Thursday, August 7, 2008

Racing from a different perspective

On August 17th, I'll take part in my first-ever Aquabike race at Timberman. This will be quite an interesting experience for me. As many of you know, my favorite part of a triathlon (for some sick reason) is the run. In my defense, I have some good company here including: my brother Matt, Grandison and Rick. (No wonder I love those three!)

I am happy to report that I have been cleared to run again - but I'm not up to 13.1 miles (yet). I figure I'll get my mileage up somewhat in the fall, although I'm still sticking with shorter races (nothing beyond a half-marathon for the rest of 2008).

While I'm excited to take part in Timberman, it feels different and not completely satisfying to miss the run. On the other hand, there have been some bonuses to taking some time of from running, which include:

1. Learning to really "dig" my bike - while I haven't taken part in any of the super-long rides that the IM folks are doing (hey - I already did that earlier in the year!), I have been riding consistently about 3 times/week (teaching schedule permitting). I can honestly write that I've fallen in love with my sweet bike. She and I have been through some great adventures together (a couple of Ironman races, three half-IM races, cruising the Blue Ridge Parkway, and being chased by those darn dogs on route 14). I must admit that my head was turned by the gorgeous Quintana Roo Dolce - but I'm sticking with sweet baby gray. I think she'll love taking on the Lake Placid course.

2. More pool time - I'm not sure if this will make any difference in open water, but swimming has been a great filler while my foot was healing. I'm pretty certain that swimming has helped keep my cardiovascular system working hard while I was off from running.

3. I missed the simple act of stepping outside my door and deciding which gorgeous route to run. Monument Ave? Grove Ave to U of R? Windsor Farms? Today, I chose the Grove Ave to U of R (and up that monster hill) and back route.

It felt great.

7 comments:

Diane said...

So glad you're on the mend! Try to stay out of the kids race at Maymont this fall, will ya? :)

TriGirl Kate O said...

It's great to hear you're running again! I hope I get to see you out on the Timberman course--my swim wave is #3 right behind the pros and the young bucks. At least I'll have a nice view--if I can keep up with any of them!

Cyndi said...

SQ,

So happy that you're able to run again! Missed you so much on the BR! Remember, if you see a midget at Timberman, spin the little guy and wish the little fella good luck for me!! ;)

xo

C

Kate said...

Way to take it in stride, you have many more races to race. Have fun trying something new!!!!.

tri-ing races not cases said...

Glad to hear you are back out running again and will be glad to see your smiling face on the Timberman course. Maybe you can teach me how to love the run portion of the race and I'll share some of my I love the bike portion with you.

TriGirl 40 said...

Great news on the running! And now with the swim and bike focus during your recovery - you are ready to rock all three disciplines! Enjoy the aqua-velo!

Anonymous said...

Hi Nice Blog cardiovascular system works,Your body needs a constant supply of oxygen to function.The cardiovascular system information (CV system) is responsible for getting oxygen into your body, and delivering it to the tissues that need it.