Ted & Glen plan a triathlon
10/30/10:I signed up to do the Vineman 70.3 Ironman triathlon in July of 2011. Glen thought it sounded like such a good idea that he would do it too. At first we were talking about how we would do during the event and planning things that sounded good. Now that I started planning for real, I just want to finish. I am not sure if I will have the energy to even look at someone near the end of the trip. I am planning on bringing Michael to drive me back after the race. I hope I don't get sick in the car on the way home. He will be mad.
I had a great first half of the year running around and doing just about anything I pleased until I popped a hip flexor muscle in June. Those muscles take a long time to heal. I am just now starting to get back into things. I know I have to start slowly but knowing a doing can be two different things. Hopefully, I will learn from my mistakes and stay healthy this year.
Ted's updates, Sunday
2/21/10:Forgive me for not posting in such a long time. I sometimes lead a boring life so I don't post much. Last Monday morning my boss was restructured out of a job. His boss was restructured into a position. My job was eliminated as part of the restructuring. I was not given a job until Friday. It made for a nice work week. I had very little to do but it was a bit stressful waiting for a job.
I got out for a bay swim on Thursday. The swim was fun but the cold water and cold air put a damper on a bike ride after the swim. Michael and I are training for a half marathon on March 28, 2010. We are practicing all over Alameda and we have now moved to the Marin headlands to get some hill work in. We are thinking of doing the Muir Woods 25k run two weeks later. It is one of the hardest runs that I have ever done. It is also the most rewarding. If I feel Michael is ready, we will sign up. As part of the half marathon training, I have been doing some other web stuff. Some of my daily notes can be followed at alamedated on Twitter. I have a training photo page at training photo page and a new site that Michael and I are doing it is called Alamedarunners.com
Hello, from Alameda, Sunday
1/3/10:The marathon is done. I had my shoulder surgery 4 days later and was running 7 days later. The surgery went very well. My range of motion is close to what it was before the operation. I do some stretching and light exercises but I can never seem to do enough. I think I am a couple of months ahead of the anticipated recovery time but that is not good enough. I want to swim now! Actually, I am trying my best to behave and pay attention to the physical therapist. I am not planning on a bridge to bridge swim until 2011. I think I will buy my mother a good pair of binoculars and a chair to sit on. I will then find her a nice hill or restaurant to watch from. I bet that will raise her blood pressure.
I had off Christmas week. That was a first for me. It was nice. We got some things done and I actually relaxed. I am itching to get out for a serious run but my legs are still recovering from the marathon and my shoulder may not like the pounding so I will take it easy for another month or so. I think I am lying to myself with that last comment but we will see. I still weigh 141, barely above the magic 140 line the doctor gave me. I switched to drinking whole milk to help keep my weight up. I am searching for ways to consume more calories because I can feel myself getting healthy. As I get healthy, I go out and play harder. Mrs Ted is starting to get with the program and keep up with me. Now I have a partner for some of my adventures. Life is good. If you see me cruising down the street with a Japanese lady, cheer her on!
California International Marathon Day, Sunday
12/6/09:I planned on completing todays marathon in around 4 hours but some ITB (medical term for sore knee) problems set me back a bit. I guess cruising to a 4 hour marathon would be too easy. It took me 4:45 to finish today. I felt I earned that medal for dealing with the difficulties. I met a wonderful young lady on the bus. We ran together for the first 20 miles and we parted ways when I started having knee issues. I would have been lonely but I was in too much pain to worry about being social. I walked across the finish line and I was still happy to finish. That medal was so beautiful when I got it. I still smile when I look at the thing. Marathons are hard. That is why it is such an accomplishment to finish one.
I was freezing when I finished. At the finish line we were herded through a section where they hand you your well deserved medal, take off your timing chip and give you a blanket. I grabbed my blanket and tried to wrap around myself but it was too windy. I went and sat down so I could arrange it and cover my head to warm up. A guy sitting next to me wished me luck on trying to stand after I got warm. I was sitting about 100 feet from the entrance to the medical tent. I was not really injured but I was in pretty bad shape so I went to the tent anyway hoping it would be warm. Not only was it warm but it was full of the most wonderful people in California. A lady at the check in table saw me shaking, wrote down my bib number and set me back to the help area. A young girl who is a med student at UC Davis took care of two of us at one time. I did not have a fever, my temperature was 97 degrees. She gave me some soup broth that I could not drink because I was shaking so violently. She smiled, held my hand and helped me take a drink. She then sent me over to the warmest area of the tent. In the warm area, people who were recovering from their problems took care of me. When I recovered. I took care of the next guy to come in suffering. The medical tent was so well organized. They even had people going out to get our bags from the start line. These bags mostly contained warm clothes for the pre race wait. They were all volunteers who took great care of us poor souls who were suffering. they were genuinely happy to see us leaving the tent on our own two feet. If any of you read this, Thank You.
ted@alamedated.com
Marathon Training notes, Thursday
12/3/09:Three more days to the marathon. On Saturday 11/21/09, I went out for a fast run and ate a clif bar during the run. The clif bar is my prime suspect for my earlier pain. After eating the clif bar, I did not want to drink or eat for the rest of my run. I guess I can handle a clif bar on the bike but not during a run. Last Saturday I got to do a nice little 10 mile jog in the wind. Poor Teddy came with me on his bike. The first 5 miles were into a stiff breeze. By the time we got to the turn around he was worn out. I felt good.
I have not been doing much of anything this week. I got out for a swim and a short run. I keep imagining all of these little things that can go wrong. I feel a tweak in my leg and I ask myself if everything is fine. I suppose I will be fine and everything will go well. I won't know until 11:00 or 12:00 on Sunday morning. I have a role model at work who has been giving me tips and confidence. She used to run marathons until a nasty round of cancer put an end to that. I don't look up to many people so it is a real surprise to realize that I am looking up to the same person twice in one year. When my little friend Vicky was really sick with cancer I would look to my role model and think to myself that there really is hope. Now she is my personal marathon coach giving me tips and encouragement.
Marathon Training notes, Saturday
11/14/09:My last long practice run was today. I planned on doing a 24 mile run today but after talking to some other marathon runners, I cut it down to 20 miles. I figured a 20 mile run would be no big deal so I did not take it seriously at all. I just went out and ran at a comfortable pace with no regard for much of anything. When I finally checked my heart rate and pace, I saw that I covered the first 12 miles in 1:30 with no calories consumed! I told myself to slow down and eat. I did not eat or drink enough. It took me another 87 minutes to cover the last 8 miles. I got to talking for 4 of the last 5 miles and had no stomach for food or water. It was a 3 block walk from where my 20 mile run ended to my house. I had to stop and lie down on the way home. I was in agony walking the last block home. When I got home, I could only lie down on the floor and shiver. Teddy made me some chicken noodle soup which I could only eat 4 spoons of the broth. Shaking the entire time. I took a quick shower and lied down on the floor covered with three thick blankets. I switched between shivering and cramping until I fell asleep. It is always bad when you burn more than 2,000 calories and can't eat for 5 hours after you done. I ate a little bit then a lot more. I did not eat the entire 2,000 calories I burned and I probably did not drink nearly enough fluids to replace the fluids and electrolytes lost. I am beginning to come back to life now (9 hours after my run) but it may take days for me to recover from today. At least it is taper time for the marathon.
Marathon Training notes, Saturday
10/31/09:It is Saturday morning and I am getting ready for my long run of 22 miles. I am waiting for the fog to lift with a feeling of trepidation about the distance. I am fairly certain that I can make the distance but I always have anxiety until the first 5 miles of a long run have been completed. I go out and run in all types of weather but I wait for the sun to come out on Saturday mornings. Today it is 52 degrees out with 97% humidity. That kind of humidity means there is a very low fog covering Alameda.
I did a half marathon last week to use as a reference time for the full marathon in December. I easily covered the 13 miles in 1:46. That would pace me at 3:32 for the full marathon. Not a practical pace in my mind because of the pain I feel from the long runs. I think I will join the 4:00 club and see how I feel. December is coming fast. I only have two big practice runs of over 20 miles left. I couldn't wait until I could reach 20 miles now I can't wait to stop running 20 miles.
Ted notes
10/13/09:Last weeks runs were pretty mundane. I went to have my legs checked for the marathon last Friday. Since I was in town, I went to pay Vicky a visit. Imagine my suprise when I saw her come out to the stoop to wave at us. I was so happy to see her out and about. It was a good visit.
My long run on Saturday was a bit tough. 18 miles is a long run. As I was lying on the ground admiring the sky after my run, I was thinking how much harder it is going to be to run 20 miles next Saturday. That got me to thinking how a marathon is 8 miles longer than the 18 I just completed. I did it once before, I can do it again. Monday was a weight lifting and yoga day. My back hurts today from the yoga. We had a pretty good rain for my Tuesday run. I will have to bring dry shoes tomorrow. As a Californian, I don't get to run in the rain very often so it was pretty fun after I got over myself and went out and did the run.
10/1/09:Wednesday was a tempo run day. I am not sure what that means but I consider it a medium distance run at a medium pace. For me, the anaerobic pace gives me a heart rate between 152-157. My max heart rate is 172. Tempo training is a heart rate of 142-152. It does not seem like much but the level of effort at 150 is a whole lot less than 155. I can handle a pace with my heart rate at 150 for well over an hour. I can handle the pace at a 160 for about a minute.
Today was an easy day. I had an unusually calm morning at work then, at lunch, I went for 6 mile jog at any pace my legs felt taking. That usually means a slow steady increase in pace until I get to my designated cool down zone. The weather was perfect at about 75-80 degrees and sunny. Things go up and down in life. I have a terrible shoulder but my legs are cooperating with my marathon efforts. It does not matter if I finish the marathon or not. I am having a lot of fun trying. Life is good.
Marathon training
9/29/09:I do a lot of different things and have a hard time realizing there is such a thing as moderation. I have a torn up shoulder that is preventing me from doing lot of swimming so I am taking up running. Marathon training is a big step back in cardio training but I have to get my legs up to be able to handle a 26 mile run in 4-5 hours. It is a very strange thing to have a cardiovascular system that can handle a 3 1/2 marathon with legs that can't. When I do short runs of under 7 miles, my brain turns off and I just go. When I did my 17 mile run Saturday, I had to check my heart rate monitor multiple times a minute to keep myself down in my planned heart rate. When you take up marathons, speed kills.
Saturdays 17 mile run was my first 3 mile jump in distance while training for this marathon. I was a nervous wreck worrying about leg issues popping up during the long run. I was pretty good after the run and did not feel much pain today. 17 miles is 9 miles less than the 26 in a marathon so I still have a long way to go. My legs were sore immediately after the run but my honeychan gave me a leg massage to make me feel better. I took my recovery drinks like a good boy and was fine on Sunday. I did not feel tired but I was a bit fatigued during yoga Monday night.
Tuesday is the dreaded speed work day. It is only a 39 minute workout but 30 minutes of it is anaerobic. It takes a long time to work up to 30 minute anaerobic workout. I can honestly tell you that it is 30 minutes of pure pain. Everything hurts except my knees. My stomach hurts from the exertion for about 12 hours after the workout. I vary the intensity of the workout but stay anaerobic the whole 30 minutes. I read about anaerobic workouts and I don't really understand the concept but I do know that I am getting faster while running at a lower heart rate. It is about 6 hours after my workout and I am still sore. Most of the pain is in my chest and stomach while my legs feel fine.
I must note that a workout like this is very hard. It is not a workout for beginners. I had to cut my normal exercise routine back (less exercise hours per week) to train for a marathon. If you stumbled across this site looking for training tips, please go to an anaerobic site to read up on the details. If you decide to train anaerobically, start very slowly with 10-30 second sprints. It takes years before you can withstand a 30 minute workout. High intensity workouts hurt but they make the long slow workouts seem easy.
First post in a while
9/27/09:This is the first post in a while. I have been out of sorts for the last couple of months for no real reason. I even sat on the couch to watch TV one day last month. I forgot what I watched but I am sure I did not enjoy what I saw. At least Michael enjoyed watching me sit on the couch.
My little friend Vicky is doing much better now. She is getting out and about now. This is a real suprise considering how she looked two months ago. Maybe it took a lot of things to get me out of my normal routine and now it is taking a lot of little things to get me back to normal.
Ted is happy
7/23/09:Today was one serious up and down day for me. It was a typical work day with things going in all different directions. The day closed with some really good news that made my last two months of work a success. Toward the end of the work day, as I was getting ready for yoga, I got news that one of my good friends was back in the hospital. When a cancer patient is going through out-patient radiation treatment, it is rarely good news when they are back in the hospital. I was shocked and dismayed that my friend was back in the hospital. I had a sick feeling that my trip to the hospital was going to be my final visit and I would be lucky to be able to say good bye. At first glance it looked like my worst fears were going to come true. Imagine my surprise when the patient was actually much better than my last visit. I am elated with the news. All is not well yet but any improvement is good news right now. I will sleep well tonight.
Back to training
7/18/09:There are just not enough hours in the day. Today, I got out for a jog and bike ride with Michael. We had a classic jog from Crissy field, across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Marin Headlands. I commonly call them the Sausalito hills. We started out with a light fog that quickly degraded (or improved, depinding on your viewpoint) into a heavy, cold Frisco fog on the bridge. Across the bridge in the hills, the sun was shining. Michael was not happy with the changing temperatures and the hills during our jog. My legs were not happy with the effort after a relatively large training day on Thursday. I wound up with about 3 and 1/2 hours of exercise Thursday. That being said, the day was perfect for playing on the coast. We had a lot of fun.
I was in pain just getting on the bike. The thought of the hills to come made things worse. One mile into the ride, we hit the first hill. I was in agony going up that hill. Michael made it look easy. We made up the hill and into the city to head towards the beach. Of course, the only way to the beach was down a steep hill. Going down the steep hill was not too bad. Realizing that we had to go back up that thing to get back to the car was really bad. Heading south along the scenic highway was quite nice but the fatigue took a bit of the beauty of the ride. The SF zoo was supposed to be the half way point to Pacifica. With my tired legs and the hills to get home, we turned around at the zoo. It was a good call. I could of went farther but it would not have been worth the risk of another injury. I am tired enough right now. I spent the day in the chilly fog of San francisco. I am now tired, sun burned and happy.
I see good and bad things happening to my friends. It pains me greatly to see my friends get hurt. It really tears me up when my close friends get hurt. Crying about it does little good. I shed my tears and go forward. I am happy to be alive and appreciate what I have. If any of my friends who are in trouble at the moment read this, my heart is still with you as I am living my life to the fullest. I know that my fortunes can change in an instant. I sincerely wish you could come out and enjoy life in one of my daily adventures. Get well because I miss you.
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