It's pouring rain today at the Lake Placid Ironman race. Hard to believe they're all freezing in the rain given the heat and humidity here. I'm not sure which is worse. I'm feeling pretty wilted after my early morning rides this weekend.
My training is definitely more intense than last year. I've moved my long run to mid-week to allow two long rides on the weekends. On Wednesday I ran 16-miles. Thursday and Friday were training days, with a focus on easy aerobic pacing to promote recovery before a big weekend. Saturday was a long and hard (and hot!) ride. Ryan and I covered 85 miles at a 19 MPH pace. This morning I managed 40-miles of interval riding and a four mile brick run.
While I'm managing to hold things together in terms of family & work obligations, I'm definitely on the edge of digging myself into a hole. I sneak naps whenever possible. I've had good success at avoiding alcohol - less success at avoiding caffeine - less success, yet, at avoiding refined sugar. It's hard when your tired, OK!!! I'm fighting an ice cream craving right now...
It can be difficult to do "normal" things during a training peak. This week I succumbed to peer pressure and played wiffleball. Sadly, even wiffleball can lead to injury when your legs and shoulders are weak and trying to recover. The same holds with launching your kids from your shoulders at the pool. Ouch! I'm looking forward to my recovery week - our family vacation in early August.
On an unrelated note - Lori won a 5 mile race... as in won the entire race outright, not just the women's division, on Saturday. She picked a good one to win. First prize was a crisp $100 bill!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Kerr Family Reunion
This weekend is dedicated to Kyle's final baseball tournament of the season. Last weekend we headed to western PA for the Kerr family reunion.
Not sure what's up with my camera, but here are my uncles Emery and Bill. Only 2 of the kids left from Dad's generation.
Sibs, sons, and nephews. I'm not so short in Kerr-land.
An afternoon search for creek creatures.
Not sure what's up with my camera, but here are my uncles Emery and Bill. Only 2 of the kids left from Dad's generation.
Sibs, sons, and nephews. I'm not so short in Kerr-land.
An afternoon search for creek creatures.
Friday, July 4, 2008
June Wrap-up
I had a really great month, starting with another camp in Lake Placid. Seeing the campers training for their Ironman events gave me the fever again and I signed on for the Chesapeakeman Ultra in late September.
This week I had my best cycling power test... ever. My fitness is really kicking in and I'm only 7 watts and 2 pounds short of my pre-medical condition season goal of hitting 4.0 watts/kg functional threshold power. I thought it was a stretch goal at the time. After my heart issue I thought it might never happen, let alone this year. Now sitting at 3.8 w/kg my motto has become "I can." I'm amazed and very thankful... and having loads of fun!
Athletic accomplishments of the month:
First 100-mile ride of the season.
Six other rides greater than 50 miles.
Long run at 1:45.
First 3x swim week of the season.
56-1/2 hours trained.
My goals for July are pretty ambitious... Run 5x/week by end of month, consistently swim 3x/week, long run up to 2:30, hit all ride targets on my plan.
I can, I can, I can...
This week I had my best cycling power test... ever. My fitness is really kicking in and I'm only 7 watts and 2 pounds short of my pre-medical condition season goal of hitting 4.0 watts/kg functional threshold power. I thought it was a stretch goal at the time. After my heart issue I thought it might never happen, let alone this year. Now sitting at 3.8 w/kg my motto has become "I can." I'm amazed and very thankful... and having loads of fun!
Athletic accomplishments of the month:
First 100-mile ride of the season.
Six other rides greater than 50 miles.
Long run at 1:45.
First 3x swim week of the season.
56-1/2 hours trained.
My goals for July are pretty ambitious... Run 5x/week by end of month, consistently swim 3x/week, long run up to 2:30, hit all ride targets on my plan.
I can, I can, I can...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Field of Dreams
You've seen the movie "Field of Dreams?" Set to the backdrop of baseball, a number of men are given a chance to live out something they've only dreamed of in the past. For one reason or another wishes are granted. Yeah, a little corny for sure, but nevertheless an American classic.
An interesting twist is that the wishes aren't always granted exactly as they've been dreamed. Take Moonlight Graham for instance - A beloved small town doctor that's brought back from the dead and granted his wish to get an official "at bat" in the majors. His exact dream? To stretch a gap shot double into a triple. In "reality" he produces a sacrifice fly before he's sucked from the field to save the life of the main character's daughter. Not very deep, eh?
I had a wish granted last evening - one that I suspected would never be fulfilled. My exact dream? To coach both of my sons in key positions on the same baseball team. I used to have this vision of paying a mound visit to Colin as Kyle, his battery mate, comes out to share in our game changing strategy.
It really played out like this. Kyle fell at a hiking camp and headed for the doctor's office late in the afternoon. As he was getting six stitches to repair his shin, Colin and I drove to Columbia for the final game of his season. As 6:00 approached, it became clear that we were only going to have eight players - a forfeit. I called Lori and asked her to put a uniform on Kyle if he was up for playing. Our opponent graciously allowed us to start the game with 8 players as Kyle and Lori hopped in the Batmobile for Columbia.
One inning later Kyle and his freshly stitched leg arrived and took left field. Colin was on the mound. Kyle was inserted into the #9 hole and led off the top of the third inning. On deck? Our lead-off hitter - Colin. The Kerr boys hitting back-to-back. Pretty cool. I really enjoyed myself. They looked awfully good out there!
Remarkably, I was granted this wish in what will likely be the final game of Colin's baseball "career." Though a good and highly motivated athlete, he doesn't share my passion for baseball. Those boys have no idea how much fun I had last night. By the way, we got our butts kicked.
Life is good.
An interesting twist is that the wishes aren't always granted exactly as they've been dreamed. Take Moonlight Graham for instance - A beloved small town doctor that's brought back from the dead and granted his wish to get an official "at bat" in the majors. His exact dream? To stretch a gap shot double into a triple. In "reality" he produces a sacrifice fly before he's sucked from the field to save the life of the main character's daughter. Not very deep, eh?
I had a wish granted last evening - one that I suspected would never be fulfilled. My exact dream? To coach both of my sons in key positions on the same baseball team. I used to have this vision of paying a mound visit to Colin as Kyle, his battery mate, comes out to share in our game changing strategy.
It really played out like this. Kyle fell at a hiking camp and headed for the doctor's office late in the afternoon. As he was getting six stitches to repair his shin, Colin and I drove to Columbia for the final game of his season. As 6:00 approached, it became clear that we were only going to have eight players - a forfeit. I called Lori and asked her to put a uniform on Kyle if he was up for playing. Our opponent graciously allowed us to start the game with 8 players as Kyle and Lori hopped in the Batmobile for Columbia.
One inning later Kyle and his freshly stitched leg arrived and took left field. Colin was on the mound. Kyle was inserted into the #9 hole and led off the top of the third inning. On deck? Our lead-off hitter - Colin. The Kerr boys hitting back-to-back. Pretty cool. I really enjoyed myself. They looked awfully good out there!
Remarkably, I was granted this wish in what will likely be the final game of Colin's baseball "career." Though a good and highly motivated athlete, he doesn't share my passion for baseball. Those boys have no idea how much fun I had last night. By the way, we got our butts kicked.
Life is good.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day Gift
I received the best Father’s Day gift late Saturday morning. Kyle was scheduled to head for a friend’s cabin in the woods that would have him returning home late Sunday afternoon. We were chatting as he played video games. Kyle’s huge on creature comforts, so it has always surprised me that he enjoys heading to a rustic cabin in the woods. I questioned him on the pending trip and he said, “I’m not going.” I responded, “Why not?” Answer, “Because I want to be home for Father’s Day.” It truly made my weekend.
Today we heard the words of the Apostle Paul,
“…but we also boast in our sufferings
Knowing that suffering produces endurance
And endurance produces character
And character produces hope
And hope does not disappoint us.”
(To the devout Christians checking in, please forgive my omission of the all important “because” that follows.)
13 years ago this summer I selected that passage and then read it at my brother’s funeral mass. The words were so appropriate, as I watched Dennis suffer and physically deteriorate through years of terminal illness. Through that suffering he most definitely gained endurance, character and, yes, hope. The passage is so true and so perfectly representative of the persuasiveness of Paul’s frequent logical progressions.
On a somewhat different plane, this passage goes a long way in explaining my attraction to the Ironman challenge – a challenge that I’ve decided to chase again this year (hello “Chesapeakeman” on September 27). My mind has gone a complete 360 degrees during this roller coaster ride of a year. My body is cooperating right now, and I just wasn’t happy setting my sights at less than the ultimate goal.
There is beauty in extreme endurance sports. Not so much in the races themselves, but in the journey to get there. I’m going to ante up again. I’ll seek perfection and surely fall short. But there’s more to be gained from quest than there is to be lost by failure. For me, a form of redemptive suffering that will ultimately produce hope. The battle is not to make it to the finish, but to the starting line.
Peace.
Today we heard the words of the Apostle Paul,
“…but we also boast in our sufferings
Knowing that suffering produces endurance
And endurance produces character
And character produces hope
And hope does not disappoint us.”
(To the devout Christians checking in, please forgive my omission of the all important “because” that follows.)
13 years ago this summer I selected that passage and then read it at my brother’s funeral mass. The words were so appropriate, as I watched Dennis suffer and physically deteriorate through years of terminal illness. Through that suffering he most definitely gained endurance, character and, yes, hope. The passage is so true and so perfectly representative of the persuasiveness of Paul’s frequent logical progressions.
On a somewhat different plane, this passage goes a long way in explaining my attraction to the Ironman challenge – a challenge that I’ve decided to chase again this year (hello “Chesapeakeman” on September 27). My mind has gone a complete 360 degrees during this roller coaster ride of a year. My body is cooperating right now, and I just wasn’t happy setting my sights at less than the ultimate goal.
There is beauty in extreme endurance sports. Not so much in the races themselves, but in the journey to get there. I’m going to ante up again. I’ll seek perfection and surely fall short. But there’s more to be gained from quest than there is to be lost by failure. For me, a form of redemptive suffering that will ultimately produce hope. The battle is not to make it to the finish, but to the starting line.
Peace.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Camp wrap-up
Friday was race simulation day. I rode a loop of the course as 90-minutes steady, and then a 90-minute build to the finish. It was a tough ride as the heat arrived with winds whipping the second half of the loop. I hopped off the bike and ran a steady 5 miles before shutting it down. After a good lunch and some R&R, I walked to Mirror Lake and got in an easy recovery swim.
The Ironman athletes felt more pressure to ride long. Most of them, if not too shelled from earlier rides, worked in another 112-mile ride and a short run.
This morning I woke up, threw on the running shoes, and trotted an easy seven miles. We grabbed a quick breakfast, packed the car, and hit the road. We were in Lancaster by 4 pm.
I achieved some key objectives this week. I got in a VERY solid training block without having any heart arrhythmia. While my volume numbers weren't quite as impressive as my Ironman lead-up last year, the intensity of my training was far higher. In all I trained just under 20 hours, with 280 miles of hilly riding, around 20-miles of running, and some light swimming. I was smart in not digging myself into a hole. My body was ready for the training dose that it received, but not much more. Now I need to have a few easy days as my body "absorbs" its new fitness.
I checked out Patrick's blog on EN... His photos are way better than mine. Check them out under my links in the righthand margin.
I think tomorrow's actually Monday? That means back to the routine...
The Ironman athletes felt more pressure to ride long. Most of them, if not too shelled from earlier rides, worked in another 112-mile ride and a short run.
This morning I woke up, threw on the running shoes, and trotted an easy seven miles. We grabbed a quick breakfast, packed the car, and hit the road. We were in Lancaster by 4 pm.
I achieved some key objectives this week. I got in a VERY solid training block without having any heart arrhythmia. While my volume numbers weren't quite as impressive as my Ironman lead-up last year, the intensity of my training was far higher. In all I trained just under 20 hours, with 280 miles of hilly riding, around 20-miles of running, and some light swimming. I was smart in not digging myself into a hole. My body was ready for the training dose that it received, but not much more. Now I need to have a few easy days as my body "absorbs" its new fitness.
I checked out Patrick's blog on EN... His photos are way better than mine. Check them out under my links in the righthand margin.
I think tomorrow's actually Monday? That means back to the routine...
Friday, June 6, 2008
Day 4 Curveball
We headed out for a "friendly 106 mile ride today." Words that just shouldn't be used in the same sentence! "Friendly" because we were supposed to work as a group, allowing for some long hours of spinning while folks took turns working the front.
About 1,000 meters into our epic ride, the clouds let loose a solid downpour that soaked us all through. We split apart, but tried to keep together in small groups. Not an easy feat for a bunch of individually-minded triathletes!
The roads had a lot of debris washed out from the hard rain. Around mile 46 I ran over a rusty nail that punctured my tire, tube, and aluminum rim. I was done for the day, but not injured. Incredibly, Patrick was driving sag just about a mile away when this happened, so I was happily within the confines of an automobile within 5 minutes of the mishap.
Tomorrow's supposed to be another 100+ miler. I'm glad that I brought a second bike. Otherwise I'd be dealing with repair shops instead of riding.
I'll eventually post some pictures. You can get official updates from camp central here: http://www.endurancenation.us/blog/
About 1,000 meters into our epic ride, the clouds let loose a solid downpour that soaked us all through. We split apart, but tried to keep together in small groups. Not an easy feat for a bunch of individually-minded triathletes!
The roads had a lot of debris washed out from the hard rain. Around mile 46 I ran over a rusty nail that punctured my tire, tube, and aluminum rim. I was done for the day, but not injured. Incredibly, Patrick was driving sag just about a mile away when this happened, so I was happily within the confines of an automobile within 5 minutes of the mishap.
Tomorrow's supposed to be another 100+ miler. I'm glad that I brought a second bike. Otherwise I'd be dealing with repair shops instead of riding.
I'll eventually post some pictures. You can get official updates from camp central here: http://www.endurancenation.us/blog/
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