A Promise September 10, 2008
Posted by anton in : Life , add a commentWe go through life and make all kinds of promises. Some are important. Some are not. Some we’re able to keep and others, despite our best intentions, we can’t.
My parents, Tony and Stell, made a promise to me when I was a kid, that they would see me through many hours in the hospital and time in bed at home.
My sisters and I kept our promise to them …that we would take care of them while they battled Cancer. When they died, however, I realized that a promise can be kept to someone even after they are gone.
Several times a year I take part in running events or bike tours or triathlons and raise some money to help fund cancer research..it’s not much, but it’s what I can do to keep alive a promise to help others.
This past weekend The 24 Hours of Booty (Columbia, MD version) was to be held to help raise funds for the Ulman Cancer Fund and the Lance Armstrong Foundation…Past tense here, as along came something no one could control. Tropical Storm Hannah. In what I am sure was a tough decision, the folks at Booty canceled the event..an eye on the safety of those folks who would be riding.
Now, I’ve been around awhile and I know that things happen that you can’t do anything about…but I knew I could do something about the event not being held.
Some great people opened their hearts and wallets to sponsor me. I owed them. I would keep the promise.
I would ride on my own.
I’m no fool mind you (some folks might disagree!) so I had no intention of riding in heavy weather. Well, ok, I’ve been known to do that but not for 24 hours!
The 24 Hour Trainer Ride for Cancer was born somewhere in the twisted depths of the endurance sports section of my mind.
For those reading this who don’t know what a trainer is, it’s a device for riding indoors, or in this case, the carport.
Starting at 9:15 on Saturday (Hey, this is MY event now! Why wait till noon.) I started riding. No fanfare, no balloons, just, “Ok! Let’s go!” Hoping to make the whole 24 hours I kept the pace easy and ate and drank early and often.
With the bike computer moved toward the back of the bike and the sensor placed on the rear wheel, I could keep track of my miles.
I had a TV and would watch some DVD’s of “The Tour.” Since some of the money was going to the LAF, it seemed only fitting…but honestly, I didn’t get very far with it…
Too much else going on. Wonderful conversation with my lovely wife Mary Lou, (Very supportive, that girl!) Watching the rain fall and snacking.
It goes like this:
Ride for an hour. Get off the bike, take a bathroom break, coat my crotch with Chamois But’r, stretch, get back on the bike. Eating and drinking are for on the bike, not off.
At one point I cover my feet with Body Glide and fresh socks as I start getting hot spots and fear blisters.
A good friend of ours, Janet, comes by and brings Burittos! It is the right food at the right time…I’m at 100 miles and eating like someone twice my size. The squirrels just off the carport are starting to look good…fur and all.
The ride continues and at 150 miles I stop for a 15 minute break and change shirts and pull on a second pair of shorts for extra padding. This helps immensely as my “nether regions” are feeling it…not bad mind you, the But’r is helping with that, but it’s got my attention.
All through the day the rain pelts down and the wind picks up.
Mary Lou brings hot tea and soup and hugs and makes me warm from the inside out.
Night comes on and she reads to me by head lamp…working our way through “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
Finally she goes off to bed and I’m alone in the dark spinning and listening to music and thinking of all those I’ve known who have suffered with Cancer… I hope that someday someone will ride for me.
I read an article about long rides sometime back..”After 200 miles, nothing changes.” That came true for me at about 180. For the whole time after that my discomfort level never changed, and as long as I ate and drank, my energy level stayed about the same.
During the night a paranoia grips me and I turn the bike so I’m facing the street, my back to the wall…shadows in the night disquiet me… a fox stops by and cocks it’s head as if to say…”What the…?”
The pattern continues…Break, But’r, bathroom.
Finally about 4am I am in need of some down time. I flop onto the couch and am gone till my alarm goes off at 5.
Up and back on on “Aluminium Maiden.”
Mary Lou is out at dawn and sits with me as I plow through the miles…finally, I’m done. At 7:40, at 22 hours and 40 minutes I hit 300 miles and call it good.
Promise kept.
No comments on how bad I may have felt…my complaints would mean nothing. My Parents suffered through much worse.
If your into nuts and bolts: On bike average speed, 15.6mph. Average speed including time off the bike, 13.1. I didn’t keep track of my time off the bike, but I kept it to a minimum.
The trainer was Cyclops Fluid, the bike a Specialized “Aqua Sapone” zebra stripe.
I ate 6 bananas, 10 gels,3 bags of blocks, one bag of sports beans,2 Peanut Butter Sandwiches, An egg sandwich, a buritto, a coke, Hot tea, water,Succeed! Amino and a little humble pie.
24HOB is a great idea and if your interested you can visit them at www.24hoursofbooty.org
Geez Buddy…Where ya been? August 23, 2008
Posted by anton in : Life , 1 comment so farWell, first there was this class I took…Anatomy and Physiology II (Or as another student put it…Anatomy and Brutality.) Six weeks, four nights a week. Got a “B.” It was hard….just the volume of information that I had to hold on to and then regurgitate for the exams was. …well it kept me busy. Not as busy as I’ll be if I get into Nursing school but then ,that will be my only focus.
On top of that I’ve been training for the 24 Hours of Booty, a fund raiser for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Ullman Cancer fund. A 24 hour bike ride on a closed loop course…should be fun. No expectations about how far I’ll go , but I’d like to keep moving as much as possible for the 24. I met my monetary goals for the race , raising over 500 bucks.
Training for this has been interesting…some weeks of over 230 miles on the bike and then more running. Moving at a laid back (15mph) clip shouldn’t be too taxing…but we’ll see how long the crotch holds out.
School starts this week..so that will eat into more time…
On the horizon: A-10 tomorrow, Booty in two weeks, Seagull Century in October and the JFK 50 miler in November…may try to do something else this fall also. That depends on how much Booty sets me back.
After the JFK, a speed work ramp up for the Goofy Challenge and then a few weeks off before starting the Ironman Lake Placid training cycle.
Yeah, I know I said I’d never do it again but…I guess It’s my IM…Just can’t see myself on another course. You can take the boy out of the hills, but you can’t take the hills out of the boy.
The Four Goals of Ironman July 13, 2008
Posted by anton in : Ironman , 1 comment so farJust in from a long ride on the C & O canal…92 miles in 6 hours. It’s HARD pushing that mountain bike up the dirt towpath! A great workout none the less.
Heading up to Lake Placid this coming week to volunteer and Probably sign up for Next year. It will be a whole new gig…I’ll have moved up to 55-59 age group and it may well be my last for awhile, being involved in trying to get into Nursing School.
Ironman is about goal setting. There are the day to day goals that get you to the pool or out on the road. There was the goal you set for yourself to sign up in the first place and the goal of trying to do something positive in your life.
To get that medal though, to hear those words:”…you are an Ironman!” There are four goals you have to meet and surpass.
Goal One: Get to the starting line healthy, fit and with the right attitude.
All the training and work and everything else you do means nothing if you have to cancel the trip two weeks out because your knee is the size of a basketball and you’ve been told to lay off for six weeks. Standing on the shore of the swim in one piece is the hardest part of becoming an Ironman. Six months or more of training mean nothing when you have to stand there and watch the start instead of be in the start.
To that end: Be realistic about your Ironman. Be careful of “goal inflation.” Get a good training plan and work the plan…don’t let the plan work you. Ironman race day is a long lonely day at times. Make sure plenty of your workouts are done alone. Group workouts are fine but they can lead down paths that your training plan does not follow. Most “Iron Hopefuls” who fail to get there can usually pinpoint a day when it all went bad. A crash on a group ride, an out of control lifting session in the gym with the local muscleheads or a long run done WAY too fast with folks that aren’t training for an IM. One that I hear often…”WE were just shooting hoops!” Ball sports can wreck and Iron Hopeful. Be careful.
Practice your mental game. Keep a positive attitude and always be helpful and kind to the other athletes that cross your path…Good Karma works wonders. While you may have hopes for a certain finish place or time…the start is a good time to let go of that and face the day with no expectations. It WILL be a long day and too much can happen that can derail your plans. Face all race day problems head on..then move on.
Goal Two: It’s race day and you’re in the water. This goal is to finish the swim with your heart still in your chest and a gleam in your eye. You want to get out of the water saying “Yeah! What’s next?” If this is your first IM…hang back a little. I sometimes wait on the shore for thirty seconds and still turn in a good mid-pack time. Don’t get in the “Rugby game in a washing machine.” I’ve done it and had my worst swims there.
Once under way…swim your swim. Keep to your pace and your breathing. relish in the feeling of moving smoothly through the water. If you trained well you will see those folks who fought and kicked and punched through the swim start later in the day.
Goal three: Make it through the bike with gas to spare: So many first time IMers and even experienced ones will make mistakes on the bike that will cost them a good marathon or maybe even the race. Again…you’ve trained for this. Ride your bike ride, not the ride of the guy on the seven thousand dollar Tri bike who just whipped past you. Drink early and often. Stick to your nutrition schedule. Don’t eat something new on race day.
Drink early and often. Pay attention to how you FEEL ,not what you heart rate monitor says or how the others around you seem to be. We rely too often on technology and if your technology fails on race day, you have to know how it feels to be where you are now. Drink early and often. In training you practiced bike handling skills. On race day you may have to use them. While you need to be in the moment and connected to yourself to gauge proper nutrition..don’t “zone out.” A moments inattention can be dangerous on the bike, especially in the aid stations or on a course with big descents. Drink early and often. A Pee stop is time better spent than all the time you’ll waste trying to get your hydration level back up.
Goal Four: Finish. Many IM hopefuls say their goal is to finish. I do. If however, you ignore the first three goals…you might very well fail.
For many IMers the run often becomes a “walk-a-thon.” Those folks who screamed past you on the bike or clawed their way through the swim will be “running backwards” by now. As you’ve done all day, keep to your schedule and your pace and your nutrition. Be Happy! Avoid those who are not. The gloomy runner can pull you down. Pat them on the back, tell them “Good Job!” and move on. Perhaps your kind words will be the salve they needed. Drink early and often and thank the volunteers. Finish! Revel in your accomplishment and hug those who helped you get there.
288 June 28, 2008
Posted by anton in : Training , add a comment288. The number of days it’s been since I swam last. September 12 of last year.
You know, I don’t HATE swimming it just hasn’t been my thing. Got focused on last years JFK 50 miler, got sick
had an emergency colonoscopy. (Yikes!) Ran the JFK three days later, sprained my ankle at mile 6 and ran (sort of ) the last
44 miles on it…and on and on…Like I tell folks, as I’ve gotten older the time just seems to slip away…I go to sleep on a Tuesday and when I wake up it’s two weeks later.
Not getting in the water was like that. One thing led to another and the next thing you know, it was now.
Had the wonderful chance to go to my brother-in-law and sister’s river (pronounced “rivah”) place in Virginia. Needed to get out of town and see some family with ML, which is always fun… It was great to have the invite, but there’s a problem with the place from my current swimming perspective…all that water.
It just laps there looking at you…and it purrs to you…”Hey baby…climb in.” One moment the river tries to schmooze you in and the next it roils and caps and flows and defies you to get in it. “You couldn’t swim in me if you had fins and gills!”
So I did. From one pylon to another, about 100 meter out and back, out and back…nothing working, nothing flowing, movements aren’t smooth…everything akimbo. Breathing isn’t right, arms aren’t right, nothing is right and by 800 meters I’m shot. Better to get out of the salty water than hammer away with bad technique.
It wasn’t too bad! Makes me think about getting back to the pool. An aquatic jump start with the “Rivah” for a battery.
Long Bike, long thoughts. June 15, 2008
Posted by anton in : Observations , 1 comment so farIt’s Fathers Day and I miss him horribly. Was out for a 4 hour bike ride today…spinning around the park getting in some miles and thinking about Dad. Not the whole time but, he kept drifting in and out of my thoughts. There is just to much to remember…and as I get older I know I’ve forgotten some things but I try and recall what I do remember from time to time. To forget even one little bit is a disservice to him.
He was a product of his generation and the depression and of course the War. I would have liked to have know him before he went to fight in the snow and cold. I wonder if we would have liked each other. He was hard at times. How could he not be. No one comes back from experiences like he had and is the same person…He moved on and maybe had to re-invent himself or maybe he was re-invented even though he didn’t want to be.
“Tell me I’m a good man, tell me I lived a good life.” the old Private Ryan says to his wife at the end of the movie.
Dad was. He did.
Triathlon and the Economy May 26, 2008
Posted by anton in : Observations , 1 comment so farOver at Trifuel.com there has been a thread going around about the economy and triathlon expense.
Posted this there and thought I’d drag it over here for posterity sake…
I think that Triathlon is expensive and it’s hard to justify the expense, when so many have so little…
Do all the triathlons you want…but don’t forget and make time to help, those less fortunate.
Just some random thoughts on the subject:
* It’s your money. Spend it on what you want.
* There are millions of people IN THIS COUNTRY who can’t afford the basic necessities.
* If you ignore that fact, and do nothing to help, I feel sorry for you.
* The average household income for triathletes is $120,000.
The median individual income for triathletes is $96,000 .
55% of triathletes have a median income of over $100,000.
( source: Katalist Multisport Management, Ironman Lake Placid 2007 Fact sheet
had similar numbers)
* The average HOUSEHOLD income in the US in 2006 was $46,000 (source: US Census office)
* The average income in Bangaldesh is $1.25 a day. (source: Washington Post)
* While Triathlon can make your life seem worthwhile, so can just plain old running
at a start up cost of less than $150.
* Don’t complain about the cost of triathlon while mom and dad are footing most of your bills.
If you are a single parent with kids you can complain all you want, about anything.
If you’re double income, no kids…no whining.
If your double income with kids and still able to do tri’s…you have a well paying jobs.
* Been using the house as an ATM to afford this sport?…Yikes!
* Triathlon is expensive but a new set of Callaway irons will set you back $1,200, not to mention
the woods, putter, bag, balls and green fees.
* Bring on the $5 a gallon or more gas. That way maybe we’ll get our heads out of our oil
dependant back sides and do something about mass transit, bike lanes and alternative energy.
( yeah, it hits me too, my gasoline bill has tripled in the last year)
* car pool to races.
* Triathlon won’t be cool forever. It will be cheaper when it’s not.
* If people complained about costs instead of just paying up, because “there might be a chance
I’ll go to Kona.” or because you feel some need to be ranked, the big corporate RD’s might
listen…maybe. Don’t know till you try.
* give back to others, always, even in this sport.
* You can get a group of friends together and set up an event and have a great time…for free.
* We are all just a spot of bad luck away from being on the street.
* Triathlon is the Polo of the current era.
Catch UP
Posted by anton in : Training , add a commentMy training of late has not been as focused a it should be…It took quite awhile to get the bottom of my feet back to normal after losing most of the skin to blisters in April (see the previous post). But after a rousing long run yesterday with Scott, down from New Jersey, all seems go.
Plans are to build on biking distance in the next month, finishing a double century in June, July and August. August has me going to N.J. for The Turkey Swamp 50k and at least one 50 miler. First weekend of September is the 24 Hours of Booty (No, not that kind of Booty!) A 24 hour bike ride where I hope to hit 350 miles.It’s a charity ride to raise money for the Livestrong foundation, which helps with quality of life issues for cancer patients.
That will bring me up to the Virginia Double / Triple Ironman weekend the first weekend of October.
The only problem has been the pool…I just have not been motivated to get in the water and swim…but I think I can get past that in the next week or so here… have been doing my pullups and kettlebell workouts to build shoulder and back strength…that will make swimming easier.
For those of you interested, I passed my first Anatomy and Physiology class with an “A”. Part II is this summer.
The school year is winding down and can’t get here soon enough…bring on summer.
24 Hour Ultra: Plenty of Gas, two flats. April 13, 2008
Posted by anton in : Race Report , 1 comment so farI’ve been looking forward to this for awhile…The Virginia 24 Hour Run and Relay. A fund raiser for the American Cancer Society…I’m running to honor my parents.
It’s all about time. 24 hours. Person with the most milage in the end wins. Simple. Run on a flat, 3.75 mile loop on dirt roads and a forest trail. Easy.
Just stay up for 24 hours and keep moving. Fuel up right, be smart and reel in the miles. Scary. No finish line waiting 4 or 10 or 17 miles down the road…no “I can tough this out for the next 10 miles” business. More like, “Can I tough this out for the next 13 hours?”
I drive down Friday evening and get to the Sandy Bottom Nature Park, get a camp site (10$!) and walk through a course preview…meet the RD get some dinner and wait. To sleep early with the bullfrogs and spring peepers and actually get six hours uninterrupted.
Up at four, break camp and and schlep over to the start area.
The RD provides water. You bring everything else, so I set up an aid station with chair, cooler and “Box o’ Stuff.” The box holds first aid items, clothes, extra shoes, socks, an assortment of hats, head lamp, ipod and whatever else I may need for a whole day.
There are 30 solo runners and an assortment of relay teams…after a brief meeting and welcome, George, the RD says “Ok, you can go now.” And it begins at 7:08 am.
The plan is to adhere to a strict 4/1 ratio for 50 miles. Run four minutes and walk one. After that..run as I can.
All goes well for quite awhile…I’m sort of in the back at the start, but by 20 miles have moved up through the field. At 30 miles I’m feeling…well super!
It’s hot. 80 degrees. Humid. and I”m just soaked with sweat even though most of the course is shaded. The sweat runs down my legs and into my shoes… About 3 pm clouds pop up…a brief shower which helps for awhile, then more sun and a spike in temps.
A pattern develops. Run/walk. Arrive back at the start, check in to make sure they are counting laps correctly (they do) and a stop at my aid station to pick up gels and snacks, water and gatorade and later Pepsi and Pringels. Back on the trail after a brief stop. We run and talk and wave and generally just keep moving.
Mile 45 comes around and I notice a few hot spots on the soles of my feet…I consider stopping and changing socks and shoes. I decide to do after the next lap.
My mistake. By the end of the the next lap at 48.75…I sporting raging blisters on the bottoms of my feet. I stop, pop them, put on some blister pads and duct tape, new socks and shoes and go back out to see how bad it is. Blisters on toes, no problem. Bottoms of feet, another story.
It’s bad. I come in and the end of lap 14, 52.5 miles in 11 hours flat…walking the whole last lap. To continue would be folly and would be risking some serious damage…I’m having trouble walking on them.
I toddle over to see George and tell him I’m done. That simple. Done.
Packing up and saying some goodbye’s I’m a bit angry at myself…Here I am with plenty of gas in the tank and two flats and no spares. Today as I sit here writing I can honestly say I’m not a bit sore or tired. It’s just the feet that are trashed. I’m confident I could have broken 100 miles.
Next year.
Running Etiquette: 2008 March 25, 2008
Posted by anton in : Observations , add a commentFolks in my generation, when they come up against something new, often take out their false teeth and mutter something about Bob Dylan and “The Times They Are a Changing.”
Put the choppers back in and listen to some newer Dylan…”Things Have Changed.”
Running Etiquette: 2008
(Note: I’ve seen the examples I’m using and they are noted this way: (Disney)
Headphones:
ipods, and all the geegaw that goes with them. Even though the USA Track and Field, Road Runners Club of America, USAT and goodness knows how many running clubs clearly forbid their use, you’re going to continue to use them and hope you don’t get DQ’d. Yes, you can get DQ’d. You really should read the race literature.
Since you’re going to use them: Be more mindful of those around you and don’t let yourself slide into some Gnarls Barkley haze, ignoring those other runners around you. Look before you leap. If it’s heavy “traffic” point where you want to go. If you have to search for your “power song”, don’t slowdown or stop in the middle of the road. Move off to the side. Keep the volume reasonable so you don’t miss important stuff, like the ambulance coming up behind you. (Disney) If the crowd of runners around you suddenly parts, it’s not because they are in awe of you. It’s because they are getting out of the way of something you can’t hear. (Disney, MCM, Ironman) Please pay attention. If you get DQ’d for using a music player of some sort, don’t complain. You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.
Cell Phones:
The NTSB has stated that on average, automobile drivers slow down three to five miles per hour when on their cell phones.
The same appears to be true of runners. If you receive a call or have to place a call mid race, again, pull to the side. You WILL slow down and it’s quite annoying to those running behind you. (JFK 50 Mile, Disney, MCM, oh heck…every race I go to) Even though your loved one may be at an aid station five miles ahead waiting for you, and you wish to let them know…don’t yell into your phone. They’ll be able to hear you just fine. Those runners without earphones don’t want to hear you yelling half a conversation. If you have a phone with you and you see a problem, such as a runner down, use it!
Cell phones music devices and anything you carry for that matter:
Hold on to that stuff! I’ve seen nasty accidents involving faces smashed onto pavement and blood and busted knees, because someone dropped their electronic device of choice and stopped on a dime, only to be bowled over by three or four people behind them. (MCM, Disney, JFK and a bunch of short races)
Dogs:
Never appropriate to run with your hound in a race. Ever. It’s not safe for other runners and it’s not safe for your pooch. (National Marathon, Frederick Marathon, shorter races) I used to love the old Triathlantic Races where Brad would DQ you for even bringing one to the race site.
Read the race Literature:
It’s full of great advice and information you need to know like how long the race is and where it stops. It will also clearly outline what is acceptable and what is not on race day. If the information says “No baby carriages/strollers” it also means your three wheeled baby jogger, even if you are using it as a rolling aid station for you and six of your friends. (MCM)
If the literature says “Pacers strongly discouraged” it means it. Please tell your friends it’s not ok to run the last ten miles of your race with you.
(MCM, JFK, Ironman) It adds to the crowd, they aren’t covered under race insurance if something goes all wrong, and frankly, you should be able to do this on your own. Tell them to sign up and run with you next year.
Finally, the etiquette you should already know:
If you missed a time cut off, be gracious. Don’t argue with the Race Director. (JFK, Cat 50K, Disney, for crying out loud!) Train harder and smarter and come back next year.
Always smile and say thank you to the volunteers.
Always be helpful to other runners.
Don’t run in the shirt you get for showing up to packet pick up.
Number goes on the front.
RD’s: The horse is out of the barn. You guys need to decide how you’re going to handle the new etiquette. Stop making an issue of some of this stuff or start DQing folks who do break the rules. If you DQ one, you have to DQ them all. Restrict everything, or let it all go.
Disclaimer: I never run with head phones, even if they are attached to my ipod. I carry a phone on long training runs but never in a race. I read the literature and don’t own a dog.
Nope, nope, nope. February 29, 2008
Posted by anton in : Training , 1 comment so farTomorrow is the Greenway Trail 50K and Marathon. I’m signed up. I won’t be there. I decided to bag it. Easy to do as sign up is race day. This is a great race, well done and a gem of a race. It’s very much an enhanced Fat Ass Ultra. Point to point. A rural race in an urban setting.
Still suffering with a bit of an ankle problem, lingering from the JFK, It’s a good idea to ease up a bit. When it comes to this sort of thing, I remain the soul of caution. I know folks who have bad knees, hips and ankles…it’s often the result of not listening to your body and taking time off when you need to. How many times do you go to a race and see people who are running injured? What’s up with that? Better to back off for awhile and run for many years into the future than run for the next two weeks and have to leave it all behind….forever.
Still on the radar is the Virginia 24 hour Ultra Run in April. Perhaps the Old Dominion 100 miler in June.
I’m going to lay low with the ankle for another week (swim and bike,walk some) pick up running again the next week.