tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24982437023683154252024-03-14T09:14:47.159-07:00Faithful SolesI am an over-achieving jogger who has accomplished more in marathon running than I ever thought possible, and now I've turned my efforts to triathlons and am shooting for my first Ironman sometime in 2010. My hope is to inspire, encourage and motivate athletes of all ages and abilities.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-28171119421401385952009-06-30T07:30:00.000-07:002009-06-30T07:37:37.047-07:00Moving my blogging...I'm not so sure how people are able to keep up with numerous blog and personal web sites, but since I have now moved on to where my focus lies more in triathlons and training for my first Ironman, I will be continuing my blogging at <a href="http://iamtri.com/profile/RobertKey">iamtri.com</a> which is a web site maintained by the official Ironman site and in a short time is approaching 9,000 members. Hope to see you there.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-81269452496168633402009-04-27T02:41:00.000-07:002009-04-27T02:45:53.441-07:00Yes, it's the shoes...Following up on my last post, the first pair of Adidas Supernova Cushion 7's that I purchased on ebay arrived on Friday afternoon, and I could not wait to get them on and feel back to normal in my running shoes. Did they make a difference? Oh yes! I intentionally did not look at my watch during the run and in the end was nearly 3-4 minutes faster over my normal 7.5 mile training route than I had been wearing the Adidas Supernova Glide (the supposed successor to the 7's).Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-84565137531706279612009-04-23T12:38:00.000-07:002009-04-23T19:14:06.092-07:00Trapped in Shoe Purgatory<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguH7v_NCiQJXSxAtCQidPqbuo0b9TziDdAFuSsc0JIARZeLp_MF6mbvjnvim9VFBqodG4W7ZyV21Zq0bSeE_bbA-GWVZw5TAly1jfLkK-YkkJQZShlM3TFyvRftjKVGOAa3tBSW0zRQYfM/s1600-h/purgatory.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguH7v_NCiQJXSxAtCQidPqbuo0b9TziDdAFuSsc0JIARZeLp_MF6mbvjnvim9VFBqodG4W7ZyV21Zq0bSeE_bbA-GWVZw5TAly1jfLkK-YkkJQZShlM3TFyvRftjKVGOAa3tBSW0zRQYfM/s320/purgatory.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327980136588446898" /></a>It's happened again. The shoes that I absolutely love have been "updated" and the newer version is a complete POS. I've been running for the better part of a year in the Adidas Supernova Cushion 6's, then the 7's. I had purchased 2 pair of the 7's back in November and at the beginning of April found out they have been replaced by the Supernova Glide. Replaced? WRONG! I'm not sure how they came up with the name "glide" because these feel more like 2 pieces of plywood with laces for your feet. Luckily I went to ebay and found a couple of pairs of the 7's and purchased them immediately.<br /><br />I'm not just picking on Adidas here. Over the years, Nike, Asics, Mizuno and probably a few others that I've forgotten about have done the same thing to me. Trust me, you are completey screwed as soon as a shoe is "renamed" or you find out it's been "replaced with the..." (insert POS name here).<br /><br />Here's a bit of a marketing suggestion for the shoe companies, and forgive me because if this seems like a revelation to you, then you need to work for a shoe company - Ready - Drum Roll - If a shoe is selling well and the majority of the people wearing it are happy, don't change it, don't update it, don't rename it, just leave it alone (can you say "Nike Pegasus" back when it was the biggest selling running shoe of all time and the people at Nike stopped making it for a couple of years???!!!).<br /><br />In closing, a word of advice to the newer runners - If you find a pair of shoes you LOVE, buy as many pair as you can get your hands on, number them on the heels so you can tell them apart, and keep a mileage chart so that you'll know when to retire them.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-75632759313930414532009-04-10T06:56:00.000-07:002009-04-10T11:12:00.846-07:00Lone Star Half-IronMy second triathlon ever (both half-Irons) is now in the books and with very little training this time around due to my work schedule, I am extremely pleased with how I did in the Lone Star Half-Iron (6:05:34 vs. 5:50:20 in my first one). The best part of the day was having my father-in-law there to watch the entire race. He is a very special person in my life, and I'm glad that he was able to be a part of this. As for the race, I'll just give a brief synopsis with some pictures:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbhGErvHbVKmWWj4QVLcaBk_TtDKNTSKcuiCc8FQUi_VpxcqDdx2Vn7BZjMYsnTh4gTRW5ke5RbFhR-tW2c3LHBJLHS3PaOwwwg3F6MTnUweYyEoVcZ2UgyYBFE1V0LUKiqxaPw3FD6T8/s1600-h/2009+Lone+Star+-+RLK+-+Swim+Finish.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbhGErvHbVKmWWj4QVLcaBk_TtDKNTSKcuiCc8FQUi_VpxcqDdx2Vn7BZjMYsnTh4gTRW5ke5RbFhR-tW2c3LHBJLHS3PaOwwwg3F6MTnUweYyEoVcZ2UgyYBFE1V0LUKiqxaPw3FD6T8/s320/2009+Lone+Star+-+RLK+-+Swim+Finish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323065888913563090" /></a> <strong>Swim:</strong> 43:00 - ok, so there are 609 athletes, the water temperature was 67 degrees, and my wife counted 5 people without wetsuits, me being one of them. I'm pretty warm natured, and figured it would not be a big deal. I have to admit that when I first climbed down off the pier into the water, my first thought was "big mistake", but after swimming about 100 yards out to the start and treading water for about 5 minutes waiting for our wave to begin, I felt fine.<br /><br /><strong>T1:</strong> 7:37 - No other way to say it but completely awful. Even though I was comfortable in the swim, I didn't take into account how cold my arms and hands would be, and it took me 3 attempts to try to put on my bike jersey. I finally had to ask the guy beside me if he could pull it down for me.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWr-59wG_GBMLgd4sw536qHG1ogAQlpRLyZiG-kcBfHDI6CuReoI8mH1JkY_XMrAxpnT3N8gHABO81leLDX4jKFczTYDMQP4hfPDkLWwrCuNRFpGZEk2OxlZ2el3k4wTQ-tJGhtzYLH_Yt/s1600-h/2009+Lone+Star+-+RLK+-+Bike.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWr-59wG_GBMLgd4sw536qHG1ogAQlpRLyZiG-kcBfHDI6CuReoI8mH1JkY_XMrAxpnT3N8gHABO81leLDX4jKFczTYDMQP4hfPDkLWwrCuNRFpGZEk2OxlZ2el3k4wTQ-tJGhtzYLH_Yt/s320/2009+Lone+Star+-+RLK+-+Bike.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323066296994485298" /></a> <strong>Bike:</strong> 3:06:39 - You just gotta love Texas weather. On the outward half, the wind was out of the south-southwest, and basically in our face the entire way. I kid you not, at just about the turnaround point, a cool front came through and the wind switched to the north-northeast, and the wind was in our face all the way back. I'm still happy with my time and averaged 18 mph, which was about .5 mph faster than my Austin time back in October.<br /><br /><strong>T2:</strong> 5:25 - Still not a good transition, but I stopped to shake hands and say hello to a buddy who was watching the transition area and then made a potty stop before I exited the transition area, so that probably cost me about 2:30.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPAmFwNOXcCHRRzO46S-DRhQbLQSzx0Nl2b94OKoc7uaWeo2Lsvy1gLNk6A_eH-otGUGoe2lVtZu0-6w-n0bLj9o6DR5DbDDS-KDrbPZcLZ7ZkoBXFkPhhdHAU2pc-2Mpz1FKZYaMep-o/s1600-h/2009+Lone+Star+-+RLK+-+Run+Finish.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPAmFwNOXcCHRRzO46S-DRhQbLQSzx0Nl2b94OKoc7uaWeo2Lsvy1gLNk6A_eH-otGUGoe2lVtZu0-6w-n0bLj9o6DR5DbDDS-KDrbPZcLZ7ZkoBXFkPhhdHAU2pc-2Mpz1FKZYaMep-o/s320/2009+Lone+Star+-+RLK+-+Run+Finish.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323066531972966610" /></a> <strong>Run:</strong> 2:03:28 - In a nutshell, the wind was absolutely brutal during the run, and it was a 4 loop course which makes it even more mentally difficult. The wind was literally gusting 30-40 mph off of the water, and it felt like you were running into a brick wall most of the way.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSfKy14dCj_P8bVs_-9SdE00vvH17t5ysdx2mo49Z3y6bsu-AU-sMi13za59IExV1EWelBFhrfuy6O-yTo1jC-M-8ux7f2MT8OlaOjDr9uL2HK6SWIkWqJ_C_fJHL3RrglBp2nudOvGAv/s1600-h/2009+Lone+Star+Half-Ironman+Results.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSfKy14dCj_P8bVs_-9SdE00vvH17t5ysdx2mo49Z3y6bsu-AU-sMi13za59IExV1EWelBFhrfuy6O-yTo1jC-M-8ux7f2MT8OlaOjDr9uL2HK6SWIkWqJ_C_fJHL3RrglBp2nudOvGAv/s320/2009+Lone+Star+Half-Ironman+Results.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323066751548343938" /></a>Final Results: I have pretty much determined that I'm a mid-packer in my age group in these events. I finished 21 out of 38 in my age group. Sure, with more training and way better transitions I might have been closer to 16th or 17th place, but there is no way that I'll ever get down into the top 10-20% like I typically do when I'm in top form in marathons.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-14333918733924614842009-03-30T02:27:00.000-07:002009-03-30T02:55:38.387-07:00Suddenly 50?For that minute group of you who read my blog, I am alive and well since my last post back in October (I'll get to the "Suddenly 50?" part at the end).<br /><br />To catch you up very briefly on what I've been doing since October, I have been completely swamped with work, steadily working many 14-18 hour days for literally months at a time (I own a business that does work on non-performing bank loans secured by real estate, so enough said as to why I've been so busy). From October through January, I managed to run a grand total of 30 miles (not 30 miles a week, 30 miles TOTAL), and did not swim or bike at all during that time. I had signed up to do the Houston Marathon in January and decided what the heck, so I went out and managed to run the first 12 miles, then jogged/walked miles 13-14, then basically walked in the last 12 miles to finish in 5:36 (my slowest by far of any of the 18 marathons I've done, but I expected at least 6 hours or more based on the lack of training, so I won't complain). I got to encourage a lot of first-timers along the way who were really struggling, stopped and visited with many friends along the way who were either there to cheer people on or working aid stations, and just had a great time enjoying the day.<br /><br />Around the first of February, things slowed down a bit (12 hour days instead of 14-18), so I started running again and could barely even make it 3 miles the first few times out. I needed a goal. Lo and behold at the beginning of March, I remembered that the Texas Lone Star Triathlon Festival was coming up in Galveston, Texas the weekend of April 3-5, and I see that they are having a Half-Ironman. So about 4 weeks ago I signed up online, and I started my swimming and cycling again with the goal of doing the 70.3 on April 5. In 4 short weeks I have built myself up to a couple of long bike rides of 40-50 miles, swam 2.0 miles on multiple occassions, and did a 10.5 mile run this past Saturday at a decent pace.<br /><br />After having done the Longhorn 70.3 in 5:50 with quite a bit of training under my belt, I really have no idea what to expect in this race. Logic tells me that with the little bit of training and in my present physical condition that 6:00 would be phenomenal, and most likely I'll be in the 6:15-6:30 range. Does it matter to me what time I finish in? Absolutely not. It's a blessing to be able to do any of this (that's a post for another time).<br /><br />So back to the title of the post... I'm 49 and won't be hitting the big 50 until December. I remembered hearing that the USA Triathlon rules were going to change to where they place you in your age group based on your age at the end of the current calendar year. It was an odd thing to see my name on the entry list with my age as "50" and competing in the "50-54" year old group. My first thought was, "Well, at least I'll be a youngster in the age group and have a better chance at placing higher", until I went online and saw that age group's finishing times from last year. I continue to be astounded at the physical condition of folks involved in this sport, and am blessed to be a part of it.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-62139316614754954282008-10-07T04:51:00.000-07:002008-10-07T16:10:11.796-07:00Longhorn 70.3 Results (My first triathlon ever)The Longhorn 70.3 is now behind me and I must say that for my very first triathlon ever at any distance that I had a great time (both literally and figuratively). I will post a full race report with lots of pictures sometime later this week after I catch back up at work, but I wanted to share my official race results below. Being a runner certainly paid off in the end. Out of 1929 finishers, I was 1143rd in the swim, 1283rd on the bike, and 298th on the run, finishing 790th overall. If my math is right, I passed 493 people on the run.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij10zkdNK_UltaP6T3dl3r8QxvuP_Yr4kO75iZOeuUXikfdVYmevoBHM2MT6TV-9p_dwWlgqJm111ih7L_cNRDGboIVcE_a9_90YzIjfivHUAyDCjWp5TXAF9kzpDgQ5PrSqXxTCw1CsAK/s1600-h/2008+Longhorn+Half-Ironman+Results.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij10zkdNK_UltaP6T3dl3r8QxvuP_Yr4kO75iZOeuUXikfdVYmevoBHM2MT6TV-9p_dwWlgqJm111ih7L_cNRDGboIVcE_a9_90YzIjfivHUAyDCjWp5TXAF9kzpDgQ5PrSqXxTCw1CsAK/s320/2008+Longhorn+Half-Ironman+Results.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254380668162255458" /></a>Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-84803851974367738722008-09-01T09:14:00.000-07:002008-09-01T09:42:37.699-07:00August Training Totals and 5 Weeks Until Longhorn 70.3With 5 weeks left until the Longhorn 70.3, I am extremely pleased with my August totals for swimming, cycling and running. :<br /><br /><em><strong>Swimming:</strong></em> I started swimming again on August 22 after a month layoff from my cycling accident back on July 20. I swam 6 times for a total of 10.7km or 6.65 miles, average swim was 1783m or 1.11 miles with the longest swim being 2500m or 1.55 miles and the shortest swim being 1000m or 0.62 mile, with an overall average pace of approximately 2:00-2:10 per 100m (I fully expect this average pace to come back down to 1:50-2:00 once I get a few more swims in).<br /><br /><em><strong>Running:</strong></em> Ran a total of 170.0 miles which included 18 runs, average run was 9.44 miles with the longest single run being 18.6 miles (30km) and the shortest run being 4.7 miles, and my average pace per mile for timed runs was 7:56. My average pace per mile was about 10 seconds higher than normal, which I attribute to the increase in mileage in both running and cycling, as well as August being the hottest month of the year.<br /><br /><em><strong>Cycling:</strong></em> This was my second full month of cycling since I got my bike back on June 9 and other than 2-3 missed rides due to tropical depressions or other storms, I am very pleased with how I did. I cycled 14 times for a total of 572.8 miles or an average ride of 40.9 miles, with my longest ride being 75.0 miles and shortest being 25.0 miles. It is hard to judge average mph with all the starts and stops, but my best guess is that I'm probably average 18-19 mph.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-20111630824680947452008-08-25T07:39:00.000-07:002008-08-25T07:47:34.898-07:00Back in the poolSince the bike wreck, I've been wearing the brace on my left hand religiously for the last month (including during my running and cycling), and last Wednesday (August 20) got clearance from my doctor to start swimming again. I was both anxious and scared to get back in the water last Friday, not sure how my hand would hold up with the pulling motion. Other than being a bit more fatigued than I would have been prior to the accident, I swam 2000m (about 1.25 miles) in 40:46, just slightly over a 2:00 per 100m pace. What really blew me away was my swim this morning. I did the same distance in 38:28, a full 2:18 faster than Friday, and about a 1:55 pace per 100m, which is practically right back to where I was before the accident. I know for certain that without my consistent conditioning over the years and in the recent months and days leading up to now that there is no way I could have made this type of recovery so quickly. I am having a great month of training for August and am looking forward to posting my numbers for the month next week. With the Longhorn Half-Ironman now less than 6 weeks away, I feel confident that I'll be in great shape for my first triathlon when it arrives.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-29655047672193292982008-07-27T15:27:00.000-07:002008-07-27T15:45:16.702-07:00First 100k (62.0 miles) bike rideWith my cycling accident behind me now for one week as of today, I had a strong outing today with my very first 100k ride in roughly 3 hours and 20 minutes, or about 18-19 mph. I also had a decent 10 mile run yesterday morning at about 7:55 per mile, but still was feeling the effects of the wreck, so I wisely scaled it back from my scheduled 13-15 mile run. All in all, the wreck caused me to really only lose about 3-4 days of training, so that's nothing too difficult to overcome.<br /><br />Since I do my training schedules on a Monday-Sunday basis, last week was completely thrown out of whack with only 2 runs and 2 cycling rides. With the Longhorn Half-Ironman now only 10 weeks from today, I hope tomorrow (Monday) to get right back into a strong running and cycling schedule. <br /><br />Also, since the only swimming I am prohibited from doing would be anything such as freestyle or breaststroke where I pull with my hands, I plan to spend what would be my normal swimming time just doing kick techniques in the pool, then some overhead lat pull downs on the weight machines using only my elbows (this motion would closely simulate a freestyle stroke without my having to grip anything), and some in and out chest exercises (no grip necessary on these either). My hope is that these routines will keep my swimming muscles fresh and make my entry back into swimming regularly in late August easier.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-75207364190082901002008-07-24T17:29:00.000-07:002008-07-24T17:38:17.941-07:00Hello (& Goodbye) Dolly, Welcome Back Running<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAsVzAA0zBTvCTTu25Jeu4vh6hMf2cRO5TEMvCllEWwo5xzp3M9h4hkjtjrvis9N9zEOunQmkRz1VS1bkADrIL-yJ_7n5NUkVD-hBFha7vWyO34bVEB_lXLoJO2eI8jtYYqdTSAFWCEdx/s1600-h/HPIM1822.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAsVzAA0zBTvCTTu25Jeu4vh6hMf2cRO5TEMvCllEWwo5xzp3M9h4hkjtjrvis9N9zEOunQmkRz1VS1bkADrIL-yJ_7n5NUkVD-hBFha7vWyO34bVEB_lXLoJO2eI8jtYYqdTSAFWCEdx/s320/HPIM1822.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226744299559802882" /></a>Since my bike wreck on Sunday and then not being able to get in to get my hand x-rayed until yesterday, my plan was to run yesterday after I got my brace. Well, along comes Hurricane Dolly, and although the eye was about 200 miles southwest of Houston, we had some pretty strong outer rain bands yesterday and today.<br /><br />I finally got out late this afternoon and to say it was warm and humid is an understatement. The reason the picture looks so fuzzy is because the air was so thick. This picture was taken right after my run, and I was soaked with sweat. Thankfully I went back to the doctor this morning and picked up an extra brace, so now I have one to train and then shower in, and one to wear that is clean during the day and night.<br /><br />Tomorrow I get back on the bike...Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-6601742534616231262008-07-23T09:26:00.000-07:002008-07-23T09:44:32.279-07:00Cycling accident follow-up: fractured left finger<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9xMJDhjrVhgQ8uZYSCvG4T0SIfs1Jqbc3k-OW4ar-EXeYiPi0ZPiNWdkVJviGDnmwLgQxTOuPAVGHd6_TvZEnR25NVUt_KIsUcsAuMqpsRqKbMhY0e7Pcxk44ex6Tn14HIjvylCUA7AE/s1600-h/HPIM1816.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9xMJDhjrVhgQ8uZYSCvG4T0SIfs1Jqbc3k-OW4ar-EXeYiPi0ZPiNWdkVJviGDnmwLgQxTOuPAVGHd6_TvZEnR25NVUt_KIsUcsAuMqpsRqKbMhY0e7Pcxk44ex6Tn14HIjvylCUA7AE/s320/HPIM1816.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226250863792048962" /></a>I finally got in to see the doctor today to have my left hand x-rayed and the results were a mix of good and bad news. With the Longhorn Half-Ironman now less than 11 weeks away, here is a brief summary of the x-rays and what my training looks like:<br /><br />First, the bad news is that my left pinky finger is fractured, and i will need to wear a brace (picture) for the next 4 weeks to keep it immobilized. After that, the doctor believes my pinky and ring fingers can probably be "buddy-taped" together for a few more weeks and should heal back to normal. The bad news is that I will not be able to swim at all for at least the next 4 weeks. At thet point, the doctor will do another x-ray and it will just depend on it and how I feel as to how soon I can start swimming again. My guess is that I will be back in the pool sometime between August 20 and Septmber 1, which leaves me about 4-5 weeks to get back into swimming shape before the race.<br /><br />The good news, actually great news, is that as long as I wear the brace I can continue to run and cycle just fine. Also, I need to thank God and reflect more on what happened and realize that my injuries could be signficantly worse.<br /><br />I will improvise, I will adapt, I will overcome.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-60464471911516013342008-07-21T07:28:00.000-07:002008-07-21T08:20:35.525-07:00Bad Wreck (aka "Stupid Drivers Who Run Stop Signs")This post was going to be about my 30th high school reunion on Saturday, but unfortunately that will have to wait because I'm writing (actually typing with just my right hand because my left hand is useless at the moment) about a bad wreck I had yesterday, and I feel very lucky to be alive.<br /><br />I was at about mile 40 of a planned 50-60 miler and was on a 4 lane backstreet of a neighborhood that is probably overall the quietest and safest stretch of road I ride on. I am a VERY defensive cyclist, and any time I see a car approaching a stop sign, light or intersection I always presume they will do the wrong thing. I was in the right lane and could hear and then see a car approaching the cross street to my right. I had the right of way with no stop sign, and the approaching car had a stop sign. Per usual, I applied my breaks to slow down a bit, and also checked my mirror to make sure the left lane beside me was open in case this car did the wrong thing (note to avid cyclists who laugh at people like me with a mirror). It appeared at first that this guy was going to stop, but instead he just kept on cruising out into the right lane where I was. Stupid thing is, had he been paying attention AT ALL, he should have looked my way regardless to check for oncoming cars, but he didn't. There was no sun in his eyes, nothing to block his view of me, he was just flat out careless. Since I knew the left lane was open, I began moving over into it, but this idiot just kept on moving over across the right lane and into the left lane until I was forced into the curb.<br /><br />I went over the handlebars and the next thing I know I am lying on my face in the road with my bike on top of me. I knew instantly that I was hurt, but could not tell how badly. I laid there for a moment trying to regain my composure. By this time, the driver had pulled back over into the right hand lane, stopped, rolled his window down and says, "Are you ok?" I can't really repeat what I said to him next, but it was not kind. I was yelling at him asking him why he did not stop, and all he could muster was a feable, "oh, I thought I did." Then I said, "Well, IF you did, then why did you pull out in front of me and continue to move over until I was forced into the curb?", to which of course he had no response.<br /><br />The damage to my body was pretty good. I have a long and bloody scrape on my right elbow, bloody knuckles, bloody left knee, but the worst of the injuries is to my left hand. When I hit the pavement, I obviously braced most of my fall by putting my hands out. The back of my left hand is so swollen that you can not see anything but a dome of smooth skin. My left pinky and ringer finger have joints that have mounds on them, and I can barely even move them. The palm of my left hand is swollen and bruised looking. Also, I hit with such force that it literally ripped my watch off of my left arm and the watch face took skin off part of my left wrist. I do not know at this point if anything in my left hand is broken. Right after the wreck, I noticed the swelling there and was able to (not without some pain) bend my left pinky and ring finger, but this morning can not move them at all. If they are not better by tomorrow morning, I will probably go in for some xrays.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7CfQcdYaHhHFaAHGazga3-7Hp0RnV0JLGbWulFvn_5Xb71WEaw9EWyLqswTp5xEYlFq60-bYwcp6JN6KCv-cV1RkIt0AxwBeWfaRY7DstLZa9dHCN_SYMvsEtj-kP-irt6tgS-ctbMgk/s1600-h/wreck-07-20-08-bloody+right+elbow.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7CfQcdYaHhHFaAHGazga3-7Hp0RnV0JLGbWulFvn_5Xb71WEaw9EWyLqswTp5xEYlFq60-bYwcp6JN6KCv-cV1RkIt0AxwBeWfaRY7DstLZa9dHCN_SYMvsEtj-kP-irt6tgS-ctbMgk/s320/wreck-07-20-08-bloody+right+elbow.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225485523938085714" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixc1FPWU1mmc91JcYm8X3tdyoidfpLAfSsdbaeRRMOTK52fshyGGlu9ol56tYb2vdCtNwkwzeAtzu6SJkdkNrgXJ6mOw9W3B45-m7mwR9s2Qon22UZz1J1OAbNH_En3mNzOVzTl2IHAAfO/s1600-h/wreck-07-20-08-watch+ripped+off+of+arm.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixc1FPWU1mmc91JcYm8X3tdyoidfpLAfSsdbaeRRMOTK52fshyGGlu9ol56tYb2vdCtNwkwzeAtzu6SJkdkNrgXJ6mOw9W3B45-m7mwR9s2Qon22UZz1J1OAbNH_En3mNzOVzTl2IHAAfO/s320/wreck-07-20-08-watch+ripped+off+of+arm.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225486159984660610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbNFV5md_EuzJGye0zF4vSGVbBvvPFuEtIVt0jwwMBiaEMxPJ3v_H0QKOJBgeXMKG-9w6NaBYk0toF40uQh0ldS9txrqJm70K-XMBA-_XoPlsOfPD5aD_HrS0huPRVLQ4gjZzFd9HShlZ/s1600-h/wreck-07-20-08-bloody+left+hand+and+torn+glove.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbNFV5md_EuzJGye0zF4vSGVbBvvPFuEtIVt0jwwMBiaEMxPJ3v_H0QKOJBgeXMKG-9w6NaBYk0toF40uQh0ldS9txrqJm70K-XMBA-_XoPlsOfPD5aD_HrS0huPRVLQ4gjZzFd9HShlZ/s320/wreck-07-20-08-bloody+left+hand+and+torn+glove.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225486145209342834" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLEZu8Bmx-19lxdjm8oo7Lnc_DlwJwf6h3VcuUR0bEqpTcxXVkrVSq4iWHBykSf-vz3VsZtKtzbxvAM3qQ3GlOEXE_KPs9tEC7OrIh2gOK789wChNa-yOMGw2djXM5y0d-drxcEp6Pi6H/s1600-h/wreck-07-20-08-swollen+left+hand.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLEZu8Bmx-19lxdjm8oo7Lnc_DlwJwf6h3VcuUR0bEqpTcxXVkrVSq4iWHBykSf-vz3VsZtKtzbxvAM3qQ3GlOEXE_KPs9tEC7OrIh2gOK789wChNa-yOMGw2djXM5y0d-drxcEp6Pi6H/s320/wreck-07-20-08-swollen+left+hand.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225486147889870754" /></a><br /><br />As for my bike, there are some good scratches on the left gear lever, which also got bent in slightly, and scratches to other parts of the bike, but not the frame. My cycling shorts and top both got scraped up pretty good and have holes in them. Thankfully the bike was fully functional and I was able to ride it home ok.<br /><br />Not once, not a single solitary time, did this guy say he was sorry. I think that infuriated me more than his lack of driving skills. I made him give me his insurance information, and I made it VERY clear to him that if he dared to say that he stopped and/or yielded to me that I would have myself hooked up to a polygraph immediately and I expected him to do the same. I can tell you without any doubt that had I not been a safe and defensive driver that he would have run over me and things would be way worse. One thing that has surprised me, I am not scared in the least bit to ride again, I am quite simply extremely pissed off. This was 100% unequivocally this guy's fault, and I am sure that has something to do with my demeanor.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-21151490657709824382008-07-14T10:15:00.000-07:002008-07-14T10:33:44.050-07:00Great weekend of training in spite of oppressive Houston heat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByCiiz9giExhw4NsjPxXS0vzvOa0WOibPW70NJJ8CRdW5GWU-io6jpMb7MPI8RkRKQVkZg64UEJNix-E4Au0y-t-u6SwL4CxLNa-AY3sS9jD7pPPJzbMVnFblbZlOqj4OQrSGZW_Z6co-/s1600-h/IronmanLonghornLogo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByCiiz9giExhw4NsjPxXS0vzvOa0WOibPW70NJJ8CRdW5GWU-io6jpMb7MPI8RkRKQVkZg64UEJNix-E4Au0y-t-u6SwL4CxLNa-AY3sS9jD7pPPJzbMVnFblbZlOqj4OQrSGZW_Z6co-/s320/IronmanLonghornLogo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222923199163646610" /></a>With 12 weeks to go (as of yesterday) until the <a href="http://www.ironmanlonghorn.com/">Longhorn 70.3</a> my training is going exceedingly well. This past weekend Houston had heat indexes well in excess of 100 degrees, and even the early morning or late evening temps were still above 95. Here is how my weekend went:<br /><br />Saturday morning ran 15 miles in 1:57:45 (7:51 overall pace per mile), with a negative split from the first to second 7.5 mile loops that I run, and my last mile was in 7:51, which told me that I paced myself well from start to finish and didn't slow up coming in. The heat index was about 93 when I finished the run with humidity around 80%, so I feel really good about my effort under those conditions.<br /><br />Saturday afternoon swam 2500m (1.55 miles) at about a 2:00-2:01 pace per 100m.<br /><br />Sunday afternoon road 56.0 miles on the bike (longest ride to date and equal to the Half-Ironman distance) at about a 19-20 mph pace (just slightly under 3 hours).<br /><br />I have also been keeping track of the percentage of miles put into swimming, cycling and running to see how close they are coming to the percentages of the 3 events in the Half-Ironman. Thus far, I am up about 2% in the swim, down about 5% in the cycling and up about 4% in the running. These numbers to me are good because the cycling is still by far the easiest of the 3 for me, and putting slightly more focus on the swim and especially the run I think will help me much more in my overall training and on race day.<br /><br />I'd love any input or comments from you.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-68854134911502320692008-07-09T08:16:00.001-07:002008-07-11T04:34:15.464-07:00First "official" 50 mile ride<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimcLx6XZqyfMWtljBGEzaKTuPDuqwPcYjCB3SDy2YuEVvFC4wpvcE6VicEZZ_l1F5XUDUq-t9xj_fLu4_WaWPB-dKCqyrld5O0kZN8Q8fcwLxoIZB1uOhjn95w9hg38KtGdLxztWnDKN3/s1600-h/RLK-MeCycleAluminum.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimcLx6XZqyfMWtljBGEzaKTuPDuqwPcYjCB3SDy2YuEVvFC4wpvcE6VicEZZ_l1F5XUDUq-t9xj_fLu4_WaWPB-dKCqyrld5O0kZN8Q8fcwLxoIZB1uOhjn95w9hg38KtGdLxztWnDKN3/s320/RLK-MeCycleAluminum.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221153935528890914" /></a><br />I got my bike one month ago today, and have been riding about 4 times a week. I know from familiarity with the area where I live that I've already done at least one ride of about 50 miles, but I made it official on Sunday after adding an odometer. I think what surprised me the most was that my average speed was consistently in the 17-20 mph range, and on one long stretch of road I got it up to around 23-34 mph and held that pretty comfortably for a few miles. Mind you, I am in Houston and all of these rides are on flat ground, but living close to the gulf we get a pretty steady wind of 20+ mph and so half of my rides are pretty much dead into that. I am still really enjoying the cycling portion of my training and have yet to experience anything remotely close to fatigue when I get off the bike to do bricks, even after the 50 miler. Right now my minimum rides are 50km or more (31.0+ miles) three times a week, and then Sunday afternoon is my long ride. I hope to consistently add a couple of miles a week to that ride and try my first century ride sometime in late August or early September (that would be about 5-6 weeks before the Longhorn 70.3).Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-63140300835517189762008-07-02T13:36:00.001-07:002008-07-02T13:51:20.317-07:00Proud husband and father<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCht2RW9tSs92GxeWXrXOBvmMAcjUMV76w-tAXYyfvLDFu9ugw35QR77YSoAs7snL2Hiw73yPpaFxbf5NCNhAxyv9keALKIUfGHRZLBJMN8UlgzHQ8YJInEAJrKOYbDpsTHDgMUSK0pK60/s1600-h/Susan+and+Robert+-+UMArmy+2008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCht2RW9tSs92GxeWXrXOBvmMAcjUMV76w-tAXYyfvLDFu9ugw35QR77YSoAs7snL2Hiw73yPpaFxbf5NCNhAxyv9keALKIUfGHRZLBJMN8UlgzHQ8YJInEAJrKOYbDpsTHDgMUSK0pK60/s320/Susan+and+Robert+-+UMArmy+2008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218521155066985138" /></a>This past weekend my wife Susan and my son Robert returned from a mission trip with UMArmy (sponsored by the United Methodist Church) to Orange, Texas that included about 70 high schoolers and 15 work team adults. Believe it or not, they were there to assist with home repairs of underpriviledged people who were still struggling from Hurricane Rita almost 2 years ago. Susan was a work team leader, which meant she led 6 teenagers in her group. They built a wheelchair ramp for an elderly lady who had lost her right leg from the knee down and had not been able to get out of the house for over a year (her group pictured below with the lady they helped). <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aOfHukLxEfyNprtXIgtg-9MREoEWSGHsQczrx_4dBoleYF63Xh9exg01RDsqOCXb3V94Wm0f5eyqAkfeFVK_gj1y9IHplikkVkWgcsGzXgdJA5FjYkDsXv5ScqyZSe3tSZS7-_8G7-Gz/s1600-h/HPIM1721.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aOfHukLxEfyNprtXIgtg-9MREoEWSGHsQczrx_4dBoleYF63Xh9exg01RDsqOCXb3V94Wm0f5eyqAkfeFVK_gj1y9IHplikkVkWgcsGzXgdJA5FjYkDsXv5ScqyZSe3tSZS7-_8G7-Gz/s320/HPIM1721.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218521756357402162" /></a><br />My son's group repaired a roof on a house where for 2 years the family had to use buckets every time it rained because water just poured in, and they had a 4 year old son. On the last night of the trip, they were asked if they would like to speak about anything that week where they felt like they had seen the face of God at work. My son stood up and said that he saw the face of God through the people he helped who had so much less than he did, yet were happy. My wife said that she witnessed it when she was taking a picture of 6 sweaty, dirty teenagers standing proudly by an elderly lady whom they had never known before that week, but made such an impact on her life.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-65215190353291367322008-06-30T07:35:00.000-07:002008-06-30T08:12:22.376-07:00June Training Summary and TotalsI began cycling in June, so it was the first month that I incorporated swimming, cycling and running into my training. By adding the cycling this month, my running and swimming numbers went down slightly from May, but I realize that is part of the process and I am still very pleased with how the month went. Since getting my tri-bike ("Me-Cycle Aluminum" is what I named my bike) on June 9th, I have found thus far that cycling is definitely the easiest of the 3 disciplines for me. I have already done a number of 20-30 mile rides and one 50 mile ride with what I would consider minimal effort. I have been doing a lot of reading on bike setup and geometry and feel that I have the seat height, aero bars and my overall body positioned very well right now for my training. I may post a few pictures or a video of me on my bike in the near future to get some input from you more experienced cyclists and triathletes. Here are my June numbers:<br /><br /><em><strong>Running:</strong></em> Ran a total of 152.8 miles which included 19 runs, average run was 8.04 miles with the longest single run being 14.0 miles (heat index reached 94 on that run) and the shortest run being 4.0 miles (a bonk run), and my average pace per mile for timed runs was 7:46. I am especially pleased with these numbers because the average heat index on all of my runs has been well into the 90's with humidity in the 70-100% range, and those temperatures exist early in the morning and after the sun goes down as well.<br /><br /><em><strong>Swimming:</strong></em> Swam a total of 43.6km or 27.09 miles which included swimming 16 times, average swim was 2725m or 1.69 miles with the longest swim being 4000m or 2.49 miles (did that 3 times) and the shortest swim being 1600m or approximately 1 mile, and an average pace of approximately 1:57 per 100m (give or take a couple of seconds). I swam the 2.4 mile Ironman distance on June 18 in 1:18:19, just a shade over 2:00 per 100m, which I was very pleased with. I ended the month today with a 1600m swim in 29:39 (1:53 per 100m), an all-time PR for me for that distance.<br /><br /><em><strong>Cycling:</strong></em> I cycled 12 times (starting June 9th) for a total of about 400 miles. I will have a much more accurate count on miles, time and speed in July because I just invested in an odometer that I will start using July 1.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-40694293077722886122008-06-26T17:59:00.000-07:002008-06-26T18:11:15.988-07:00EJECT! TOO LATE! CRASH! (Repeat)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeWe6MfYcUZhPwUF3FZVxGXfK44A46AbGTcLretmVQ8bjBzsnDWxkFHJGiOpPe5PHc4A02CXRNaxUl86C69JuI0B43rtfd0mTvXSqqFdMpTyAQMhr_Yvh6QfKKQTLQ7utuPUBGpUQ-Z8M/s1600-h/shimanopedals.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeWe6MfYcUZhPwUF3FZVxGXfK44A46AbGTcLretmVQ8bjBzsnDWxkFHJGiOpPe5PHc4A02CXRNaxUl86C69JuI0B43rtfd0mTvXSqqFdMpTyAQMhr_Yvh6QfKKQTLQ7utuPUBGpUQ-Z8M/s320/shimanopedals.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216361304105276242" /></a>ok, so I'm an idiot and still rather new to this cycling stuff. The box to the left are the contents of my Shimano clipless pedals and the clips that come with the clipless pedals (call me too logical, but why are they called "clipless" and yet they clip?). I guess I missed reading the instruction section that talked about unclipping your clipless pedals before coming to a complete stop.<br /><br />Tonight I successfully had my second crash since I got the bike 3 weeks ago, and both of the crashes occured while I was at a dead stop. Now keep in mind, neither of these incidents did anything but bruise my ego and a couple of minor scratches to the bike. You see, twice now I have forgotten that I have on pedal clips. Yes, that's right, laugh all you want. I came to a complete stop both times, started to put my foot down to brace myself, then my mind registers, "OH NO DUMMY, YOU ARE STILL CLIPPED IN!" From this point, everything happens in what seems like slow motion as you teater back and forth for a second or two, then just collapse to the side. At least I can laugh about it (just like all the people riding by me are).Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-71517069249773068172008-06-24T07:02:00.000-07:002008-06-24T10:38:35.210-07:00Ironman decisionsFirst of all, congratulations to all of those amazing finishers at Ironman CDA this past Sunday! All of you are inspirational to me and so many others.<br /><br />For anyone who reads my blog, I've been talking for quite some time now about entering Ironman CDA for 2009 as my first IM. Online registration began yesterday, and I went to the web site, started filling out the form, and just couldn't complete it. It had nothing to do with changing my mind about doing an Ironman, but more to do with personal reasons. I've been thinking quite a lot lately about switching to Louisville in 2009, mainly because it is only a couple of hours drive from where my Dad, stepmother and brother live, and it would mean the world to me for them to see me finish my first one. My stepmother has also been going through chemo treatment for Myeloma (a cancer of the blood), and depending on how she is feeling this time next year, it would be much easier for her and my Dad to travel to Louisville to see me than for them to travel far away. Second, my wife's best friend since early childhood and her husband live in Louisville and it would present a great opportunity for her to visit them. Finally, for all of the reasons I just described and for others that I can not put into words, it is a decision that makes me feel at peace. I realize that might sound strange, but I have entered races before where my gut told me I was jumping the gun, and typically those instincts ended up being correct.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-68165865720668670422008-06-17T14:35:00.000-07:002008-06-17T15:02:43.314-07:00Answers to my 5 Tag QuestionsNormally, I delete tag questions or chain emails, but <a href="http://eaglepointrunner.blogspot.com/">Jim</a> is a great guy and has a very inspirational and humorous blog, and since the questions are mainly about running, I'll give in.<br /><br /><em><strong>1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago? </strong></em> 10 years ago in 1998 I was in the midst of trying to qualify for Boston for the year 2000, which I did. I had already completed about 5 marathons, but the training it took to make my time for Boston really taught me a lot about myself and what it takes to be really dedicated and push yourself past your own limits. I feel it has carried on with me and has helped me to continue to improve.<br /><br /><em><strong>2. What is your best and worst run/race experience? </strong></em> I have a tie for best between running my first Boston Marathon in 2000 and running my marathon PR of 3:19:18 in Austin in 2001, which qualified me for Boston again. Worst, too many to name, which is what makes this all so wonderful when you finally do achieve your goals. If I were forced to pick one, I'd say the 1986 Houston Marathon (my 2nd marathon) where we had a record heat day. I swore to God, my wife, and anyone else that would listen that I would NEVER do a marathon again (now I'm at 17 marathons and counting).<br /><br /><em><strong>3. Why do you run?</strong></em> For the personal fulfillment and reaching the goals I have set for myself. I don't care where I place, who passes me or who I pass, I just run against myself and the clock.<br /><br /><em><strong>4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running? </strong></em> I suppose the best piece of advise I ever got, and it was not from one single person, was to learn how to mix up my training during the week with easy runs, tempo runs, intervals and long runs. The worst piece of advise was that you should eat a lot of pasta before a race. Pasta makes me crater, it is truly my kryptonite.<br /><br /><em><strong>5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know. </strong></em> I once had aspirations to be a professional golfer and was a scratch handicap for about 10 years, played golf on a scholarship in college, and played in the United States Amateur Championship in 1981. I now only play about once a year or so, and golf is the only sport I've ever participated in where it is second nature for me, I truly have a natural ability to play the game. I've laid off for a year before, walked out to a course without hitting a range ball to warm up, and still shot close to par. One side note to this, I was fortunate enough in 1997 to be at The Masters standing on the 18th hole when Tiger Woods sank his put to win his first major championship and set The Masters scoring record.<br /><br />Let me know if you decide to answer these questions on your own blog.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-23391922066306917292008-06-11T13:44:00.000-07:002008-06-11T14:25:28.256-07:00I love to Bonk<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaYDLzRTHJaQwf8VzTA2zdke4bdjocXmuU_VI0iuMVgvs_t2rqsVjT005ZWgk_y60R_k8TmqAD-p1DvAG5jQe8BfhHQ7UimbYIyA1Vob1Hia4kYmM6OZFQ7f68gbFnx26xWykEfnLAD24/s1600-h/bonkstreetsign.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaYDLzRTHJaQwf8VzTA2zdke4bdjocXmuU_VI0iuMVgvs_t2rqsVjT005ZWgk_y60R_k8TmqAD-p1DvAG5jQe8BfhHQ7UimbYIyA1Vob1Hia4kYmM6OZFQ7f68gbFnx26xWykEfnLAD24/s320/bonkstreetsign.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210732337406884434" /></a>I have kept a very detailed running log since about 1984 of every run that includes distance, time and pace (if I timed it), time of day, temperature (including heat index or wind chill, humidity, and wind speed and direction), how I felt both physically and mentally (I give these each a rating of 1-10 with 10 being the highest in any category and the rarest), my weight, and just some general comments about the run itself or things that happened that day in my personal life. The main thing this has helped me to do is to be able to quickly see how I perform historically under certain conditions, and it has paid off tremendously in many of my races.<br /><br />About once or twice a year I bonk on a run and my body just completely shuts down. I'm not sure how it is for everyone else, but my mind and body are just completely spent from the outset, I always end up doing far less mileage than what I had planned, and it's as if the off switch has been flicked for my entire body. The interesting thing for me is that it usually occurs when I have been training heavily for a long period of time (which I have been doing) and strangely enough it always signals to me that my training is about to go up a notch for the better, which usually happens about 7-10 days later. <br /><br />Case in point, last week on June 2, I went out on my normal 7.5 mile route, a route that I have covered well over 1,000 times through the years. Before I had even gone 200 yards to the end of our street, I was already breathing heavily and sweating. Anyone who runs a lot knows this type of thing happens from time to time, and typically by the time I get to the half-mile or mile point I have started to get a better rhythm going and the run improves the rest of the way. This was not the case on that day. I had barely made it 2 miles before I was fighting the mental demons to keep moving forward. I stretched it out to mile 3, then 4, then at about mile 5.5 finally gave into my screaming body and stopped and walked back home. I was completey covered in sweat, and my shoes and socks and shorts were drenched. The next day I had a run planned and decided to give myself an unscheduled day of rest.<br /><br />The next 3 or 4 runs that followed were better and most were in the 7:50-7:55 pace per mile range (including a 12.2 miler this past Saturday in 90+ degrees). Then yesterday, it happened. I went for a run on my 7.5 mile route around 5:30 in the afternoon (temps still above 90) and really did not feel like going, but went anyway. My body felt lathargic, but I pressed forward and was surprised to see a 7:45 pace for the first mile. At the halfway point, I looked down to see that I was at a 7:30 pace, and I ended up holding that 7:30 pace for the entire run. On top of that, my swimming the last 4 times has gone from about a 2:00-2:05 pace per 100m to around 1:50-1:55 per 100m with what feels like less effort.<br /><br />So what do I take from all of this? If you train hard and faithfully, you are going to go through periods of ups and downs, regardless of your ability. Just hang in there and the benefits will come.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-90872714149153166022008-06-09T12:47:00.000-07:002008-06-09T13:19:05.603-07:00The cycle begins... and I've named my new bike...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PcBNAQY4tkcXU0lHXxFTgUGBrKVeaOcgC8WNJx7nPSZGRzreOXblKR1KIjOlSufbAiXhf1JVS00K3SxhP1naVihPduRkvxcAQRtznLIvXPyPJ43ZeBVCQpgFQh2X9lnQ4rphRQk1jHp4/s1600-h/SpecializedTransitionMultisport..jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PcBNAQY4tkcXU0lHXxFTgUGBrKVeaOcgC8WNJx7nPSZGRzreOXblKR1KIjOlSufbAiXhf1JVS00K3SxhP1naVihPduRkvxcAQRtznLIvXPyPJ43ZeBVCQpgFQh2X9lnQ4rphRQk1jHp4/s320/SpecializedTransitionMultisport..jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209971349686841234" /></a>After months of going back and forth in trying to decide what type of triathlon bike to purchase, I finally made up my mind last week and my new bike arrived on Saturday. I ended up purchasing a brand new 2007 Specialized Transition Multi-Sport (pretty much an aluminum bike with the exception of the carbon seat post and fork), which is actually one of the very first bikes I looked at when I started shopping several months ago for one. Because of its material makeup, I have dubbed it <em><strong>"Me-Cycle Aluminum" </strong></em>. This bike will hopefully carry me through the remainder of my training and onto my first Ironman. There were 3 main reasons I chose this bike. <br /><br />First, it has the geometry of a tri-bike with the handling benefits of a road bike. I live in an area where there are no bike paths to speak of, and many of the roads I will have to ride on have no shoulder at all, just the 2 lanes of traffic and God watching your back to make sure oncoming traffic is paying attention, leaving a margin for error of about 3 feet as cars go by in the same lane. The fact that the bike has road handlebars as well as the aerobars already benefitted me from a control factor on my first ride on Saturday when I was coming up on a huge pothole in the road at the same time a car was going by me in the same lane. By being able to let got of the aerobars and get more control on the road bars, I am positive it helped me to avoid an accident. The road bars have also come in handy on the couple of rides I did over the weekend with the wind. Since I am close to the Gulf Coast, it is not uncommon to have steady wind gusts of 20-30 mph, and again it was very comforting to be able to go from the aerobars to the road bars to gain more control.<br /><br />Second, in the last week or so we found out that our house may possibly have some serious foundations problems, not uncommon in this part of Texas. If that is the case, we are talking major, major, major bucks for repair, and I simply could not justify spending $2,000-$3,000 more for a bike with that potential financial burden weighing on me.<br /><br />Third, if it does turn out that I decide I want to do more than one Ironman and/or get more involved in triathlons of various distances, I can always upgrade to a better bike further down the road and give this one to my son. He and I are basically the same height and measurements, and he has recently expressed an interest in doing some triathlons in the future (he is 16 and has already completed 3 half-marathons).Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-22165066852065676932008-05-31T08:39:00.000-07:002008-06-03T14:08:36.918-07:00May Training - New Mileage PR's for Running and SwimmingI had an absolutely fantastic month of training in May for my running and swimming (still not cycling yet because I won't have a bike until about mid to late June). This was the first month since last October where I wasn't so swamped with work from my business that I actually had time to stick to a relatively consistent training regimine for an entire month. I know that in order to make my Ironman goals I need to pick things up in those months where normally my base goes down, and this month was a great start to that. So here are my May numbers:<br /><br /><em><strong>Running:</strong></em> Ran a total of 187.5 miles which included 22 runs, average run was 8.52 miles with the longest single run being 13.1 miles and the shortest run being 7.5 miles, and my average pace per mile for timed runs was 7:49. My previous best for the month of May was 176.0 miles in 2001, and my all-time single month record was 225.0 miles in March of 2001 (the month before I ran my second Boston Marathon).<br /><br /><em><strong>Swimming:</strong></em> Swam a total of 50km or 31.0 miles which included swimming 16 times, average swim was 3125m or 1.94 miles with the longest swim being 5000m or 3.1 miles (did that 3 times) and the shortest swim being 2000m or 1.24 miles, and an average pace of approximately 2:00 per 100m (give or take a couple of seconds). This is actually a personal record for me for the most miles swam in any single month (I started in March of 2007 and have averaged to date about 20-24 miles a month previously).Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-74801614723843015942008-05-29T11:31:00.000-07:002008-05-29T14:33:41.777-07:00Mulch Ado About Nothing - WARNING: This post may be offensive to true gardeners<a href="http://www.softlandingrubber.com/images/redMulch.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.softlandingrubber.com/images/redMulch.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>After my swim this morning I came home and helped my wife do some work in our yard before it got to be too hot ("too hot" is a relative term because at 8:00 a.m. it was already over 90 with the heat index and about 90% humidity). The last couple of weeks, we have been removing some old tree roots, planting new shrubs, trimming and grooming plants, and I have personally spread down 70 (yes, SEVENTY) bags of mulch that are 40 lbs. each on our landscape.<br /><br />What I am trying to figure out is simply this... At what point is this supposed to become therapeutic? I am hot, sweaty, covered in dirt, I have mulch and dirt that falls into places in my shorts that I can't discuss, and just try using a pair of large garden shears to lop off hundreds of branches that are chest high and higher after swimming a couple of miles. I have friends who love working in the yard and always talk about the thrill they get when they put their hands in the earth. I suppose I am as confused by this as they are when I tell them I am training for an Ironman. My extent of yardwork expertise stops as soon as I have edged, used the weedeater and mowed. When asked about what I've been planting, I just say "shrubs" because to me that's what all of it is. If they want to know more detail than that, I tell them that I think the Latin name of what I'm planting is "Backbreakus Laborius".<br /><br />My all-time favorite gardening story occured one Saturday morning when I was forced to listen to a garden show on the AM radio for a few minutes while awaiting a weather report as I was driving somewhere. Now remember, I am always telling jokes and making fun of things, and I've done standup comedy and I love to especially do improv, and I've had more fun with this over the years than I can tell you. It was quite simply one question that an elderly lady caller had for the garden expert as follows: "Can you please help me? Somethin's chewin' on my red tips." I nearly drove off the road dying of laughter. I have no idea what "red tips" were or what she was talking about, but it has made for some great routines over the years.<br /><br />I need to close this post now, I hear the weeds calling.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-48191698100699982152008-05-27T06:15:00.000-07:002008-05-28T10:35:26.904-07:00The choices we make<a href="http://www.clipartof.com/images/clipart/thumbnail2/7584_beer_mug_mascot_cartoon_character_running.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 148px;" src="http://www.clipartof.com/images/clipart/thumbnail2/7584_beer_mug_mascot_cartoon_character_running.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I have done some pretty stupid things in my life, and typically have done a good job of learning from my mistakes. On my run last night, I had something happen that made me feel both proud of myself and sad at the same time.<br /><br />I got a late start to my run and it was almost already dark when I began. I have a 7.5 mile single loop course that is what I would call my normal running route. I usually do it at a minimum, and along the way there are several cross streets I can take to make it further or shorter depending on how I feel and what my scheduled run is for that day. As I was nearing the end of my run last night, I heard a car coming up behind me and suddenly a voice was slurring and shouting out of the window, "Roobbberrtt, you shouldn't be running, come on in and have a beer", and this little chant went on several times. I simply held up my hand as if to say hi and that I didn't hear what was being said and continued my run and never stopped. The individual who was saying this is close to my age, and this is definitely not the first time I have witnessed them in this capacity. My biggest hope for this particular person is that they do not have an alcohol problem that is beyond simply drinking too much.<br /><br />When I got home, I did my half-mile cooldown walk and could not get what happened out of my head. I will have an occassional beer (probably 1 per month on average), but I never drink to the point of being wasted. When I am training hard like I am now, I always try to weigh out whether or not anything alcoholic is going to be a detriment to my next training session or to what I've already done. For whatever reason, this little incident has given me even more resolve in my training and it makes me feel very glad that I have "grown up" and don't still feel the need to party. I am also glad that my children (ages 19 and 16 and right in the thick of the "peer pressure" age) see that the choices I make are to keep a healthy lifestyle and that I don't need alcohol to help me have a good time.<br /><br />Update: 05/28/08 - The person shouting out to me was NOT the driver of the vehicle, their spouse was driving. Had they been the driver, trust me, the context of my comments would have had a completely different and angry tone.Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498243702368315425.post-69297839569256139802008-05-23T14:40:00.000-07:002008-05-23T14:47:54.964-07:00Training in an ovenAt 5:00 p.m. here in Houston, the current temperature is 91, the heat index is 101, the humidity is 60% and the winds are blowing out of the SSE at 13 mph and gusting to 21 mph. It will be at least 10:00 tonight before the heat index falls back under 95 (about 2 hours after sunset). This morning when I went to go swim at 6:00 a.m., almost a good hour before the sun comes up, the temperature was 80 with a heat index of 85 and the humdity was 97%, AND IT'S NOT EVEN SUMMER YET!<a href="http://www.gulland.ca/homenergy/brickovenfire.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.gulland.ca/homenergy/brickovenfire.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Faithful Soleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06415872242033502810noreply@blogger.com0