Some days it's not training, it's therapy.

Today was one of those days.  The day brought about numerous challenges and unexpected bad news regarding a friend.  I was supposed to do a 30 minute easy recovery swim and a 75 minute run today.  In between meetings I squeezed in the 30 minute swim, but it wasn't a recovery swim; instead it was the hardest I've ever swam and it felt great.  I stopped thinking about my form and technique and instead embraced some time alone while letting my mind wander to the day's events.

After my evening meetings wrapped up, I skipped happy hour and headed out for a run; crazy right?  It was a great decision; I ended up running for 9 miles.  My mind was able to wander and process some things.  While I was running today, I couldn't help but think about purpose.  I was drawn to a memory of one of my student trip leader's pep talks on a canoeing trip in the Adirondacks when the weather was not cooperating, people were physically exhausted, morale was low, and we were behind schedule.  She told the group to "paddle with purpose."  Well today, I ran with purpose and it was exactly what my mind and soul needed.  It had nothing to do with physical fitness or triathlon training.  It was therapy.

“Some seek the comfort of their therapist's office, other head to the corner pub and dive into a pint, but I chose running as my therapy.” 
― Dean Karnazes

Feeling of Control

This week has challenged my training plan.  After only 2 days of sticking to the plan, I began to make substitutions and alterations.  Sunday began trip leader training for our freshman orientation trip leaders so I headed into the field for an overnight kayaking trip to Wye Island on the Eastern Shore.  While I was hoping to get an early morning run in before heading into the backcountry, I instead spent the early morning doing some work in the office.  As a result, Sunday became my "rest day."  When I returned to College Park sunburned and tired, I found the motivation for a 50 minute run and 30 minute swim.  So Sunday and Monday swapped training plans. On Tuesday, we headed back into the field for an overnight backpacking training on the Appalachian Trail.  I got up bright and early with the hopes of getting in a swim and spinning class but again found myself sitting at my desk sorting through a budget.  No training happened the two days of our backpack.  However, I'm hoping an 11 mile backpack can be substituted for 70 minutes of biking and that our 6.5 mile backpack on Wednesday can be substituted for a 40 minute run and 45 minute swim.  I'm not sure if those really add up but after returning to a wealth of e-mails and phone messages that needed attention, there was no time or energy for training on Wednesday.

Today the stress of hosting a national conference combined with regular job duties was exhausting.  There's never enough time, there are pieces to the puzzle beyond my control and sometimes it all makes me feel like I'm not doing enough. When I left the office today I headed back to Dixon Observation Park for a 31 mile bike ride.  Even though it was a long day, it felt so good to be on my bike.  The weather was perfect this evening and the wind blowing through my helmet was refreshing.  I cranked hard on my bike tonight and for the first time today I felt in control.  When I'm on my bike, it's up to me to determine how fast I want to go and how hard I want to push.  Some people think I'm crazy for training for a half Ironman while preparing to host a national conference.  The feeling of cranking on my bike at 20 mph reassured me that training while preparing to host a conference is not crazy, in fact its a good thing.  For the two hours I was riding my bike today, worries washed away and I felt in control.  I felt that I was enough.  What better outlet for stress than through biking, running, and swimming?

Speed Limit

Yesterday I finally decided to find a training plan and start following it.  Here's the plan I selected: http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon-training/Half-Ironman-Training.php#.UbxSR_lQFj5. I had a little anxiety when I realized it was a 20 week plan.  After all, I only have 13 weeks until the SavageMan!  But then I explored the plan in greater detail and took a look at week 7.  For Friday (yesterday) it said swim 45 minutes and run 40 minutes.  No problem, yesterday I had already swam 50 minutes and ran 60 minutes.  When it came to running, I was more than okay.  I'd been running and my usual run was 50 minutes, which was more than the plan was recommending.  Swimming I wasn't too far off from the recommended length of times either.  Biking presents my biggest opportunity for growth.  I've been going to 45 minute spinning classes twice a week.  At least I'm doing something but it sure doesn't make up for extended lengths of time in the saddle that the plan recommends.

So this morning I got my road bike out of storage.  Much to my surprise, it still had race numbers on it from the Rev3 Half Full Triathlon...which was back in October.  It was time to dust off the cobwebs and get out for a ride.  I began my ride from Dixon Observation Park where you can watch the planes come in to land at BWI.  I began on the BWI trail and then hopped on the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, which as the name implies connects Baltimore and Annapolis.  My ride today totaled 32 miles.

The weather this morning was perfect for a ride.  Partly cloudy skies accompanied by a light breeze.  I was cruising along on the trail and feeling strong when I got stopped by a park ranger and asked to slow down.  Really?  Granted the posted speed limit on the trail is 15 mph but I didn't know anyone actually enforced it.  And I do not consider myself fast at anything-not running, not biking, and especially not swimming.  Maybe I should hold on to this moment.  That way when I'm climbing hills on my bike at a snails pace during the SavageMan, I can think back to today's bike ride when I was "speeding."  Hopefully a midst the exhaustion of race day, this memory will give me a laugh.

Dare to be Great

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt

I still remember back in January of 2009, I was having dinner with my friends Leslie and Dan at the OP.  Leslie was telling me about her next marathon, the Wisconsin Marathon in May.  By the end of the evening, she had me considering joining her.  I wasn't a runner. Throughout childhood the extent of my running consisted of running the mile once a year in physical education class.  I was never an athlete in middle school or high school either.  The odds seemed against me.  But the one thing I did have was determination and the willingness to dare.  So I registered for the marathon and also convinced my best friend Amber (who also wasn't a runner) to join me.

So we embarked on the journey together and followed the "Non-runners Guide to Marathon Training."  Well, I followed it for the most part.  I missed quite a few runs due to trip leading.  The marathon was small, only 500 people running the full marathon.  At times I questioned whether I was even on the course because there were no spectators or other runners by me.  But I finished; slowly but surely I finished.  5:06.  I was sick to my stomach afterward.  Who would ever want to do that again?

I wanted to.  Next up Amber and I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota in 2010.  Per usual my training was sub-par.  But I felt good race day and finished in 4:36.  I was starting to get the hang of this.  Not only that, I wanted to make it a part of my lifestyle.  I set a goal to run 10 marathons by 30.

Up next was the Cowtown Marathon in February 2011.  My training was weak and I was suffering an injury.  I had to downgrade to the Half Marathon instead and my time was slow.

I had unfinished business in Fort Worth.  So in February 2012, we both returned for the Cowtown Marathon.  This time, I had spent more time training and was feeling good.  In fact, I actually was beginning to enjoy long runs.  3 hour runs on the NCR Trail were my favorite.  I finished the full marathon in 4:19.

With 3 full marathons under my belt, I was looking for another challenge.  So I decided to try a triathlon, an olympic triathlon in October 2012.  0.9 mile swim + 32 mile bike + 6.5 mile run.  I wasn't really worried about the bike and I definitely wasn't worried about the run.  But the swim?  I had never just gotten in a pool to swim laps.  In fact when I thought about swimming, all I could think about was having to put paddles on may arm in swimming lessons when I was a kid.  I do not like things that I'm not successful at.  Nevertheless, I had to get in the pool and I did.  I didn't follow any training plans, I did my own thing and felt physically strong race morning.  But I was nervous.  The weather was cold and rainy.  The bike was miserably cold and I felt hypothermic and thought about quitting .  But I persevered.  I finished in 4:06 feeling ready for more.  I started dreaming of a Half Ironman with the ultimate hope of a Full Ironman.

Up next was the Delaware Marathon in May of 2013 which would be my first marathon without Amber.  I had dreams of a finish time of 4:05.  Unfortunately I got mono about 6 weeks before the race and had to take some time off from training.  I recovered from mono quicker than expected and completed the race.  4:19.  Same time as the Cowtown.  Thoughts returned to the Half Ironman.

So here I am, registered for the 70.0 SavageMan Triathlon in September.  Triathlete Magazine ranked Savageman as the #1 hardest triathlon in the world. This is my blog about chasing dreams and daring to be great.