It's On like Donkey Kong

After the whirlwind week, the dust is slightly settled, but other storms are on the horizon. Last night, I pulled the trigger and signed up for the NJ State Triathlon, sprint version (short and sweet) with tri-buddy Chris Bright. I have been swimming and running more lately, and I do think I can get my fitness up so that I can be competitive (top 10 AG is my goal- last year I was 9th). My swimming is going better, and I hope to get filmed and analyzed this week to figure out how to streamline my stroke. Bought a pair of Fastwitch 2s on ebay, but they got stolen out of the guys car before he could mail them and I am still waiting for the refund- hope I am not getting hosed but fear I am. Lots of games this week- Just beat a team 9-0 (they were not good) yesterday, and we have three more before the end of the weekend. Hope to get out for a short run this afternoon before practice, and then a drill set tomorrow AM in the pool. Thats it for now-

The Little Things

This will be my last blog for awhile as we have a crazy week this week: I have two away games, my son's birthday is today, I have duty tonight and Wed (after both away games), my son is playing trumpet at the Trenton Thunder game on Thursday, my inlaws will be in town, my wife will be out of town for a few days at a memorial service up in Maine, and there is more but it is tiring even writing it down.

So, the little things: Did a nice ride yesterday, and though I went too hard on the way back, and I was sore last night, today I feel good, so that is great news. Did a 500yd tt in the pool this morning to break things up, and I finished at 8.30. Nothing special and I did not sprint the last 200 yds. But, then I had one of the coaches watch my rotation (which I have been working on) and she noticed I was dropping my head too far back when breathing (a tri habit to get clear air, no doubt). When I adjusted my head so that it rotated on its axis, my times went down, my stroke got cleaner, and my kick improved. Something to remember on Wednesday when I do my next session.

More to follow early next week...

Springing along

After having such a good day on Wednesday with my swim, I decided to roll the dice and do a 2 miler on Thursday. This decision came about 200yds into the run, when I said "f -it." Took it easy, about a 10 m/m pace. Felt good the whole way. It helped that it was 70 degrees and sunny, and I was rocking to the ipod. Last night, popped some ibuprofin and slept well. This morning, I woke up with trepidation, remembering the last time I tried 2 miles (thinking of Clubber Lang, "I predict Pain."), but when I rolled out of bed, I felt good. Did another short swim this morning, focusing on drills. The main one I did was 100 yds with feet bound to check on buoyancy and balance. My legs sank, but I knew that going in. I plan to try this each day to see if it helps my hydrodynamics- got it from Slowman on ST in one of his posts. So, the long and the short is that if I have a good bike ride this weekend, I will really feel like I can do all three disciplines in training. A good few days! We'll see how Sunday's ride goes, an easy 20 miler on the touring rig...

Sunny, high in the 60s...

After my pilgramage north, where the snowbank in front of our house was so high I needed a neighbor with a backhoe to dig out to the front door and create a path to our propane tank, the NJ spring seems to really have hit. Did an easy 1 mile jog yesterday to test out the legs and make sure I could run pain-free. That worked out well. Did an easy 500 yd swim working on reach today, and still feel great. I finally feel like I can start to train, but I will take it slow and build. CB mentioned possibly signing up for the NJ State Tri in late July, and I am now considering it as a possible first race. Easy swim, short flat bike, shaded run, great crowd, decent shwag. More as the workouts continue...

Headin north!

Tomorrow I am heading north to check on our place up in Maine. Pretty excited since I haven't been up since we went up for Christmas. There are some good outlets up there, a Pearl Izumi and an LG, and they always have good cycling/tri stuff to check out. Still getting random pain at incision sites, nothing major, but frustrating since I want to get back to training but sense that my body is telling me to relax and take it slow. I am listening!

Three random events

On duty on study hall tonight, so I have the luxury of reflecting on the past few days. First random thought was our class adventure to rainy Philly on Sunday. Everyone had a fine time, some terrific reflections were posted on my class blog (http://peddielitoftravel.blogspot.com/), and Jackie took a few photos on the bus ride back for posterity.

Item the second is my excellent swim today, where I did a random 1000yd workout, working on pulling with finger sculls, balance with pull buoy, and flip turns. I still feel some mild pulling in the groin area- not sure if this is usual.

The third excellent item is our first win of the season, a thrilling, sloppy, hard fought 3-1 win over Hun, a school we generally lose to. We were down four players due to illness and injury, so with only 5 subs, and 2 starters out, we rallied and the kids played well.

Off to Maine on Friday, but I will likely post before then.

Working out the kinks

Went down to the pool on Friday ready to work my stroke and get reacclamated to the water, but the pool was still closed for spring break. Decided to go for a run instead. Did a very slow 2 miler, but it felt great to be out and moving pain free. It was the most comfortable I have felt running since November. On Saturday, I felt it, though, as I can't remember being that sore from exercise. Today I take my class to Philly for a fieldtrip/adventure. The walking will be good for the body!

Green Light! Deploy!

After a long three week wait, got in to see my surgeon today, and he check out his handiwork. He filled me in on the swelling, numbness, and other assundries, and then he said I could get back to the routine. Tomorrow, I hit the water for my first swim, and I plan on an easy 500 yds to work out the kinks. My goal is to start running on Monday and build base miles, swim miles. Not sure how the bike will feel, but I will be getting on the road soon as well.

Family photos

This is one of the whole family on Sabbatus Mtn, near our house in Maine.

A few shots of the kids doing what they do:

This one is my daughter Phoebe, playing defense.

More to follow