1st Tri becomes 2nd Tri

I have now officially started and finished a triathlon, and have a much better idea of what the fuss is about and also about the challenges of the sport.

The Heart of Texas triathlon series is run each summer here in San Antonio, overseen by John Purnell of Run A Way Athletic Club. Last Sunday was the second of the series of five mini-triathlons, paving the way for the Heart of Texas Triathlon Championships in September. As I mentioned in a previous post, this event was recommended to me by Shelly Campbell and also by Phil Arno, a musician acquaintance of mine for many years, and a 5 or 6 year veteran of triathlon.

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot at Ft. Sam Houston at the ungodly early hour of 6 AM, I ran into Phil. “I looked at your website,” he said. “With all your running background, you should do very well.” “We’ll see,” I said, though I feared his prediction might come back to haunt me. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems to me that those triathletes who don’t regularly run marathons (actually Phil has done his share) seem to look at marathoners with some degree of awe. I must admit that as a marathoner, I look in similar awe at the real swimmers and cyclists. I guess it all adds up to triathlon being an equalizer, of sorts.

The Heart of Texas Triathlon No. 2 consisted of a 300 meter swim in a 50 meter pool, a 10 mile bike ride on a 2 mile loop, and a final 2 mile run, with some hills. Considering I had been previously training for the CapTexTri sprint distance (750 meters, 20 k bike, 5 k run), the Heart of Texas should have been the proverbial “no problema, man.” But cut me some slack. It was still my first Tri, and I started out with a poor swim. I got nervous, forgot what little form I have, and struggled somewhat. The bike ride gave me a chance to get my lungs back and my heart-rate stabilized. In retrospect, this might have been my strongest suit, though I by no means burned up the course. However, I did pass a few while the sprinters were busy lapping me.

Everyone has told me time and again: “Practice your bricks. Practice your bricks.” According to Wikipedia, “the term brick has multiple claims of origination/derivation. Among those is the derivation from a partial anagram of Bike-Run. Also, it may simply be a descriptive term for how your legs feel for the first part of the run.” I have generally interpreted it as principally referring to the transition from the bike to the run, and it is something I practiced, though obviously not enough. By the time I transitioned to the run, I was operating at a deficit. And who would be the athlete just coming in for the finish as I was about a quarter mile into the run? Phil Arno. And at that point I was walking up the hill. There was a look of consternation on Phil’s face, and I have no idea how I must have looked to him. But I got it back together and did most of the run, running. My unofficial time was 1 hour 15 minutes and some seconds. (Phil finished first in our age category of 55-59 with a time of 59 minutes.) In the true spirit of Triathlon (these people are infinitely supportive), Phil was there at the finish line to congratulate me on finishing my first tri. Also in the spirit of support, Phil gave me some pointers for the “next time.”

And there will be a “next time.” And that next time I will be a little wiser and a lot more practiced in BRICKS. Also, one other note regarding the future. I am enjoying sharing these posts with you, and reading what feedback has come. If you are game for it, I’m certainly willing to keep writing. But hey! Help Zetta and Shelly out. I sure would love to hear more voices on this blog.

Read More......

Another day, another first tri….

After hearing encouragement from a couple of triathletes, including Shelly Campbell, to check out the Heart of Texas series of triathlons I signed up for their next event, which is this coming Sunday morning. I really don’t know what to expect, though here is what the organizers have to say:


“This 25th annual event is held in a 50 meter outdoor pool. 300 meter swim. 10mi bike on loop course, 2 miles out & back run on rolling hills.”

For now, I am simply looking for a taste of the triathlon experience. As I have mentioned previously, I am one who needs an event ahead of me. There needs to be a carrot on the end of that stick. Anyone wanting more information about the Heart of Texas series can check out their modest website. (http://www.runawayclub.com/Heart_of_Texas_Series/hotseries.htm)

Mother Nature has been tough on us lately. Of course, she rained out the CapTexTri on Memorial Day. In case you haven’t heard, that event is not being rescheduled. This really doesn’t surprise me. I am sure it takes a full year to organize such a big event. Permits have to be obtained, volunteers arranged, etc. We must all just move ahead, bringing me back to the ornery nature of Ma Nature of late. The weather has been oppressively humid and this in turn keeps temperatures up in general, especially preventing any effective overnight cooling. It has taken some hard will on my part to finally commit to running in those conditions, but I am glad I have finally said to myself to cut out the excuses and just do it. A six mile plus run last night, in the wee hours, was good for my psyche.

The heat and humidity is not so much a factor in the indoor pool where I have been swimming, so I have been pretty good at putting in the laps. Tonight, for whatever reason, they had taken up the lane dividers in the pool. Having the water pretty much to myself, I was able to swim circles rather than laps. This gave me a different feel in the water, rather than the somewhat monotonous 50 meter laps back and forth.

Another new element in my workout routine is stair climbing. I work on the 8th floor of a 10 story building. I can usually find a 15-20 minute slot in my workplace schedule for slipping into the stairwell for a short but intense workout. It really is a nice addition to the polite running, biking, swimming routine, a sort of blue collar workout since it requires no equipment or club memberships. It’s got me thinking now about entering the annual stair-climb at the Tower of the Americas. I believe there are 900 and some odd steps in the Tower climb. Heck! It’s just another challenge.

I thought about this, the stair climbing, when I read Nathan Cone’s recently posted comments about trying to squeeze in time for fitness while juggling the responsibility of being the father of two children. Nathan mentioned he climbs the stairs rather than taking the elevator, and my hat is off to him. Many ignore the obvious opportunities to piece together a workout. I’m reminded of Tim Derk’s plan to do 10 thousand pushups this year by doing 10 pushups every time he goes to the copy machine at the Spurs office. In the end, it’s all about inventing ways to get it done. Now, Nathan, are you taking those stairs two at a time?

Read More......

Racing Against the Clock - a review and some comments

I recently had the opportunity to see the DVD titled Racing Against the Clock and then to write a review of the documentary film by Bill Haney. This has sparked some interesting exchanges with several friends whom I invited to see and hear the review.

Hopefully, this has also sparked at least a modest spike in sales of the DVD. The film really is that good. Check out my review, both written and audio, at http://tpr.org/articles/2007/06/cinema-raceagainstclock.html.

Here are a few of the comments I’ve gotten. Carol Masters, who knows a few things about masters athletics, wrote:

“James, I ordered the DVD as soon as I received your previous note and actually watched it in AMAZEMENT a couple days ago.”

Carol continues:

“Thank you for sharing the program. Ironically, I never thought of the term baby boomers as an American term so did not give it a second thought when there were women from other countries competing. I thought that it was wonderful of the producers to chose such a diverse group of women athletes with diverse backgrounds that all eventually led them to track and field sports. I actually came away thinking (after viewing the movie) that several of them could have been olympic quality had they been born under different circumstances. We will never know. Additionally, I took away from the movie (among many things) that sports facilitated each of the ladies to dig really deep within and find strength to overcome illness, poverty and lack of identity.”

“Thank you for encouraging me to see the movie! I am going to share it with everyone I know!”

More about Carol Masters in a moment.

My interest all along in writing this blog and also in the continuing production of the podcast iExercise has been not to trumpet my own accomplishments which are decidedly modest, but rather to encourage others to take control of their fitness. I am surely not responsible for the life changes made by my friend Linda Carlson, but I welcome her note as something which will speak to anyone considering changing their ways:

“Love your review! This is so inspiring! I was born in 1953. For the past 8 years have been power walking, carrying 4 pounds in each hand, twice a day (6.30 am and 6 pm, each time with friends) for a total of 6 - 8 miles a day, 5 days a week. Now, I know that is nothing compared to your Marathon achievements, but it has helped me keep my weight and muscle tone where I want them to be, as well as helping me cope with stress, sadness etc. I wouldn't give it up for anything.”

And Paul Blakemore, a musician and friend for many years, wrote:

“Hey James - Thanks for sending me this. I bought myself an eliptical machine for my 53rd birthday last January and have been doing about 30 mins a day 4-5 days a week since. Along with this aerobic workout I also do about 80-90 situps and some moderate weight lifting - mainly shoulder presses, bench presses, rows, bicep/tricep curls, and squats. This just to keep from becoming a 50 something tub of lard! Har. It certainly has its benefits, though. My resting heart rate is usually about 63 and my blood pressure is typically 117/73 plus or minus.”

Way to go, Paul!

Bicyclist and fitness advocate William Hudson has surely encouraged many here in San Antonio. It seems everywhere I turn I find people who say how helpful William has been to them. Wrote William:

“Thanks for making me aware of the film ..... I have ordered it.”

As a quick aside, you will find a link for buying the DVD if you browse over to read the review. Texas Public Radio receives a modest return when you purchase using that link. Thanks for helping us out, and please share this film with others.

Forgive me, Carol, for adding this without your knowledge, but as I mentioned earlier this blog is about lighting a fire under us all to initiate and continue our own personal fitness regimens. Several in the San Antonio fitness community have suggested I get to know Carol Masters and I have followed their advice. In fact, Carol will eventually come in for an interview which will be featured later in the summer as an iExercise podcast segment. Here is a recently published article introducing Carol http://www.southtexasfitness.com/02_07/feature.html (February 2007 issue of South Texas Health and Fitness).

We are all interested in how and why you exercise. Please leave a comment. Thanks.

Read More......