AMYMSA Edinboro

Race:
Date: September 15, 2019
Location: Edinboro University

The start of swim season! I've been concentrating on my running, plus work has been busy, plus I had a cut on my finger (squirrel bite), so I haven't been swimming much. That's pretty much what everyone else at Masters said, so I fit right in. No pressure today.

100-yard freestyle: I didn't beat my seed time, but was close. My turns were not explosive at all; my legs are tired from a 12-mile run yesterday.

25-yard backstroke: It took almost the whole length to get my legs up and finally get into a good rhythm. I feel like I might be kicking too hard at first, causing some kind of drag on my legs.

50-yard freestyle: I beat my seed time by almost a second, coming in at 29.18 seconds. This is not bad at all for the start of the season. It felt good; I concentrated on NOT fishtailing the whole way and took limited breaths.

25-yard butterfly: Felt good, but not fast at all!

Overall, a good time. I have just recently signed up for Ironman Lake Placid (July 2020) so I'm going to take my swimming more seriously this year. And my biking. And my running. And my protein intake. And my lifting. And my blogging! It's going to be my last full-length triathlon so I want to get the most out of it. We'll talk soon.

Saint Vincent Alumni 5K in 2019--add to runs and add presque isle too

Race: Saint Vincent Alumni 5K

Date: August 24, 2019

Location: Latrobe, PA

Time: 25:54

Overall Rank: X out of XX 

Age Group Rank: X out of X 

Results: http:

Shannan and I ran the Saint Vincent Alumni 5K race on campus this morning. I pushed myself fairly hard and finished in 25:54. I felt pretty good about this result until I looked up my previous times doing this race. I finished in 24:49 in 2016 and 25:19 in 2015. Well, crap. I'm getting slower with age. I knew it would happen sooner or later.

 

The same pattern was revealed a few weeks ago when I completed the Presque Isle sprint triathlon. I felt really good about my performance until I looked up my previous times. My 2018 race was faster than my 2019 race by a 1:01 for the bike segment and 0:26 for the run segment.

 

The number one issue that keeps me from going faster is my tolerance of discomfort. For example, today my average heart rate was 155 bpm (max = 206 bpm on the hill!). It should be sustainable and safe for me to run with an average heart rate of 167 bpm, so I clearly didn't run at my top level of effort, even though I felt I was. Does getting older lead to an increasingly false perception of effort?

 

Boston Trail 5K

Race: 5k
Date: April 20, 2019

Location: Boston, Pa
Time: 26:46
Overall Rank: 32 out of 213
Age Group Rank: 1 out of 7
Results: http: http://runhigh.com/2019RESULTS/R042019DC.html

Chase the Wolf Obstacle Course

Race:  5k with obstacles
Date: June 1, 2019
Location: Youngwood, Pa
Time: 41:14.8
Overall Rank: 23 out of 29
Age Group Rank: 3 out of 4
Results: http: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/58624/#resultSetId-157270;page:3;perpage:10

Oakmont 5K

Race:  5k
Date: June 15, 2019
Location: Oakmont, PA
Time:  26:27
Overall Rank: 74 out of 159
Age Group Rank: 3 out of 4
Results: http: http://runhigh.com/2019RESULTS/R061519BC.html

All-out Ostrich Uproar 5K

Race:  5K
Date: June 27, 2019
Location:  Anchorage, AK
Time:  26:52.90
Overall Rank: 36 out of 53
Age Group Rank: X out of X
Results: http:

Fourth MS150 bike ride

My friend Dan and I participated this weekend in the MS150 "Escape to the Lake" bike ride from Moraine State Park in western Pennsylvania to the shore of Lake Erie in Conneaut, Ohio. We rode 64 miles on Saturday and 62 miles Sunday with an overnight stay at Allegheny College in between. There were about 500 riders on the route with us, with plenty of support from volunteers. Rest stops were placed along the route every 12-15 miles. It appears I actually gained about a pound of body weight because I ate more snacks at the rest stops than burned calories!

 

This was Dan's and my 4th time doing this charity ride and the weather was best this year, with only gusty winds to complain about. It was indeed brutal riding in that wind at times, but it was still better than the year when we had to ride through a thunderstorm!

 

I did not train for this ride. Before this weekend, I had logged just 21 miles on my bike since January 1. I have been having a hard time staying motivated to do workouts since my 2018 Ironman in September, and this has concerned me. However, the bike ride was fun and I am happy I still have cycling legs even if they've been inactive for many months. As they say, "it's just like riding a bike," and my body knew what to do. It's not just the mileage but also the handling skills. It felt really natural. So this was a great ride for several reasons: (1) raised funds for needed research on a disease that affects millions, (2) strengthened the bond between good friends, and (3) helped me break through a fitness slump. Please pray for me that I can follow through and enjoy being an athlete again.