Newfangled Dad

Sometimes it's just not in the cards. That goes for knowing how hard to push during workouts. And how to fit your sport into daily life. My plan had been to celebrate turning 35 next season with an Ironman. Specifically, Ironman Wisconsin. But at some point this summer it just became crystal clear that it's not going to happen. Financially, it's not in the cards to spend the money for a weekend away volunteering to secure my spot. Where you pay for your next year's registration immediately, mind you. Cole is starting school and needs supplies. We're trying to take our weekend away without the kids in October. It's just the absolute worst time for a variety of reasons. I still can't bring myself to cancel the hotel reservation and e-mail my coordinator that I won't be able to make it. But I'm nearly there. Because when I step back to the bigger picture, I realize I've never had to learn the harsh lessons of being injured during training. At ...

Kelly went for a swim for the first time in...ages...yesterday morning. So there's been a collection of swim caps from all her old triathlons sitting around the house. Our tradition is that I have the kids ready to go and we leave for the grocery immediately after she gets home from the gym Sunday mornings. Which meant my bike ride was pushed to the heat of the day. It reached 85 degrees here yesterday in Chicago and I definitely needed the second water bottle I put on my bike for this season. I did my usual/favorite ride via Salt Creek Trail and had a few sections where I pushed the pace into the low 20 mph range, but mostly I kept it moderately paced...the heat and humidity for one. And the abundance of casual weekend riders for another. Lots of riders, runners, skaters, dog walkers in each direction on the path. I think Kelly is right about why I will have a fun time doing triathlon...it's a great sport for people who like to analyze. Really, all endurance sports are. This...

per·se·ver·ance     [ pur-s uh - veer - uh ns ]   noun 1. steady   persistence   in   a   course   of   action,   a   purpose,   a   state,   etc.,   especially   in   spite   of   difficulties, obstacles,   or   discouragement. Origin:   1300–50;   Middle   English   perseveraunce    <  Middle   French   perseverance    <  Latin   persevērantia. On Sunday, I would have blogged to you my tale of my first flat tire about 10 miles into my long ride. About how I had to wait for the weather to clear before riding then had a rear flat with no spare tube, patch kit, inflation method, tire levers, etc.. They were all sitting in the closet at home and not yet in my saddle bag because I hadn't put my race tires on the bike yet. About how I had to call Kelly and the kids to come pick me up at a park I...

No, I'm not talking about the NHL lockout, NFL touchdown dances, or NBA antics. This is a rant about the technique-obsessed everyday exerciser. Forgive the Romper Room reference, but maybe I'm just more of a Do-Bee than Mr. Don't Bee. I can talk much more extensively about my background in running, but I'm finding that one of the first hurdles to triathlon training is the off-putting way that the sport is filled with drill, schedule, and good form dictators. Oh, it's present in the running community don't get me wrong. But one of the beautiful things--there are many negatives--about the spread and popularity of running has become the lack of attitude about back of the packers mixing with elites. There are still many who insist that the folks completing a 6.5 hour marathon aren't really "racing." But the snob factor is the minority. And a newbie will find far more training programs geared to completing than qualifying for Boston these days. Chal...

*Housekeeping note: I looked at the data for what browser my readers are using & a full 34% of you are using Internet Explorer...the one with errors in reading the new Endurance tab for sports posts. So I'm ending that experiment for now & going back to mixing running/tri into the main blog feed. It's not ideal for the 75% of you who want to read parenting posts, but neither is having a third of my readers unable to see certain updates.  Greetings from Personal Record land! It was a busy weekend around my house, obviously, so I'll try to get to everything in posts this week...though one of the things to blog about is the wave of colds that has taken over. So we'll see how far I get. I'm the last one standing and even this morning I have a blah feeling that is combining with sniffles to make me think it isn't just marathon recovery. Whatever happened, I sure ran a heck of a race though so you won't get medical complaints here. I lowered my PR by o...

The irony is that this was supposed  to be my 2nd running-related post today. (It will be Oct by the time you read this--Race Week--but I'm writing it the same day in July as the news breaks about updated Start Corrals for the Chicago Marathon.) In reality, it's my 3rd running post today. The wave start in Grant Park isn't the deciding factor for me...really it's not that big a deal. But I find it funny that in my head I was already moving away from marathoning when this happens. Something I read earlier today about what event to do said, "do what you want, not what you should." I think I'm going to take that advice and go with it. This week marks my 5th marathon. 3x in Chicago now. It's not currently my PR course...though we'll see after Oct. 7...but it was the race that sucked me into endurance sports. It was what inspired me, convinced me that I am capable of whatever I put my mind to, gave me self-confidence, and is just a good fun time. Th...

I'm brand loyal. I'm one of those people who meticulously researches major purchases before buying, is usually not disappointed, then sticks with that item. I'm an Adidas guy. Or so I thought. When I first came back to running in 2009 after a decade away, I did my duty of going to my local running store and letting them evaluate my form and style to get a good fit. I came home with some Supernova Sequence and have been in them ever since--buying 2 more pairs online the fit for me is so good. My current pair is 2 marathons old, 2 summers of training, and...to quote the nice lady at the running store today..."shot." My plan had been to simply log on to the Adidas website, buy my usual and be done. But the twists and turns of the story took me elsewhere. That's ok, it's only the single most important piece of equipment we have as marathoners. And, yes, I believe in shoes...sorry to all you barefoot let's run like our ancestor types. Civilization h...

Several of you have said you have enjoyed my posts about race-day fueling strategy. So I thought I'd offer a bit of a wrap-up with what I've settled into. I looked at my training calendar last night and realized that after I return from our trip to Ohio there will be 8 weeks left until Race Week. Halfway there! And I'm feeling good. I think it's a combination of many causes. The cross-training on the bike. The new nutrition plan. More experience in knowing when/how to push myself during workouts...and when to back off. I loved the granola. There was even a sale on the half-bars I would have wanted to use. In the end, they're not for Race Day, I've decided. The North Shore Half was a nice, fair test drive for them and they proved to be too sticky, too crumbly, and hard to get down on a hot day. Granted, I hope the Chicago Marathon doesn't have a finish line high temp of 91, but you have to be prepared for anything. Lately, on my long runs I've bee...

There are only two places where points could be deducted from Nuun. It was one of two companies who told me they would send me samples for review but did not. The other is that when ordering from Nuun's website there were shipping charges. The same day I ordered from other companies, got free shipping, and Nuun's paid-for rate ended up being the last to arrive. But don't get me wrong, the product inside the box--or plastic tube as it were--is amazing. For those new to sports nutrition, it's not a powder or a typical sports drink even. It's a tablet which self-dissolves in 16 oz. of water into a refreshing electrolyte beverage--with more essential nutrients that the popular Gatorade Endurance, I might add. Not to mention that it lacks the sugars/carbs of many sports drinks which means you can A) get your calories elsewhere and B) not get an upset stomach from the syrupy, artificial flavors of typical hydration. The Nuun flavors are mild, pleasant, quench thirst...

It's barely into the off-season and I'm already getting itchy to get back out there and start training. People are starting to talk about their spring race...I'm still trying to decide which Half to do. But let's be honest, the season for IS the fall race. So I'm looking forward to Chicago 2012. I'd say the chances of me staying at my home race are pretty good. I'm still throwing around other ideas, but with the kids and trying to PR it just seems like the logistics and consistency of Race Day are better served by the "known." Everybody knows what L stops to see me at, I can get downtown and to Grant Park easily. Anyway, the beauty of the sport is that it can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like. It's just a pair of running shoes (maybe not even that these days) and you. But as you learn more about your performance, the sport, and what you're trying to achieve you can start to tinker. And for a geek like me, nutrition is bot...

Wow, it's been a little crazy. Last week's early-morning volunteering at the marathon I had no clue what was ahead. And it's funny looking at my neglected blog admin page seeing an unpublished draft about how our daughter was breech. We'll just go ahead and delete that. lol So, little Leda was born last Monday on 10/10/11. What a great birth date. Six weeks early, but we're guessing she's just going to be the difficult one all her life. Heh. We were sitting in Giordano's eating some pizza when Kelly ever-so-casually mentioned that her water may have broken. Should we call the doctor? Umm, yeah. But we didn't have any of this experience with my son. He was induced and it was a leisurely trip to Starbucks the morning before we started his (much more difficult) labor and delivery. But now we have a new tradition for her birthday. Pizza the day before every year! I have so much to say...about the unorganized volunteer setup for the Chicago Marathon l...

By the time you're reading this, I'm in Grant Park helping runners find the Start Line. And wishing I was racing today. I'll never forget the first time I stood on a chilly, early morning Columbus Drive staring at the skyline as the sun came up while I was trying to imagine making it the whole way. I've learned a lot since then and grown pretty passionate about the sport. It's not unlike coffee in that the deeper involved you get the more refined your tastes get. This year, the race expo and packet pickup moved to an even bigger hall at the convention center. Which, to me, looked like all you really got was an even larger Nike store. Not that Nike doesn't make some fine gear--I use their watch and love their running shorts. But my interest in the culture of marathon racing has gone beyond wanting to see a few booths of other races and buy a t-shirt. Given the size and importance of this race, I was really hoping to see a lot more of the nutrition and hydrati...

Everything I have to say about running TCM has to be viewed through the lens of how difficult a marathon is whether you're Kenyan or a turtle-slow middle aged guy. I suppose the very thing that made the race great was also the most frustrating--that it very nearly could have been my best. I was coming off a hot, uphill 5:05 with less training than I like, but armed with near-perfect conditions for the start of this race. It was in the 40's, slightly breezy, lots of shade and I hit the halfway mark a full five minutes under a 5 hour pace. Heck, at Mile 17 I was still on pace for a 4:57. The start of the race is at the Metrodome and has a great atmosphere as it winds through downtown Minneapolis, quiet residential neighborhoods, past a series of lakes, and along a parkway towards St. Paul. But somewhere around the Mississippi River, the sun came out, the temps soared into the 70's, and the course makes a series of uphill climbs towards the state capital. As we ran through S...

If you're looking for a new entry in the next few days, you won't find one. Newfangled Dad will be hitting the road for his 4th marathon. The 30th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Check back next week for another exciting episode! ...Or maybe not so exciting after he runs 26.2 miles and travels home 8 hours with a toddler in the car.