For the last 24 hours or more I have contemplated attempting the Ironman New Orleans 70.3. My friend Carolyn is doing it and it's the inaugural event, and it's a flat course, and there are still slots available.... It's insane in a way, since I've never raced longer than a sprint distance, but sometimes you just half to grab the ring. Steve has always said I needed to "go long"--a kind way of saying I'm slow!--so I'm about to find out.
I was confident until I looked at some free plan on the Internet, which had swimming over 3 miles per week and running over 3 1/2 hours!! (Never mind that there is also cycling involved, too!) I panicked and e-mailed Kami. She was the voice of reason about these "plans" and told me how she had altered her own cookie-cutter plan for her Ironman. So salved by this, I bit the bullet and signed up.
Even before I signed up, I could feel the anxiety start. What will happen when everyone finds out? What will happen when Jim finds out? Can I do it? What if I have a complete meltdown before the race even begins?? AIIGGHHH!!!
...but at the same time, the whole event is so preposterous, it's hard to imagine it's even real. It's so beyond the pale, for once the idea of success seems the ridiculous possibility and failure the norm. I imagine I will keep flipping back and forth, AC/DC, positive one minute and negative the next, from now on in. Let the neuroses begin!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Reprieve
The reason I was able to ride today owed to the cancellation of a visit by my in-laws. Jim has been sick for three days but he was determined to go ahead with the visit, even though he hadn't been able to eat and couldn't stand upright for more than 20 minutes (nor awake for more than two hours). This morning I took matters into my own hands and e-mailed his brother and told him, if he didn't know already, that Jim was sick and asked if they could come another day. I told Jim about it, and at first he acted miffed. I didn't care. At least it forced Jim to tell his brother the truth (which he hadn't) and of course his brother said they could come another day. (Turns out they couldn't, but that's another story for another day.)
Even Jim felt relieved. For about 30 minutes he felt better and seemed almost chipper. But then the fatigue set in and he flopped back into reality--which was a good thing, because he certainly doesn't need to overdo. As for me, it opened the prospect of getting in a good bike ride on a sunny afternoon.
Even Jim felt relieved. For about 30 minutes he felt better and seemed almost chipper. But then the fatigue set in and he flopped back into reality--which was a good thing, because he certainly doesn't need to overdo. As for me, it opened the prospect of getting in a good bike ride on a sunny afternoon.
Circles, not Squares!!
I've been bicycling for 8 years now, and today I had one of those "aha!" moments--or "d'oh!", depending. Ive read about pedaling squares. It's what Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen say about a rider who has reached his limit in a race and is just hanging on, all form gone. I've also read Greg LeMond describe a proper pedal stroke--that it should be like scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe, by which he meant powering through the entire cycle, and not just pushing down.
Until today, I never put those things together, or at least not properly. I took Greg's statement to mean that I should be "scraping" at the bottom of my pedal stroke--i.e., that my foot should be level at the six o'clock point of the rotation. Today, quite by accident, I found myself keeping my toes pointed at the bottom of the stroke and felt my power increase tremendously and my cadence became easier to maintain. That meant I didn't begin my pull until about the four o'clock point of the circle. And then it hit me: AHA!! All this time I've been pedaling squares! What a revealtion. It seems so obvious in retrospect (which is where the "d'oh!" comes in), but what a difference it makes.
So what was supposed to be a relatively easy ride became a hammer fest. I did three short Hwy. 80 loops. My average speed for that section was just under 18 mph. And I sure feel it now! And now I know why I never got leg cramps before: I was never completely using all the muscles. Standing in the shower, trying to bend one way or another, I could feel a "ping" here and a "pong" there, saying, "If you stand this way for long you're going to be in for one big CRAMP." Even sitting here on the couch my upper back muscles are "complaining."
Until today, I never put those things together, or at least not properly. I took Greg's statement to mean that I should be "scraping" at the bottom of my pedal stroke--i.e., that my foot should be level at the six o'clock point of the rotation. Today, quite by accident, I found myself keeping my toes pointed at the bottom of the stroke and felt my power increase tremendously and my cadence became easier to maintain. That meant I didn't begin my pull until about the four o'clock point of the circle. And then it hit me: AHA!! All this time I've been pedaling squares! What a revealtion. It seems so obvious in retrospect (which is where the "d'oh!" comes in), but what a difference it makes.
So what was supposed to be a relatively easy ride became a hammer fest. I did three short Hwy. 80 loops. My average speed for that section was just under 18 mph. And I sure feel it now! And now I know why I never got leg cramps before: I was never completely using all the muscles. Standing in the shower, trying to bend one way or another, I could feel a "ping" here and a "pong" there, saying, "If you stand this way for long you're going to be in for one big CRAMP." Even sitting here on the couch my upper back muscles are "complaining."
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Run...Out
I ran this morning for the first time in about two weeks. It was the first time I'd run with a HR monitor in months. I just kept my normal steady, plodding pace. The final estimate was 10.47 min/mile, but my average HR was 176 with a peak of 186! (That last came at the top of the final 0.3 mile hill.) Sad....
James is stirring a bit more today. He spent most of yesterday inert on the couch or in my chair, covered head to toe with his sheet, like a shroud. The only thing he ate all day was a bowl of soup last night. He spent this morning in similar fashion, though he did manage to eat half a bowl of oatmeal. Now he is sitting in his chair and looking at the computer. In spite of his puny condition I gather he still plans to have his mother and brother down tomorrow because he said we needed to clean. (Ugh.) I was kind of hoping he would give himself an extra day to recover--and me an extra day for cleaning as well as riding my bike. We have a limited number of sunny days and with the cool temps, I prefer riding in the early afternoon. Guess that won't happen tomorrow. :(
James is stirring a bit more today. He spent most of yesterday inert on the couch or in my chair, covered head to toe with his sheet, like a shroud. The only thing he ate all day was a bowl of soup last night. He spent this morning in similar fashion, though he did manage to eat half a bowl of oatmeal. Now he is sitting in his chair and looking at the computer. In spite of his puny condition I gather he still plans to have his mother and brother down tomorrow because he said we needed to clean. (Ugh.) I was kind of hoping he would give himself an extra day to recover--and me an extra day for cleaning as well as riding my bike. We have a limited number of sunny days and with the cool temps, I prefer riding in the early afternoon. Guess that won't happen tomorrow. :(
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Ho-Ho-Ho and Alberto
Yes, it's Christmas morning, and my little sugar plums all came out of their room. I put the snowball in Dada's bed but he was unmoved. Never mind. We went to the kitchen and they got their morning feast. Mama tried spreading the cashew butter on her bread. (At this point, near the bottom of the jar, I think I'd be just as well off taking whole cashews and mashing them up. 'N you think peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth??)
Breakfast at hand, computer in lap, Mrs. Santa sat down to peruse the news. What news? you ask. NPR? Nope. BBC? Nope. Heaven forbid, the Tyler rag? Yikes! Cyclingnews.com? Oui! But alas, Australia is half a day ahead of us, and since I'd already read the first edition last night (our time), there was nothing new to read. No news flashes like "Piepoli admits guilt" or even "Armstrong to father seven babies by seven girls". (Yeah, wasn't that a surprise! Don't you know after all the girls he's been...er, dating over the past few years, the fact that he could actually knock one up came as a shock? But the fact that he could still produce viable little buddies probably boosted his male ego quite a bit.)
No, nothing new on cyclingnews.com. So I switched over to Velonews.com. The only story there was a little column by one of the writers--a list of thing he wanted to Santa to bring this year. Top of the list was his wish to see a Hinault v. Lemond type battle between Lance and Alberto at this year's Tour de France.
Curious how nostalgia and competitiveness render wishes so bizarre. I wish to see no such thing. However, it did raise the whole issue of Alberto Contador's future with Astana, something I have been musing over for months--ever since LA announced his comeback. Alberto has one more year left on his contract with Astana, and despite the appeal of working with Bruyneel and Astana's deep pockets, I think Albert is going to be looking for a new home for 2010.
But where?? That question fuels all kinds of speculation. First of all, it has to be a team with deep pocket to afford a triple-tour winner (and possible repeat TdF winner). In today's shaky cycling sponsorship climate, that's a tough bill to fill. We know Katusha's got the bucks, but I doubt Alberto will want to ride for a dedicated Russian outfit, or that Andre Tchmil as directeur sportif can inspire the sort of managament confidence for one used to riding for Bruyneel. A Spanish team would be very nice, but Caisse d'Epargne already has Alejandro Valverde and Oscar Pereiro, plus, their sponsorship has been on fairly shaky grounds in recent years. Seems three years is the max for sponsors these days, and next year is CE's third (for what was previously known as Balearic Islands [can't remember the French name] team). Euskatel-Euskadi is a wash: they're almost entirely Basque, and while containing great mountain goats--and Sammy Sanchez, their one Spaniard--they are not a team that can provide support for a grand tour.
And so we can go down the list. Ag2R? Are you kidding? A French team??? Erstwhile Boygues Telecom, ditto. Milram: sprinter's team with few GC aspirations, the presence of Linus Gerdeman nothiwtstanding, and shaky sponsorship (Milram nearly pulled the plug a year in advance of their contract). Quick Step: another sprinter's team, and Patrick Lefevre doesn't have the dosh to keep Paolo Bettini, so how could he afford Alberto? Silence-Lotto? They have Cadel Evans, and they can't really support him. Lampre? Forget it. They'll stick to Cunego. Liquigas? Possibilties. They picked up Basso and we'll have to see how he performs this year, but a Basso-Contador duo might be serviceable. Saxo-Bank (erstwhile CSC)? Bjarne Riis has the best management brains after Johan Bruyneel and he won the smash last year with Carlos Sastre. Sastre's gone now to Cervelo Test Team so there is a hole that might be filled. The Schleck brothers are strong, but neither has proved good at the TT yet. I think Frank may be past it anyway, and we'll have to see how Andy performs this year. But there are the sponsorship issues: the team lost a major co-sponsor when IT folded and they are still looking. So.....
Ahh, you see how much time and mental energy can be spent just musing on the possibilities! Who needs the NFL or the college bowl system to challenge the mind?
Breakfast at hand, computer in lap, Mrs. Santa sat down to peruse the news. What news? you ask. NPR? Nope. BBC? Nope. Heaven forbid, the Tyler rag? Yikes! Cyclingnews.com? Oui! But alas, Australia is half a day ahead of us, and since I'd already read the first edition last night (our time), there was nothing new to read. No news flashes like "Piepoli admits guilt" or even "Armstrong to father seven babies by seven girls". (Yeah, wasn't that a surprise! Don't you know after all the girls he's been...er, dating over the past few years, the fact that he could actually knock one up came as a shock? But the fact that he could still produce viable little buddies probably boosted his male ego quite a bit.)
No, nothing new on cyclingnews.com. So I switched over to Velonews.com. The only story there was a little column by one of the writers--a list of thing he wanted to Santa to bring this year. Top of the list was his wish to see a Hinault v. Lemond type battle between Lance and Alberto at this year's Tour de France.
Curious how nostalgia and competitiveness render wishes so bizarre. I wish to see no such thing. However, it did raise the whole issue of Alberto Contador's future with Astana, something I have been musing over for months--ever since LA announced his comeback. Alberto has one more year left on his contract with Astana, and despite the appeal of working with Bruyneel and Astana's deep pockets, I think Albert is going to be looking for a new home for 2010.
But where?? That question fuels all kinds of speculation. First of all, it has to be a team with deep pocket to afford a triple-tour winner (and possible repeat TdF winner). In today's shaky cycling sponsorship climate, that's a tough bill to fill. We know Katusha's got the bucks, but I doubt Alberto will want to ride for a dedicated Russian outfit, or that Andre Tchmil as directeur sportif can inspire the sort of managament confidence for one used to riding for Bruyneel. A Spanish team would be very nice, but Caisse d'Epargne already has Alejandro Valverde and Oscar Pereiro, plus, their sponsorship has been on fairly shaky grounds in recent years. Seems three years is the max for sponsors these days, and next year is CE's third (for what was previously known as Balearic Islands [can't remember the French name] team). Euskatel-Euskadi is a wash: they're almost entirely Basque, and while containing great mountain goats--and Sammy Sanchez, their one Spaniard--they are not a team that can provide support for a grand tour.
And so we can go down the list. Ag2R? Are you kidding? A French team??? Erstwhile Boygues Telecom, ditto. Milram: sprinter's team with few GC aspirations, the presence of Linus Gerdeman nothiwtstanding, and shaky sponsorship (Milram nearly pulled the plug a year in advance of their contract). Quick Step: another sprinter's team, and Patrick Lefevre doesn't have the dosh to keep Paolo Bettini, so how could he afford Alberto? Silence-Lotto? They have Cadel Evans, and they can't really support him. Lampre? Forget it. They'll stick to Cunego. Liquigas? Possibilties. They picked up Basso and we'll have to see how he performs this year, but a Basso-Contador duo might be serviceable. Saxo-Bank (erstwhile CSC)? Bjarne Riis has the best management brains after Johan Bruyneel and he won the smash last year with Carlos Sastre. Sastre's gone now to Cervelo Test Team so there is a hole that might be filled. The Schleck brothers are strong, but neither has proved good at the TT yet. I think Frank may be past it anyway, and we'll have to see how Andy performs this year. But there are the sponsorship issues: the team lost a major co-sponsor when IT folded and they are still looking. So.....
Ahh, you see how much time and mental energy can be spent just musing on the possibilities! Who needs the NFL or the college bowl system to challenge the mind?
Monday, December 22, 2008
Truisms
Cliches are there for a reason. There'[s some truth at the core. And so: You can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em. (Fill in "'em" as you so will.)
Such is the case with Jim. On any given day I'd be grateful for four "free" hours with him out of the house, riding his bike or whatever. I'd savor a few hours of quiet, reading a book. But let him depart for a few days, and...BLAH!! What would otherwise be savored as a bit of space, alone with a book, suddenly turns flat and stale. Books? Hah! Movies? Only so much. Without the "savoir faire" of stolen moments, it all loses something. That is no commentary on the content of such books and movies, but rather on the quality of my concentration, which declines in some kind of exponential relation to the number of hours he is gone. It's as though a flywheel, otherwise kept in check, lets go and spins wildly. There is no focus, only stasis: waiting for equilibrium to return.
..and don't think I like this state of affairs!! I am constantly reminded of the final words of Dennis Fynch-Hatton (Robert Redford) to Karin Diinsen (Meryl Streep) in "Out of Africa":
Dennis: "You've ruined it for me, you know."
Karin: "What?"
Dennis: "Being alone."
Ipso facto. I cannot enjoy being alone because I don't have my "random rock" to knock me about. Darned ******! Can't live with him, can't live without him!! :)
Such is the case with Jim. On any given day I'd be grateful for four "free" hours with him out of the house, riding his bike or whatever. I'd savor a few hours of quiet, reading a book. But let him depart for a few days, and...BLAH!! What would otherwise be savored as a bit of space, alone with a book, suddenly turns flat and stale. Books? Hah! Movies? Only so much. Without the "savoir faire" of stolen moments, it all loses something. That is no commentary on the content of such books and movies, but rather on the quality of my concentration, which declines in some kind of exponential relation to the number of hours he is gone. It's as though a flywheel, otherwise kept in check, lets go and spins wildly. There is no focus, only stasis: waiting for equilibrium to return.
..and don't think I like this state of affairs!! I am constantly reminded of the final words of Dennis Fynch-Hatton (Robert Redford) to Karin Diinsen (Meryl Streep) in "Out of Africa":
Dennis: "You've ruined it for me, you know."
Karin: "What?"
Dennis: "Being alone."
Ipso facto. I cannot enjoy being alone because I don't have my "random rock" to knock me about. Darned ******! Can't live with him, can't live without him!! :)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Keeping the Ross Traditions Alive
It wasn't intentional but my evening pursuits reflected those of my dear friends, the Rosses (John, Madeleine and Gordon) who left today on a trip to Scotland. I made my first curry and it wasn't bad, if I do say so! (So what if the sauce came from a jar? I chopped a lot of veggies and deboned chicken parts, so I did my fair share of labor.) In between bouts of chopping and boiling, I read parts of the new Jon Meacham biography of Andrew Jackson--a hot topic amongst the doctors Ross! I look forward to discussing it with them when they return. (They'll probably still be engrossed in Lincoln, as I gave them Doris Goodwin's book as a Christmas present, but I'm sure they are always up for an AJ debate.)
If you are reading this, Clan Ross, I miss you and hope all is well! Best wishes to Helen and Paul in the incipient delivery of the first Ross grandchild. I hope Uncle Gordon will post updates on his facebook page. :>
If you are reading this, Clan Ross, I miss you and hope all is well! Best wishes to Helen and Paul in the incipient delivery of the first Ross grandchild. I hope Uncle Gordon will post updates on his facebook page. :>
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