Triathlon

So, three weeks have gone by with only boring accounts of my trials and tribulations of running in Iraq. I've been meaning to pull the focus away, but haven't had a chance to yet. Here is my opportunity.

I just finished reading Swim, Bike, Run, Laugh by Dan Madson, a short (80 pages) book about Madson's first Ironman. It came at a perfect time, as I was looking for something short and lighthearted to sandwich between the Brandon Sanderson book I had just finished and Generation Kill. Julia must have read my mind, as this book appeared in a package at about the perfect time.

I enjoyed the book and thought it was pretty funny. Although it wasn't anything special, I'd recommend it to anyone wanted to do or has done a Triathlon.

I've really wanted to do one for a while now. I also think that Julia wants me to do an Ironman almost as much as I do. It's on my list of goals, but I'm not quite sure exactly where it ranks. Racing beyond a marathon is also up there.

One thing I am definitely doing when I get home is buying a decent bike. If there is anything that will hold me up in a Triathlon it is definitely biking. I mean, um, the last time I rode a bike was, uh, High School? Maybe even further back than that. And never very well.

I already use swimming as cross training, and really love to swim. I competed in High School, although my swimming career was about as mediocre as my running then. It's been over a year since I've been in a pool though (16Apr08 according to my log), and I have little experience open water swimming. I'll get there sometime though, as this race is another one of my goals.

I'm planning my next marathon for December. Boston is still calling. I will definitely race at least a 50k in 2010, hopefully a 50Miler too. The Pittsburgh Marathon is also a must-do, now that it is back. But I still think I can squeeze in a Triathlon somewhere. I'll call it all heavy cross training. I'm going to start looking around for local races. I know Erie has one, but there have to be some that are closer.

I don't know where she got it, but my mom cut out a little blurb and sent it to me in her last package. It said:

“The Iron Nun: Madonna Bruder is 78 years old and holds the distinction of being the oldest woman to complete the Ironman triathlon, which involves swimming 1.5 miles, cycling 112 miles, and then running 26 miles. Bruder is a nun who serves with the Sisters for Christian Community in Spokane, Washington. She started running when she was 47 and has set numerous records and raised money for a host of charities. Bruder says she loves running. “When I run, all the problems of the world dissolve,” she says. “The finish line,” she adds, “is symbolic of reaching your final reward.”

Wow.

2009 Boston / Pittsburgh Recap’s

Well, I've been meaning to post about Boston for a while now, and by the time Pittsburgh rolled around, I figured I'd simply knock them both out at once. So, even though I am about a month late for Boston, and about 2 weeks late for Pittsburgh, here we go.

This years Boston Marathon (the 113th) is the first Boston that I missed that I was actually qualified to run. I may be able to run the 114th next year, if I manage a sub-3:10 in Las Vegas, which I am planning on. One thing I learned from my 3rd marathon, aka my marathon disaster in Erie, is to never disrespect the distance again. It humbled me greatly, although I learned so much from that one race I know I'll come back stronger. I'm still not even taking a BQ time for granted, even though I'm hoping to crack 3 hours again.

From the articles that I got to read, it sounded like it was a great race. Especially the women's race, with the runner up only a second behind the winner, and Kara coming in 8 seconds after that. A big congratulations to both Ryan Hall (2:09:40 - 3rd Male) and Kara Goucher (2:32:25 - 3rd Female) for their races. Neither won the race, as some had predicted, but they both had a VERY good showing. It really means great things for American Distance Running. Both of them have exciting futures.

Niels, a running friend of mine, was there running his second Boston Marathon. He came out with a PR of 3:05:23, almost running even splits (I really wish I was able to even come close!). You can find his race recap, with some pictures, here. Hopefully I'll be able to join him either next year or the year after.

When I moved to Pittsburgh in 2003, the marathon was already gone. Of course, the year it comes back, is during my short vacation to Iraq. It's just like the Pittsburgh Steelers; the last two superbowls they've won have been while I've been in Iraq (I really hope I don't need to come back to this country in order for them to win again). At least the Bears had the decency to wait until I was home to make it there.

But, from the sounds of it, Pittsburgh's 20th running was a good one, and the race is here to stay. It came in a year when there were 5 new marathons appearing across Pennslyvania (bringing our grand total up to 13), and solidly placed itself as the second largest. It still has a ways to go to catch #1 (The Philadelphia Marathon), but it is also a good bit ahead of #3 (The Steamtown Marathon in Scranton). It came close to being Pittsburgh's biggest event, but The Great Race is still a little bigger.

I'm actually surprised (as I'm sure a lot of the runners were) on how flat they actually managed to make the course. Of course, you're not going to get flat in Pittsburgh, but they did a pretty good job of missing most of the big hills. I'm really looking forward to running it.

My friend Ken managed a 1:50:49 in the Half Marathon, which grabbed him 5th in the 60-64 Age Group. Also, Niels (mentioned above at Boston) ran with his wife Steffi (who wrote a great race report here) for her first marathon in 4:18:46. I didn't think about it until now, but if Julia wants to run a marathon in the future, a similiar Boston/Pittsburgh combination may work for us. Also, Dane Rauschenberg ran a sub-3 hour as a Charity Chaser and raised around $33,000 for the Pittsburgh Promise. I actually first started reading his blog after he was a Charity Chaser at the Baltimore Marathon, and it was great to see that this race raised a lot.

Seemed like they both were a pretty good time; I'll be at one of them next year.

2009: Week 19

This week wasn't all that bad. Our schedule has changed a little to combat the rising temperature, and this has actually made it so that I should be able to run more often. We'll see how it goes over the coming weeks. I've still been battling the issue of our burn pit.

One thing that has been done is we've pushed for them to use some fuel to burn the trash. It almost goes without saying, but for whatever reason trash was simply left to smolder all day long. Now that they are using an accelerant, things are a little better. The problem with that is, apparently, people didn't see me running at roughly the same time every day. And of course, the only time to start the pit on fire is the same time I usually get to run.

So, that has been an issue. At this point, I'll just have to run when it is a little warmer out and hopefully finish before they start the burn, because there is no other time during the day when the trash can be burned. Apparently.

I've given up on ever getting a treadmill, stationary bike, better gym equipment, or anything of the sort. I took some of my free time over the last week and actually brushed the rocks off of the road. It was quite a task, and in this case I was glad that it is only about 120m long. But now about 80% of the path is rock free, so it'll be nicer to run on if I can find the time.

Day 1: Whenever I am back at Camp Taji, I swear I always feel terrible. This time around, I had a killer headache. I ended up downgrading my 8-Miler to a 60 minute run, but it turned out not to matter as, once again, running seems to cure everything. I set off at a 7:26 pace, that was pretty steady except for 2 miles (the 4th in 7:17 and the 6th in 7:35) for a total of 8.1 Miles. I felt pretty good, probably in part due to the cool 80° temp.

Day 2: I embarked on my second treadmill speed workout ever. I'm still up in the air about how I feel about the whole thing. Still kind of scared that I'm going to fall off at some point in the workout, but happy that it helps me keep pace.

I didn't want to simply do ¼’s again, so I decided on a 0.1-0.2-0.3-0.4-0.5 progression at 10.5mph (5:42), bracketed by a 7:30 Mile Warm Up and a 8:00 Mile Cool Down. Between each interval I also rested for the same distance at an 8:00 pace.

After the first tenth of a mile at 5:42 pace, I thought that maybe I had decided to do too much. But I pushed through it, and followed the half mile with a quarter at the same pace. So, I was pretty happy with myself. I guess I'm pretty happy with the shape I am in still, considering I haven't been able to train consistently for 8 months now.

Day 3: Back out at the JSS, I got a 40 minute run in (5.47 Miles) in a cool 79°. This was my first run on the mostly-brushed off road, and it was much better.

Day 4: No Run

Day 5: No Run

Day 6: I was hoping for a good run, but only made it 3.46 miles. I had a 10 minute warm up at about 7:30, and then pushed it down to 7:00 up until I turned around to see black smoke pushing across the road. You'd think someone would have had the courtesy to at least tell me, but then again they probably just wanted to avoid an argument. Which they didn't, but at that point it didn't matter.

Day 7: No Run

Total Mileage for Week: 22.28
Total Mileage for Year: 321.40

2009: Week 18

Well, my blog has been barren for a little while. My training log is too.

Day 1: No Run
Day 2: No Run
Day 3: No Run
Day 4: No Run
Day 5: 2.35 Miles @ 7:30 pace. It was 83°, and I was pretty exhausted to start. But I had a chance so I went for it. And this time I lost the gamble, getting called for another mission shortly after 2 miles. At least I got those 2.
Day 6: No Run
Day 7: No Run

Total Mileage for Week: 2.35
Total Mileage for Year: 299.12

I'm a big numbers guy. I'm sure I'll post about it eventually. I can't believe that I didn't force myself outside to do 0.88 miles sometime just to break 300 for the year. But I don't run at night here, in fear that I'll slip on the already slippery gravel. And I have guys who depend on me every single day, so I can't risk a stupid injury.

I did have two other opportunities to run, but didn't take them due to health concerns. I've mentioned the trash burn pit that is located right by my room, that is also right where I run. I guess it was just bad timing; every chance I had to run, smoke was pouring out across my track. And as much as it kills my mood to not be able to run, I'm sure inhaling burning trash during a 40-minute run wouldn't be very helpful.

On the bright side, I had a pretty good week last week, and I'll be back at Taji for at least two good runs next week. It was just a bad week; I can't hope for things to be perfect, this is Iraq. Just need to stay motivated.

2009: Week 17

Well, I thought I had a steady schedule, but found out all too quickly after creating a training plan that that was wishful thinking. My only goal now is to get in some sort of speed work, a run at my planned HM pace, and a long run every 12 days. In the meantime, I’m going to start grouping my training posts by week, because that is the way my running log is broken down.

I’m also trying to squeeze some non-running workouts into the mix, but so far getting runs in has been hard enough. The “gym” at the JSS is as poor as my track, but it should be good enough to suit my purposes. My first goal is to fit a quick ab routine in, and then try to build off of that. When all is said and done though, I have to drag myself to do other workouts. Running just feels good.

Day 1: No Run

Day 2: It had been about 5 days since my last good run, so my goal was simply 40 minutes to get my legs ready for my more important runs at Taji. With the treadmill gone, it was back to my beloved track. 5.28 Miles at a 7:35 Pace. I felt good, and while it was only 80°, the sun made it feel much worse.

Day 3: No Run

Day 4: I got my two desired runs in during my stay at Taji, even if I had to squeeze them into a single day. In the morning, I ran the Wolfpack Spring Thing 5k Trot (19:23 - 6:15 Pace).

Later that evening, the temperature was better (77°), which helped me knock out a 10.24 mile run at a 7:34 Pace. The whole run felt really good; it definitely reminded me of how much I miss being able to just get out there and go. The last time I did a 10+ mile run was on Jan 11, over 100 days ago. This run topped that one by a little bit, making it my longest run this year. Actually, it is my longest run since my last marathon in September 2008.

Day 5: No Run

Day 6: Definitely sore from the other day. It was also 92° when I found time to run, so I decided to just knock out a 5k at a comfortable pace. Plus I was less than happy to be running 0.1 mile lengths again. The pace turned out to be 7:27, which sounds a little fast for a recovery day. I know I’m bad at keeping it slow, but I always try to let my body dictate my recovery pace. And that felt perfect, so I went with it.

Day 7: I had the opportunity to run, so of course I wasn’t going to pass that up. But we also had a full night of patrols right before that left me pretty damn tired. So this became another recovery run. Or I guess I could simply call it a run to improve my mood. I managed to beat the sun out, so it was only 80°. I made the mistake of running during our shift change, where they change the strykers at the gate. Running through the gravel to dodge a few strykers is always fun. I also like to store my water bottle between the slats on the stykers’ RPG cage, so I ended up having to chase my water down as it drove off. After 4 Miles at a 7:36 pace (not a very even pace either: 7:47 first mile increasing to a 7:22 final mile), I called it a day.

Total Mileage for Week: 26.65
Total Mileage for Year: 296.77

Race Report: Wolfpack Spring Thing 5k Trot

This was the 5th race of my deployment; As much as I complain of my inability to run here, my opportunities to race have been way beyond my expectations. Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) provides a lot for our Armed Forces, both stateside and overseas. For both of my deployments, I've been on smaller bases that don't really see much of what MWR has to offer, but at least I can visit Taji this time around and to take advantage.

During my stay at Camp Shelby, there was really nothing to do. I've lived at Camp Shelby for about 9 months of my life, and I consider it one of the black holes of the universe. My first MWR race was after a 2-week field exercise at Fort Polk. I was both happy and surprised when our command asked if anyone was interested in running a 5k. Despite the time off, I managed a solid 18:47 for 3rd.

When we hit the ground at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, I found there is a weekly 5k on Wednesday and managed to run it twice (19:05, 2nd / 18:45 1st). Camp Taji seems to have a race planned every month, and, although I missed 5k’s in January and February, I ran a 10k last month (42:02 4th) and this 5k this month. I’ve been lucky with the last two (both have been magically rescheduled for days that I'll actually be at Camp Taji), but maybe I’ll get lucky again before I leave.

They have all been back to the basics races. That shouldn’t really be surprising, considering the location. Popsicle sticks for the first three males and females. Stopwatches. No race numbers. No medals. Just a ‘lets get out there and race’ mentality. Although, this race had a special addition: before the start, two female soldiers sang the Star Spangled Banner (rather well too).

So, my morning started with me bumping into a running friend of mine. He is in the same battalion as I am, but a different company, so I don’t see him often. We met at the Jingle Bell 5k Jog at Fort Polk. He came up behind me at the 2-mile mark and, knowing I don’t have much of a kick, I pushed it until he dropped back with about a half mile to go. Despite my victory, the man is 50 years old, so he probably is the true winner if I didn’t have the age advantage. After the race, I found out that he is from just north of Pittsburgh, and we’ve actually raced each other before at the St Barnabas 5k in 2007. He beat me by a good 21 seconds. So our head-to-head record stands at: 1-1

Lucky for him, he is currently stationed at Taji, and can get some pretty decent workouts on the treadmill. Of course, training can’t be perfect wherever you are in this country, but I was definitely still jealous. My goal for the day was to take it slower than I usually do, something like 90-95 second quarters (6:00-6:20) and see if I had anything left at the end. My legs felt iffy, and I can definitely say that if I would have gone out faster all it would have brought was some pain. As it turned out, I was happy with my time.

Mile1: 91-91-93-95 (6:10) As everything settled, I found myself in 10th, and based on how my body felt, thought I picked a good pace.

Mile2: 95-94-96-97 (6:22) At this point I was happy I went out slower, because I was barely able to handle it. I’m just not in the same shape I usually am. I did move up to 6th here.

Mile3: 95-95-96-90 (6:16) I simply held on and landed in 4th. Although, I really think that, given another mile, I could have caught someone else. I was finally getting into the grove at this point.

Final Time: 19:23 (6:14)

I can’t really remark on much else for the race. The road was as bad as my track is in places, and a lot of rocks that provide ample opportunity to slip and fall. The surroundings looked like, well, Iraq, minus the piles of garbage everywhere that you’d find outside the gate. Thank god people clean up after themselves (for the most part) back in the states.

As to my friend, David, I did get to see his back for the entire race. I thought about going out with him, but he jumped up front and led for the first half mile. The second place guy edged him out in the final stretch. 2-1 David. I told him that I may be able to run the HM they're having at Taji, so he is going to see if he can run it with me.

It was really nice to run into a fellow runner, and get an hour to BS about running. That alone made the day worth it.

What goes up must come down.

I really shouldn't have let myself get carried away. But it really did seem like I was finally getting a break. Well, RIP treadmill, you lived a long and prosperous life. Or would have, I guess.

There is always the chance that we can get a new belt for it, which is what I've determined we need. However, it is some Korean brand that I can't seem to find any hint of online, so I'm going to have to go through the system to get replacement parts. If it took 70 days to get a treadmill, well, I'm not getting my hopes up.

Before my workout a few days ago, since I was the first one to use the treadmill, I read through the very brief instruction manual. I should have known what we were getting when I read:

"Features: The treadmill makes use of large-scale simulative [sic] course, encircling with the form of 4 LED windows surrounding, and the appearance of the treadmill with niceness and elegance."

Not to mention that the virtual track you run around is "400m," or 0.64km (Don't think too long on this one). Crappy or not, I was just happy to have it!

I didn't see anything crazy except for the weight limit (220lbs), so I figured I was good to go. I ran, and, despite the fact that I am the only one stupid enough to run on my gravel track here, many others followed me. Even a few people who were definitely above the weight limit, I've come to find out. So, the machine had a stressful first day

The next day I was busy patrolling, but the following day the incredible happened: I had the time to run in the morning! I was pretty excited for round two, and barely noticed the crease down the center of the belt before I started. I simply couldn't find my rhythm, and after about 4k I started to realize it was because the treadmill was skipping slightly. I'm not a treadmill runner, so I just assumed it was me.

By the time I found something to tighten the belt down with (I had read that this may happen in the first few days in the manual...surprisingly), my time was up. Over the past few days, most of my free time was spent trying to figure out what was wrong. I found a website, treadmilldoctor.com, which provided some much needed (if a little late) information that I really could have used. Most websites I found before treadmilldoctor basically said, 'refer to your manual.' Yea, right.

Well, the thing needed lubrication. I thought it was self-lubricating, since the manual said nothing about it, and it didn't come with any. I should have known, but I figured if it was self-lubricating, lubricating it with anything else may have had adverse effects. But now the belt is bad. Go me.

It seems the days that I've been able to run for the past two weeks arn't working now that I created a schedule for myself. Today called for a nice 40min jog, which I probably could have accomplished on my dreaded track had I not tried to work on the treadmill for a while.

My next two days are going to be quite busy, so this brings me to the end of my first 12-day cycle. Total Mileage: 26.69 Miles. Not bad I guess. I'm at least making an effort. 270 miles so far for the year. That seems so small. I find it pretty funny that my training consists of 12-day cycles of only double the mileage of the race I'll be doing.

I have further bad news, although I also have some good news to slip in as well. The bad news is, due to, well, the fact that there is a war going on here, I'll be missing one of days at Camp Taji the next time we head in. So, there goes half of my only opportunity to run somewhat free.

The good news is that a 5k that one of the units at Taji was running got pushed back from it's original date to the day I'll be at Taji. Yup, thats the second time this has happened, so despite the fact that it seems like someone up above doesn't want me to be able to run while I'm here, He has blessed me again with another race.

So, my plan is, for my single day at Camp Taji, to hit the 5k race in the morning and then try to slide in a 10 mile run that night. I have to work with what I've got if I want to be in any sort of shape by the time I get home.