It took a few weeks, but the 2015 MS Tour To Tanglewood Finish Line Photos are online. Here is Cindy and I crossing the 50 mile mark and ready for lunch. This is from the 30th Annual Tour To Tanglewood, a National MS Society fundraising event.
Raleigh Rock & Roll Marathon – 4/12/15
Today was the first day of our 12 week Half-Marathon training. The plan actually started yesterday, but since Mondays are “rest” days, today was the official start of this adventure. Two miles was all that was required today, so it was a quick trip to the gym to knock it out and then head to the hot tub. The weather was perfect for outside running, but since I need to work on pacing myself, the treadmill will be my best friend for awhile. Not to worry though because tomorrow is going to be nice too, and I plan to get the bike back on the road for the first time this year. I hope to see the trees passing me by at 16 mph during lunch tomorrow, while the wind blows through my beard. 🙂
My wife and I signed up for the Raleigh Rock & Roll Marathon many many months ago when we were feeling, ummm, for lack of a better word, I’ll just say crazy. We were on a high from doing some other races and thought that signing up so far in advance would give us plenty of time to get ready for it. Well, as the high wore off and other priorities took over, so did training. You know how that goes. Anyways, awhile back, we decided that we bit off a little bit more than we could chew, so we opted to training for the half marathon instead. Now that we are 12 weeks from the event, it’s time to get busy training. On top of starting to run again, I have also joined my wife in eating low carb, hoping to trim down a little bit before April. Cycling will help with that as well, so the plan is in place. Now for the execution, that’s the hard part, at least for me.
The particular running plan we chose has rest days on Mondays and Fridays, run days of Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays (long run), and Sundays (recovery). Wednesdays, as well as some Fridays, and an option on Sundays, are cross train days. I will probably be cycling 2 to 3 times a week also, sometimes on run days and sometimes on CT days. With all this and also eating better should help prepare us to run/jog/walk/crawl/finish our first half marathon. The best part is that it is a Rock & Roll event, so there will be bands playing at every mile. Smash Mouth is the headliner, so I assume they will be at the Start/Finish Line. There is no shame for us to have downgraded to a half marathon, even though we signed up and paid for the full 26.2 miles. It was only $10 less to sign up for the half, so we will only lose $20 total, and that’s well worth it if it means we survive to the finish line. Our future may have a full marathon in it some day, but not this year. We are too busy of a family at this point in our lives to commit to the rigorous training schedule required for 26.2 miles. Maybe after we retire, who knows. For now, the half is the goal, and for me at least, it is a major challenge, and I look forward to conquering it in Rock & Rock style. Wish me, and both of us, luck on this new adventure.
Thanks.
Simon A.
Finally some Spring weather.
My training for my triathlon has been hit and miss the past few weeks. With work being so busy, school coming to a close, and life in general being crazy now that we are carpooling together, training has taken a back seat. And that’s not even mentioning the weather factor. When it’s not raining or freezing, it’s hot and windy. And the pollen in the air has stuffed my nose like a turkey. I hate allergies. Excuses aside, the triathlon is this Saturday and I am trying to get as ready as I can.
On Monday, Cindy and I went to the park to jog. The running was going pretty good until an oncoming car made me nervous and I got too close to the edge of the pavement. My left ankle rolled over and I went down. The good news was that I didn’t feel a pop, so it didn’t break my ankle or even twist it, but it did sprain it pretty good. It never bruised, but even today, it’s still very tender to the touch and nicely swollen. After I rolled it, we jogged another mile or so, which may or may not have been a good idea. I haven’t run on it since, so hopefully the swelling will go down before Saturday. More IBuprofen for me.
Today, I decided to ride the bike, fist because it was beautiful outside, and also to see if pedalling messed with my ankle. I rode 16.5 miles and had no problems. So for the triathlon, I think my ankle will be fine up until the run at least. The 5K is mostly a trail run, so I will have to be super careful not to roll my ankle again on the roots. It will hurt much more doing it again since it’s already tender. I plan to take it easy and just make sure I finish. I hate injuries.
View from the shade
Treading carefully,
Simon A.
Should I be getting butterflies this early? Actually I am not yet, but I know I will sometime this week. It happens every time. A few days before a race, my stomach starts to spin. I guess it’s the anticipation of the event mixed with my nervousness of trying something new. In 6 days, I am racing, or should I say participating, in my first sprint triathlon. It’s my first triathlon of any length. I haven’t competed in a swim event since I was probably 5 years old. I have never competed in a cycling event, although I have been riding in group events for charity for other 10 years now. I also have a little experience with 5K running, but of the 3 disciplines, running is my worst. Am I ready? I don’t know, but I will do my best and hope to finish. Since it’s my first one, I am guaranteed a personal best. I just want to avoid the DNF or a DQ. I know that is possible. I will walk the 5K if I have to, but I will finish. I have confidence in that, but the butterflies are sure to come. It’s inevitable, I know. Will I swim too fast and burn myself out? Will I bike too hard and ruin my legs for the run? I will try not to, but you know how it is when you are in a race. You want to go go go, and it’s hard to pace yourself. I just have to keep telling myself that the race is only a race between me and myself. Just get through this first event without fault and then set the bar for the next one. I know there will be a second one. I already have the fever even before I do my first one. I volunteered at an Olympic Tri last weekend and I could see myself doing it maybe next year. I may have to get my wife to do the run portion for me, but I know eventually I will be able to run a 10K as well. It will be a great experience regardless.
Please wish me luck and help me hold off the butterflies if possible. The race is with me only, I know that, and I need to keep telling myself that. It’s all good. 🙂
Six more days…..
Simon A.
45 mile Caraway Mtn. Loop.
The weather could not have been more perfect for the ride today. The hills could have been smaller however. I usually stay away from group rides where the course name has the word “Mountain” in it, but the day was too good not to ride, and I guess hills are good training. Two hours before the ride, I jogged 4 miles on the elliptical at the YMCA to loosen up, plus today was supposed to be a run day for my triathlon training. No matter what, tomorrow needs to be a run day. Since the weather is going to be great again tomorrow, I guess my wife and I will be running around the lake.
Great ride in the hills today.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Talk to you again soon.
Simon A.
It was a beautiful day on the road. I just had to share. My average would have been better if I hadn’t stopped to take pictures, but that’s ok with me. I still rode faster than Tuesday.
Long Hill Ahead
Turn Around Point
Stats for today’s ride
Enjoy the day if you have weather like this where you live. If not, I hope it comes to you soon.
Until next post,
Simon A.
It is time once again when everyone reflects on the past year, thinking of all the things they wanted to get done and didn’t, all the things they accomplished, and things they never got around to. I am no different. It seems year after year that I set major goals for myself and always fall short. This year, I am changing it up. I will set smaller, more specific goals for 2014, and they will get done.
Some of the most common goals people have for the new year are things like losing weight, exercising more, eating better, and being smarter with money. I agree that they first one is pretty important in todays world, where it seems that the norm is that we are becoming a larger society. I myself could stand to lose a few, although I have lost 20 lbs this year, and slimmed down 3 notches on my belt already. The important thing is that I am happy with myself right now and I at least want to maintain my current state. The second goal, exercising more, is not one of my goals this year per se. I try to exercise at least 4 times a week already, sometimes more, so I don’t think I need to do more. What I do want to accomplish this coming year is more focused exercise. I road my bike over 1600 miles this year, and in 2014, I want to break 2000 miles. I don’t think that will be a problem since I have really started riding a lot more since I got my new bike back in May. I am starting the year off right tomorrow with a 61 mile ride to get the count rolling on day 1. Other exercise goals for the new year include doing my first triathlon, which I have already signed up for and is in April. I also hope to start running more and maybe do a 10K, or at least improve my 5K time. I would also like to try kickboxing. I think it will be tough since my upper body is weaker than my legs, but I need to work that part to make it stronger. I did my first kettlebells class last night and that was a start. I also do yoga and spin class at least twice a week. I think I have the exercise part of my resolution covered.
Eating better is a tough one for me. My family is very busy and we love fast food. We also love to cook, but the fast food wins when time is a factor. What we need to do is better food planning. Thinking ahead and planning meals better will help us be a better healthier family. That’s the plan anyways.
The last of the common goals I think people have is to be smarter with their money. I believe my family can do better in some areas, but I also think we do better than average in a lot of areas, so I’m not too worried about it this year, as long as we don’t go crazy with the spending.
Other than the common goals, I have made specific commitments in my heart that I plan to keep this coming year. They are for me, and me alone, but I assure you, they are real and they will make me a better person for myself and my family. My hope is to become a better person, to my family, friends, co-workers, and society. I truly feel that 2014 will be the best year to date, and I think that even though my goals may be smaller and more specific, I will have much more success in achieving them than in the past.
My very last goal for this coming year is to write more. You can see that I started early, but this is a simple goal that I can do. I am not promising that my book will be done this year, nor am I promising that this blog will have a new entry every 3 days, but I will write more, and I hope that in doing so, I will learn more about myself, helping me in my quest to be a better person.
It’s 10:20PM here on the east coast and 2014 is just around the corner. I hope everyone has a great year and I hope my goals will inspire you to set small goals that are sure to get met. Happy New Year everyone.
Simon A.
Life After 35 Years 