Death by Triathlon?

Before bringing this up, it's important to note that dying during a triathlon is very, very rare.

This year, however, there was some buzz about it after someone died in the New York City Triathlon and The New York Times wrote a story about it.

Most recently, Beginner Triathlete (BT) published a really good article on it, prompted, I assume, from the questions asked late this summer after the news story.

Here is the BT story.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1604

Here is The New York Times story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/fashion/31fitness.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

My 5K Report

There were approximately 400 competitors at my 5K yesterday. It was at the University of Dayton and a lot of the runners were college students and parents.

I assumed that parts of this course would be hilly because UD sits on top of a hill, but I was surprised by just how many were. There were very few, if any, flat areas.

All of my training on hills these past few months paid off yesterday. Besides stopping for a sip of water once, I did not have to stop and walk because it was too tough.

I finished it in 31:17. I wanted to come in under 30 minutes, but given how much the course was graded, I'm not disappointed.

I decide to stick around for the awards, something I didn't do in my 2 triathlons because I KNEW I was in the back of the pack. They were only announcing first place winners overall and within age groups, so I knew I wouldn't place first and, therefore, not get any award. But I was enjoying my Panera Bread cinnamon bagel and had nowhere else to be.

They got to my age group and announced the first place male. Then they announced the first place female and - it was ME!

My prize? I got a really nice red UD baseball cap and a sweet way to end my 2008 racing season.

Published Me

Well, Beginner Triathlete published my article about my first tri today. Be sure to check it out. Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1525

I'm Registered - For a 5K That Is

A couple days ago, I registered for a 5K. It will take place next Saturday, the 25th.

It's funny how a 5K used to be so intimidating to me. Now, having done a 5k after having swum 1/2 a mile and after having biked for 12 miles, this single event seems like a piece of cake.

I can't believe that I'm looking forward to a 5K as an easy, relaxing race. Life is so funny.

I Ran 4 Mi-als, I Ran 4 Mi-als

I ran my longest run yet yesterday morning: 4 miles.

Though this was my longest distance, it was the most enjoyable run I've ever had. Weird, huh?

I don't know if it was the crisp, morning air or having water with me on this run, but I just felt great.

When I started, I wanted to keep my time around 42 to 43 minutes. I came in at 42:25.

I love triathlon training!

Taking My Own Advice

I've given some advice to a couple people over the last few days. They were stuck in a motivational slump of sorts. Basically, my advice was to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

It's so easy to look ahead at what all we need to do and get overwhelmed, frustrated and discouraged.

For example, I haven't run in the last few days because of a pinched back and rainy weather. I'm running about 3.5 - 3.75 miles now, and starting back into my routine with such a long run as my goal was discouraging to me.

So, I decided to just run 2 miles and to have fun. I just needed to "do it," to just put on my running shoes and go.

I'm so glad I did. I had my best time on a 2-mile run at about a 9 min./mile pace. A "perfect" run would have been going my longest distance, but I couldn't let the ideal run be the enemy of a "good" run.

Doing a little bit of something is better than doing nothing at all. It's all about just taking a step - any sized step - in the right direction.

What's a "Chi" and Why is it Running?

Some of you may notice a link on here to a Web site called ChiRunning. If you want to run better, and pain-free, you have to check this out.

Seriously.

I was skeptical when I heard about it, too, but about a year ago, I decided to pick up running. This was right before triathlons got on my radar screen. I started out running a half-mile and then worked up to one mile. The trouble is, my knees started to really hurt - again.

In fact, I decided to take a break from running and work on building leg strength for a few months. If the muscles surrounding my knees were strong, my knees wouldn't be so weak and, therefore, as able to be injured.

Meanwhile, I got interested in triathlons. I read a swimming book, Total Immersion (TI), and just fell in love with the theories behind the author, Terry Laughlin's, techniques. At the end of his book, he recommended ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer.

Soon thereafter, I got a copy from the library. I read it in one day.

I won't go into all of the details about the mechanics of it. It would take a book to explain and Dryer's already written it, but basically it's about falling into your run instead of forcing yourself to run.

Here's a short video of Danny Dreyer, the creator of ChiRunning, explaining the difference between ChiRunning and typical running.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA0Yd4NLKlo

I can say that since running this way since April, I have experienced no knee pain during or after running - none!

If you're tired of your running causing you pain, it is definitely worth your time to check out the book and/or DVD. It may end up not being for you - but what if it is?

Running Surprises

When I first started running to try to get in shape at the end of last summer, I started out just doing a half mile - and wanting to die after I was done. I remember parking at one end of the parking lot at the lake, running to the end and then back to my SUV, scrambling for my bottled water that was inside. I was soooooo out of breath.

Today, I ran my longest distance to date: 3.6 miles. For some reason, today it really hit me that I can - and do - do this on a regular basis. As I was running, I was thinking, "I can't believe that I've already run 2 miles and that's just a little over halfway there. I can't believe my goal is almost 4 miles."

Since I'm not in a position to swim until the winter, I've decided to use that time and focus on running, my best sport of the three at this point. I'm doing a 5K in a few weeks and I'd like to do it under 30 minutes.

My new running goal? I want to do a half-marathon in May of 2009!

(Lord, help me!)

125 Miles in October?

I am insane...

So, I registered on the local tri club's forum. You have to sign up on it to even view it, so this does not mean that I have actually joined the club. This is an important distinction. Well, they started a challenge to run 125 miles in October and yours truly signed-up for it!

To put things in perspective, I did 47 miles in September.

Currently, I run about 3 days a week and I want to run at least 6, so I thought this would be a great motivator to get out there.

On the third day of October, I've done 2 miles. I plan on doing 4.25 or 4.5 miles today, but I'm still behind.

I love challenges because I have a history of pushing myself to meet them, so I'll be sure to post again on how things are going this time around.