I Feel Pretty

My mood has greatly improved since last week.  Two great things have happened in the past two days.  Number one, the local temperatures broke freezing for the first time since, well, I can't even remember when.  Second, I got to spend Valentines Day with The Wife.

Let's start with yesterday.  We were blessed with a high in the mid 40s.  The sky was this strange blue color, rather than the gray that we've all grown accustom to around here.  With all the complaining I've been doing about the weather lately, I didn't want to be a hypocrite and let the day go to waste. 

I had already done long treadmill run the previous Thursday, so instead of trying to kick my own butt again I decided to just 'run casually' and enjoy the afternoon.  The local sidewalks were a bit of a minefield.  With all the melting snow, you had to look twice at every puddle and make a judgment call as to whether it was shallow enough to run through, narrow enough to jump over or imposing enough to avoid altogether.  I only ended up with soggy toes a couple of times, so all was good. 

Once I made it down to Medicine Lake, I found that the park trails were in great shape.  It was refreshing to run on actual asphalt and concrete rather than snow and ice.  It was also promising to see that my pace hasn't taken too much of a hit since last fall.  I was hitting 9:10 to 9:15 per mile, which for a casual run is pretty OK.   Shoot.  At this time last year I was averaging splits at around 10:00 per mile.  All in all, it was a great run.  I know that we've still got plenty of winter left to smack us around, so I'll take all of this that I can get.

After my run, I got ready for Valentines Day.  The Wife and I took the day off of work and scheduled a couples massage and spa day.  Since I didn't want to frighten the poor soul assigned to massage me, I decided to clean things up a little bit 'down there'.  No no no.  Not THERE.  I mean my LEGS.  Sheesh. 

Shaving your legs means a few things.  First, it's a way for runners, swimmers and cyclists to put on their 'game face' and helps them feel faster.  Second, it tells everyone else at the gym and in the pool that you're so serious about training that you don't care what society says about men shaving their legs.  Third, it says that you care enough about your masseuse not to give them rug burn on their hands.

Before = Wookie Legs

After a few moments with the hedge trimmers electric clippers, and a few more moments with the foam and razor, I was ready to go. 

Ahhhh.  Much better.

So, today The Wife and I got to spend the day together.  We don't spend as much time together as we like; she's going back to school at the moment and our work schedules don't mesh the best, so getting the whole day is kind of a big deal. 

We headed down for our spa time and enjoyed a nice hour-long massage together.  My masseuse didn't say anything about my legs, but I could tell she was grateful.  After the massages, The Wife got a manicure, and I sat down for my first pedicure.  Runners are known to beat the heck out of their feet, so I was looking forward to showing my tootsies a little love.

No.  My toenails weren't THAT bad.

See.  Nice purdy tootsies.

Would I do a pedicure again?  Eh.  Maybe.  It was nice to have them sand off the rough spots and clean things up a bit, but I spent more time trying not to focus on how much it tickled than I did actually enjoying the experience. 

After our spa treatments, The Wife and I headed over to Old Chicago and enjoyed a nice burger and fries.  Good stuff.  She's out at an evening class now, but for a day off work, I couldn't have asked for more.  It was a great day.  I love ya hon!

Exploring the Gateway Trail and Celebrating an Important Day

Yeah yeah yeah.  I know.  I made some pretty big promises in my last post.  Well, sometimes plans change.  I promised a long bike ride last weekend with all kinds of photos.  I did, in fact, take a nice long ride last Sunday.  Heck.  I even lugged my camera with me the whole way.  What I neglected to bring was my data card, which was resting safely in my laptop.  Whoops.

In any event, I started the ride by hopping towards the Greenway trail and heading east towards the river.  Once I crossed the river, I continued east on Summit.  There's a nice bike lane on either side of the street.  You can take it all the way to the Cathedral, but I decided to head north on Dale street in the Direction of Cayuga Park.

The park itself is fairly nondescript, but it IS significant for one big reason - it's the western terminus of the Gateway trail.  You see, since I'm a Minneapolis boy, I don't ride on the east end of the metro very often, and I've never actually been on the Gateway before.  The trail starts in St. Paul and heads all the way out to Stillwater.  It's put together pretty well.  The trail is wide and the pavement is smooth.

I stayed on the trail until I hit a good turn-around point - somewhere near North High School.  Then I headed back the way I came.  It was an excellent day for a ride.  We've been really blessed around here lately.  It's not too often that one can go for a 4+ hour ride in the middle of October in just shorts and a jersey.

Here's a look at the route I took:   

I took a slightly different return route through St. Paul so I could stop at Jimmy John's for a sandwich.  A man's gotta eat ya know.

 

 

Another Perfect Weekend

This last weekend was crazy good.  It had everything I love - in mass quantities.

Friday Night

Holding true to my every-other-day philosophy, Friday was a workout day.  The weather around here has been absolutely perfect for running.  Friday, I was blessed with 60 degrees and clear skies.  My legs have been feeling better and better lately, so I decided to to try out a new route.  Instead of heading towards Medicine Lake, I headed east instead. 

The first thing I discovered was that, well, would you believe we've been living in our home for 4 years and I never knew there was a dog park within a mile of the house?  Sheesh.  I should change up directions more often.  I passed the dog park and jogged through Bassett Creek Park.  This area has some special meaning for me.  It's where they used to hold a lot of my old Cross Country races back in high school.  The park hasn't changed a bit and the old memories started flooding back.  Good stuff.

After the Bassett Creek, I headed over Highway 100 via a nice new footbridge and followed the creek with some nicely paved paths.  If I were to have kept heading east, I would have eventually run into the Theodore Wirth area.  The Wirth trails can eventually hook up with just about every trail in town.  I'll have to keep this route in mind for some longer weekend runs.

When I noticed that the sun was starting to go down, it was time to head back towards home.  Once I crossed back over (actually UNDER) the highway, I was in familiar territory again.  There wasn't a lot of light left, so I made a bee-line home.  I covered the 7.6 mile run in under 1:15 but still kept the effort nice and relaxed.  My body is REALLY digging the cooler weather lately.  It's nice to be able to run longer and faster without it feeling harder.

Pretty much everything in the Northeast portion of the route was new to me.

Once I got home, The Wife and I decided to go out on an honest to goodness date.  Cash has been pretty tight lately, especially since we spent so much dough during Ironman weekend.  So, we've been holding back on any extra spending.  I'm officially in 'thrifty' mode, so it wasn't easy to get me out, but I have to admit that a pizza and a couple of beers with my sweetie sure felt good.

Saturday

Saturday was another perfect day on the weather front.  My cousin plays soccer for Minnehaha Academy, so The Wife and I decided to catch the homecoming game.  The only bad thing about this plan was that the school is right on the West River road, which is part of the route for the TC 10-Miler and the Twin Cities Marathon, so a bunch of the roads were blocked for race weekend.   We ended up a few minutes late, but fortunately didn't miss any scoring. 

The Minnehaha boys did a great job and ended up winning 2-0.  Way to go guys!  After the game, we met up with my Uncle, Aunt and cousin.  My aunt's mom and sister also came to the game.  Her sister was in town to run the Marathon on Sunday.  It was cool to talk with her.  She's a wicked strong runner - she's done ump-teen marathons and has even qualified for Boston.  She even tried her hand at a tri this past summer, but didn't care too much for the swim.  I don't blame her.  That was one of the roughest parts for me at my first tri. 

On Saturday evening, The Wife and I headed over to some friends' house to just chill and hang out.  Or at least, that's what she TOLD me we would be doing.  Instead, when I walked in their door, I heard about a dozen people yell 'SURPRISE!'.  Then I saw my mother in-law, and my parents and many of our closest friends.  Honestly, at first I thought that they were all together to celebrate something The Wife did.  But then I saw all the Ironman-themed decorations.  Holy Crap!  This party was for ME!. 

It was great.  I hadn't seen most of these people since the race and it was the perfect way to catch up with them.  Plus, if you've ever known someone that's completed an Ironman, you know that they LOVE to keep talking about the race.  They had all kinds of great snacks and even a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake!  A freakin' Dairy Queen ICE CREAM CAKE!  Sweet!

I've gotta hand it to The Wife for keeping this a secret.  I heard that she had wanted to have the get-together the week after the race, but I was too knocked out by the flu.  Keeping the secret for that long had to have been killing her.  Well played Honey.  Well played.

Sunday

After all the shenanigans on Saturday, I decided to go for a nice bike ride down the Greenway trail on Sunday morning.  Eventually the trail meets up with the river, right around mile 20 of the marathon.  I got going a little late, but was pleased to see that there were still plenty of racers out on the course.  These weren't the speed machines that finish in 3 hours or less.  These were the average Joe and Jane Schmos that just wanted to finish a marathon, no matter how long it took.  It was encouraging to see them slog it out through the toughest part of the course while there were will still thousands of volunteers and cheer crews lining the streets. 

I headed back home and thew on some comfy clothes.  I spent the next several hours with The Wife alternating between 'Football Time' and 'Nappy Time'.  It was a well-spent afternoon.

It was a great weekend.  With family, friends, races, football and even Ice Cream Cake, I couldn't have asked for more.

If you frequent this site, then you've got a few things to look forward to,  I'm finally solidifying my fall and spring schedule, plus I'm working on my next product review.  This one will actually be a comparison between two popular anti-chafing products.  After all, friction is an athlete's worst enemy. 

Ironman Wisconsin - Thanks

It's been over a week now since I became an Ironman.  The afterglow of race day has faded and I'm slowly starting to get back into the swing of things.  You know - starting to have a normal life again.

However, I don't want to get too settled until I can thank all of the people that helped me get as far as I did. In the end, triathlon can be a very selfish sport.  It can take you away from friends, family, work and church.  It can be expensive, especially for something without a return.  After all, this isn't real estate or a 401k.  The rewards can be great, but they won't pay the bills. 


Here are some of the many things that I am thankful for:

1.  The man playing the Chariots of Fire theme on the run course - with bagpipes.  Pure awesomeness.
2.  The two men dressed in drag that I saw at least 4 times on the bike course - so you know they were traveling from point to point.  Now THAT'S commitment.
3.  Kathy and Chris, my two angels at the finish line.
4.  All the creative signs out on the course, including "Show me your calves", "Chuck Norris never did an Ironman", "Ironman Chicks are hot - and the men are above average", "Free High-Fives", and this one that my wife caught.  I'm inclined to agree:

5.  Every single cold sponge that I could squeeze over my head.  
6.  Taking off my running shoes at the end of the day and not finding any blisters.  Not. One.  Yippee.
7.  The lady with Vaseline at the aid station.  My armpits thank you deeply.
8.  Feeling invincible coming off of the swim.
9.  My first real food after the race.  By the way, that would be a #2 - Super Sized, with an extra Sausage & Egg McMuffin.

Oh yeah.  Best. Breakfast. EVER.

10.  No flats and no mechanical issues on the bike.
11.  Hearing about how many people followed my race progress on-line.
12.  Finding out that sometimes a Trek 1500 can beat at Cervelo P3 to T2.
13.  Friends that drove all the way to Madison to watch me race, even though they knew they couldn't be there to watch me finish.  I'm lookin' at you Pat, Steve, Rem, Doc, Mork, Jim, Sarah and Madeline. 
14.  People that tell me that I inspire them.  I'm not looking to be anyone's hero.  But hearing that more folks are getting into tris and racing feels pretty sweet.

Speaking of fans, I want to thank some people specifically:

Jim - For getting me off my butt and inviting me to do RAGBRAI in 2008.  It got me into the whole endurance thing again.  Thank you.

Tim, Don and Cory - Some of my homies from the Twin Cities Spoke.  You pushed me to keep up my investment into training.  You know - putting in the consistent miles.

Beginner Triathlete -  A great site, with lots of helpful, supportive people who won't judge you, even when you have no idea what you're doing.

The folks at the Start Line and Gear West - Two great gear shops that take extra time to get you set up right.

Mom - For always cheering.  Oh and for watching the Bark 'n' Sniffer while we were out of town.

Dad, Kristi, Patsy, Ross and Becky - My parents and in-laws - for all their support even though it's not always easy to cheer for a grown man in spandex. 

And Finally - to The Wife, Megan:  You tolerate more than you should.  You scratch my back at night.  You wax my legs.  You let me hug you when I'm sweaty.  You take care of things around the house when I'm out for long bike rides.  You even woke up with me at 4am on race day.  I love ya Honey.

The Top Signs You're Married to a Triathlete

I owe my wife a ton.  She does a lot of the things that I just don't have time to do, or tolerates the fact that a lot of projects have been postponed until after the Ironman.  She's great.  Heck.  She even rubs my neck and shoulders after a long day in the saddle, even when I still smell like sin.  If that isn't love, then I don't know what is.

With that, here is a list (in no particular order) of the top signs that you're married to a triathlete:

1.  You've run a load of dishes through the dish washer that was nothing but water bottles and caps.
2.  You've had this conversation:
Spouse: Geez.  How come your legs are smoother than mine?
Triathlete: Because I shave mine more often.
Spouse: Oh yeah.
3.  If you try to *ahem* 'have relations' before a race, they quote Mickey from the movie Rocky: "Women weaken leeeegggss."
4.  Their car smells like a high school locker room.
5.  You've gone to REI with a 'grocery list'. 
6.  They've put off an oil change so that they can save up money for new bike parts.
7.  They have a closet full of the same running shoe model - purchased in 3-6 month intervals.
8.  They try to talk you into waking up with them before 5am so you can 'cheer them on' at a race, and then wonder why you want to stop for coffee on the way to the event.
9.  The best part of their day is uploading their training data.
10.  You've learned to stop seeing at meals as delicious food, and started seeing them as protein, carbs, fats and nutrients.
11.  They can watch Old Yeller without batting an eye, but tear up when they watch Ironman race clips on YouTube.
12.  One or both of you have put off major life decisions, such as going back to school, changing jobs, or starting a family until after the 'next big race'.  
13.  They say 'I love you' more often than usual so they can soften you up so you'll allow them to spend 'just a couple more hours' on the road or in the pool.

Feel free to drop a note in the 'comments' section to add your own items to the list.

As of tomorrow, it will be 1 month until Ironman Wisconsin.  I've got a few fun posts planned, so stay tuned.

Toodles!

The Wife's Get in Gear 5K

Today was all about The Wife.  As I've mentioned before, this is the day that she ran her first solo race at the Get in Gear 5K.  Eventually she'd like to do a half-marathon, and this 5K is her first big step. 

The Get in Gear races are a HUGE event.  There's a 2K, 5K, 10K and half-marathon all going on at the same time at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis.  There were over 8,500 racers this year.  Yeah.  It's THAT huge. 

The weather was pretty gross.  Temps were in the upper 50s and the rain was steady.  For someone that was just getting into running, I was hoping that the weather would be perfect for her.  Oh well.

We started by heading over to my mother-in-law's place.  Conveniently, she lives less than a mile away from Minnehaha Park.  We walked over to the park which was crooowwww-ded.  We were there in time to watch the 10K and 1/2 marathon runners take off.  Then we took a little jog down to the start of the 5K.

Here's The Wife getting ready for the race while we dry off under 'The Party Bridge' near the starting line.

I headed a couple hundred yards onto the course so that I could snap a photo of her starting the race.  Unfortunately, I forgot the data card for the camera and had to take photos with my phone. 

I think I did a pretty good job with the camera-phone, all things considered.  Here's the little lady heading heading out onto the course.

That running hat and tush sure are running fast!

After the wife headed off, I turned around and headed back towards the park and the finish line.  On the way, I ran into two of our good friends - Ike and Maggie.  Ike was also running his first 5K, so he had to get onto the course pretty quick.  Maggie and I hung out and got ready to take photos of our loved ones as they returned.

Here's The Wife coming back.  Those are Maggie's hands on the right-hand side, probably taking a better picture.

Here's the best photo I was able to get of her.  Yes.  I actually made her TURN AROUND so that I could take a picture.  *sigh*

Great job honey.  Now go finish so we can dry off.

She was sore when she finished, but still psyched about the 'whole running thing' and is already looking forward to her next race.  Way to go sweetie.  I'm proud of you!

Tomorrow, I'll be riding in the Ironman Bike Ride in Lakeville.  It's supposed to be cool and rainy again.  It's not the best forecast, but I've done this ride in the snow before.  Rainy and 46 degrees should be a piece of cake.