Swim 2000 meters (42:33)
400 meter splits (7:54, 8:00, 8:38, 8:51, 9:08)
Obviously I was getting slower throughout. And dealing with the boredom was pretty tough. Not to mention that fact that the military academy brought a good number of their folks to practice. All told, I would venture to say that there were close to 40 people in our 8 lane pool today.
So the main challenge is when you are trying to swim something continuous and the people in your lane are working on their kick-boarding exercises. Or they are first-time swimmers. But we all need to start somewhere. I am proud of them for trying.
And the nap that I mentioned earlier was delightful. I did not want to wake up after an hour (normally it's 20 - 30 minutes for me.) Have to let the body rest.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Still Pushing
Run - 6 miles (51:51)
Early morning runs take a little while to get moving. The weary bones take a while to warm up. This morning it seemed to have taken a little extra longer. But once I got going, I was able to push it some. The mental aspect of running long distances around a track is challenging. Picturing the Iron Man and all the laps I will have to do there was motivation. It's not only about strengthen muscles and working lungs, but also about challenging the mind to stay focused and not let the body quit.
All in all, I was very happy with my run. I still had a lot left in me, but was thankful to be finished. Now it's off to the pool in about an hour. I am thinking I might shoot for 2000 meters today. I hope the body can keep up. And I already foresee a great nap or an early bedtime tonight.
Early morning runs take a little while to get moving. The weary bones take a while to warm up. This morning it seemed to have taken a little extra longer. But once I got going, I was able to push it some. The mental aspect of running long distances around a track is challenging. Picturing the Iron Man and all the laps I will have to do there was motivation. It's not only about strengthen muscles and working lungs, but also about challenging the mind to stay focused and not let the body quit.
All in all, I was very happy with my run. I still had a lot left in me, but was thankful to be finished. Now it's off to the pool in about an hour. I am thinking I might shoot for 2000 meters today. I hope the body can keep up. And I already foresee a great nap or an early bedtime tonight.
Reality Check
Bike - 37 miles (2:00:53) plus 3 miles warm-up
The other day, Mohammed asked me if I wanted to join him for a 60km bike ride on Sunday morning. I decided that it might be a good idea, but was a little apprehensive since the furthest I have ever gone was about 28 miles. I knew it was going to be a challenge, esp since biking is my weakest of the 3 disciplines.
I should have taken my first clue that it was going to be embarrassing when I met him near my house in all of his professional riding gear. I was cowering as I pulled up with my paper-clipped helmet, my zip-tied pedals (since I have no riding shoes and clips) and my way too small bike. He then proceeded to tell me we had to go over to a coffee shop to meet some of his friends. Clue #2.
My embarrassment only grew larger as 7 of his riding buddies began parking their bikes at the shop. Comparing my 2,500 dH bike with their 10,000 - 15,000 dH bikes was another kick in the gut. I just said my hellos and kept my sunglasses on to conceal my fear. Can I even keep up with them for the first 2 miles ?
Once we got started, I did all I could to not make a fool of myself. To get out to El-Hajb required going up and up and up low-grade hills. Every once in a while, Mo would put his hand on my back and help push to keep me up with everyone. But for the most part, I was able to keep pace with all of these guys for the first 15 miles or so. Then I realized that this was just their warm-up.
After a while, they began pulling away from me and I didn't mind. But at mile 19, I realized that I still had to make it back into town and my house. Once I turned around, I noticed that we had been going uphill for a majority of the ride. I felt somewhat encouraged, yet all alone out in the countryside of Morocco since they were long gone!
The ride back was much more fun, cuz it was downhill. It did get quite boring toward the end of the 40 miles. Thankfully I rode better and faster than ever before. But it was a major reality check. I am not great on the bike and I should train harder if I want to ride with those guys again. The rest of the day I just laid around and moaned and napped.
The other day, Mohammed asked me if I wanted to join him for a 60km bike ride on Sunday morning. I decided that it might be a good idea, but was a little apprehensive since the furthest I have ever gone was about 28 miles. I knew it was going to be a challenge, esp since biking is my weakest of the 3 disciplines.
I should have taken my first clue that it was going to be embarrassing when I met him near my house in all of his professional riding gear. I was cowering as I pulled up with my paper-clipped helmet, my zip-tied pedals (since I have no riding shoes and clips) and my way too small bike. He then proceeded to tell me we had to go over to a coffee shop to meet some of his friends. Clue #2.
My embarrassment only grew larger as 7 of his riding buddies began parking their bikes at the shop. Comparing my 2,500 dH bike with their 10,000 - 15,000 dH bikes was another kick in the gut. I just said my hellos and kept my sunglasses on to conceal my fear. Can I even keep up with them for the first 2 miles ?
Once we got started, I did all I could to not make a fool of myself. To get out to El-Hajb required going up and up and up low-grade hills. Every once in a while, Mo would put his hand on my back and help push to keep me up with everyone. But for the most part, I was able to keep pace with all of these guys for the first 15 miles or so. Then I realized that this was just their warm-up.
After a while, they began pulling away from me and I didn't mind. But at mile 19, I realized that I still had to make it back into town and my house. Once I turned around, I noticed that we had been going uphill for a majority of the ride. I felt somewhat encouraged, yet all alone out in the countryside of Morocco since they were long gone!
The ride back was much more fun, cuz it was downhill. It did get quite boring toward the end of the 40 miles. Thankfully I rode better and faster than ever before. But it was a major reality check. I am not great on the bike and I should train harder if I want to ride with those guys again. The rest of the day I just laid around and moaned and napped.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Game Time
Just found out yesterday about the Tri in Larache on May 30th. For the first time, it's part of the African Cup, so there will probably be some good folks out there. Not sure if it is an Olympic or Sprint, but I think Masterson is gonna do it with me. That boy needs to get in shape, though. He told me he can't run across the street to catch a taxi without getting winded. I actually stand a chance to post a faster time than him. Maybe I should have told him about it a month from now so his training would be minimal. But my legs should be strong enough that if he falls over on the run, he can hop on my back and I'll carry him to the finish. Maybe!
It's nice to have an actual race on the books and not just something I am doing on my own. The motivation factor wanes after a while. But looking forward to May 30th ought to be a lot of fun. Esp since I have someone to train with.
It's nice to have an actual race on the books and not just something I am doing on my own. The motivation factor wanes after a while. But looking forward to May 30th ought to be a lot of fun. Esp since I have someone to train with.
Like a Fish in the Water
swim - 1500 meters (31:54)
So I'm not exactly one, but I do enjoy swimming. I still think I have a poor swim stroke. It's so hard to focus on the arms and keeping my feet kicking while not letting my backside sink down too much. And breathing is vital. Swimming does take a lot of concentration, yet at the same time, it's easy to zone out and lose track of how many laps you do.
So I'm not exactly one, but I do enjoy swimming. I still think I have a poor swim stroke. It's so hard to focus on the arms and keeping my feet kicking while not letting my backside sink down too much. And breathing is vital. Swimming does take a lot of concentration, yet at the same time, it's easy to zone out and lose track of how many laps you do.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Personal Bests
I am not the fastest bullet out of the gun. And I might not even be the most steady or consistent. But I have fun in what I do. I can only get faster, right. With that to say, I decided to post some of my PB (personal bests) in the hopes that in future months, I will be able to change them.
1-mile run - 7:10
6-mile run - avg. 7:42/mile
50-meter swim - 0:42
1500-meter swim - 33:00
12-mile bike - avg. 18.3 mph
20-mile bike - avg. 17.1 mph
Time to build!!!
1-mile run - 7:10
6-mile run - avg. 7:42/mile
50-meter swim - 0:42
1500-meter swim - 33:00
12-mile bike - avg. 18.3 mph
20-mile bike - avg. 17.1 mph
Time to build!!!
Made a friend
So a guy at the pool has been wearing a full-body wetsuit every time he swims. Got me thinking. The only place he would wear one outside of the pool would be for an open water swim. And since very few in this country actually do that, he must do triathlons.
Then I noticed he had biker legs in the locker room. He must do triathlons.
I built up the nerve to talk with him, knowing that I was going to be bombarded with French. But it wasn't too bad.
Come to find out there is only 1 tri in Morocco during the course of a year. The one in Larache. This year it's happening on May 30th.
So my new friend SiMohammed and I and some of his friends are going for a 60km bike ride this Sunday. I think the farthest I have ever gone is 45km. Already a little nervous.
Then I noticed he had biker legs in the locker room. He must do triathlons.
I built up the nerve to talk with him, knowing that I was going to be bombarded with French. But it wasn't too bad.
Come to find out there is only 1 tri in Morocco during the course of a year. The one in Larache. This year it's happening on May 30th.
So my new friend SiMohammed and I and some of his friends are going for a 60km bike ride this Sunday. I think the farthest I have ever gone is 45km. Already a little nervous.
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