Newfangled Dad

I haven't written about triathlon lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been on the bike trainer in the basement (boy do I have some thoughts on that) or thinking about next (and the next) racing season. It's just been...not "on the back burner"...nothing much to report on. Bits and pieces that haven't been worth hammering together into a blog post. But I finally have something to get off my chest so I'll throw it out there and see if anybody has any insights. It may be one of those topics where I've reached the point that some of you are going to say "you need a coach--too complicated." Not gonna happen though, first of all. And I also think the information--or at least people already doing some version of what I'm going to describe--exists. I just don't know where to find it or how to connect with the folks using this method. I've thought about throwing something out there on some of the message boards, but wasn't re...

Grabbed my coffee at 5:45am on Sunday in order to make the first train of the morning to downtown. Compared to, say, the Chicago Marathon it was very strange getting off the L. It felt like a boring, dead work morning when I used to have to wait for the bus to the museum. No crowds of people like there will be on race morning for the marathon. Granted, that's 45,000 people plus spectators. But 9,000 athletes on the lakefront is nothing to sneeze at. By the time I got over to Columbus, I could at least see a few people with wetsuits draped over their shoulders. And there was the random woman standing on Adams doing yoga with her race tattoo obviously displayed. But it wasn't until you got right up to the lakefront path that you noticed anything out of the ordinary going on compared to any other summer morning. As usual after coffee, I needed to find a bathroom. So the first inner debate I had was "head to transition" or "head to the Swim Start." I ended u...

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 ...

The nice thing about having 3 sports is that there is always at least one you can do indoors. (This is also a negative against triathlon for those of you who have trouble finding motivation for training. You'll feel like a bad person if you don't go.) So when Mother Nature wasn't cooperating last night, I went to the pool for the first time in about a month. Pretty easy workout of 25's and 50's for about 30 minutes. Why does it always seem like no matter how hard or easy I swim, it always comes out to 2:00/100m on the pace clock? Which is nice if I can settle into the "why not just go easy then?" attitude. I'll be honest though, I was just screwing around. It felt good and my form came back...maybe not so much on the endurance end. But with nothing actually "scheduled" and no race to anticipate, it feels to me like just wandering around the lanes of a pool for awhile. I did some off strokes and intervals and called it a night. This has be...

Ok, grab a cup of coffee first... We had the car pretty much packed before going to bed so that all we had to do when waking up at 3am was carry the kids out to the car. And put the bike rack and my bike on the car. Since we live in an urban neighborhood with people walking through our alley at all times, it seemed like a good idea to not tempt any thieves. Pulled onto the freeway in perfect time and settled in for the hour drive. The kids were super good with Cole staying awake and--again, like the early morning trip to Madison for Ironman last year--amused that we were driving somewhere in the dark after getting him out of bed. Not much traffic on the road at that time...other than a few other cars with bike racks probably going to one of the two triathlons in southern Wisconsin yesterday. Found a place to park easily. Plenty of signs and volunteers directing. The kids wanted to get out so it was hard to explain that Daddy was going to go race and I needed to leave them. At first...

If you race infrequently, like I do, every race becomes your "A" race. Marathons I've usually done just 2-3 races per year trying to be mindful of budget and stress. You folks who race every weekend during the summer or have plans for travel all over the country amaze me. That's a full schedule! Considering kids or work or having a life outside of our sport. This year, I've limited myself to this one "warmup," "test" race. I thought about running the Chicago Marathon then decided if I wasn't going to completely dedicate myself to doing my best...why run it? Instead I've chosen to enjoy this summer with my family knowing that next year I plan on doing Ironman in September. Which means a grueling summer of training next season. And probably not much else on my race calendar because of that. So Race Week always feels a little exciting to me. A combination of nerves and getting ready...trying to decide how I feel in relation to peak. Am...

"Success in the sport is, above all else, about enduring suffering." -- Macca (Chris McCormack) If you told me 4 years ago that I'd be standing in the middle of my bathroom trying to reach over my shoulder to grab the zipper cord while trying on a wetsuit, I'd have told you your elevator doesn't go all the way to the top. Especially if you told "past me" that I'd be doing this while my soon-to-be-3-year-old and 20 month old were napping. I'd have said you had the wrong guy on several fronts. Past me--no kids--was in the middle of training for my first marathon and barely able to put a few miles together--wondering how I was going to do 26.2. I'm not sure at what point last summer I got the crazy idea that I was going to race an Ironman. Maybe it was thumbing through the bike catalogs and seeing the shiny, sleek speed machines and thinking about the people who buy them. Maybe it was watching the broadcast of the Ironman World Championships...

Any morning that starts with a nun in full dress getting out of a huge  work van at the tollway oasis can't be all bad, right? That's the way my Saturday began. I was up at 4:30am (alarm for 5:00 but thanks neighbor coming home across the alley for yelling so the entire block can hear you) to load my bike and gear and head to the site of my upcoming race. I was to meet two very friendly locals who offered to show me the area. We rode about 13 miles doing the western portion of the bike leg then came back to the centrally located lake where the swim will be. The run is in the park that surrounds the lake...so they showed me the beach where the swim start/exit is, where the finish line will be, where transition will be. It was all very helpful. Especially to see the minor hilly spots, where the turnaround will be, we got a chance to see what the conditions are on the gravel section of the run. We had to ride on the shoulder of a busy trucking road for a mile or so then turned...

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...

Miss me? So much ground to cover since it's been over a week since I've blogged. I originally (before leaving on our trip) had intended to say a little something about the new Ironman Swim Start that ruffled so many feathers at the end of last week. I'm over it. Everybody seems to have had their say for and against. Plus, the two races I would consider doing (Wisconsin/Louisville) haven't had any changes...yet...and I have more immediate matters to handle with a triathlon to tackle next month. On that note, it was a weird week for training. I went five full days with no workouts. But then I went out with the cycle club again on Tuesday night and managed to keep up with the fast group for 22 miles...I was so proud until I fell over while trying to clip back in at a red light. Humbling. Then yesterday it was gorgeous weather some more and I took the kids out in the bike trailer for a slow, casual "recovery" ride. I'm taking today off entirely. Lots of stre...

This week marks about 6 weeks until my first triathlon. A little less when you consider packet pickup is the weekend before. On one hand, I'm feeling prepared. On the other, it's getting down to crunch time. I'm actually fairly confident with where my fitness is currently. Or, should I say, I'm not going to make huge gains over the next month and a half. At this point, it's more about staying healthy, avoiding injury, calming my nerves, being prepared. Going over the day in my head. Kelly wants to bring the kids...which is awesome. But that will also be a long, long day considering I will want to be AT the transition area (that's the "homebase" where you rack your bike and lay out your gear for you non-tri folks) at 4:30am when it opens. Which means leaving the house by 3:30am or so. The race starts at 6:30am and you figure the kids won't be that interested in staring out into a lake to try to find the little swimming people--let alone me specifi...

So I'm feeling great at the pool last night (even without a rest day after my first fairly intense bike ride of the season). I'm in the middle of a ladder set, good rhythm going, feeling effortless...when who should walk up but my swim instructor who had just finished up a class. And she was willing to give me a few laps worth of free coaching so who am I to complain? So we talked for probably 10 min...she walked alongside me as I swam a couple lengths, noticed a few things, and tried to give some feedback for improvement. Apparently, I'm doing a weird flipper-thing with (only) my left arm where I'm pulling too far back. Good to know. As always, she yells "high elbows" at me to remind me to, well, keep my elbows high. But other than that, I look good. And by "good" I mean like someone who could possibly pass for a triathlete. The bigger question that moves to the forefront now--even before my little chat with Lora--is bringing running back into t...

Edit: just giving equal time... Runners World has got an article debunking lots of this (written in response to the WSJ below.  I'm intrigued. Really, whenever my interests collide, I love it. Learning the physics of a bicycle. The chemistry of coffee. How statistics modeling correctly predicted the outcome of the November election. So the health effects of endurance sports intrigues me. Usually, we get a steady stream of data showing that exercise is good for us. Very, very good for us. Don't let this post convince you not to exercise. But, on the other hand, I like the phrase of one of the links below...there are "upper limits." You CAN have too much of a good thing. A cup of coffee may be a great way to start your day, but it is possible to have a caffeine overdose--granted, it's nearly impossible. If running a mile is good for you, 26.2 must be great? Right? Well, this morning I dived down the rabbit hole when someone posted to a tri message board abou...

If you want a slice of what being a SAHD is like...my son has been up since 4am. Three hours of that was him laying in bed playing with me occasionally walking in to tell him to "go back to sleep" but at 7am I finally gave up. I figured he needed breakfast and it was mean to confine him to one space if he really couldn't sleep. He was obviously tired by the look on his face, but no luck. Leda, on the other hand, has been up since 4:30am...I think...Kelly got up with her. Tried to put her back in her crib, no go. So Kelly brought her in to me eventually in our bedroom because Kelly needed to get to the gym before work. Then, we've been watching Thomas Christmas since Thanksgiving so why not add a little A Charlie Brown Christmas to the mix? I tried to get Cole interested back in December and he wanted none of it. Now, suddenly, like a lightbulb went off he's demanding "more Charlie Brown." Both kids are now wandering the house like zombies and ready f...

Thought I'd add a little PS for those of you who want to see what the fuss is about Escape From Alcatraz...here's footage shot during last weekend's race by a guy with a camera attached.  The whole topic of who is to blame for the football head injury scandal is too big for my tastes--all I know is that I would have serious reservations about one of my kids wanting to play the sport. But once you get to the college level, there are freethinking adults involved, money at stake, millions of fans watching, and a host of other complicating factors. To a lesser extent, the same can be said of the steroids scandals in baseball or cycling. It's not black and white and there is plenty of blame to go around. So I've been watching with interest as the triathlon community tries to debate who is to blame for participant deaths at races. Triathletes loves to overthink things and have an altogether more intense attitude about life than, say, the running community. While ...

It's the Mystery of the Missing Furniture! Someone stole our patio furniture. It's a weird, long story that I'll condense this way: A day or two ago I thought it was odd that all 4 of our heavy, wrought iron patio chairs were gone. Ok, let me clarify, they're not "ours" but are in the common sideyard of the building for everyone to use. But they belong to our neighbors who moved out when they got married. So we assumed they'd come to take them back. Very odd that they'd want to take back their patio chairs in the middle of winter, but whatever. Well, yesterday, the matching table is gone, too. I mean, this stuff is heavy enough that I don't think I could carry more than one chair at a time and I certainly don't think your average person could lift the table without help. Apparently there has been a wave of patio furniture crime in our neighborhood...some people even take to chaining it down/together a la sidewalk cafe. The married coupl...

Because that's why we all got into the sport, right? Triathlon is about wearing skintight, high tech, aerodynamic clothing? Dad in a wetsuit...not a pretty picture. Sadly, there will probably be photos. Hopefully you won't recognize me with the goggles, bike helmet, or swim cap.  But here I am, trying to figure out what I want to do about that essential piece of gear--the wetsuit.  The water temperature of the lake for my race is generally in the low-70's making it "wetsuit legal" (there are rules for these things) yet not necessary. Scanning the past photos of race day and asking veterans, it's a mix of wetsuit, no wetsuit, and even a mix about types of wetsuit. There are full sleeves. No sleeves.  Wetsuits are expensive gear, too. And given that I only have 2 triathlons on the horizon it seems silly to buy one for a few hundred dollars to only wear it twice. So renting seems like a better option. I could go to a store around here and try a few on....

Shock! Buzz! Speculation! Want a rumor to generate a huge response in the triathlon community? Ironman may be changing the way they start the races. That's it. That's all. But triathletes will happily spend days and countless discussions unpacking that. You'd think I'd have something to say given my complaints about the Chicago Marathon switching to a corral and wave start system. I'm intrigued--that's about it. As someone attempting my first one, I'm much more concerned about preserving the 17 hour time limit. You tell me how to get in the water and that's how I'll do it though. It always amuses me to write a general audience blog that covers very specific topics because most of you come to it to read about something particular...and couldn't care less about other subjects. So I never know whether to aim for those in-the-know or take the time to explain to the uninformed. In this case, the basics may help some of you diehards keep it in pe...

Last night marked the 3rd straight night in the pool for me. Unintentionally. Schedules were shifted and even though I feel like I definitely need TONS of practice, I have no intention of making swimming an obsession. It just worked out that way this week and I'm now ready for some time away from thinking about my stroke. In fact, if anything, last night I learned that I need to quit beating myself up about it. My instructor's advice is less about picking apart my stroke--it's not all that bad. My problem is mostly putting it all together, but she said she has no doubt that I'll be ready in March to start my training program and she's confident I have the athletic capacity to finish an open water swim. In short, I'm a perfectionist. Which, apparently, others fully understand though maybe not me. I don't think of myself that way. Maybe I don't challenge myself enough with things that are difficult? Maybe I'm naturally talented at too many things? ...

Silly me, I thought I was there to fix my breathing. Turns out, what I thought was my problem wasn't really my problem and what I really have difficulty with I didn't even know I was doing wrong! So there you go. That's why you need a swim coach. She's great. Although I think she was a bit thrown off because we seemed to be having some sort of weird communication problem. Mostly because I was trying to absorb and think of questions as she was trying to come up with ways to help me. I believe she was prepared for far worse than I turned out to be. I know it's her job to offer positive encouragement, but I also think she genuinely thinks I'm better than I'm giving myself credit for. My troubles are the ability to keep everything together and I think it was tricky for her to decide what small adjustments would be the most helpful. Not that everything looks perfect. Just everything looks decent. I'm relaxed--which I didn't think would be the case b...