim is good, but my running is poor, and my biking is only slightly better than last year which was as bad as it gets. I know some fat ladies will pass me on the bicycle, but if they try to go around me on the run, I'm gunna get physical. It will be a good workout and help me get ready for the Bikes, Blues, and Bayous ride next week.
Wednesday I did a transition workout that went something like this: squats, bike trainer ride, treadmill run for three rounds. It was brutal, but the idea is to be able to get off the bike and immediately hit a running stride at a decent pace. At the pool that night, we got thundered out although there was only a twenty percent chance of rain. In fact, it rained five inches in one hour. That is two days in a row we had a twenty percent chance of rain and got rained out. That reminds me of the time I took a boat trip after I graduated from Wesley Biblical Seminary in May of 1998. My graduation present to myself was a trip up the Tallahatchie River. I left early one morning in my homemade wooden boat with a small tent, a sleeping bag, twenty-six gallons of gasoline, some water and fried chicken. There was a twenty percent chance of rain for the day I left and it rained not five, not six, not seven, not eight but TEN inches that night. TEN inches!
Thursday John and I had clear skies and an empty pool at Twin Rivers. Brent showed up and we did something we almost never do. We did a couple of sets together. We did 100s on 1:57. I would not have been able to do but a few on my own, but together we knocked off ten of them. Then we did my 800 countdown set, as I call it. I finished with 3,000 meters and a 2.71 mile run earlier in the day.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Week Four: Mixed Bag
It was an up and down week four as I'm still trying to ramp up for The Great Noxapater Journey Run. Monday's little shuffle caused another flareup in my Achilles. I only did 4.21 miles, followed by core work and then 1,000 meters of swimming at Twin Rivers. Why so much swimming you ask? Lightening ran me out for the second time this year.
With the Achilles acting up, I didn't run Tuesday, but at DSU I swam
900
8 X 50 build @ 1:15
400
8 X 50 @ 1:15
300
6 X 50 @ 1:15
200
4 X 50 @ 1:15
100
2 X 50 @ 1:15
100 easy
Total: 3,000 meters.
Wednesday was an easy 3.15 mile shuffle and some yard work. Late evening I went to Twin Rivers and swam 4,600 straight. My time was very slow, but the shoulder felt good and was not sore the next morning. That was huge for my confidence. For a while, I was beginning to wonder if I could pull off Swim the Suck this year. I am way behind in training for that and I may perform below last year's effort, but it's ultimately all about health and fun anyway.
Thursday I ran 4.45 miles and swam 3,000 at Twin Rivers, and Friday I did 3.27 miles of road work before packing up and heading out for the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon, which I did Saturday. At the HOD, my time was 3:09:46, about a minute and a half faster than last year. As usual, I found myself regretting that I had not actually triathlon trained. I ran a lot more than last year, but didn't do much on the bike and held back on the swim because of my shoulder. Still I did the .5 miles open water swim in 13:14 and passed maybe thirty people or more in the water. That was fun. On the bike, however, I got my butt handed to me as I always do. I ran better this time, but only held up for three miles (one mile last year) before the wheels came off the bus and I was reduceed to a shuffle.
A good thing about the HOD is I get a great workout, have some fun, and get to see some of my relatives. I stopped in and visited with two of my cousins when I got to Noxapater and spent the night with my aunt and uncle. I also got an invite to go by the cabin of another cousin at the Neshoba County Fair, but since I was alone with my truck in Louisville, my bike in Philadelphia, and myself at the Neshoba County Fair, I had to take a ride offered me and couldn't do any extra visiting.
The best thing about the HOD is I beat Randy Beets who brought a whole team out against me this year. Dude, it made my day, my year, to be at the finish line and get to take Randy's picture as he came in after me. The picture to the right is Randy finishing with a stunned look on his face when he saw me. Priceless!
Due to the mini-taper and the Achilles issues, my numbers were down. I didn't fret it too much because it was time for a drop back week anyway. For the week, I
swam 12, 600 meters
ran 21.58 and walked 4.12 miles
lifted weights once and
cycled 27.5 miles.
Next Saturday is Bikes, Blues, and Bayous, a local biking event that I promised to do with my son, so once more my running numbers are going to be down a bit. But it's a fun ride and like the HOD, is a really good workout.
With the Achilles acting up, I didn't run Tuesday, but at DSU I swam
900
8 X 50 build @ 1:15
400
8 X 50 @ 1:15
300
6 X 50 @ 1:15
200
4 X 50 @ 1:15
100
2 X 50 @ 1:15
100 easy
Total: 3,000 meters.
Wednesday was an easy 3.15 mile shuffle and some yard work. Late evening I went to Twin Rivers and swam 4,600 straight. My time was very slow, but the shoulder felt good and was not sore the next morning. That was huge for my confidence. For a while, I was beginning to wonder if I could pull off Swim the Suck this year. I am way behind in training for that and I may perform below last year's effort, but it's ultimately all about health and fun anyway.
Thursday I ran 4.45 miles and swam 3,000 at Twin Rivers, and Friday I did 3.27 miles of road work before packing up and heading out for the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon, which I did Saturday. At the HOD, my time was 3:09:46, about a minute and a half faster than last year. As usual, I found myself regretting that I had not actually triathlon trained. I ran a lot more than last year, but didn't do much on the bike and held back on the swim because of my shoulder. Still I did the .5 miles open water swim in 13:14 and passed maybe thirty people or more in the water. That was fun. On the bike, however, I got my butt handed to me as I always do. I ran better this time, but only held up for three miles (one mile last year) before the wheels came off the bus and I was reduceed to a shuffle.
A good thing about the HOD is I get a great workout, have some fun, and get to see some of my relatives. I stopped in and visited with two of my cousins when I got to Noxapater and spent the night with my aunt and uncle. I also got an invite to go by the cabin of another cousin at the Neshoba County Fair, but since I was alone with my truck in Louisville, my bike in Philadelphia, and myself at the Neshoba County Fair, I had to take a ride offered me and couldn't do any extra visiting.
The best thing about the HOD is I beat Randy Beets who brought a whole team out against me this year. Dude, it made my day, my year, to be at the finish line and get to take Randy's picture as he came in after me. The picture to the right is Randy finishing with a stunned look on his face when he saw me. Priceless!
Due to the mini-taper and the Achilles issues, my numbers were down. I didn't fret it too much because it was time for a drop back week anyway. For the week, I
swam 12, 600 meters
ran 21.58 and walked 4.12 miles
lifted weights once and
cycled 27.5 miles.
Next Saturday is Bikes, Blues, and Bayous, a local biking event that I promised to do with my son, so once more my running numbers are going to be down a bit. But it's a fun ride and like the HOD, is a really good workout.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
But Not the Only Thing
I the last post, I wrote about the next big thing on my radar screen, The Great Noxapater Journey Run. But it's not the only athletic thing I have planned. In fact, there are three events on my calendar before TGNJR, and I felt a hankering to say a few words about each.
The Heart O' Dixie Triathlon, July 27. This is the oldest continuous triathlon in the continental United States, and I was there when it started. The year was 1980 and a front page article in the Greenwood Commonwealth announced a strange event involving swimming, cycling, and running. I had never heard of anything like it, and before the sun set the next day my entrance fee was in the mail to the Philadelphia Sertoma Club. Literally, the first triathlon I ever heard of I did. I was so naive that initially I was planning to show up without a bicycle. I assumed the race organizers would supply one. Seriously. I, we, knew nothing. In fact, I didn't even have a bike when I mailed in my registration. I borrowed one to train on from Daniel Collins (Howard's brother whom I mentioned in the last post), and just before the event I bought a Kobe from a now extinct bike shop in Indianola, MS.
By the way, the HOD starts at Louisville and passes through Noxapater on the way to Philadelphia ending on the horse track at the Neshoba County Fair. I don't do many triathlons anymore, the HOD being the only one I don't want to miss. I'm not very good at the sport. I swim well, run OK, but ride poorly. I can, and often have literally ridden a bicycle all day long. But triathlons are not about riding all day long, but about riding a set distance very quickly. I don't ride quickly. I've never placed at the HOD. This is the state championship race and draws a huge crowd of top athletes and some Athenas who always have a go at me. It can be pretty indimidating, but I keep showing up. I cherish my T-shirts, the nostalgia of my long gone youth, and the time I get to spend with my Aunt Mary and Uncle Paul. The course is a point-to-point (I love point-to-points), it's hilly, and it's hot. If you do this one, you are sure to suffer. But you'll be proud of yourself the next day for having completed Mississippi's longest (.5 x 27.5 x 7 = 35 miles) and most difficult tri.
Bikes, Blues, and Bayous, August 3. Just one week after the HOD is my hometown's hit ride the BBB. Not a race, our ride has quickly developed into Mississippi's largest bike event drawing over 600 cyclists to a hot, flat, windy course that leaves riders exhausted but exhilarated. Starting and ending in downtown Greenwood before snaking its way through rural Leflore and Tallahatchie Counties, the rolling party offers three distances (20, 46, and 58 miles) and tons of support. It's a perfect destination ride to see the birthplace of the blues and experience the real delta. The highlight of the ride, for me at least, has always been the rest stop at the Minter City United Methodist Church. This tiny delta church prides themselves in hosting the best rest stop anyone has ever seen. Really, I don't want to leave each year. The food is plentiful and good, the shade is soothing, and riders relax and make new friends. If you ride a bike, you need to come to this event.
300 Oaks 10 K, Sept 21. Another hometown event, "the Oaks" is flat, fast, and at the time of year when we usually get that first cool spell. If you have been training in the heat all summer, the third weekend of September normally offers a welcome releave. It can still be hot, and usually is by the time the race is over, but at 8:00 am that time of year, it's never bad. Besides an excellent course, this event offers live entertainement, free food, and another shot to see the Mississippi Delta and place that is both famous and infamous.
These three events may or may not be augmented by others along the way, but these are ones I do every year. They will be fun training adventures on what I hope is a path to a successful Great Noxapater Journey Run.
The Heart O' Dixie Triathlon, July 27. This is the oldest continuous triathlon in the continental United States, and I was there when it started. The year was 1980 and a front page article in the Greenwood Commonwealth announced a strange event involving swimming, cycling, and running. I had never heard of anything like it, and before the sun set the next day my entrance fee was in the mail to the Philadelphia Sertoma Club. Literally, the first triathlon I ever heard of I did. I was so naive that initially I was planning to show up without a bicycle. I assumed the race organizers would supply one. Seriously. I, we, knew nothing. In fact, I didn't even have a bike when I mailed in my registration. I borrowed one to train on from Daniel Collins (Howard's brother whom I mentioned in the last post), and just before the event I bought a Kobe from a now extinct bike shop in Indianola, MS.
By the way, the HOD starts at Louisville and passes through Noxapater on the way to Philadelphia ending on the horse track at the Neshoba County Fair. I don't do many triathlons anymore, the HOD being the only one I don't want to miss. I'm not very good at the sport. I swim well, run OK, but ride poorly. I can, and often have literally ridden a bicycle all day long. But triathlons are not about riding all day long, but about riding a set distance very quickly. I don't ride quickly. I've never placed at the HOD. This is the state championship race and draws a huge crowd of top athletes and some Athenas who always have a go at me. It can be pretty indimidating, but I keep showing up. I cherish my T-shirts, the nostalgia of my long gone youth, and the time I get to spend with my Aunt Mary and Uncle Paul. The course is a point-to-point (I love point-to-points), it's hilly, and it's hot. If you do this one, you are sure to suffer. But you'll be proud of yourself the next day for having completed Mississippi's longest (.5 x 27.5 x 7 = 35 miles) and most difficult tri.
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| Emily Riser, my son, Forrest, and me at the MCUMC during the BBB. |
300 Oaks 10 K, Sept 21. Another hometown event, "the Oaks" is flat, fast, and at the time of year when we usually get that first cool spell. If you have been training in the heat all summer, the third weekend of September normally offers a welcome releave. It can still be hot, and usually is by the time the race is over, but at 8:00 am that time of year, it's never bad. Besides an excellent course, this event offers live entertainement, free food, and another shot to see the Mississippi Delta and place that is both famous and infamous.
These three events may or may not be augmented by others along the way, but these are ones I do every year. They will be fun training adventures on what I hope is a path to a successful Great Noxapater Journey Run.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday Summary
Friday I went to Twin Rivers and swam an easy 1,500. I also did a short run and some dryland. Then I packed and went to Noxapator, first stopping in Louisville to register. My Aunt Mary and Uncle Paul put me up for the night and fed me like I was their fat little baby. I love these people. One of the things I always loved about the Heart O' Dixie (HOD) is visiting my family. There are a whole lot fewer of them now that just a few short years ago.
The race was a mixed bag. I busted out a pretty good swim (11:56) which was a PR by 46 seconds and best in my age division of fourteen old men. After the swim, I didn't have the confidence to push the bike due to my lack of riding. Literally, I must have been passed my 200 bikers. I averaged 16.8 miles-per-hour, good for 12th in my division. From 1st to 12th- ouch! On the run, I started well (9:46 for the first mile), but then the wheels fell off. It was hot, it was hilly, and my legs died. If you are not in bike shape, you can't run off the bike. I already knew this. I snapped a picture of two fat ladies running away from me on a hill. Humility, I think, is a noble virtue.
For the week, I swam 18,465 meters, biked 27 miles, ran 9.72 miles, and walked 6.67. I only lifted weights 1X but did a lot of other dryland work.
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| My training buddy, Randy, and me after the HOD |
For the week, I swam 18,465 meters, biked 27 miles, ran 9.72 miles, and walked 6.67. I only lifted weights 1X but did a lot of other dryland work.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Monday Training and HOD Goals
For many years, the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon has been one of my A-list events. Not so this time around. Saturday my goals are simply to get a good workout and try not to get beaten by too many large females. I'm sure I will not be totally sucessful on the last point.
A number of factors have changed my motivation and fitness for competing in triathlons. One is (was) my mother's critical illness starting last January. She has been ill much longer, but in January she began to suffer a number of life-threatening secondary issues related to her diabetes and liver disease. She is much improved now and is requiring a lot less attention from me. However, during the winter and spring, I didn't even try to ride a bicycle and rarely ran. I focused my limited training time primarily on swimming and weight lifting.
Not only has my mother's illness impacted this year's triathlon season, but some nagging knee and achilles injuries have kept me from doing the kind of training I need even when I have the time. In fact, I have had achilles issues for three and a half years. Over that period of time, my athletic identity has slowly morphed from runner/triathlete to extreme swimmer. It seems like I can always swim without breaking down from injury. At fifty-six years old, I set a number of personal swimming records this spring. It's been year's since I set a personal running record.
Today I got to the pool about 8:00 a.m. without any real plan and started swimming. I like long warmups, but this morning I felt so good I just kept warming up. I wound up stopping at 7,000 meters because I had to use the bathroom. In the afternoon, I did a major upper body weight lifting session. For supper I made a protien smoothie and ate an apple. Maybe I can drop a pound or two before Saturday.
A number of factors have changed my motivation and fitness for competing in triathlons. One is (was) my mother's critical illness starting last January. She has been ill much longer, but in January she began to suffer a number of life-threatening secondary issues related to her diabetes and liver disease. She is much improved now and is requiring a lot less attention from me. However, during the winter and spring, I didn't even try to ride a bicycle and rarely ran. I focused my limited training time primarily on swimming and weight lifting.
Not only has my mother's illness impacted this year's triathlon season, but some nagging knee and achilles injuries have kept me from doing the kind of training I need even when I have the time. In fact, I have had achilles issues for three and a half years. Over that period of time, my athletic identity has slowly morphed from runner/triathlete to extreme swimmer. It seems like I can always swim without breaking down from injury. At fifty-six years old, I set a number of personal swimming records this spring. It's been year's since I set a personal running record.
Today I got to the pool about 8:00 a.m. without any real plan and started swimming. I like long warmups, but this morning I felt so good I just kept warming up. I wound up stopping at 7,000 meters because I had to use the bathroom. In the afternoon, I did a major upper body weight lifting session. For supper I made a protien smoothie and ate an apple. Maybe I can drop a pound or two before Saturday.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
HOD Training
Since this is my very first blog post, I thought I might dedicate a few sentences to what this blog is intended to be about. I plan to write, primarily, about my alleged athletic adventures which mostly center around swimming. The title I chose for this site, EndangeredSwimmer, refers to the virtually extinct state of open water swimming in my home state of Mississippi. This title is a bit of a misnomer because the term "extinct" implies the threatened survival of something that once thrived. If open water swimming ever even existed in Mississippi, I am totally unaware of it. I know a few swimmers, but only a couple of them show any inclination to swim outside of a pool, a triathlon or two notwithstanding. With that said, I turn to what I plan normally to do: give a short summary of my training.
Today I met my buddy, Randal Beets, one of Missississippi's rare open water swimmers at Twin Rivers Recreational Center. Our plan was to swim, bike, and run as a last ditch effort to prepare for next Saturday's Heart O' Dixie Triathlon. We swam 3,800 LCM as follows: 1,000 + 10 X 100 @ 2:15 + 500 easy + 8 X 100 @ 2:00 + 500 easy. I wanted a little more swimming, but Randy was ready to ride so we changed and rode our bikes 20+ miles to the little hamlet of Phillip where we ate lunch before riding back. We then "ran" (shuffle is a more accurate term) for a little over four miles. It was hot, we were tired, and our pace was horrendous.
Today I met my buddy, Randal Beets, one of Missississippi's rare open water swimmers at Twin Rivers Recreational Center. Our plan was to swim, bike, and run as a last ditch effort to prepare for next Saturday's Heart O' Dixie Triathlon. We swam 3,800 LCM as follows: 1,000 + 10 X 100 @ 2:15 + 500 easy + 8 X 100 @ 2:00 + 500 easy. I wanted a little more swimming, but Randy was ready to ride so we changed and rode our bikes 20+ miles to the little hamlet of Phillip where we ate lunch before riding back. We then "ran" (shuffle is a more accurate term) for a little over four miles. It was hot, we were tired, and our pace was horrendous.
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