We had planned to spend this weekend in the U.P. with friends celebrating Jack and Mariam Sorby’s 50th Anniversary. They live in Iron River in the Western U.P. and we had reservations at Ski Brule, a (duh) ski resort. The area around the resort is hilly which would have made for an excellent bike training ride. The run I like to do when we’re up there on the “guys golf and casino” trip is through state forest land that is beautiful and peaceful. Sorbys have a cottage at Hagerman Lake so we would have had access to a nice fresh water open swim. Between a great training venue and a vacation with friends in a beautiful part of Michigan we were both looking forward to the time away.
As many of you already know our plans changed when Jean, at the Mountaineer Half Ironman last Sunday, “pulled a Jack” and dumped her bike on the second loop. The roads were very hilly and she was having a good race when she got in a bad position with a couple of trucks and a couple of other riders while going across some railroad tracks. There was a pothole she couldn’t avoid and down she went. Unlike Jack, she was able to duck her head but landed on her left shoulder and fractured her clavicle (collarbone). It didn’t break clear through but splintered (not correct medical terminology) on the top of the bone near the shoulder end. The splinter sticks up at an angle and the injury is quite painful but she’ll live.
For the time being she is unable to swim, bike or run. She is able to ride the bike trainer without using her left arm and will start this week to do what she can to maintain fitness. She’s already made arrangements with Jon Anderson (sore butt muscle…also not correct medical terminology) for both of them to do the elliptical trainer tomorrow. Both of them like/need to talk and are unable to work out alone so they will now be known to the Trilanders as “Team Cripple”. She plans to run in the pool or lake using an “Aquajogger” belt that keeps her vertical in the water. Jean was very good about talking me into taking plenty of time and not trying to come back too fast from my many bike wrecks, so we’ll see how she does directing her own recovery.
This week was pretty boring from a workout standpoint so not much to report. Bill, Diane, Paul, Brian and I rode to Saugatuck (51 miles) yesterday and Jean, Nancy, Marge and Brian’s family drove the cars over and met us for lunch and a “really swell time” at an art festival. I was given a choice of walking through the booths at the art festival or being poked in the eye with a sharp stick and I chose the stick, but I couldn’t find anyone willing to do it. The weatherman had talked about a chance of rain and 15 to 25 m.p.h. winds. Luckily there wasn’t much rain but the winds were brutal for the last 10 miles or so.
Today’s long run started out at 7 A.M. for Bill, Paul and me. Even that early the temperature was between 75 and 80 and the humidity was high. We ran 7 miles on the first loop, stopped at Bill’s house for refills on drinks (sports drinks…not gin and tonics) and then did 6 miles on the second loop. Since I must whine sometime in each e-mail, this is the point where I’ll say again that I’m just not a good hot, humid weather runner. At about 11 miles I started to get nauseous and could have stopped anytime to walk but I didn’t, the nausea went away within 5 minutes and I continued running the rest of the way. It took me at least 20 minutes and several glasses of Gatorade and water before I felt like eating.
It’s 10 weeks until Ironman Wisconsin so the real training starts now. Not that the training hasn’t been grueling so far, but in the Multi-Sports program the last nine weeks before the taper week are Ironman specific. The rides and runs get longer but not much more intense. The plan is to start out with a good triathlon base and spend the last little while working on endurance. The rides include a couple more six hour and one seven hour and the transition runs get a little longer too. The long runs go a little longer and the longest one (180 minutes) is divided into 140 minutes in the morning at heart rate 2 pace followed in the afternoon with an easy 40 minute run. You runners know how stiff you get after a long run even when you stretch so you can understand how that afternoon run hurts for the first few minutes.
Just (Why Do I Punish Myself Like This?) Jack