Memorial Day 5K

Race: Gingerbread Man Memorial Day 5K

Date: May 31, 2021

Location: Keystone State Park, New Alexandria, Pa.

Time: 24:06

Overall Rank: 21 out of 106

Age Group Rank: 4 out of 9

Results: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/46929/IndividualResult/KgLS?resultSetId=255926#U11570055

I headed into this race with some confidence. I've been training hard all week with some challenging swims, bikes, and runs, so I felt strong. I also tapered the day before, so my legs were fresh. The weather was perfect (temps in the mid 50s). The route took us around Keystone Lake with a little jog into the campground. I started out pacing Jim Silvis who is in my age group and often finishes ahead of me. However, he was running with his child (or two), and so I passed him pretty early. Then I steadily passed people until about mile 2.5 when a high school kid with a Latrobe jacket seemed to be going my speed. Assuming I had a constant speed (not necessarily), he seemed to speed up on the downhills and flats and slow down on the uphill segments. One time I started to pass him on an uphill and I said "keep it up, Latrobe!" and he took my challenge and sprinted ahead. Good job, kid.

I worked hard throughout the race. It wasn't comfortable. I knew it would only last a short time, so I kept my spirits up and did my best. My pace of 7:46 per mile appears to be in my top five 5K races. I expected this would net me a medal but it didn't. The third place finisher in my age group finished the race more than a minute faster than I. Maybe I'll be able to do that someday, but I doubt it.

 

 

What a year

I don't have to tell anyone how tough 2020-21 has been because everyone has lived it. While my life has not been deeply touched by COVID-19--I have not lost anyone to the disease, nor have any of my close friends or family gotten it--the impacts have nevertheless been omnipresent, if only in the first-world kind of way (major inconveniences and challenges, but nothing that endangers my way of life). I just spent a lot of words saying "this sucks, and I feel exhausted, but all things considered I feel guilty complaining about it." I am fine, in the same way that I am fine after a race that I didn't do well in. I am confident that I'll feel better soon, just not tonight. And that leads me to this blog entry. I want to figure out how to get out of the woods and make my summer training season the best it can be.

I'm midway through a training week where I've done nothing but a half-hearted swim , and last week was no better, and the week before that was only a little better. It started about a month ago when I felt overtrained, so I skipped a couple long workouts that were on my training plan. Then I started feeling better physically, but I got real busy with work responsibilities and a home project that required I stay close to home, waiting for pool contractors to come. And then I signed on with a coach who wanted me to move from my TrainingPeaks plan to a TriDot plan. The TriDot plan is less work and the coach is overextended and not paying me much attention (he's doing this pro bono, another story entirely). I don't trust this new situation and want to go back to TrainingPeaks. Meanwhile, my college closed down due to a spike in COVID-19, so I had to skip a swim, and my work schedule thrown off with making readjustments to being forced online. Then I fainted from dehydration and hit my head on furniture and I look and feel like the pandemic punched me in the face. Now it's the end of the semester and I need to finish a long list of things before I'm done. Tonight I just want to sleep.

How do I get out of this downward spiral?

One step at a time.

So here's the deal: I'm going to do a workout every day starting tomorrow. Mostly, I will not worry about going as hard or as long as prescribed. The one exception will be a bike FTP test that my coach wants, and I'll do that tomorrow morning. After that, I'll contact my coach and get a fourth meeting set up with him. Maybe that will be our last time, and I can go back to TrainingPeaks. 

May 18 will be the start date for when I get serious with my training again, and I will do everything prescribed by TriDot (and later, TrainingPeaks). I'll also start the weight training again, as prescribed by TrainingPeaks.

By May 19th I'll start getting serious with my fueling during and after each workout, as well as doing maintenance on my equipment. What things need attention, in terms of bike, shoes, gear, and clothing? I'll schedule a new bike fit, and if my knee still gives me trouble I'll get that guy in Monroeville to help me out. I'll figure out when to get my bike tuned up, too, in prep for the Edinboro Tri on June 5th.

Oh, and when shall I do a Half-Iron on my own? I had signed up for Toughman Ohio and it got canceled, so I'm due to do one on my own. I was going to do an Olympic as well, so I'll start with that first. Let's put these on my schedule for May and June.

I'm getting close to being free here. I can get back to my training with a lot less guilt when my workload subsides. So this is my plan. Stick it to COVID, Jim. Get some rest these next few days, and after that it's time to step up and get it done.