"Heaven Help Me!"

If I ever have to compete in an Ironman on a day like today it would be an adventure. I know that just the other day I told you the hotter the better, but when you couple that with strong winds it just kinda sucks.  Into the wind I suffered big time,  and with the wind I sweat like a pig.  The humidex reached 37 and the winds were 20 km/hr with periods of much higher.  

I managed to get my 160 kms in but it was not pretty...or at least not compared to my record setting effort of 2 weeks ago.  I drank a total of 5 litres of water and consumed 1500 calories and still came back almost 5 pounds lighter.  I was however proud of my 5 km run right afterwards as it was really, really hard.  In the end I averaged 30.4 kms/hr, and then ran the 5 kms in 24 minutes.

I'm okay with that, but now I'm tired!

(bike 160, run 5)

"You may get real tired watching me, but I'm not going to quit."---Harrison Ford

Love

Peter

"Stymied"

After running a  bunch of errands I headed to my little conservation area with anticipation.  When I pulled up I was dismayed to see that the water seemed to have a very distinct, and unhealthy looking green tint to it.   I dismissed it as my imagination as I couldn't imagine it had changed so much in the two weeks since I was there last.  Probably it was just the angle of the sun or the time of day or something.

I parked my car and proceeded to squeeze into my wetsuit, but just before I made a final decision I went back down to the shore and spoke to a gentleman who was just landing his canoe.  He seemed very knowledgeable about the area and insured me that the water was always this colour.  He believed it was entirly safe to swim in, even though he admitted that it would perhaps not taste that good.

So back to my car to finish zipping up and to get my goggles.  Upon arriving back at the launch area the man was still there putting his canoe away.  He sheepishly pointed out a brand new warning sign nailed to a post.  The London Middlesex health unit was apparently not in agreement with his advice.  They strongly warned against swimming due to high bacteria counts, namely e-coli!

While the sign was very obvious I probably would not have seen it since I am a chronic sign avoider.  Thank goodness for the gentleman.

So back home for some lunch and off I go to Port Stanley to try Lake Erie.  The water was decidedly different colour here and I dove in with confidence.  Well not quite confidence because with an off shore wind there was quite a chop. Sure enough it was impossible for swimming.  The only safe way to swim is along the shore line so as to avoid any boats and all I did was get nauseous.

But I refuse to get stressed.  I will figure something else out.  After all it's only the stupid swim.

I will focus on having a good bike and run tomorrow,  as that is much more important anyway.

(aborted open water swim)


"Sometimes God calms the storm.  At other times, he calms the sailor.  And sometimes he makes us swim."---Anon  


Love
Peter

"Incongruous"

That's my word of the day.  I was pretty sure I knew what it meant when it came to mind this morning, but of course I had to look it up to confirm.  I just about had it right, thinking it was a word indicating an apparent contradiction.  What the experts say is

1) out of keeping or place
2) not harmonious in character
3) inconsistent

I feel a little incongruent.  I am so grateful for the way things played out from a timing perspective related to my training and my firing, but I also think that it is the reason I feel a little out of place right now.  I am also sure that it will all work itself out once this Ironman is over and I can move on to the next chapter of my life, whatever that may be.  As fulfilling as the training and racing is I know that I need more purpose in my life as well.  Right or wrong, working for a living fulfilled that internal need, and I look forward to whatever it may look like in the future.

Menwhile I still intend on giving this thing all I got for the next 2 months (a little less actually) and being able to say I gave it my best shot.  I am also very committed to talking Roo into doing one, and I can just imagine how much fun it would be to coach someone else through the process.

And perhaps you were wondering what may have brought the post title to mind in the first place.  See if this seems to fit the definition, as I tell you that witnessing this was the exact trigger that popped the word into my brain.

I was in the waiting room at the doctors office looking out the 3rd floor window.  There was a  middle aged mennonite lady standing beside her van.  She was in full costume including the compulsory black head scarf, and dark patterned dress to below her knees.  She was sipping her Tim Hortons coffee which in itself I found a bit inconsistnent,  but then I almost fell through the window when she raised her other arm to her mouth and took a long, deep, drag on her cigarette!!  She even held it between thumb and firefinger like a joint, and used one of her other fingers to flick the ashes.  Incongruous!!

Still a bit sluggish with training today but I continue to climb back up.  Tomorrow is long swim day and  I will return to the conservation area to swim outside.  And of course the most important workout is long ride saturday.  From here on in they are more important than anything else

(run intervals 5 X 600,  upper body weights)

....and todays quote has absolutely no relevance to the blog other than the fact that it includes the word incongruous, but I found it an amazing collection of words.  I wish I could write like this.  Unless your name is Cory you may have to read it a few times.  I know I did.

"Upon the clothes behind the tenement, 
That hang like ghosts suspended from the lines, 
Linking each flat, but to each indifferent, 
Incongruous and strange the moonlight shines."---Claude McKay



Love
Peter

"Hangin In"

I'm feeling a little bit more energetic today but still forced myself to take it easy.  I think I slept more soundly last night then I ever have since my illness.  I just wish I could last a bit longer in the morning but hunger generally has me up by 6 oclock.

I'm also a bit tired of blogging but whenever I consider giving it up for a while I am reminded of the connection it helps me maintain with some of my family, and I really value that.  So please hang in there with me and I promise to do so as well.

.And my social commentary of the day comes to you in the form of a question.

How come it takes only one guy to pick up my garbage at the road, but it takes 2 people to deliver my mail?

(swim 1000 metres, ride 37 kms)

"Hunger knows no friend but its feeder.'---Aristophanes

Love
Peter

"Whoops!"

I just closed my eyes for a few minutes at 8:30 and he next thing I knew it was 1:30 am!  And I had forgotten to post a blog entry.  I figured by then it may as well wait for morning.  Thank goodness for back dating.


I am very, very tired.  Probably too tired!  It may mean a day or two completely off.


(run 20.66 kms)


"I forgot!"....any and/or all of my children

Love
Peter

"Coming Down Day"

It was as inevitable as the sun coming up.  And yet no matter how often it happens it still catches me a little bit by surprise.  I actually think that part of it is physical.  Somehow when your body is in recovery mode it steals every little bit of energy you have for anything else including positive thoughts.

Right now I just want to get this Ironman over with so that I can get on with life.  The colder weather today didn't help my mood either as I am definitely of the "hotter the better" school.

Experience also tells me it will pass and I'm sure after my workout tomorrow I'll be right back in the groove.  I did only half a days work today with some swim drills and my leg weights.  The good news is that although tired, I have no leg soreness...no problem doing my weights.

I still expect tomorrows long run to be a bit challenging but I will just take it as slow as possible and cut it short if it seems like the best thing to do.

I'm pretty sure I actually finished 3rd yesterday since I got the free picture coupon that comes with a top 3 finish.  The results don't show it but I believe the guy ahead of me got a penalty for drafting on the bike.  They handed out a lot of them yesterday.  It just amazes me why people do this, and yet some can not seem to resist the temptation.  Like the nuns told me in grade school, when you cheat, you are only cheating yourself.  I thought they were full oif shit then, but I have come to realize the simple truth of it.

(swim drills, leg weights)


"And there's nothing short a' dying
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
And Sunday morning coming down."---Kris Kristofferson

Love

Peter

"Chuckle"

Who says you can't live forever?

Well okay I suppose it's true but that's not gonna stop me from wringing out every moment I can.

I never had so much fun in my life as I had today!

The plan of course was to have a tough workout while being just a bit tired from yesterdays race.  I figured that the appropriate result would be a finish time under 5:30

However, while I had a very strong resolve to relax and have fun, I was just a wee bit nervous about the run.

I knew that the swim would be my usual slow but steady,  and I knew that I would have no problem with the bike.  But running 21.1 kms after that still seems like a bit of work.

Sure enough the first 2 events went exactly as expected with the bike being just a wee bit better then I anticipated.  But it is a very flat course and the wind was not a serious factor today.

Before I tell you about the run I want to tell you about my previous Half Ironman results.

My first was in 1994 and I finished in 5:19:59.
My second was in 1996 and I finished in 5:16:xx
My third was 3 years ago and was 5 kms short on the bike.  Extrapolated out to the full distance my time was 5:27:xx

I was absolutely amazed by how I felt when I got off my bike.  My legs were deader yesterday after the 30 km ride than they were today after 90.  And that never changed.  I felt like I was running down hill all the time.

Today, at 56 years old I set a personal best at the distance.  I was 8 minutes faster than when I was 40 years old.  My final official time was 5:08:33!!!!

I finished 4th in my age group out of 19.
I was 115th overall out of 402.
I had the fastest run time in my age group by several minutes, and the 43rd fastest run time overall!!!!  Smokin!!!  That last statistic is the one that makes me chuckle, and chuckle, and chuckle, and grin.  Because the run indicates your overall endurance level, and for me it is proof positive that the training is working!
And the beauty of the whole day...only the last 3 kms was hard...and not really hard...I ran faster!!

Oh and I almost forgot about my idiot moment of the day. I misread the cops signal at one of the intersections and turned right when I was supposed to go straight through.  It probably cost me about 30 seconds.

I do need to concede that todays course was the fastest (flattest), of the 4 events but I also never did a race the day before so I think the comparison is valid.  If you're one of those people that likes numbers, here is the offical timekeepers page for the race

Who says you can't live forever??

These 3 guys are gonna give it a shot.  Man I love my brothers!  Picture courtesy of Teresa.

(Swim 1.93 kms, ride 90 kms, run 21.1 kms)

....and from the all time master of the chuckle...

"If by chance some day you're not feeling well and you should remember some silly thing I've said or done and it brings back a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart, then my purpose as your clown has been fulfilled."---Red Skelton

Love

Peter