Back At It

It's been six weeks since I broke my foot. It still kinda aches, but doesn't really hurt most days.  Six weeks was the time limit the doc gave me for a running embargo. So, I gave it a shot and ran a couple of miles on the treadmill last night. It didn't hurt while I was running; except for the fact that I'm out of shape.  It still doesn't hurt this morning; again, just kinda aches.

In my six weeks off of running I did some stationary biking, some hand weights and resistance bands in the basement and I finally got back in the pool.  I enjoy the swimming, but I hate how the pool dries out my skin.  In a few weeks, my big toes will bust open and they will stay like that for the rest of the summer.  After Lake Marion last August, I had gone almost eight months without a swim.  That probably wasn't my best idea ever.  But, I have two months until my first triathlon (1/2 mile swim), that should be long enough to get up to distance. 

I also finally signed up for the last triathlons on my schedule: Annandale in July and Marion in August.  Annandale is close to Olympic length ($80; 0.5mile/ 21mile /5.3mile) and I signed up for the Lake Marion Olympic ($75; 1.5k/ 40k/ 10k).  I also added a race to the schedule.  My wife and I are going to do the Hopkins Royal Triathlon on Saturday, September 5.  I'm going to do the sprint course ($60; 0.5mile/ 13mile/ 5k) and she is going to do the short course ($50; 100yard/ 4.5mile/ 1.5mile).  It will be fun to see Tina get into the mix.  Maybe she'll continue on and do another race next year.  There are a few beginners races out there; it would be nice to know someone at a race for once.  The schedule is set.  One race in each of June, July, August and September, and also a relay with my buy in July.  Can't wait!

With races in June and September, I decided to get a wet suit. I ended up with last year's model of the Synergy Endorphin full-sleeve wet suit ($184).  I went with the L1 size which is for men 5'9"-6'4" and 195lbs-220lb.  I don't quite fit those specs; I'm 6'5".  But, the larger sizes that accomidate my height also have a lower bound on weight starting with 220lbs. Right now, it looks like my race weight is about 195lbs (scrawny).  With six weeks off running I'm at about 200 lbs, but I suspect that will come off quickly when I start to hit it hard next month. Four weeks until school is out! 

Also, I bought a triathlon top that I can wear through the swim and not have to put on in T1 when I'm a wet mess.  The top is from 2XU ($60), and I had to order it from the Netherlands in order to get the green color that I wanted.  Seriously, why is there so little men's workout clothes in green?  There is a lot of black, blue, orange, red and neon yellow/green, but not much for a nice kelly or light green. The one I found is also from last year, so that added to the difficulty in finding the right color and size. Anyhoo, that's it.  It seems that I am spending quite a bit of money on this new hobby.

A new Plan

It's been two and a half weeks since I broke my foot.  I tried to go to work today without the boot, but it hurt so bad that my wife brought the boot to me before lunch.  So much for an abnormally quick recovery time; I guess I heal at the same rate as everyone else.

The snow was melting and the temps were going up the week that I broke my foot.  I got in a 7 mile treadmill run the day before I busted it, and I was hoping to move the runs outside that week.  At the time, it was a terrible disappointment to miss out on the outdoor running after putting in 50+ miles on the treadmill this year while bringing my knee back up to speed.  This weekend the snow came back.

At least I don't have to deal with the annoyance of starting the nice spring outside running and then going back to snow running or treadmill running.  Not exactly a silver lining, but it's the best I have to work with.

Anyhoo, the break scrapped most of my race plans so I had to come up with a new race plan for the summer.  I figure I will have to keep it a short run in June.  My six week running embargo ends on April 20.  The NewBriTri ($70; 0.5/14/3.1) on June 6 was a good option since it's close to my wife's family and she could get some help with the boys.  But, I opted for the couple extra weeks of recovery time and decided on the Lake Minnetonka Triathlon.  The race ($72; 0.5/15/3) is on Saturday, June 20.  I wanted a longer swim with a shorter bike and run; the distances for this race worked out well. 

In July, I'm going to do a couple races (kinda).  On Saturday, July 11 I'm going to do the Graniteman Clearwater Triathlon as a relay with an old college buddy.  I'm going to take the swim and bike and he is going to take the run.  He had thought he may want to do a sprint triathlon with me this year, but his second son is due in May and that's probably more important than training.  The relay cost seems a bit silly, but I like the idea of getting in another nearly a half mile open water swim ($125; 0.44/14.34/3.1).  We won't be competitive.  Looking at the relay times from last year, it seems like only fast groups were registered. I won't keep up with the swim or bike times, so it won't matter if my buddy puts up a slow run time.   It will be fun to be out with my buddy, and it'll be good practice for the swim and T1. 

Side note: I hate the bike.  I dislike training on the road; it never feels completely safe. Also, my bike is a brick, so it feels like I'm pulling a trailer around behind me.  Often, I ride inside on the trainer or at the gym on the stationary , but that gets as monotonous as the treadmill.  I enjoy the biking in the races because it usually feels safer.  But still, the bike is my least favorite part thus far.

On Sunday, July 19 I think I will do the Heart of the Lakes Triathlon in Annandale ($80; 0.5/21/5.3).  My goal is to hit the Olympic length by the end of the summer, and the lengths on the Annandale course will stretch me out a bit.  This race will take place about an hour and fifteen minutes from my house.  I might end up having to get a hotel room or staying with my brother who lives about twenty minutes from the race.  That means that Tina and the kids probably won't make it, which is kind of a bummer.

In August, I will probably head back to the Lake Marion triathlon and go for the Olympic course ($75; 1.5K/40K/10K).  This will be the long swim (0.93 miles) and bike (24.8 miles) of the year.  The race is about twenty minutes from my house, and I did the sprint course last year. 

It's not quite the goals I had before breaking my foot (marathon, 70.3), but that just leaves more for next year. 

Damn

Well,  this monkeys up a bunch of my plans.  I tripped on the stairs,  rolled up my foot pretty good and ended with an avulsion fracture of the fifth metatarsal on my left foot. It's called a dancer's fracture, so that makes me feel much better.

So, the marathon is out, any thoughts of a 70.3 are out (both were probably bad ideas anyways) and the Liberty Olympic Tri in June is out.  Doc said to take at least six weeks off from running. He said I could get on the stationary bike in a couple weeks, and similar for the pool.  For now, I guess it's just lay around time.