Got the Nerve Report Part 1

This is the first of a series of reports on the Got the Nerve Triathlon held in Mt. Gretna, PA on May 22 2010.  It was my first triathlon so its a pretty cool deal.
This post is a prequel to the actual race itself.  We used a disposable camera and still have 12 pictures to burn as of the writing of this blog.  So pictures and video are coming soon.
Friday afternoon I shot out of work to lots of well wishes and re-explanations of what I was going to be doing the next morning, which is no problem because I love talking about it.

I got home laid out all my gear to make sure I had everything  For those who know me well I have swiss cheese for brains and I tend to forget things.  Once I got everything laid out I packed it up got everything into the car and took a 15 minute cat nap Renee and Liam got home.
As we headed down the road Liam was acting a little more fussy than usual.  Those with toddlers know that long car rides are not the most fun in the world.  Liam also has a screech which leaves his mouth and goes right into your spine.  It does not stop there but spreads itself out along you neck and shoulders.  This does not provide for a relaxing or enjoyable ride, but this would only serve as a precursor for the night to come.

We stopped in Wilkes -Barre at an Applebees for dinner.  I found to best looking pasta dish on the menu to store some carbs.  It was a Three Cheese Penne with Grilled Chicken.  It was not anything to write home about, but good enough to serve its purpose.  One interesting site we saw was this, a alrge dresser sticking out of the back of a sedan...it did not look very safe.
Our original plan was to stay with some family in Lancaster but due to a lack of beds we opted to stay in a hotel.  There were a couple of reasons for this, but the primary one was I needed/wanted a good nights sleep.  Second it was only about ten minutes from the race site.  We made a half-hearted effort the night before to find the race site site but to no avail. Turns out I turned around about 500 yards from the turn-off.
We got to the hotel around 7:30 which normally is Liam's bed-time.  We did our best to rock him, give him a snack, but by 9pm he still was not going down.  Renee and I were both losing steam and I really wanted to get some rest.  So I took liam for a walk on my shoulders through the hotel.  I thought he might be fading, but by 10pm he was still going.  I got the stroller and we did laps around the Hampton Inn.  I am sure I covered over a mile and it still did not seem like he was fading.  Finally at 11:15 he passed out-and so did we.
At 3am we were awoken abruptly by some yelling and arguing.  And it wasn't like it was down the hall, it was right outside our door.  The guys was going on and on about who knows what.  Finally I hear another voice of a older woman scream "Hey big-mouth, people are trying to sleep!"  I thought she handled it well because things quieted down after that.  I found out the next morning it was a drunken wedding just back from the reception and the State Police had almost been called.

My wake-up call came at 4:45 I got up went downstairs ate a bagel with Peanut butter, a banana and some coffee.  When I got back upstairs my family was still sleeping.  I got them up (reluctantly-he's so precious when he sleeps) and we got on the road.
The parking area was already filling up when we got to the race site.  I started to feel twinges of self-inflicted intimidation as I got the bike out and my gear set.  I picked up my race packet and got my body marked with my bib number 534 and my age on my right calf.  This number would prove very useful in my own observation during the bike leg which i will save for the next post.  Thanks for reading!

The Final Countdown

For your listening pleasure while you read this blog.
The Final Countdown
But here were are, 6 months in the training.  It is amazing to think how far I have come since November.  As I ws thinking the other day it really all started when i watched a "where are they now" episode of the Biggest Loser.  Two of the guys on there went on to do Ironman Triathlons.  Those are the bigs ones and take well over a year to train for-so we are starting small.
But in a little over a week I will be participating in my first Tri.  I am very stoked, excited, nervous and I know the next week will be filled with dreams about me missing the race or getting there late or something like that.  This always happens when I get close to some big event.  I am comforted by the fact that I will have an awesome cheering section.  So far it is up to 4.  Renee and Liam, my sister Emily, and a close family friend Erin.
My biggest worry is my bike to run transition.  I was disheartened by a brick workout I put myself through last week.  When I got off the bike my legs were spent and my pace was less than satisfactory.  So I have been battling in my mind the different possibilities and reasons for this.  My cardio is more than prepared for this race.  I can perform twice the distances required in all the disciplines without any great difficulty, is it just a matter of my body not being ready for it?
Or do I need to do something I have never thought to do, refuel nutritionally during the race? It is a short sprint and should take longer than 1:45 but do I need to intake some calories halfway through?  A problem with this is that I have not practiced refuleing during training, only pre-workout and post work-out.
There are ton of questions cruising through my mind right now and each one feels more confusing than the rest.  Just praying that I can do what I know for this one and look forward to the next.
Be praying for me this week, and know that I have more excitement than worry.  The worry just tends to be more vocal sometimes.
Peace.

New Supersuit

My new Trisuit came in the other day and I have been just itching to try it out.  I have also decided that I will no longer call it a trisuit but a super suit.  I think it will make me faster.  Up here in in North East Pa we have had some nice weather this past week.  In fact it has been so warm that we had to open up all the windows in the apartment and employ the use of fans.  This has also been encouragement for me to get out and do my first open water swim.
Everything I have read says "Do not wait till the day of your triathlon to swim in open water." This is a challenge for me because the water stay pretty cold till June around these parts.  Yesterday I found a straw and decided to suck it up and take the plunge.  The water I will be swimming in on my first race will be between 68 and 72 degrees.  I have opted not to go with a wetsuit despite the many benefits it offers (warmth, buoyancy,  and better hydrodynamics) mostly because I don't want to spend the 40 bucks on the rental or the 200-500 on one to keep.
I asked Chris to come watch me and make sure I didn't drown and went down to a small lake that is probably 250 yards across and never has any traffic on it because it is private. 

I donned my new super suit and my goggles and jumped in.  Now I have been in very cold water before.  3 years ago Chris and I went whitewater kayaking in March on the West branch of the lackwaxen.  We launched off a snow bank and saw numerous ice chunks as we paddled down the creek.  Unfortunately I caught and edge wrong and over I went-that was cold.  I can honestly say that yesterdays dip was nothing compared to that.
The only thing that made me uneasy was the very dark storm system just to our south.  As I jumped in I could hear the thunder. Made it about fifty yards out and was so distracted by possibly being electricuted that I turned around and came back.  A I came close to the dock I cam face to face with something underwater.  I still cannot tell you what it was, but I let out and audible yell into the water...yes I am a wimp-but I'll have you know there are some very large Bass that live in the lake, though this was not a Bass.
Very short lived and pretty disappointing swim, but I'll be jumping in again within the week-thanks for reading and all your support.

Banjos, Studios, and Springs

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post.  Partially because I don't want to bore people with the mundane of my training, also because my training has backed off a bit.  Work and vacation have been tyrannical though I have been able to find some time to sneak some training in.

A week and a half ago I went on a great ride with Jeff.  We went into northern Wayne County-which has it's hazards-rural, wildlife...banjos.  The route stays flat for about 5 miles then goes uphill for five miles, it's pretty awesome on the way down.  Anyway, I have had enough of riding in the cold and I am looking forward to warmer weather.  At the "end" of the ride I decided that 24 miles for the day was not enough so I decided to head up Ridge Street.  As I turned up Chapel Street to change gears, I felt my chain fall off.  I got of the bike and while trying to put the chain back on I saw that my small front cog was bent in half.  Fail.  I walked the bike the mile through town and back home all the while snacking on humble pie.
My other notable sessions were this past week in Florida.  I as down there for a conference for the Free Methodist Church.  On friday I did 4.5 miles with Chris through around the grounds of Universal Studios.  Did you know that they do all the work on the grounds at 4-6am-pretty remarkable.   The trails around the Hard Rock Hotel were winding yet scenic.

Then on Sunday my parents to us to Alexander Springs State Park.  This is an aerial shot of the beach area.  There was a really nice trail that I ran three times.  I am guessing from my time that it may have been shorter than the 1.8 the ranger said it was.  As I got halfway through my third loop I started to get a little tunnel vision and nausea sure sign the body wanted me to stop.  I guess i am not used to the humidity.  But I did get to experience what the water may feel like on race day.  The water from the spring was between 68-72 degrees-and honestly it was perfect.  I feel confident about my decision to forgo the wetsuit in my first tri.
I was also able to get a decent swim in at the Eustis public pool.  I only had to pay a dollar to use it-that's awesome considering Woodloch charges 12(I have not gone, nor will I for that price)
I ate like I was on vacation which is never good, but we will reengage in healthy eating this week.  I have 23 days to get this body tuned up for its first real endurance challenge...CHARGE!!!

Fat Guy in a Little Trisuit

I spent the past month debating whether or not to buy a trisuit or not.  After much debating I decided to and found the cheapest on I could find.  It is a very nice color.  Royal blue with a wide black stripe down the side.  Today I got it in the mail-then I tried it on-then decided to stop eating.  I would post pictures but I want you to read my blog again.  Nuf said.

Good Form Old Chap

Just about every single article on triathlon swimming begins by hemming and hawing about how all triathletes dread the swim, it is their most feared leg, they always do bad-and on and on and on.  I actually really enjoy swimming and have enjoyed my increased endurance in the sport.  As my last blog outlined the Carbondale YMCA pool has a current when they turn the water slide on.  This current proved to be a challenge my first day out but this last time I was ready.  My first 500 was current free, my second and third were a different story.  I heard the pool turn on and felt the increased resistance.
I could feel the water pushing against me while I struggled to gain ground amidst the continued fatigue of my muscles.  There is a series of articles by Triathlete Jim Vance called "Dance with the Water" in it he says:

"Ignoring the water is like trying to dance alone to a song meant for couples. Swimming is all about the interaction of the human body and water, so we must better understand the water and what it is telling us before we can better assess our own movements within the act of swimming."

This truth rang true in my mind as I pulled and struggled.  The article goes on to talk about proper form in a very absract kind of way which is right up my alley.  I worked very hard on improving the different parts of my stroke as well as my body movement.  There is really a lot to think about when you are still learning.  But when I finally started to move in rhythm with the current I felt as if I could go on forever.  Unfortunately my foot felt otherwise via cramp and I was forced from the pool after 1650 yards.
This is how our journeys are.  Many times we so desperately want to force our will upon what we are experiencing.  We wish people acted more in the way we would like them to.  We wish circumstances were different.  More money, different job, bigger house, nicer car, better friends, etc.  We hit these currents that disagree with them and become so consumed by wishing for what is not that we fight the current.  This is bad form.
No matter how hard I tried to pull with muscle, only finesse would help me.  And no matter how much you try to pull and push your own way in life, you will never change many of the circumstances you find yourself in.  Many times it is just easier to throw in the towel as I had done in my previous workout.  But that was bad form.
I cannot stop that current so as Jim Vance says, I have to dance with it.  What is we start dancing with the difficult cirumstances in our lives.  Accepting them as the opportunities for growth that God has equipped us to deal with.  What happens if we grab the difficulty and turn it into joy.  I love the words of the Apostle James:
"Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trial of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
We need to realize that we will miss life if we do not live with good form.

Current Events

The Carbondale YMCA has been where I have logged 99.9% of my swims to date-minus my swim in Indy.  I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of their new facility. The pool is full size and the locker rooms are bigger too.  This and I have had to stop and turn twice as often as the normal swimmer.  Well last week the new facility finally opened HUZZAH!!!!  So today i decided to go over the mountain to try it out.  The facility is just a beautiful as I imagined.
When I walked into the pool there were at least 100 kids in and around the facility and it was pure madness.  And all the lanes were occupied by kids/teens.  I went up to the guard and asked him about lap swimming and he kindly cleared the lane for me.
I jumped in and started my work.  I immediately felt myself just flying through the water with incredible speed.  It was awesome.  My adrenaline kicked in with the realization that all this training is starting to pay off.  I made my turn and came back, I got through my first 300 without much problem then took a little 30 second breather.  I then started my second set.  As fatigue set in I started to notice something.  I was moving considerably faster on my down than I was on my back.   I realized why I had been flying through the water at such an incredible speed...a current.  Never had I anticipated such a thing in a pool, but it was there.  This current slowly became the bane of my existence.  Having to use half the effort down that pool and twice the effort back was really messing with my psyche.  After my second set of 300 I decided to call it quits.
On my drive home I was thinking about this new little debacle.  I was a bit frustrated because I just want to swim with no distraction, nothing messing with my head or whatever.  But the voice of a triathlete spoke to my mind and reminded me that my swims will be in open water with no lanes keeping other swimmers at bay.  I may run into currents and kicks and other things but I just have to work through them.
This is a great lesson for life.  We would just love it life were all roses and we never experienced any difficulty, but that is not how it is.  Adam and Eve ate the fruit and messed the world up.  So instead of complaining about how bad things are we should just keep swimming.  Working through the tough things knowing they are preparing us for the race ahead.