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June 19 Summer is HereA sure sign that the summer is here and I can get into the "summer" mindset is the start of the Friday morning Canandaigua swim/bike brick. Usually the most enjoyable workout I have all week, the Friday morning brick is really just an awesome way to enjoy jumping in the lake and then climbing the hills around Canandaigua to enjoy the view. The Friday morning workout is a great reminder of the beautiful natural resources we have in this area.
Spring racing has been going ok, my race at the Muddy Sneaker was a tough slog and not a solid effort (actually it was a lot of effort, just not a lot of speed). The Medved Madness Trail Run was fairly solid, as was my effort at the Rochester Classic Duathlon - nothing great but decent races. For most of my races this spring I have not been tapering, and just trying to build a base to make it through the Musselman (1/2 iron). It was nice to shake of the ghost of having broken my collar bone at the Keuka Lake Tri last year, by making it through the race this year - although this included my slowest 10k ever due to the 95 degree temps. Also, I really enjoyed the Fly by Night Duathlon down at the Watkins Glen race track. Racing around the rather hilly track was a blast.
I can't say enough about the Dirt Cheap Trail Series put on by Yellowjacket racing (http://www.yellowjacketracing.com/Fleet%20Feet%20Dirt%20Cheap%20Trail%20Series.htm). This series of local trail races has been really fun. All the races have a low key cool vibe with excellent trail courses in local parks. This is what racing is all about. Although I have to say, after the race last night, swimming 2500 meters and riding 50 miles the day before the race didn't leave me much to negotiate the really hilly and technical narrow trails - but it was still fun. April 18 Training, Racing, etc.I am tired of having a cold, allergies or whatever it is that is clogging up my head. Seems like it has been on and off for a month and it really puts a damper on training and racing - I just don't feel like doing it. This month so far I have done the Spring Forward Distance Run 15K on 4/6 (1:20:17 for 8:39 miles) and the 1st race of the Fleet Feet Dirt Cheap Trail Series (distance was rumored to be about 4-5 miles in 41:49, and give the hills I am pretty sure it was just a little over 4 miles). Tomorrow morning I have my 2nd go at the Muddy Sneaker - a 12 mile jaunt up and down a mountain.
In betwen all this I
So, training has been going ok, but I would like to work on my speed and I would just like to remain healthy for awhile. March 24 The Hole
Waking up to 18-24 inches of powder is not something eastern “ice” skiers are used to. Certainly eastern skiers dream about it, but I would imagine that the vast majority of us really don’t have a concept of how to ski in powder. What I have learned is that powder makes for skiing that is a real workout. Powder will give you a wonderful “floating” sensation while skiing, but you really have to work for it. During the morning I would have about a 100yards of a “Warren Miller” skiing moment and then another 300 of nothing but work, and those 100 yards took me all morning to get the hang of.
Those are the conditions that the group of 8 skiers I was with faced that first morning in Jackson Hole, WY. It was my first time at Jackson Hole. Billed as an “expert” ski resort, Jackson Hole certainly delivers the expert terrain, but really there is enough groomed stuff to easily please the whole family. The skiable area is just enormous – so big that even after 4 days of skiing I don’t feel close to being able to say that I know the mountain.
This mountain has anything that you want to ski - bowls, steeps, rocks, moguls, big long groomers. I haven’t been this beat-up by a mountain in a long time. Friday was a great experience to ski all day with the powder, but it really took a toll for the rest of the time I was there
After a really solid first day of skiing, I had high hopes for great 2nd day. Conditions were really good. To add to the already solid conditions, there were another couple of inches of powder that fell. However, I was pretty tired after that first day. The morning went fine and I ventured out into the woods off the Après Vous lift. I followed the out of bounds markers down through the trees. By this time I was really starting to tire. My legs were no longer making quick turns. I missed a turn, headed into a little bit of brush and took a header down the mountain about 15-20 feet. The beautiful thing about skiing the fresh powder is that you really don’t have to worry too much about the falls because it is nothing but soft landing. Even after tumbling down the hill headfirst, while doing a little flip, I had absolutely no shoulder trouble – huge victory. The second day the mountain definitely got the best of me. I was a little tired and really didn’t ski all that well, but certainly learned a little more about the mountain.
So, what is the best way to ski Jackson Hole for an advanced intermediate 45-50 year old skier? Make sure you get out right at 9:00 plan to do the hardest black runs you want to do by mid-morning (I just really can’t ski hard all day for 4 days in a row). Hit the tram first thing in the morning; take whatever run works for you over to Thunder Lift. Out of Thunder shoot straight out and veer left over to Laramie Bowl – this is a fantastic warm-up run and will drop you down to the Sublette Chair. Take the Sublette Chair up to just below Rendezvous Bowl. From there take the East Ridge Chair to the top of Rendezvous bowl and take a lap or two on Rendezvous Bowl depending on how the conditions are. From the bottom of the Bowl follow Rendezvous Ridge to whatever black stuff you want to do for the morning – Hobacks, Lower Sublette Ridge – all a tone of fun, but will certainly make you sweat. At my age (and even though I think I am in half-way decent shaper I am cooked by the afternoon, so afternoons are for some glamour runs. Any of the groomers off of the Après Vous lifts will give your legs a rest, as well as anything from the Casper lift. Make it back up to the tram for the last run of the day – pack a beer and if it is sunny sit out on the plastic furniture and hang out until the patrol tells you that you have to head down. Take Gros Ventre the whole way – just enough fun at the top to burn off the beer carbs and the bottom is just a nice wider groomer.
After 4 days I can’t say I really know this mountain. I am anxious to come back and really get to know some of the runs better. Definitely have huge respect for this mountain – it truly kicked my ass.
February 24 WhitefaceWhat a difference a year makes. My daughter, Emma, has really grown as a skier over the last year. Sure, some new skis helped and growing a few inches usually doesn't hurt, but her ability to attack black diamond runs has really improved. Over the weekend Emma and I headed up to Whiteface for a couple days of skiing.
The amount of snow they have in the Lake Placid area is really quite amazing. It is truly a winter wonderland up there, even when over here in Rochester, NY there is not much snow to talk about. The conditions on Whitface were decent, and probably better than average since it snowed most of the day on Friday and by Saturday morning the mountain had about 5 new inches of snow. So, early Saturday morning all the runs were great. However, with the amount of skiers on the mountain on Saturday, the freshies had been pushed off by 10:00 and Whiteface revealed why it is know as Iceface. There is a ton of ice all over the mountain, which really requires some different skiing. Being on the mountain early is really important if you want to get some ice free runs in.
Emma and I roamed around Lake Placid on Friday afternoon. As far as ski towns go it has to be in the top 5. As a town, I like it better than Breck or Vail, and it has the advantage of having some great Olympic moments to share. Too bad the skiing just doesn't get close to anything out West. But as a great quick weekend venue to do some great Father/Daughter bonding it hits the spot. January 30 The MarathonThe Miami Marathon was an all around excellent race (except for my last 4 or 5 miles) that has a great course and great support from the City of Miami. I have to give big Congratulations to my wife Cathy, who ran an excellent race for her first Marathon and managed to beat me by over 7 minutes. It was a great bonding experience for us to train for and run our first marathon together. We stayed at the Biltmore in Coral Gables, which turned out to be a very nice hotel with great old world charm and a relaxed atmosphere. Overall the weekend was a great escape/adventure.
My race left me a little bewildered. I never really felt any joy in having finished a marathon. My last 4 or 5 miles were way too problematic for me to feel like I was able to run or race a marathon. My splits through 30k were pretty much where I wanted to be. My goal was to run somewhere around a 4:15 marathon, knowing that I would fade in the second half. At 10K my time was 58:22 at the Half I was at 2:04 at 30K I was at 4:17. So, I was starting to fade pretty good by 30K, but I still figured I could get in before 4:25 or so. During my longer training runs my quads would hurt pretty good, but for the most part I was still at least running - albeit slowly. The pain I experienced during the long training runs was manageable, and certainly on race day I figured my quads would hurt, but I would be able to push through any pain issues. What happened around mile 22 or 23 went way beyond what I had experienced in any of my training runs. My legs actaully began to lock-up some. Around mile 24 my left arm also cramped up and stayed in one position for awhile, which really worried me because I was thinking my whole body was going to lock-up. After mile 22 or so I could no longer run, but was just shuffling as fast as I could. Walking helped, but I really didn't want to walk too much and still wanted to get to the finish as fast as I could. I remember seeing an older gentleman go by me around mile 24 that had this really fast shuffling gate, which I then tried to mimic but couldnt' quite get the timing down. The last 3 miles were just frustrating. I have done enough races that I have experienced times when I was forced to walk because either my lungs were going to explode or I was too tired to get up a hill (this was at the Muddy Sneaker and Out of Bounds 1/2), but the experience of just having your legs cramp/stop working to the point you can't run or jog - just shuffle - was new. Really hard to deal with. January 22 Geek RacingMy off-season training partially consists of running a marathon. I have never attempted a marathon before, but this Sunday my wife, Cathy, and I will give it a go down in Miami. The training has been completed. I have 3 long runs of 20 miles or more under my belt and I am physically running pretty good (currently I am tapering and starting to feel the itch to go out and run longer, which is probably a good sign). Fast is not something you would use to describe my running. I have short stocky legs and a rather "thick" body - nobody has ever used the word svelte and mine name in the same sentence, or for that matter paragraph (what I am pointing out is that I don't look like a runner, but try to play one during triathlons). The hardest part of my training plan to put together is making sure I am fueled for the last 10 miles - my guess is that this probably is the hardest part for most marathoners. Stopping at water stops is not something I like to do, but it is a necessity. So to aide my hydration/fueling I am carrying a small water bottle and will keep another on a belt without water (both with a proprietary mix of gatorade and accelerade) and will refill the small water bottle with water from the water stops. The second bottle I will use after mile 18-19 so that I can get more of my proprietary mix. The belt also has a pouch that I can keep my gels in. The problem is that wearing the belt is just so geeky, definitely not cool. None of the long tall lean real runners wear geeky belts. Like wearing street clothes in gym class I am already setting myself up for ridicule. Really, it doesn't bother me...... January 05 First Race of the New YearI continue to have the opinion that the best running events (and I am throwing snowshoeing into the running category) in the area are put on by the men over at Roads are Poison - roadsarepoison.com. The races are just plain fun and usually have some really gnarly terrain to negotiate. They don't put on any road races, so you have to enjoy getting off-road to appreciate their events. The number of runners in each race is usually fairly small, but the field has a large percentage of area elite men and women runnners. Not that I really care whether or not there are elite runners in the race (makes me finish towards the back of the race), but I think it is an indication of how highly regarded these races are by the runners in the area.
Today's event was the Frozen Assets 5k - a snowshoe race at Harriet Holister State Park. Currently, there isn't that much snow around the suburbs of Rochester, but I was amazed by the amount of snow up at Harriet Holister. There was more than ample snow to run the race. I didn't push too hard today because I have my last long run tomorrow (22 miles) before the Miami Marathon, and finished my 5k in about 32 minutes. The trail was well marked and I was back in the pack so the snow was mainly packed down and made for faster going. I don't think there is anything better than snowshoeing through a grove of pine trees in the middle of winter - simply a serene beatific setting even when you are whizzing by running on snowshoes. Definitely a good race to start the year. December 12 2008 RacesI am currently trying to figure out my 2008 race schedule. Basically, I want complete the races I had planned last year but had to bow out due to my shoulder. New for next year will be a January marathon, The Fly by Night Duathlon in the end of May (I may make a big weekend of it and do the Pittsford Triathlon the next day), and also the Muskoka 70.3.
The marathon training continues on, at times I enjoy it and at others it is quite a hard slog to get all these miles in (while making sure they are quality miles). I just read an article that quoted a professional runner that says your life should be boring so that the most interesting thing you have to look forward everyday is your training run. I found this amusing - probably a great idea on a number of levels, but just really hard to live by. November 27 Late November Speed WorkThe nice part about having last Friday off was being able to get a two-a-day workout in. I was able to jump on my bike in the basement for well over 1 hour and then I was able to get a swim in later in the evening. Felt really good to get two solid workouts in. My swim was good, but I noticed I really don't have the depth of strenghth on my stroke that I should. Instead of just swimming lap after lap on Friday, after I warmed up and then did some 200s and 100s. I can't go as fast as I would like because I can feel my shoulder holding me back a tad - hopefully this will improve.
On Thanksgiving I was very happy with my Turkey Trot effort. I think I managed about a 32:30 for the 4.4 mile course. Almost a minute slower than last year, but given the soggy cold conditions and the huge field (= really slow moving start) - 700 more runners than last year - I was relatively happy with my result.
My training for the Miami marathon continued this evening. Tonight was speed work. I did 6 miles with the 1st mile being a warm-up, then 4 miles of Fartleks, with a cool-down of 1 mile. The whole thing felt really good, which was rather a surprise because I was feeling rather exhausted before my run. I have a 20 miler scheduled for this weekend, so I am pretty geeked up to see how that goes. November 10 It went swimminglyThe highlight of my Friday night was a good swim - a statement that really puts where you are in life in perspective. It was a special swim for a number of reasons - it was the first time in 5 months that I had a real swim workout, and it was the first time swimming after my doctor had given me the o.k. to get back in the water.
During my very small workout I managed about 750 meters. I started with 500 meters, which all in all felt really good. There was no real pain in my shoulder during any of my swim. My plan is to take it pretty slow getting back to any kind of real swim workout. But given the results from last night I think I can get back to a point where I can manage a Triathlon swim. November 08 CT Scan Clear As MudExpectations when dealing with science are always so high. I think the general population expects way too much from doctors and science in general. The general notion is that the medical/scientific community is way beyond where they really are. Anyway, this series of pictures is from my recent CT scan. My layman's guess is that the black spot on the left is my throat the bright spot to the right is part of the titanium plate that was holding my clavicle together. I think the interruption in the cloudy white bone is where the break is. This is just a huge guess on my part and one really has to look at the whole series.
November 07 NON-UNIONUnfortunately, non-union is not a workplace designation. What it does refer to is the radiologist's opinion, after perusing my recent CT scan, that there is a non-
union of the bones. What does that mean - we shall see. I have been given the green light (albeit a very low wattage green light) by my wonderful doctor (I have to admit Dr. Tomaino treats me very nicely especially after the way I treated his highly skilled surgical efforts) to go and use my arm a bit. I can start swimming, do some range of motion exercises, and bike outside - I can't lift weights yet, however.
This ties in fairly well with my current training efforts. My wife and I are running the Miami Marathon in the end of January, so most of my workouts have been geared towards getting ready for the marathon. I have a 15 mile run for this weekend to conquer. It will be nice to do some crosstraining with swimming and biking. Some added depth!
My hope is that I can at least get through the next tri season without my shoulder falling apart.
October 12 Homecoming at Heidelberg CollegeI am pretty sure this is the first time I have gone back to Heidelberg for Homecoming, and I have to say that it was an absolute blast. There are so many things to like about Heidelbeg College and Tiffin. The college has only gotten better in terms of facilities and quality of students since I left there in 1984, but a lot has stayed the same, which I really appreciate. The good qualities are still there - a small college with an involved and caring administration, an alumni presence (all with fond memories) that does nothing but help the school and a small town that keeps the whole school somewhat insulated from the outside world.
One of the attractions of going back was the running of the 'Berg 5K. There were not a ton of alumni who participated in what I think was the inaugural running. The flat course began in the middle of campus and headed out to an old fraternity house and then looped through a cemetary that held some memories for various reasons. The race ended on the college track. A rather decent course. The best part of the race was being able to run with some great fraternity brothers, who made making it through a 5K more fun than usual. There was a festive atmosphere to the race with some first time runners making it the whole 5K. A nice start to the day.
Post-race I was able to get in a short bike ride with a fraternity brother around the rather scenic Tiffin farm land. The area really has some of the best farm land in the country, and is really quite beautiful in the fall.
After a fair amount of exercise I was ready to go to the football game. In what can only be characterized as an Appalachian State/Michigan type of upset , the Heidelberg Fighting Student Princes kicked the S*&$t out of Baldwin Wallace. At the time, Baldwin Wallace was nationally ranked! This was actually the 1st time in 18 years that Heidelbeg has beaten BW.
Dinner at the Pioneer Mill was great. The Pioneer Mill has for years been the closest thing Tiffin has had to fine dining, and they usually put out a decent meal. But what was really great is that the Mill has added an enormous wooden deck onto the back of the dining room, and in the middle of the deck is a big Tiki hut with flat screen tvs. So a bunch of us were able to have some decent food while hanging out on the deck, watching the Buckeyes and yelling at other alums - what could be more fun?
Great weekend.
September 30 SurvivingUnfortunately, I just survived. The Out of Bounds 1/2 marathon at Bristol Mountain started at noon, and I had a later breakfast around 9:00 thinking that would tide me over for the race. By mile 3 I felt like sitting down to lunch. Not a smart strategy. The course was nuts and by the 1/2 point I had nothing in my legs and everything felt incredibly hard. I think I worked harder yesterday than I have during a race and I have nothing but a really slow time to show for it. So, I have the fact that I finished going for me, but that is about it.
At about the 1/2 point you find yourself down at the base area and then the course shoots directly up through the woods to the right of the rocket lift - from there it is just straight up the hill until about 3/4 of the way where you make your way over to the upper north edge of all the runs. I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to start running (or in my case, shuffling) again at the top of the hill. From there the race isn't too bad, but I really had nothing left after this and my running was not that great. It was a beautiful day (as you can see from the pictures) but I have to put this down to a learning experience as far as nutrition goes - stick with what has worked in the past and stay with it! That would be whole wheat bread with peanut butter.
September 25 Still BrokenMy doctor visit last week did not go all that well. The new x-rays looked exactly like the ones taken at the earlier visit. The doctor cannot tell if there is any definite healing going one. At this point it appears that I may have a non-union. So, we are giving it a couple more months and then if the next x-ray doesn't show any progress I will probably have to have a CAT scan and possible some further surgery. Meanwhile, no biking. I can run and do some motion exercises, but no lifting. So, my off season training is halted before it begins. My only goal will be to start training in earnest for the Miami Marathon, which will be run in late January. Meanwhile I will be good about wearing my bone growth stimulator with the hopes that its medical vodoo will do some good. September 12 Bambury Women Get Some PressIt has been a very good week for the Bambury women. My wife, Cathy, had her name in the paper for winning her age group at the Run for the Grapes 5K - not only did she win her age group, but she also won the Women's Masters division. Awesome work on a rather hilly course.
My daughter Sarah, who just made the Varsity Field Hockey team, scored in only her 3rd Varsity game and helped propel her team to a 2-1 victory. So, her name was in the paper yesterday for her great accomplishment. She seems to really enjoy her field hockey and plays hard.
What awesome accomplishments borne of hard work. September 02 Back to RacingIt was very fun to be back racing. Although my time was slower (by about 3 minutes) from the last time I did this race, I was just happy to be back toeing the line at a race. My shoulder did not cause me any problems during the race - really my calves were more of an issue than anything. My stride felt good and strong, I went up the hilly parts of the course better than I did last time (I was suprised when I got to the finish line to see I had a slower time). But without a summer of racing as a base I just wasn't going to PR this 1/2 marathon course. The course out of Geneseo is one of my favorites - a tad hilly, but just a beautiful course mainly on back roads. Interesting to note that I ran in a new pair of shoes I bought on Wednesday. A big running no-no, but I had no problems with the shoes and had no blisters! Myth debunked. August 24 Treatment UpdateMy bones are finally modeling. I went back to the doctor last Wednesday morning for some follow-up x-rays. There is some definite healing going on, but I am still 4 weeks or so away from staring therapy. I can run, although the PA wasn't thrilled with my road biking. Moving my arm above shoulder heigth is still a no-no. It will be nice to start some therapy because I seem to have lost quite a bit of upper body strength - but I am sure I can gain it back.
Running workouts have been going just fine with good track workouts and some strenuous longer runs (9+ miles). I am anxious to toe the line at the Oaktree 1/2 marathon over Labor day weekend. vacation memoriesThe week at Keuka Lake was just fantastic for so many reasons, but I wanted to make sure that I remember some of the more outstanding ones:
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