Getting Passed

There's nothing more humbling than getting passed. All of us have to deal with it, some more than others. As I got faster at running, it happened less frequently. Ninety-five percent of the time I do the passing. This has been nice for my ego. But it's a mirage, of course. There's always someone much faster than me in the park, only he didn't start at the right place to pass me. It's dumb luck.

Races are useful reminders of this. My worst running experience was at the Boston Marathon in 2003. That seems strange to say considering I had one marathon where I collapsed 100 yards from the finish and was hospitalized. The reason Boston sucked was I went in cocky. I'd just shaved 25 minutes off my marathon time to run a 3:02 in Chicago. Heading to Boston, I figured I'd run a 2:55. That didn't happen. I went out way too fast on a warm day and realized at mile 10 that the next 16 miles would suck. The thing that made it so bad was getting passed. Not a few people, but dozens, maybe hundreds of people went by me while I proceeded to run the second have of the race a half hour slower than the first. There wasn't much I could do about it. Still, I never felt worse after a race. I think I felt sorry for myself because of the passing.

I've been thinking more about getting passed now that I'm swimming and biking. On Friday night, I went to the YMCA to do laps. I swam for years as a kid. I honestly think the only thing that got me through practices at Whitemarsh was the awful feeling of the person behind me touching my toes. In the grown-up world, few people are that aggressive, although it does happen in NYC. At this point, I'm a mediocre swimmer. On a typical day, there are more people slower than me than faster. That leaves quite a few people faster than me. Swimming is so technical that the faster swimmers can surprise me. On a completely surface level, I feel like I'm more fit. But they have much, much more skill and experience, so I'm passed by men and women, the skinny and lithe and the not so much. It reminds me how I must improve my technique, not so much to keep from getting passed but to spend less energy. The hardest part of going from distance running to swimming is the urge to gut it out. That will kill a triathlon because you'll leave it all in the water and gain very little.

The same is true on the bike. I'm just now riding outside, keeping myself to loops in Central Park. My goal right now is just getting comfortable riding and putting in time in the saddle. Like the pool, I'm a middle of the pack cyclist. I'm not riding a Cervelo or anything, and I'm not used to going fast. It frankly scares me to go too fast down hills. I pass many more people than pass me, but still cyclists of all shapes, sizes and ages motor by me. My attitude is c'est la vie, excpet for one circumstance: on a big hill. Here, I've tried to replicate my running attitude, which is attack the hill. I love passing people on hills. It might be a toughness thing. This tact in cycling has met with mixed success. I get too excited early on in the hill, I think, rather than finding a gear that will let me consistently power up the incline. A few times today, I found myself in the humbling position of looking for a lower gear when there wasn't one on the Great Hill in Central Park. Once a guy in jeans on a mountain bike went by me. Ouch.

I accept these things in stride to a degree. Modest success in running doesn't automatically translation to new activities. I'm improving, which is really the only important thing. Getting passed is a useful reminder of how much more work needs to be done. It still bugs me, though.

Toughness

"I don't run to see who's faster, I run to see who's tougher." -- Steve Prefontaine

Like many runners, I went through a period where I was mildly obsessed with Steve Prefontaine. He was fierce, brave and, above all, tough. Looking at videos of his races, you see he just had more guts and at some point was prepared to suffer more. Most of us aren't out there doing that. We're just trying to keep in shape after sitting in an Aeron all day. Yet when I run, or nowadays swim and bike, I always think endurance stuff come back to toughness. It's not quite the same as persistence. Persistence is keeping at it, through thick and thin. But it's toughness that makes you feel OK with going beyond what's comfortable. At some point of a race, more is asked. My advice to marathoners like Lam before a race is always the same: Be tough.

Not Boring

The non-runner people often say running is boring. I don't understand this. Part of me thinks they're not interesting people because being alone with your thoughts for a long period of time is pretty fascinating. But it's also a great way to get out and about and see cool stuff. This is particularly true in urban settings. I went on a long run today that took me from 100th Street on the Upper West Side down to Battery Park. There were so many people out and so many things to see and hear. (Another reason not to wear an iPod.) The best was down in Battery Park, where I ran by a couple out for walk. This is the only snippet I picked up from their conversation.

Guy to well-endowed girlfriend: "They're big if they jiggle. They jiggle."

15 miles, 2:01:09

Persistence

These are tough times. People are losing their jobs and dealing with serious personal financial problems. It's not fun. It's also not going away overnight. I don't mean that in a pessimistic way. An important lesson running teaches is realism. You can't wish away the hard stuff. The way to deal with the inevitable pain of training hard and running long distances is to accept it as real, yet at the same time recognize it won't kill you and can be overcome. It is, in short, about persistence. This is a theme Obama keeps returning too, smartly I think. He had this to say today:

I'm under no illusions that a better day will come about quickly or easily. It's going to be hard. But as I said the other night at my press conference, I'm a big believer in the idea of persistence -- the idea that when the American people put their mind to something and keep at it, without giving up, without turning back, no obstacle can stand in our way, and no dream is beyond our reach.

That's it. Lots of people want to know the secret to running well, or accomplishing a certain goal, whether it's a 10k race, a marathon or even a triathlon. I think it's quite simple: persistence. Keep at it, day in and day out, be consistent and realistic but always hopeful.

Running + Simplicity

I got home from work tonight a little before 8pm. It was cold for late March, I'd worked a pretty long day and I'd already worked out the past six days. Still, I went out for a run. Thanks to my injury and the tri training, I haven't run much. In some ways it's been a nice break. Learning new activities is interesting, as is seeing if my fitness translates. My running has suffered. That's OK. I'm still not healed. I expected little from tonight's run. It started bad. The wind was really strong and stung my legs and face. I felt a little tired. But then, when I hit the dirt trails in Riverside for the first time in months, I fell back into it. For whatever reason, I got one of those runs that feels wonderful, clicking off the miles while the mind wanders. It had been a long time since I'd lost myself in a run, but it reminded me what's great about running.

I miss that core simplicity to running. I got home, put on shorts, a shirt and shoes, got my keys and watch and went. I like that. Yes, it's possible to get caught up in the different training regimens, VO2 max levels, lactate threshhold intervals and the rest of it, but at it's core, running is simple. You get out of it, whether that's a PR, losing weight or decreasing stress, what you put in. I firmly believe that.

With the triathlon, I'm facing something a little different. Just getting a bike is a chore. I've learned about carbon forks, shimano, tiagra, brick workouts, etc. The training book I bought looks a lot like a physics textbook. Scheduling workouts to an ironclad schedule seems pretty necessary. I need to plan ahead workouts with what I pack for work. That part of it can be a drag. The tri is many things, simple is not one of them.

Then there's the tri type and the running type. When I see the tri guys work out in Central Park, I see Type A people. Cyclists during a hard workout just look aggressive. They travel in packs and can even yell at people. You don't get that with distance running. It attracts the introspective types that relish the crucible of the lonely long run. I'm looking forward to the rest of training, but I'm pretty certain I don't want to trade being a runner for being a triathlete.

Tri Update

Wow. It's been nearly a month since I've updated. No excuses, just lazy. I'm getting used to a different kind of training. So far, I'm finding it mentally and physically easier. On the mental side, there's so much variety that there isn't burn out. I'd get up sometimes this summer, ready for a 14 mile run and just dread it. Getting out of the apartment was hard. Running hard six times a week, week in and week out, that's tough. Now, I'm bouncing from different things. It makes each workout seem somewhat new. It helps I'm learning new sports -- and seeing improvement. On the physical side, there's less wear and tear. This is the main reason I'm giving the triathlon a go. My body needs some time off the pounding of the road. Swimming and cycling are exhausting, but there's no lingering aftereffects.

I'm happy with how training has gone so far. I'm doing six workouts a week on average. I do each discipline twice. Maybe I'll increase that as I get really into the training. For now, it works. I can live a semi-normal life and still get in a bunch of workouts. Today I registered for the tri: The New Jersey State Triathlon on July 26. I'm doing the Olympic Distance. That leaves me about 17 weeks or so. Plenty of time. My progress report:

Running: Only going out twice a week is strange. I've definitely lost some running fitness. My body just isn't in a groove. What I noticed about hard training in running is how I'd get my body almost used to the pounding. I'd have some of my best workouts after five straight days running. With only a couple times out there a week, it's more like starting over each time. This week I did 17 miles, a 6 miler and an 11. Last week, I ran 22 miles. As I cycle more, I'm sure I'll start to curtail the long runs. Running won't be my problem in the race. It's the other stuff I need to figure out.

Swimming: Getting back in the pool has been great. I can feel myself getting stronger. The first couple times, I wondered what the hell was going on. Things ached that only got sore when I'd move apartments. As time has gone by, the workouts are more manageable. My latest thing is to swim ladders, starting with a 25, then 50, 75 and so on up to 200, then going back down again. With a 100 warmup and cool down, that's a 2000-yard workout, about right for me at this point. This week I swam 4,000 yards. Last week, I went 4,900. Even my flip turns have improved, thanks in part to some YouTube research.

Cycling: This is the mystery. Cycling is so key to the tri. It's over half the race when you break it down. At this point, I have no idea how I'll be on the bike. I'm riding an exercise bike at the gym while I prepare myself for dropping money on a road bike. After going to the bike shop today, I'm hopeful I can get a decent bike that won't make me poor. My goal is to start riding outdoors next weekend. This week, I put in 41.3 miles on the bike. Last week I covered 37 miles. I've been told time in the saddle and heart rate are most important. After fits and starts, I'm getting my heart rate to a decent level, mostly around the high 120s and spiking to 140 or so when the bike encounters a "hill" in the random setting. Today's ride was 1:18, a decent amoung of time to sit in a YMCA staring a mirror.

The Week in Training

I'm starting to get the hang of triathlon training. It's fun. The best part is the variety, the worst part is the planning. In New York City, something as simple as going for a swim isn't exactly simple. Last Monday, it meant five people to a lane and an ornery French dude in a bikini who nearly got into a fight with another swimmer. Just out of circumstance, I ended up working out every day. This isn't ideal, but I'm not at the point where I'm doing two workouts a day -- or even brick workouts. Here are the tallies:

Running: 2x, 19 miles. I should probably ease off the running somewhat. I went for a 12.5 mile run on Saturday at about 8:00 per mile, too quick. I'd rather use that energy on the bike and in the pool.

Swimming: 3x, 3.7 miles. By the end of the week, I got more comfortable with flip turns. Man, it's a long way from Whitemarsh Country Club showdowns with Manufacturers to chasing the line in a YMCA pool in Greenwich Village.

Cycling: 2x, 31.3 miles. Both rides were on stationary bikes. Not ideal. I'm wondering whether to try spin classes and go at my own pace. I'm a little wary b/c I picture a spin class with loud music and a maniac instructor. That would be way too much to handle from silent runs in the dark by myself.

Total distance covered: 54 miles

Another Reason Why I Love Running

I admire toughness. It comes in many different forms. One of the most satisfying parts of life is being tested and coming through. Most of us will never be tested as much as this NYC firefighter. Check out his full story at Runner's World. Here's the first video of the series. (Thanks to Tim Wilson for pointing this out.)

The Week in Training

This was sorta the first week of triathlon training. Right now, I'm just getting used to doing a variety of things, rather than just run. It's different. For one, tri training will require a lot more planning. Running requires some planning, but not nearly as much if I'm going to squeeze in nine workouts a week. I'm not there yet. The variety seems to make recovery easier. Running all the time gets super tiring for me. Learning to swim again is hard without long recovery. All in all, I'm OK with how the week went. I worked out six of seven days, although one swim was short because I had to do an interview.

Run: 2x; 16.75 miles: I stuck with a long run (11 miles) because the weather was really nice. Running is going to take a back seat for a bit while I get comfortable with swimming and cycling.

Swim: 2.5x; 4600 yards. There was an abbreviated session of just 600 yards. The other two were 2,000 yard swims, done in sets of 100s. I'll need to come up with real swim workouts. First, build a base -- and get comfortable again with flipturns. The low point: I got a terrible cramp in my calf getting out of the pool on Thursday. Writhed around in pain on the deck for a little. It's still a little sore.

Cycle: 1x; 50 minutes. Today was my first time on a spin bike. I was a little perplexed. Kevin, my tri advisor, said to keep the cadence high and focus on pulling through the spin. I tried to do this. The spin bike, though, seems to kinda take off on its own. My heart rate only broke 100 toward the last 10 minutes. The average for the session was a mere 97. That's clearly not enough. Still, it was the first cycle. I'll improve.

Foot massage: 1x, 30 minutes. This was a day of firsts. The Chinatown foot massage places always scared me. But I was convinced to give it a try. Not bad. There were a few delicate moments when he got to my Achilles on my left leg and calf on the right leg.

Overall: This was a slow start to training. I wouldn't even say I'm training yet. The key now is to get used to dong a variety of workouts, particularly in the disciplines I don't know, and getting a schedule where I can do enough. Stamina-wise, it was an easy week. The only hard workout was my last swim, which for some reason was drudgery. I kept getting lapped, which didn't help.

Marathon Hiatus

The last several months have been frustrating, at least from a running perspective. I went through too much denial about my injury, then basically hoped it would heal itself. I'm back to where I can run 25 miles a week. On Sunday, I even went on a 9-mile run. Not bad. Something is not quite right. I still love to run, but I'm tired of it a bit. I trained so hard for the sub-3 marathon. It exhausted me, stripped away 10 pounds, and, worst of all, left me with a nagging injury.

I need a change of pace for a bit. About 10 days ago, I finally joined a gym. I went totally old school by choosing the YMCA. Getting back into the pool was a big factor. As you can see from the photo, I used to swim as a child. (I'm the one in the front. As one unnamed party said, "You are a different scale than your family.") A couple times last week and the last two days, I've swum, nothing serious, just a bunch of laps. Today I did 2,000 yards. That's about an 8k. It's strange to swim again. My arms get sore, there's lactic acid buildup, and flip turns confuse me. Yet I like it. I zone out in the water; it exhausts me. The upside: no soreness. Muscles can get a little sore but there's none of the trauma of running that's sometimes left me feeling like someone ran over me in a van.

I want to do a triathlon. I'm not running a marathon during the spring. For the past few months, I haven't trained and just run aimlessly. A tri is a new challenge and something to focus on. There's a lot of work to be done. I don't even own a bike, and riding about 20 miles with JPSCalifornia made my legs shake a bit. Still, my cardio levels are presumably high and the endurance part shouldn't be a problem. It should be interesting to see how much the years of running translate to new activities. I'm clueless about training and getting help with it. I'll swim and bike at the Y the rest of the winter, as well as run, then get a road bike. Not at all sure if I should settle for a sprint or do an Olympic distance. Maybe both. It should be humbling.

No matter what, though, I'm still a runner. Murakami talks about this in "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running." He's done many triathlons but still considers himself a runner. "For a runner like me, what's really important is reaching the goal I set for myself, under my own power. I give it everything I have, endure what needs enduring, and am able, in my own way, to be satisfied."

Swim: 2,000 yards, 44 minutes

The Week In Running

It's been a while since I've had enough running worthy of a wrap-up post. This was my first semi-normal week running since screwing up my Achilles. The long time off has been frustrating, to say the least. It hasn't all been off, but I haven't felt like a runner since late October. I'm heavier and slower, but that's OK. The Achilles still aches sometimes, but it's slowly improving. I'm not overdoing it. More than all that, I feel like a runner again. On Monday I ran in the snow, just five miles. What this meant, though, was working harder than I have in some time, enough to feel sore the next couple of days. I missed that. When I finished my "long" run of 7 miles on Saturday, I stopped in my local deli for a chocolate milk. That's the same routine I'd do when I'd run 14 miles before work this summer and fall. I'm not back yet by any stretch. I'll feel that way after stringing together a bunch of 25-mile weeks.

Weekly mileage: 27

Recovery Update

There is so much denial tied up in injuries. It took me too long to accept my Achilles problem. Even after realizing I'd miss Philly, I held out hope of running a winter marathon and then Boston. I came around to the seriousness of the Achilles problem only gradually. Right now, I'm at the point where I just want to get better, while getting back into a regular running pattern. Bit by bit, I'm getting there. This week, I'm on pace to run 26 miles, including my first hourlong run in three months. The downside: I run very slowly. How slow? Today's pace was 8:39. Still, I'm happy to run five times a week and start to again have a "long" run. Today's seven miles will become eight next week, and I'll go from there. I won't run a winter or spring marathon with an eye toward getting healthy to train hard again for the fall.

7 miles, 1:00:35