Focus

My mileage is returning pretty well. I am happy with where I am, though I'm a little confused about where to go. While I have my marathon race planned, I don't have anything else on the books. Particularly I don't have any triathlon plans, or even long-term aspirations. It makes my swimming and cycling seem so extraneous. But I DO believe both are great cross-training tools. And I think open water swimming events would be fun to do [more of].

Having a specific training plan will probably help me focus in on my race. Furthermore, I need to make sure to put out more miles off-road. Medoc is a trail marathon, and is vastly different that a road race, in speed, terrain, tactics, popularity and support, and so on.

Team USO

Yeah, I know. I'm getting lazy in updating this. Sometimes it's hard to tell when/if people are even reading it though.

My return to running has been so-so. I'm able to get in some decent mileage, but I don't think it's anywhere near where I'd like it to be. I'm probably going to skip on doing a half Ironman in September. Eight weeks to build up, with a bum knee no less, just isn't a good idea. And I'd rather take the time to focus on my running and work on that base. I realize that this might be my last chance to get in a half before I lose my motivation for it. After watching the White Lake Half and several good weeks of bike training at Inside Out, I was really getting back in the triathlete mind set and groove. But it's been waning again, and when winter comes around, the biking will drop off dramatically and the group ride won't be around.

Last year I joined Team in Training for the Columbia Olympic Triathlon, held that May. This year I wanted to find another way to raise money for a good cause. Because of my family's military status, and since David is currently deployed, I decided to join TeamUSO while training for the Medoc Trail Marathon. For those who don't know, the USO is an organization that provides morale and support functions for our military service members. Several airports have USO stations where service members can collect themselves before or after traveling. They also send care packages to deployed troops and provide means for troops to contact their families.

I would LOVE it if you donated to help support this cause! My goal is to raise $1,500 by the date of my race, October 15!

Wrightsville Beach Training

I am running again! ... sort of...

I'm currently in Wrightsville Beach for my two weeks of active duty training for the Coast Guard. The Friday before, I was finally cleared by the doctor to start running again. Obviously full force was not advised, so I started kinda of easy. However, even that seemed to be a bit much and right now my knee has flared up and the running is being sidetracked again. I'm able to make it through the 2.5 mile run we (the Reservists) do a couple times, but some times it was worse than others.

However, the time here in Wrightsville has been fun and interesting. Usually when I'm out of town, my swimming and biking are sidelined because the logisitics and hassel of carrying the extra equipment. However, being here for two weeks kinda of nessicitates making the attempt.

I'm extremely lucky. A small group of triathlon stores, TrySports, has a location in Wilmington. I visited the store and was able to hook up with a few group workouts. This included a Wed. night ride. However, more exciting and novel was an open water workout! While there is a group that swims from Jordan Lake; it's usually not at an opportune time and, well, it's a long drive. The Wrightsville Beach group is great, swimming in the channel, between the Coast Guard Station and the Blockade Runner hotel (direction depends on the tide). Besides great workouts themselves, it's always fun to have training plans successfully fall into place.

The recovery continues. I'm out of the boot, but still not running for about another two weeks. This has pushed me over to the elliptical trainer. I used it a lot during the winter when I had IT band issues, and it seemed to stall some loss of my base mileage, so I'm hoping to still have a decent base when I can get back to running.

I've mainly been using a Precor brand elliptical which allows for adjustments in resistance and incline. This weekend while drilling with the CG I used a LifeFitness model which does not have an incline adjustment. Both had their plus and minuses. Without the incline, the LifeFitness was good for a constant lower turnover with high, high resistance. The Precor could give me a high turnover, but still elevate the heart rate with big changes in the incline.

Another 1 mile swim next week. And my dad will be doing his first 5k!

5280 Swim

The recovery process continues. Not running has been torturous and I'm anxious to get back into it. I have a second follow up this Friday and I am hoping the prognosis is as good as the last one. That should mean progressing to just a hard-soled shoe vs. the whole boot. I'm curious as to what the timeline to running after that would be.

In the mean time, my cycling has increased significantly. My cycling time has almost doubled. For someone who does NOT like to cycle, this has presented mixed emotions. My dislike is predominant, and as usual, after about an hour and a half to two hours, I'm mentally dead. My only thoughts are for the ride to end. Some of it comes from getting "lost." It's not that I don't know where I am. I just don't know where I am relative to where I want to be going. For this reason, instead of taking 54-W to Chapel Hill and wiggling back via back roads, I ended way up 70 in Durham and traveling 98 across Falls Lake all the way to Wake Forest.

On the other hand, by needing cycling in order to fulfill my workout addiction, I'm certain my tolerance is growing. And on my long ride this weekend, I had a bit of a personal revelation. My plan was for either 60 miles or 3 hours, and I did not want to overshoot both. Having gotten off track however, I knew I would. When I knew I was past both those marks, and still 10 miles out I considered just stopping and calling for a ride. But at that point I realized how much I would regret it later: It wouldn't really be a big deal, especially to me as a non-cyclist. But I knew how much more of an achievement it would be to keep going and just finish. It felt like a very cliche epiphany, but it helped.

Sunday was a good morning where I competed in an one mile, open water swim. The 5280 (yes, that's the name. I don't know why) was held at Beaver Dam on Falls Lake. Out of about 100 swimmers, I finished 13th overall, 1st in my age group (out of two). I got a [beer] glass. A somewhat low key event, I decided to do these swims, hoping that eventually longer and longer events will get added. This is part of the Triangle Open Water Series, with three more one mile swims and one two miler. Next up is the Jordan Lake One miler June 12.

I did get back to the Farmers Market! I love the fresh produce and picked up some peaches and a variety of summer squash (zucchini, yellow, pattypan). Yum!

Recovery

Two weeks ago I suffered a fractured metatarsal. It's linked to the toes; when you picture a skeletal view of the foot, it's one of the long bones that goes the length of the foot. I don't exactly know the cause, but can take a good guess. At the time I was running in my minimalist, Vibram FiveFingers, mostly on pavement but transitioned to section over gravel. At some point I noticed my foot was hurting ALOT. Not enough that I couldn't stop running, since I only had about 1.5 miles to go. The rest of the day I stayed off it (trying to be smart, but also because it just hurt a lot), hoping it'd feel fine the next morning for my long run. It did not. Being restless, I went that Sunday morning for x-rays which diagnosed a fracture. The treatment? Four to six weeks of NO RUNNING. I was devastated. Seeing an orthpaedist the following day reaffirmed the hospital's diagnosis and treatment, putting me in a hard-soled boot to wear around. This meant no competing the May 14th Half Ironman at White Lake.

A follow-up this past Friday was hopeful. The doctor said the healing looked better than most do at this stage; I should be able to be in a hard-sole SHOE in another two weeks. He also said I could start getting in the pool (though I had already been going that whole week, after being off completely the previous week) and biking (since the shoes are... HARD-SOLED). Biking again yesterday, it felt good to sweat again.

I still went down to White Lake for the half on Saturday and the spring the following day. Originally I was against going; it would've just made me miserable. However, I decided it was more important to support my friends in both races. Besides, I at least went in for the swim portion; just to get my money's worth.

I predicted my misery correctly. However, I was overwhelming excited of Elaine and Stephen would completed the half Ironman, a first at that distance for both of them. And for Meredith who did the sprint, her first triathlon EVER and at FIVE MONTHS PREGNANT!

Frustratingly, it's making me ponder finding another race for the fall. As before, I was ready to move past doing triathlons, realizing that I wasn't particularly fond of the bike and wasn't really prepared to invest the necessary time and funds. However, having missed my race, there was certain feeling of unfinished business. I'm still not sure what I'll do, especially until I can definitively know when I'm back on the road.

I have signed up for a 1 mile swim next weekend at Falls Lake. Should be fun.

Fractured Metatarsal

Too depressed for another standard update. I've fractured my third metatarsal, one of the long bones in the foot. Don't know what caused it; noticed while running Saturday afternoon.

No running for the month of May

Meaning no White Lake Half Ironman.