The sharp edge of a blueberry scone crumb…
» February 5th, 2010
The further into this triathlon season that I get, the more exotic the location my brain travels to for it’s vacation. It has fully separated from my body, grown ganglia, and left my poor brain-dead body to fend for itself. If you have seen my brain in the wild, please call animal control. It get’s lonely and needs attention.
So, if you’re wondering what’s up with the title, there it is… When I sat down to start writing the details of my training minutiae, I noticed that I was being poked in the elbow by something sharp. Turns out it was a rather large crumb from a stale blueberry scone or something.
This week, despite being physically and mentally exhausted, I’m feeling great and making great strides in my training. The ankle is back to 100%, which is great because I’m running in my very first running race this weekend; the RunDenver Super Bowl 5K. This week, I noticed that I am increasing speed within my Z2 heart rate zone, and at a leisurely 139-148 beats per minute, I’m running an eight and a half minute mile. Very little fatigue, no joint pain. It doesn’t sound like much, but Zone 2 is low heart-rate, and considering my run at last years 5430 half IM was in the 10 minutes per mile range (due to that pain in the ass ACL issue), I think I’m off to a great start.
I asked my coach where I should be at, as far as zone or pace or whatever – and she told me to race wherever I was comfortable. It sounded like she wanted me to break out and really hoof it. She suggested that I might be good in the upper areas of Zone 4, just under anaerobic. For the first time in my life, I’m really starting to look forward to running and racing. Like, after work, I can’t wait to go and run. Also, this is the first time since I started training that I’m actually running more than I’m swimming – which is saying a lot.
Other than the gains in running, I’m also making small gains in my cycling. I’m finding that it’s easier to maintain higher speeds (+ 2-3 MPH), and also my pedal stroke is getting slightly more efficient. All of these little improvements on land are really exciting to me, as I’ve always been a water creature.
Last week, on my first run since my ankle thing, a seem on the big toe of my Vibrams came undone. Sufficed, I was tickled pink at how Vibram and REI both handled it, and the shoes were replaced with brand new ones. I didn’t think that REI would do anything, since I didn’t have the receipt or the box, so I emailed Vibram. They told me to take them to REI, because they have a 90 day warranty. Also, REI has a very liberal return policy. The guy at REI looked up the purchase on my REI card, and gave me store credit to get another pair. My only complaint:
From my journal
The replacement Vibrams that I got from REI were a little snug and tough in the sole, which caused a little calf pain, not to mention the outside front pad of my left foot was a little sore. (At least I wasn’t running on the inside pad, last time I did that, I got a blood blister on my big toe.) I guess this just means that my old KSO’s were broken in well.
Next weekend, I’m heading to Salt Lake City for a swim team gathering and snowshoe expedition. I didn’t want to ski this year for fear of injuring myself and the beginning of what I am, so far, considering a great training season. I will post an update on my results here, soon.
Sorry, I wish my life was more interesting right now.
Coming soon: A repository of barefoot and POSE running information, an article on Heart Rate training, and a review of the Tria Home Laser Hair removal system. Why hair removal? Because I’m too damn lazy to shave my legs every other day. Take that, society!
