Team McAlister

Today I swam 1 mile.  That’s the farthest I’ve swum in years and it took 44 minutes.  Back in the day, I could swim 2 miles in a bit under an hour. Many pounds and many years ago.  Then, my planned 2 hour ride became a 1 hour affair due to continuing mechanical issues on the machine.  

So a priest walked into a bar…..oops! wrong story….I walked in to the bike shop and told Kevin what was going on and he just said, “I can fix that.  I know what it is.”  About 10 minutes later I was test riding it and it was whisper quiet!  Thanks, Kev!  He IS The Man! (Tech note: toxic sweat messes up carbon fiber components.  It makes them bond to each other in ways that are probably Biblically forbidden; and, requires them to be forcibly separated, cleaned, and re-assembled in a way that will preserve their dignity, assure their performance, and keep them separate but equal.

Last week, Jett and I were talking and I said something about needing to swim the 2.4 mi in about 1:15, ride the 112 mi in about 5 -ish, and run the 26.2 in something like 4:30.  Target time of 10:45 to 11:00.  All of that seemed reasonable to me.  Then I started researching what sorts of times guys in my future age bracket  (60-64) turn in.  I almost predicted a top end performance in my chat with Jett!  That kind of time would qualify me for Kona in 2009! (We’ll see what 2013 has in store for us.)

2013 and those times are still a very long way off, but I feel confident about the swim and cycle times.  Once again, it’s the running that presents the biggest challenge.

Training can be pretty hard, right?  There should be some balance between plain old hard work and fun in a training regimen.  That balance does not mean though that pain and pleasure will necessarily coexist in any given workout.  Often, pleasure comes after the pain in the form of a sense of accomplishment.  Or a cold drink. Or maybe just the absence of pain.  All pain is not equal, either.

For me, swimming does not involve pain at all.  I’m not fast enough or good enough to get into a place of pain in swimming.  Maybe I just take the build up of conditioning in swimming so slowly that I’m avoiding pain.  I do get my heart rate up and make my breathing elevated during intervals and such.  But there’s not “real” pain.

Cycling can be another story.  I can, and do, create some pain on some training days.  The climb up RMR in my big ring, for example.  Some interval training is very tough.  All of that pain is predictable and manageable; desired and pursued; expected and enjoyed.

BUT running SUCKS!  At least for me, running must be what my personal hell will be.  Every step, every second, every minute, every thing about that discipline is miserable.  If I can conquer this issue, I will reach the tri goal.  Although it may not work, the only idea I have for conquering running is to keep at it.  Old-fashioned persistence in the only idea I have for dealing with the pain.  Well, persistence and a plan that a good coach set up to help.  If literally taking it one step at a time will work, then I have a chance.

Yesterday, I continued on the Hal Higdon program for runners over 40 and today I can honestly say that I’m encouraged, for a change.  So many factors figure into conditioning that I don’t know exactly what to credit for this feeling.  More strength; weight loss; better diet; anti-oxidants; anti-inflammatories; better overall conditioning?  All of the above?  Regardless, yesterday I managed to finish the workout exactly on Higdon’s plan and last night and today feel okay.  No swollen joints.  No lingering pain or discomfort.

So, I’m ready for today’s 1 mile swim and 2 hour bike ride.  :-)