Getting Faster Slowly

Yeah, it's an oxymoron, but the title is apropos. Although progress is slow, I am definitely getting better. I swam 2,000 meters at North Lake College with Jarrod and Derek on Monday and they definitely pushed me to go faster. I really tend to slow down as time drags on if I swim by myself - I need to break that habit (it's one thing to slow down due to exhaustion, but another to just naturally drop rhythm/cadence). Did the whole 2,000 meters in 48:34!

My splits:

• First 500 meters: 11:34
• Second 500 m: 12:15
• Third 500 m: 12:15
• Fourth 500 m: 12:29

Derek and Jarrod did even better than me. They picked up the pace in the final 1,000 meters and finished about 30 seconds ahead of me. But regardless, this is my fastest time yet for a 2,000 meter swim.

Too Hot To Handle

Derek and I ran the Too Hot To Handle 15K race at White Rock Lake in Dallas this morning. Originally, I was just going to do the 5K run but Derek talked me in doing the 15K (9.3 miles) with him, which was one loop around the water. (I can't believe that I've lived in the DFW metroplex for over 10 years and this is the first time I've gone all the way around White Rock Lake.)

It was a pretty nice day with some early morning clouds so the sun wasn't too intense. As the morning wore on, the sun grew stronger and the humidity became more apparent, but the route had quite a bit of shade and was mostly flat, which was very nice.

Derek was a great motivator and I was able to keep up with him at a 10-min/mile pace for the first 6 1/2 miles. Our splits were 31:05 for the first 5K and 32:03 for the second. However, I ran out of gas after that (and had to stop and use the restroom) so I split off from him. I ended up finishing at 1:40:52 with 37:44 for the last 5K. I was 573rd out of 789 finishers. Derek finished 505th with a time of 1:36:22. Great job, Derek!

Overall, I am very happy with my effort, especially considering that 15K is the longest run distance that I have run for an organized event ever. And the last 10K that I ran was probably in 1993 or 1994!

Afterward, my legs did cramp up a little bit. Luckily, a couple SaltStick capsules and a self-massage helped - I was worried that I would have trouble pushing in the clutch on my 5-speed-transmission vehicle. But other than the cramps and a little tenderness on some of my toes, I am feeling pretty good. I guess tomorrow morning will be a real test of how much of a pounding this event was on my legs. Here's hoping for the best ...

Now, I'm looking forward to doing another 15K (Run For Shelter 5K & 15K), and possibly a 20K (Tour Des Fleurs 10K & 20K) and/or half-marathons (Dallas Running Club Half, Dallas White Rock Lake Marathon & Half-Marathon), this fall/winter ...

More Elliptical Trainer

Didn't have time yesterday or today to make it to the gym (work is BUSY) so I've just been working out on the home elliptical trainer. Did about "2.05 miles" in an hour yesterday and about the same today, which feels pretty good. Hopefully, my running shape has improved.

Derek is signing us up tomorrow for the Too Hot To Handle race at White Rock Lake in Dallas on Saturday. Originally, my plan was to run the 5K and see how much I've improved since the 5K I ran on July 4 (my treadmill speeds at the gym have slowly crept upward). However, Derek convinced me to try the 15K distance. He said he would run with me - so I will hold him to his word - or try my best to catch up to him as he shoots way ahead of me. :-)

I placed another tri-zone order today - got a 4-Bottle Fuel Belt (it's probably going to take me 1.5 hours to do the 9.3 miles so I will need some water), some more SaltStick capsules, and several pairs of Speed Laces and Sqeezums (for speedier transitions for upcoming tris and also because I'm too lazy to tie my shoes). Hopefully, I will get this order (mainly the water belt) before this weekend's 15K.

Follow Me To The Peach Pedal

Finished the 100K (bike computer said 60.5 miles) at the 2007 Peach Pedal in about 4 hours (or just over 15 MPH) with two stops. It was a nice ride in Weatherford with partly-cloudy skies (for pleasant temps in the 80s). The route in and out (or rather down and up) of the Brazos River valley presented a hilly challenge at times. Lots of tough climbs at around the 41-mile mark. It didn't help that my rear tire had a slow leak - by the time I reached the last 5 miles it was nearly flat (didn't want to waste a CO2 cartridge when I was that close to the finish line). According to my pump gauge, I was around 20-30 PSI when I got back to my car. I guess I will be patching/replacing that tube.

Jonathan & Alexis and Mike & Simone were also in attendance and did the 11-mile route which had a later 8:00 AM start. Don, Derek, and I started at 7:30. We weren't paying complete attention to the time/crowd and were almost late getting to the starting line (which was actually about 1/2 mile away from the registration tables!)

I rode with Derek for the first 13 miles or so until he had to turn left for the 27-mile route (he had to make it a quick ride to attend a lunchtime appointment). Don was just a little behind me and caught up as I was leaving the 28-mile rest stop. We rode for a while, but I wanted to push myself and started pulling ahead. Unfortunately, I found out later that he had a wreck which resulted in a broken clavicle soon after we split. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

Ride Review:

• Course: 4/5 - road conditions were pretty good; hilly, but in a good way; needed better signage (painted arrows on the road when turning left from a major road onto a residential street are not sufficient!)
• Rest Stops: 3/5 - I only stopped at two stops and due to food allergies I could not partake of the titular peaches and bottled water at rest stop 3 was a pleasant surprise (but it wasn't on ice so it was not cold); however, I was disappointed at the watered-down Gatorade and lack of any snacks other than fruit (no cookies or crackers - we need carbs!); stops were well spaced out and had enthusiastic volunteers
• Logistics: 3/5 - easy online registration, reasonable entry fee, not enough portapotties at the registration site (long lines!), decent T-shirt, free pass to the Parker County Peach Festival (although I did not use); too many people at the starting line and wimpy "let's go" send-off; bad traffic when leaving due to Peach Festival
• Overall: 3.5/5 - will do again; the good, challenging course outweighs the shortcomings

On and Off Training

Monday: slightly on - recovering from Tour de French Fry so just some weights, 10 minutes on the StairMeister and a light swim (500 meters)

Tuesday: ON - Lunch time: 30 minutes on treadmill with a 5K completed in 26:13 (about 7 MPH) - then 500 meter swim (was too dizzy/tired to do more). Afternoon/Evening: Biking at Texas Motor Speedway - two laps of the 5 mile "outer loop" - first lap slow, second lap fast (average 19+ MPH)

Wednesday: OFF - too much &^%$ going on at work - paged at 5:30 AM for a production outage - tired, cranky Andy

Thursday: ON - Jarrod and I completed 2,000 meters of swimming (24:33 for the first 1,000 and 24:52 for the second) and then did 2 laps around the North Lake College pond in about 12 minutes (probably just under 1.5 miles)

Friday: OFF - resting up for Peach Pedal

Whey Protein

After several discussions with teammates about various post-workout recovery meals/supplements, and all coming to the conclusion that protein should be a part of it, I decided to give the whey protein thing a whirl.

So I went ahead and got some "Body Fortress" brand whey protein from the Roanoke Wal-Mart. It was $12.97 for 2 pounds, but they also had a 5 lb can for just over $28.

1 scoop has 23 grams of protein, 1 gram of carbs, 110 calories, 55 mg of sodium, 230 mg of potassium, and only 1.5 grams of fat (.5 grams of saturated fat). I think if you added some complex carbs (a sandwich on wheat toast or a good energy bar) you would have a decent post-workout snack/lunch.

Anyway, I got the chocolate flavor and it doesn't taste bad at all. I mixed it with milk and it tasted like chocolate milk (although not quite as sweet - some might want to add some Splenda). But what I really liked was adding a scoop to a glass of caffeine-free Diet Coke - looks a little disgusting, but it was actually a very tasty "Chocolate Coke". :-)

Random Stuff

1. Saturday was July 7, 2007 - 07/07/07 - how lucky ...

2. One way to remove bicycle chain grease from hands, legs, etc. --> Lysol Sanitizing Wipes (baby wipes also work, but in my opinion the Lysol wipes smell nicer)