An advanced version of the little train that could

Are you stuck behind a desk?

Is your day workout the walk to the car and snacks in the break room?

Workout vicariously through this blog post.

To begin, I have not updated my blog recently for a little more than a week.  I apologize.

Visualize this – A key jolts the tumblers of the bolt lock to my door. My foot crosses the threshold. Simultaneously a brain turns to an unrecognizable blob resembling a jar of jelly that breaks as it falls out of the fridge door.  Writing at night is increasingly difficult.

In case you wonder – I am still working out at 5 a.m. The brain cannot put up as much of a fight not to work out as it can when you get home after a long day. I suppose it is habit by now.

I meticulously keep a workout diary. After finishing sets of weights, running, swimming, or biking I record my progress. I highly recommend this practice because it helps you know about your accomplishments and track soreness so you can avoid injury.

For instance, I have accomplished the following things in the past three days:

• Weights…and more weights – everything from bench press to pull ups
• 30 minutes of kickboxing
• 30 minutes of pilates
• A 15-mile bike ride
• Walked 2 miles
• Ran 5 miles (cough…uurm I walked somewhat too)
• Swam 1,000 yards
• Conquered a brutal spinning class this morning (7/28)…

…and swam 1300 yards this evening.

Now – for those of you in the training program that are reading this post you’re probably thinking to yourself why so much – this is supposed to be a recovery week, right?

It is a recovery week according to the schedule – I had some conflicts last week that hindered my ability to go to my typical swimming practice and join everyone on Saturday for the brick workout. So I need to count that as a lot of recovery time. I even gained a couple of pounds.  I am supposed to become lighter so this stuff gets easier. I will say that I do not think my body has been this capable, or strong – ever! That is a cool perk.

Side note: How appropriate that Kanye’s song Stronger just came on my Pandora account…”what doesn’t kill me will only make me stronger”

This stuff is getting hard and taking its toll. I am not sure how my other teammates are doing, but finding time to workout, fundraise and work is rough! Then again – I need to keep some focus:

1.    This is for charity! (p.s. please donate http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/nattri09/mingram)
2.    If triathlons were easy – everyone would do them. I see myself as a more advanced version of the little train that could.

Are you in a Team in Training event? Are you training for an endurance event…any tips on juggling everything?

A brick, a flat, a day of conquered challenges

It was a busy weekend!

Saturday’s group brick (bike & run) was near Greenbelt, MD [Our Ride]. My group mentor, Rich, and I convinced ourselves that we would be early. Was that the case? Not so much. More than 15 people were already getting ready in the parking lot when we arrived and it was 7:20 a.m.

The weather was nice – great day for a ride and run

Side note: I’ve found cycling much more enjoyable than I could ever have anticipated. I love the preparation, the gearing up and taking off with another rider, or a whole peloton.

I was in a competitive frame of mind. I have been training a lot and this brick was supposed to show some of that off.

Ready

Slowly everyone begins to huddle in on one section of the parking lot.

Steady

The group grows, 10 to 30 to more than 50 riders amassing together with bikes and eager looks. Announcements made, safety signals reviewed.

Go!

We’re off!

One by one riders hit the road. How do you feel when riding in a group versus by yourself? I’ve found riding on roads to be okay when I’m by myself; however I’ll admit that riding with large groups takes a lot more concentration. There is so much more to look out for and you depend on great communication skills to stay safe.

pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

I am ten people from the front of the group two riders. This is exciting…we’re in the middle of MD on an awesome day.

pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Me: “Hey can you check my back tire. Is it flat?”
Rider behind me: “Oh yeah – your tire looks low!”

My first flat tire, bugger! What a kill joy! I pulled over to the side of the road five minutes into the group ride and ask for help to change my tire. I have not had to change my tire since buying my bike. Ironically, the Team in Training coaches had a planned tire changing clinic for after the group ride! (Mini shout-out to the coaches that stopped to help me out and make sure I was okay.) It turns out more than five people had flat tires along the course on Saturday. That seems like a mighty high number.

Let us give that a second try

Tire mended, I took off to reach the rest of the riders. As soon as I hit the main road there are a few of the faster riders passing by. They just completed seven miles at a great pace. I will confess though, I was baffled – there were only two sections of the bike course where you could keep a fast pace. There were so many potholes that I barely had time to look up and enjoy the fields of hay, the blue sky and the peace around me. One guy said after the race – “I don’t think I’ll be able to have kids after that course.” The road was bumpy. I get the sense that today is not my best day for riding.

I completed one lap of the course and headed back to the park (approximately 13 miles). Quickly throwing off my helmet, cycling shoes and gloves, I donned my running shoes, grab some water and took off for the running course.

Enough said – I ran the course which turns out to be really hard for me. I don’t really know why I had difficulty running. Maybe I didn’t hydrate properly. The loop was about 1.1 or 1.2 miles and I clocked in 12 minute miles…I swear I was running. I ran two laps and called it a day.

Total workout ~15 miles. Not bad before 10 a.m. I’ll boost up the mileage next weekend barring any additional mishaps.

All in all – training was fun and riddled with hiccups this weekend. One of the coaches said at the beginning of training that there are few things you can control in life, but what you can control is your attitude. I’m happy that I stayed positive, took away some new skills and know a few areas to work on. I want to put my new skills to use and practice changing my tires and more running after biking.

I’ll make sure to join the group workout faster, better, stronger next weekend.

—–

I am racing in the Nation’s Triathlon to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people facing Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans currently facing a blood cancer by funding research, treatments and support. Please donate to support this cause. Any amount is greatly

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/nattri09/mingram

7/4: 1 good workout, 2 slightly embarrassing falls

I have been working out a lot over the past two days to catch up since my injury on Tuesday (6/30).

I rode my bike for more than an hour and a half this morning (7/4) though a good 40 minutes or so was probably puttering around the White House, the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. No one was out around 6 a.m. except for police and plainclothes secret service agents. (It is a little hard to blend it when no one else is around.) Many of the roads around DC were closed to traffic so I could pick up some awesome speed and get down into my third position (not sure if that is the official term, but where you use the bottom part of the handle bars).

BTW – it finally happened, actually it happened twice this morning. I fell down while clipped into my pedals. Once was while going down a small bike path in D.C. – thankfully no one was around; the second fall was a block or two away from where I live at an intersection. The falls were slightly embarrassing and left a couple of bruises, but I’ll live.

I finally got home and felt a little worn out so I donned some normal shorts and workout shirt to hit the gym instead of going on a run back into D.C. I did my core workout, abs, back and a ton of other things and then hit the treadmill to keep the blood flowing.

Overall, my endurance level is definitely rising to meet the challenge of a triathlon. I am able to do a whole lot of activity over a sustained amount of time. I am losing weight too which is great! I weighed in at 197 lbs at the gym today, down from 211 lbs two months ago.

Now – I’m all showered and ready for lunch and then a NAP before the fireworks at MH’s apartment overlooking D.C.

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

RAAM – Whoa!

The traithlon group had a bike clinic a few weeks ago and we heard from an owner of a local bike shop. The owner is a participant in RAAM – The Race Across America. I actually took a moment to look up the Web site here.

http://www.raceacrossamerica.org

This stuff is amazing. What an accomplishment for everyone involved! This is truly an endurance feat of dizzying proportions.

Maybe one day

Area Resident Will Conquer the Tri

I am a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program and I will participate in the Nation’s Triathlon on September 13.

The Journey Starts

Sleep in the corner of my eye. I wake up…though the alarm’s repetitious pulse and unnatural racket that commonly signals a day’s beginning hasn’t sounded yet. A sixth sense tells me that I should be alert because it has happened again. I didn’t pay enough attention when setting the time. The alarm was set for 4:45 p.m. instead of a.m. It is now 5:05 a.m.

A car deserves a gold star

I run a mental check, swimming trunks on; farmer’s tan, yes; morning sprint to the car – no problem.

The directions – I’m thankful I used Google Maps last night to glance at the directions to the swimming pool. Mental dialogue ensues as my aged car turns on like a grumpy old man woken from a nap, “Exit 17, wait – are you sure it was 17…something hill road right?”

Arlington to McLean, Spring Hill in fact – that was quick. It is now 5:28 a.m. Well done car.

Thursday Swim Practice Begins.

Introductions and pleasantries are over. The first Thursday swimming practice quickly commences. Another mental check, make sure swimming trunks are tied tightly, mooning the swimming coach is not a good idea.

The trunks are tight. Swimming laps and listening to feedback are my priorities. Rotate hips and turn your head to the side to breathe properly. Breathe on every stroke or at most, every third. I have work to do.

Practice is over – time to go home and shower for work. It is 6:30 a.m.

—————–

Today was not a normal day when I look back at the recent or distant past. I am participating in the Nation’s Triathlon in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on September 13, and my official team training started this morning.

Looking forward, I have embarked on a journey where I will undoubtedly swim, bike and run many miles in preparation for my first triathlon. I have run distance races including a marathon and learned that the feeling of finishing an endurance event is amazing. The sense of pride in you can often become overwhelming, surprising and a thrilling chapter in a storied life.

I will update this blog often with my training progress. I hope you find something worthy of reading, or perhaps commenting on.

I look forward to hearing from you.

- Matt

Make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans currently facing a blood cancer by funding research, treatments and support. Please donate to support this cause.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/nattri09/mingram