Mud's Journal

Milkman really is my favorite race. It's put on in an awesome little town by some awesome people. I looked forward to it so much this year that I managed to get my parents, my brother, and one friend signed up for it too.

Last year Milkman was difficult from the outset because I waited until I got off work on Friday to leave town. This meant that my pre-race consisted of entirely too much driving, too much fast food, and not nearly enough sleeping. We fixed that problem this year by making it into Dexter early enough to have a spaghetti dinner at the house of a kind local before pitching tents near the lake. It was just about perfect. Everyone was quiet and in bed by 9 because everyone was preparing for the race the next day.

Of course, the pre-race period was not without some stress. First of all, my friend Ryan forgot his id and so couldn't pick up his packet. Then I had to wait for my other friend, Justin, to bring down my bike because there wasn't enough room on the bike rack for five bikes. He didn't make it to the lake till 5:00 am. Lastly, my father discovered that his helmet predates the BHSI and consequently didn't have an approval sticker. He had to find someone to lend him a spare helmet so that he could race.



The race finally started. I was expecting the swim to feel incredibly short, since I've been doing Olympic length races, but I had no such luck. I didn't find my groove till after the turn around point and even then I took it pretty easy. I came out of the water at 9 minutes, 22 seconds, which is a few seconds slower than last year but I felt much better. I took a leisurely 3 minutes 25 seconds to catch my breath and prepare for the bike leg. It has been my habit recently to take as long as I like on this transition but I think I should speed it up a bit next time.

Last year I said that I didn't notice the hill on my bike. This year I understand why I missed it. With my old bike, everything was a difficult slog the the hill wasn't much different than the flats. This year the hill seemed pretty formidable in comparison to the easy flat stretches. The wind didn't seem nearly as bad, though. I finished biking after 46 minutes 32 seconds which is a good 7 minutes faster than last year. I still need to get better at biking but I'm not really sure how to do it. The second transition took me 1 minute 23 seconds. This is slightly longer than last year but I ate a packet of goo.

The run is really the most difficult part of this race (admittedly, runs are always the most difficult for me). It is hot, humid, and disorienting. It took me 37 minutes 39 seconds as opposed to 36 minutes 35 seconds from last year. This surprises me somewhat as I felt absolutely miserable last year and, while I didn't feel good) this year I felt I was coping better. Oh well.

Total time is 1 hour 38 minutes and 23 seconds. I'm really not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, it is faster than last year and I think I worked pretty hard all spring to earn that. It certainly isn't all just a new bike. On the other hand, I felt too good after the race. I don't think I pushed as hard as I should have during the race itself. Some of that may have been that I was pacing myself for a race twice this length. Over all, I really just need to learn to run.



How did my friends do? Tyler blew past me while I was slogging up the hill on my bike. He finished with an unimaginable 1 hour 9 minutes 40 seconds. I never saw her pass me but the results insist that Becca beat me with 1 hour 34 minutes 46 seconds. My brother Tom passed me with a 1/2 mile to go on the run and finished with 1 hour 35 minutes 37 seconds. My dad finished at 1 hour 49 minutes 47 seconds. My mom finished at 2 hours 5 minutes 15 seconds. Special props go to Ryan, who finished at 2 hours 9 seconds. He had never swam that kind of a distance in one go before and was quite confident that he would drown. But he completed it and didn't even take advantage of the shallow nature of lake van.

Nationals was awesome. Lubbock was really great. I was pretty good too!



The swim was a frigid 58 degrees, but after the first 1/4 mile, I stopped noticing how cold it felt. Major thanks go out to Matt O for giving me a pair of earplugs and some hammer gel before the race (you can have the ear plugs back if you really want them, Matt). It was really interesting starting in the last wave instead of the first because it made it easier to track my place while in the water. I know I passed people from the blue, yellow, and light blue waves. It felt pretty good and I stumbled out of the water at 35 minutes 12 seconds (slower than Havasu but I was trying to relax and take it easy). I took a leisurely 2 minutes 9 seconds to change, eat, and regain some balance before heading out with my bike.

There /were/ actually a few pretty decent hills as we climbed out of a few arroyos, despite Lubbock's barren, flat landscape. There also wasn't nearly as much wind as I feared. At one point there was a noticably annoying headwind but I tucked into my aerobars and it toughed it out (the first time I've been comfortable/happy with my aerobars). Early on in the cycling leg, I picked out two cyclist to pace myself with. Then I noticed a rock in my shoe and had to pull over and fish it out while they zipped into the distance. My shoe clear, I rejoined my fellow athletes and completed the cycling in 1 hour 38 minutes 56 seconds (12 minutes faster than Havasu). The best part: before I finished I caught and passed both cyclists I had chosen for pace. I also drank from my bottle and replaced it 4 times without dropping it! My second transition was also slow, at 1 minute 33 seconds, as I got disoriented and took some time to swallow some ibuprofen as my knee hurt a bit.



The run was slow, as expected, and I was passed by both bike pacers, but it was scenic enough and many of the lake-side dwellers came out to cheer us on. I reused the technique I discovered to late at Havasu by running for 900 paces before allowing myself to walk for 100. This kept me moving at a decent pace and allowed me to figure out that a 10 K takes me 4,700 paces (within a tolerance of 100 or so). I crossed the finish line after 1 hour 12 minutes 18 seconds of running (faster than Havasu, slower than Elephant Man), giving me a total time of 3 hours 33 minutes 34 seconds. 12 minutes faster than Havasu, a new pr!



All in all it was a good race. I think there should have been a bottle swap in the bike leg, but other than that it was very well supported. The other athletes were great and we received much love from the Tricats. My biggest lessons learned during this race involved pre-race preparation. Always bring flipflops to wear after you leave your running shoes in the transition area and don't forget to leave your glasses in the transition area for after the swim.

Well, me friends, in half an hour I head off for another adventure. This time I'm off to Lubbock Texas for the collegiate national triathlon.

It's windy. I hate wind. Not only does it make biking miserable but it stirs up allergens that sap away all my energy. It's also going to be cold. The water temp this past week was 58 degrees, making this the coldest triathlon I've done so far (although, to be fair, I do have my wetsuit this time). And my knee still hurts when I run. I've been taking it easy and stretching it, and I'll be carrying some vitamin I just in case, but I suspect this is going to be a painful, slow, difficult race.

The good news is that there won't be any hills. It'll also be my last race till Milkman, in June, which is good.

The sad news is that this will be my last race as a member of the NMSU race club. This really is very sad because this club breathed life into my last semester down here. This would have been a long, lonely time if I hadn't found frinds through this club. I hope that I can race without them and I hope to race alongside them as alumni in the coming years.

Will I survive? Will I drop my water bottle again? Stay tuned to find out!

Well, I ran a mile on Saturday and my knee didn't hurt any more than it would have from walking a mile so I decided to give Bataan a try.

We showed up at White Sands Missile range at 4:30 and sat around shivering in the dark till the race started at 7:00.  I ran up till the split, maintaining a 10 minute per mile pace.  And then I hit the sand.  At mile ~8 for us 15 milers and mile ~21 for the full marathoners there is a long hill that it covered in deep loose sand.  Everyone I know gave up on running it pretty fast.  After the sand it took me a little while to get my knee moving quickly again but I maintained a system of running 20 minutes and walking 5 for the remainder of the course.  The finish line snuck up on me and I crossed it at 2 hours 59 minutes 17 seconds.  This was the farthest I've ever run by a sizable amount.

I was favoring my uninjured knee during the run so now they're both pretty sore.  Good thing I have a few weeks to let it rest before nationals...



Bataan is a challenging and rewarding race.  It will be helpful for any runners considering this (either for the half or the full) to bear in mind that it's not really a race*.  It's a march.  There will be thousands of people walking the course in large groups and as a runner, you will probably be frustrated about having to find creative ways to pass people for the first 5 miles or so.  There often won't be space on the path to pass people.  The prerace might also be frustrating.  You will have to get onto base ridiculously early in the morning to avoid long lines at the check point.  Then you will have to stand around in the cold for hours till the sun comes up and the race begins.  However, this race is organized and supported in a way that only the military could pull off.  There are neat lines to get everything you need form people who know what they're doing.  There are water tables everywhere along the course (offering water, gatorade and sometimes goodies like fruit and trail mix) complete with latriens and frequently medical personel.  There are even people (armed people) zipping along the course on atvs to take care of anything that might occure in between the water tables.  The course is difficult (including the 7 mile hill and the sandtrap for the full course) but I can honestly say that shaking the hands of the little old men who survived the real Bataan Death March as you cross the finish line is much more meaningful because of it.

Well, I felt fine the day after Havasu.  I continued to feel fine till I went for a run on Wednesday.  After a mile my left knee hurt a bit.  At three miles I stopped to try and stretch it.  After four I had to stop completely and hobble the last mile back to the car.  I was in alot of pain and couldn't walk.  I iced it and took it easy for the next few days.  Now it just feels a bit tender and reminds me that it's not completely happy when I go up or down stairs.

The problem with this is that I wanted to run the Bataan Death March tomorrow.  It was going to be my first half-marathon.  I'm not so sure that's a good idea right now.  The plan is to try and run a mile later today and see how it feels.  I'll use that to decide if I run tomorrow, walk it, or skip it all together.

So we'll see, won't we?

Getting to the Havasu Triathlon was quite an exertion in and of itself. Two friends and I crammed into my truck and left Las Cruces at 9:00 on Thursday evening. I drove like a demon all night and sang like something worse to keep myself awake. We arrived in Lake Havasu City around 6:00 the next morning. We tried to nap in several places while we waited for the rest of the team to catch up but kept getting kicked out. Apparently I do not have what it takes to be a good hobo if I can't sleep in public. Fortunately, I slept pretty good Friday night so I had some energy for the race. Even more fortunately, our wetsuits reached us at some point during the night (Our buddy Alex chased down a UPS truck to get them and deliver them to us) and they fit too!



I came out of the water feeling good. Slowly but surely, I'm figuring out how to swim in open water. Not that there weren't difficulties. I stayed closer to the pack this time so I had o endure more kicking and grabbing. And then there was the swim up the channel, directly into the sun, when it was impossible to see where I was headed. And there were a few waves too, as we emerged from the channel. I hopped out of the lake at 27 minutes and 5 seconds, which is a good 8 minutes faster than at elephant man, feeling great except that I couldn't figure out how to unzip my wetsuit.

Very early in the bike portion (during the first couple of miles, I think) I dropped my water bottle again, which did make the bike portion any easier. Still, I didn't have to walk up any of the hills (they looked terrible when we drove the course, they were actually kind of fun). I was slow and got passed alot but I coasted across the dismount line 1 hour 51 minutes and 13 seconds later, nearly 12 minutes faster than elephant man.

The run was pretty miserable. There was a nasty sand trap and a long flight of stairs in the first and last mile and the rest of the course was brutally flat and exposed to the sun. I just couldn't keep my legs moving and breathing was painful. Some of this was that my trisuit top was constructively tight and I didn't dare take it off for fear for burning. It wasn't till the last two miles when I developed the strategy of counting my steps to keep my mind off my discomfort. I ran for 500 then allowed myself to walk for 100. The run took me 1 hour 26 minutes 57 seconds, a whole 10 minutes slower than elephant man.

Total time was 3 hours 45 minutes 15 seconds, which is 14 minutes better than elephant man, a new pr. I feel pretty good about this but I also feel that I clearly need to work on the last two legs. I dropped from being the 42nd collegiate male out of the water (squarely in the middle) to the 87th across the finish line (the very last). I feel that I need to work on the bike the hardest, so that I have some energy left for the run. I've learned a few things for next time. I need to bring my own marker so I don't have to wait in mine to be marked. I need to sunscreen my entire body, even if it's under a trisuit, so that I can peel off my top if need be. I need to stick close to my group (after swapping my glasses for goggles) before the race because your friends become indistinguishable from the rest of the crowd when everyone is wearing wetsuits. I also need to NOT DROP MY WATER BOTTLE!  I will do better at nationals next month.



If you are going to competing in this race here's what you need to know. It is not the most organized or best supported race ever. Carry your own nutrition and plenty of water during the bike. Drive the course the day before so you know where the hills are but don't be too freaked out. Go to the awards ceremony at the Javalina Cantina after the race and order some $1 tacos. They will make the race worth it.

I've decided to stop posting these as often. They're not interesting anymore. I know I'm going to train. I will post occasionally about my goals, injuries, and race reports. But it has become something of a tradition for me to post before I leave on adventures.

And this will be some adventure. In an hour I will be gathering 4 bikes and 2 friends into my little truck and getting out of dodge. I tingle with the excitement and fear of the unknown that lies ahead. We will be heading to the far side of Arizona for the Havasu Triathlon. So far away in Arizona that we could easily swim across state lines and be in California. I've signed up for the Olympic length. I've done an Olympic before, at Elephant man, but this ones supposed to be harder. It's also supposed to be colder. With a water temp of 60 degrees, wetsuits are important. I've ordered a wetsuit and have hopes that it will get to me before the race starts. I also hope my elbow doesn't give me too many problems.

Ultimate goal here (aside from the perpetual goals: survival and completion) is the same as Elephant Man. If I come in under 4 hours I will be happy. If I happen to beat my Elephant Man time, much the better.

Wish me luck and stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!

Monday I ran with the triathlon class and then swam in the evening.

Wednesday we did a killer workout in triathlon class consisting of a 1/2 mile run followed by medicine ball exercises, followed by a run and more medicine balls work and another run and then a brief swim.

Friday I swam. I think I've figured out the problem with the elbow. If I concentrate and don't let myself slip into bad habits, I'll be fine.

Two more weeks till Havasu!

On a completely unrelated note, check out these posters! http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/7929/timemachine.jpg

So last week I didn't do much. I ran with the tri class on Monday and then swam 2 miles on Wednesday. All that I can really report is that I may have messed up my right elbow during the swim. It hurt the next day.

This week was only a little better. I spun some with tri class on Wednesday and then swam with the race club (my elbow hurt again). Then Friday I swam with the tri class (didn't notice any pain this time, but I was being really careful). The high point of this week was going up to Socorro for another 5k. I cut my time down to 28 minutes 49 second! And I probably could have done even better had I slept the night before and not chugged a dr pepper before the race.

Saturday I ran the 6th annual Sweetheart Run in Albuquerque with my two buddies, Justin and Ryan. Justin and I signed up for the 5k and Ryan accidentally registered for the 10k.

It was a pretty nice race. Rather scenic as it crossed the Montano bridge over the Rio and then ran along a river side path. There was also a well placed water station, about a third of the way into the race so that you hit it again on the way back, equiped with water and gatorade. My only problem with the race is that there were alot of people running on fairly narrow paths. It frequently felt alittle tight.

If you run this, be forewarned that it does not end where you start. And even after you see the inflatable arch that marks the finish line, it's not a straight shot. You will have to run a lap around a small track before you reach the end, so don't sprint until you hit the track or you will burn out prematurely.

I took it pretty easy for this race, hanging back with Justin, who had never done a race before and didn't think he could run a whole 5k. I pushed him a little faster than I think he wanted to go and crossed the finish line at 30 minutes 41 seconds. Just finished a minute after me and should be very proud of himself.

A I commented on a bit ago, running with the tri class on Monday was miserable after the speed work on Saturday. The workout was one of coach's favourites. You have six minutes to run a 1/2 mile. After you've run the 1/2 mile you can slow to a jog for the remainder of the time. At six minutes he blows the whistle and you repeat the process again for a total of 2 miles. Two miles isn't alot but it still hurt. And I hate slowing down and speeding up continually. I'd be much happier just running the whole thing at one speed. Monday evening there was a swim practice with the race club. This really shouldn't count for me, though, because I was late and only swam a 200 before the workout broke down into a game of sharks and minnows.

Tuesday morning there was a weight room workout with race club. It wasn't too bad. I'm begining to get used to weight rooms. And I like medicine balls. They can be fun. Tuesday evening was the race club meeting and the start of the "One-Shirt Challenge".

Wednesday morning I had a nice long run with the race club. I ran down Taviz to the water tower and back (5-6 miles). I had my music and really rather enjoyed myself. Following that there was a spin workout with tri class. Then that evening there was supposed to be a swim workout. However, the outdoor pool was closed and there was a swim meet in the indoor pool so we did an hour of easy core work and then swam. Swimming with a shirt is definitely harder but certainly not impossible.

Thursday there was a swim workshop in the evening followed by a spin workout. While spinning in my t-shirt is no harder than normal, spinning in a wet t-shirt isn't much fun. Also, I didn't do as well during the floor work as I did last week. I think I may have been tired from the rather excessive workout on Wednesday.

Friday I went to do weights in the morning, followed by the tri class swim practice. I had a lane to myself and enjoyed it.

It was a busy week but I still managed to fit alot of training in.

Monday I ran with tri class. The workout, after warm-up was run 600 then walk back to the start. Repeat 4 times.

Tuesday I went to the race club meeting but didn't do anything else.

Wednesday I did lunges and squats with tri class. I was supposed to spend time on the spin bikes too but I got to class late so they were all in use. In the evening I swam with race club.

Thursday I had a spin workout with race club, which includes floor work. You know what? The crunches and push-ups may have been easier this time!

Friday I woke up early to do some weights with the race club and then swam with tri class.

Saturday I had speed work with race club. I'm not built for sprints. I have an easier time breathing underwater than after a few 100s. Saturday evening we did some community service at a dance at a local senior citizens centre.

It was not a stellar week. I contracted a staph infection in my belly button which logically shouldn't be that detrimental to my training. But it was. For a good chunk of the week, any time I wasn't at class I was sleeping.

Monday I ran both in class and then a bit after with a new running buddy, totaling about 4 miles.

Tuesday I ran another 4ish miles with my running buddy.

Wednesday there was a spin workout with class. In the evening I tried to go to a race club run but there wasn't one so I didn't.

Thursday I should have gone to race club spin workout but I just slept.

Friday I swam with class.

Saturday I didn't do diddly squat.

Sunday I ran a 5k.

I'm on some antibiotics now and feeling better so we'll see how next week goes.

What a week!

Monday I participated in a hash and really had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was alot of fun but I don't think it would have been any less fun without the drinking. Just saying. Don't know what a hash is? Find Hash House Harriers on Wikipedia.

Tuesday I went for an hour and a half bike ride. It was fun but I'm afraid I bored Taylor, my biking buddy. I did ok till shortly before our turn around point where I tuckered out. After that Taylor was way ahead of me. This is not terribly surprising, no?

Wednesday I ran a mile in class, after a short 1/4 mile warm up. I came in a 8 minutes even. I know that may not sound like a particularly good time, but it is 4 1/2 minutes faster than last year! I may not be able to run well, but I can run now! I was intending to go to the swim workout in the evening and even hung out at the pool for 30 minutes. I didn't get the email about the morning run workout and the swim workout being switched till later. Oh well.

Thursday I went to the morning swim workout. Brianne tried to kill us by loading us up with kicking drills. That evening I went to the spin workout. I've complained about spinning before. That horrid dungeon never gets better. But I survived and I will survive it again next week.

Friday I planned on going to a bike workout, since we're supposed to divide up and work on our weakest event. So I dragged myself out of bed at 6:00 and sat around at our designated meeting place till a little after 7:00. I sat in the cold and the dark for nearly an hour and no one showed. Eventually Brianne passed me, on her way to swim, and confirmed that I had the time right. I headed home to drop off my bike and wrapped myself in my blankets till I stopped shivering. I meant to head back for a run instead but I fell asleep before I stopped shivering and stayed asleep till 9:30. Fortunately the day wasn't a waste because I had to swim for class at 10:30. It felt great! That evening I went over to Tyler's house to watch "On a Clear Day" with some race club buddies. I love that movie. I spent the night there.

Saturday morning we gathered at 5:30 and set out to Socorro for a 5k. I was a little nervous because I haven't run much since Elephantman. The race had an interesting set up, though. You guess your time in advance and then they send off waves of runners starting with the slowest and ending with the fastest such that everyone should end at the same time if they ran the pace they had guessed. Then next time (early February), we race using our finishing time this time to determine our staring time. I guessed 30 minutes as a nice, round ballpark number. And I was pretty close. I came in at 29 minutes 40 seconds (probably a second or two slower than that). That's not a bad time for me at all but it's a time that I think I can beat!

Well, I haven't done much at all since Elephantman. Life just got too busy.
But it's a new semester and I'm back at it. I'm in the Triathlon class again and I'm trying to train with the race club also. Hopefully the people will help me train harder.

Las week I went to two swim practices and one spin class with the race club. I did fine in the pool. Spinning, though, is not my forte. And the floor work we did afterwards left my abs sore for days. This is what I need.

All that has happened in Triathlon class all we've done is take the swim test. I rocked. I think I was the fastest in the class with a time of 2minutes 25 seconds or something. That's better than last year.

Today, I'm trying something a little different.  An adventure of sorts.  I'll post more later!

Yea, I know that I haven't a training log in more than a month but I have an excuse. I haven't really been training for more than a month (which is not a good thing, especially when it is taken into consideration that I didn't really train for two weeks before elephant man either). I have been swimming, running and doing yoga sporadically, but I've been loosing ground physically.

Still, I was invited to run the Zin Valle Grape Race 10k this past weekend and I just couldn't turn it down so on Saturday I drove toward Texas with Ryan, who was running with me, and the rest of my crew, who were doing the 2 mile fun walk. Maybe we should have left on Friday, though, because we got lost and didn't make it to the starting line until the race had been under way for a good 12-15 minutes.

Ryan and I took off to catch up with the other runners and I think we may have run the fastest mile ever. We caught up with the very back of the pack by the end of mile two. By the end of the race we had passed an old woman, an old man, a young couple with a stroller and a four year old girl, and a rather round fellow. Final time was something like 1 hour 15 minutes but I didn't bother to check. All in all, it was a pleasant run through a flat section of farm land.

What really made this race, however, came after the race. There was a dinner for everyone catered by P.F. Changs, a glass of wine, and live music. It would have been a very nice evening except that Ryan has the amazing ability to attract the wrath of nature, wherever he is, and was so plagued by mosquitoes that we woofed down our meals and made a quick getaway.

My quads were quite sore yesterday and today until I went to yoga, which managed to swap out stiff legs for a stiff back.

The long and short of this race is that it has potential to be a lot of fun but remember to leave early for the race, don't trust google maps, and bring bug repellent.

What a weekend!



You can read all about it...

( after the cut. )

Well guys, this si the big one and I can't say I feel prepared.

I have been sick and busy all week so all I've done is swam once.
And now it's here.

As soon as I get packed I will be driving up to Elephant Butte to get ready for Elephant Man. Quite possibly the most grueling thing I've ever attempted (Except semesters with 3 studio classes. ha ha ha.) is only a slightly more than a day away.

By my estimation I should be aiming for something around a 4 hour finish. I really hope I finish. I also hope that Ryan is able to fix my bike before the race.

I'll post more when (if) I come back!

This week I failed my will save for training. The week was busy, My bike is still not working, and I had to drive again, but really those are just excuses.

Monday I was to run 65 minutes. I didn't do anything.

Tuesday I was supposed to swim for 30 minutes. I did, counting lifeguard class.

Wednesday I was supposed to bike for 90 minutes. I didn't.

Thursday I was supposed to swim for 30 minutes and then run for 35. I didn't do either.

Friday I was supposed to bike for 45 minutes. I didn't.

Saturday I was supposed to bike for 45 minutes and then run for 30. I ran for about 30, I think.

One more week till the race. That's all. There's not much I can do now.

Monday was a 65 minute run, up to a mountain and back, again. I felt a great deal of resistance to getting out of my nice warm bed and more resistance to actually getting my legs moving, but after the first half mile or so I got into the swing of things. It had rained the night before and there was still a good deal of cloud cover in the sky. This was good because it was cooler and the sun didn't actually come out till nearly halfway through my run. This was also not so good because it was freaking humid. Instead of just smelling like chamomile tea it felt like I was slogging up a river of it. By the time I got to the water bottle I had cached 2/3rds the way up the hill my glasses were so fogged over that they were useless. I dropped them into my bottle and continued without them. The good news is that I felt alot better about the whole run this time and did didn't take any breaks (last time I walked for 5 minutes when I reached the top). Wildlife sighting of the day: After the sun burned off some of the cloud cover I noticed a huge swarm of turkey buzzards. I counted 23 of them all riding the same thermal. It was really something! The really big problem with the run is that I did some damage to myself. I didn't realize until I peeled off my jammers to hop in the shower that my anti-chaffing stick didn't do the trick this time. I am red and raw in some very uncomfortable places. I also have a long blister along the inseam of my left foot. Do I take it easy and cut back on the runs to allow my foot to deal with the blister or do I just slap some moleskin on it and keep training? I don't know which would be more detrimental to my race...

Tuesday was a nice easy 30 minute swim. Unfortunately I had business and had to cut it short (I think I got out of the pool at 24 minutes) so I swam extra hard during Lifeguard training and I'm counting it as 30. By the afternoon I felt sore in my legs, along my sides, and in my shoulders. This could have been from swimming, though I doubt it, or it could have been from yoga class on Monday night. Or I could be getting sick. I really hope I'm not getting sick. In the evening, I got a box with my triathlon shorts. A guy from the El Paso Tri Club had refered me to Hammer Nutrition as a source for cheap gear.  Indeed, my shorts were (relatively) cheap and the seem to be nice.  Hammer was also good enough to throw in a lot of samples of gels and sport drink powders and such, which is good because I've almost depleted the stock of gels I'd been testing out.

Wednesday was a 45 minute bike.  Since my bike is still in the shop I borrowed my aunt's.  My bike is a cheap, old roadbike that I picked up for riding around campus.  My aunt's bike, by contrast, was assembled out of the top of the line (for 40 years ago) parts by my Papa, who used the race centurys.  This bike is built for speed.  The frame is light, the handel bars are lower than I'm used to, the seat is small hard and tilted at an steep angle, and there are toe clips.  This means that I spend 45 minutes standing on the pedals (cause I couldn't sit on the seat much) hunched over in a racing position.  It was fast, but exhausting.  It also made my neck hurt because I had to really crank my neck to see the road in front of me as I went up and down the hill from last Saturday.  Maybe this is the kind of bike I should learn to ride, but I certainly don't want to be on anything that uncomfortable for the upcoming race.

Thursday I swam again, trying out my new tri shorts.  I was alittle concerned about the lack of a draw sting around the waist but the shorts stayed on fine during flipturns and whatnot (still not sure if I'd trust them to withstand a dive).  We'll see if they continue to perform as they wear a bit or if they'll stretch out too much.  At one point while I was swimming (I think it was halfway through minute 27) my arm tripped.  I know that sounds weird but that's the most descriptive term I can think of.  It felt like my arms were moving along fine, pulling me through the water, and then my shoulder caught on a rope or something.  There was resistance and then a kind of "pop" as my shoulder slipped past the obstruction.  Except that the rope was inside my arm and the part of my shoulder that caught was the bone.  It kind of ached for a few minutes but has felt fine since.  I hope I didn't screw it up in any way.  That evening I ran the 35 minutes prescribed.  Pretty easy.  I ran the first half  of the 5k course from the MVTC Triathlon except that instead of turning around I continued along the frontage road, past the greenhouses until I had a nice straight downhill from the football pakinglots to the Activity Center.

Friday I was supposed to bike for 90 minutes.  I didn't.  I had to drive up to Albuquerque for the weekend and I had to paint.  And I couldn't fit both my painting and my bike (which was fixed at this point, though I have not yet picked it up) in the back of my truck.  In fact, I didn't get any excercise in.  The day wasn't a total loss, however, because on the way up I stopped at Elephant Butte and drove the bike route.  This route is likely going to be the death of me.  You know that nasty canyon that you have to drive through on the way down to Las Cruces?  Yea, that one with the scarey turns that's hard for you car to make it out of?  We have to bike up out of that.  If I do manage to get up that hill, though, the last 10 miles of the course are mostly easy downhill so I should have some time to rest up for the run bit.

Saturday I was supposed to bike for 45 minutes and then run for 30.  I didn't do it.  Instead I went out for a run with my mom and dad in the foothills.  And I did pretty awsome!  We ran for 90 minutes or so and I felt good.  I even gave my dad a run for his money.  I don't know if I beat him per-say but he was pretty wooped by the time we made it back to the car.