Team McAlister

Sorry, I’ve been wanting to use that headline since we launched this thing.

Did 5.75 miles in just over an hour today. I started out with a 4-mile run (46 minutes) and then did 20 minutes of interval running. 1:30 at 7+mph, :40 at 2-3mph. Intervals like that are supposed to be the best way to increase your VO2 max, which Wikipedia tells me is “the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise.” In other words, it’s crucial.

I’m not on any sort of “program” as yet. That Hal Higdon guy seems to know what he’s talking about, so maybe I’ll take a look at his marathon training schedules. The thing is, I don’t want to get caught up in training for a marathon. I want to train for a triathlon, and be able to do a marathon as a result of that. Whether that means a different training schedule, or additional stuff on top of the marathon schedule, I’ll have to figure out.

Tomorrow’s another 6 AM spin class followed by a short run and, if I can last that long, some easy weights. And lots and lots of stretching.

Tags: hal higdon, running, schedule, spin

In 1966, The Byrds recorded 8 Miles High, supposedly about a flight they made to London. It was dropped from radio stations because of the not so subtle lyrical inferences to the band’s drug use (especially LSD, according to lore).

So today, for the first time in over 30 years, I went 8 miles on foot and was not high, although LSD might have made it a more pleasant experience. I slogged through 8.21 miles in 1:57:13. Not brilliant, but I was out there.

Tags: Byrds, masters, running, triathlon

This morning, as I was out for my 8-mile run (27 degrees; 1:13:24), I saw something that I’ve never seen during a Chicago winter.  Around North Avenue, at the place where, in the summer, older men gather to play chess, I saw two guys walking towards me.  They were wearing wetsuits and full scuba gear, and were dripping with water.  They were a bit red in the face, which isn’t surprising, because, unless they had been diving in a snowbank, they had just emerged from Lake Michigan.

At this point, I would like aver that at no point during the future years of triathlon training will I go swimming in Lake Michigan when the air temperature is below 32 degrees.

Tags: Chicago, crazy people, Lake Michigan, running, Weather