The final road race of the season is Monday. A 5K with what passes for hills here. I did it last year and was not ready for the elevation meltdown at the end. This year, with additional practice on bridges and my kickboxing routine, I hope to do better. I don’t race during the summerContinue reading “The End (of the race season) Is In Sight—And Retirement Is Coming!”
Category Archives: Competition
I Nailed The Trail (And Then Self-Cared With Fried Chicken)
I did my first 5K trail race this weekend. I finished second in the age group, but to be honest, there were only two of us in the group. And I was the third-oldest runner there. Conditions were cool, foggy, and smoky (out in a rural area where burning is a common way of clearingContinue reading “I Nailed The Trail (And Then Self-Cared With Fried Chicken)”
Just Like That, Three Weeks Gone
Hard to believe a person could be this tired. Three weeks of competing do not get easier as the body gets older. It was fun, though. Fitting everything in, changing the thought process fairly rapidly, and staying focused takes a lot out of a person. But I don’t recommend it, and I don’t plan toContinue reading “Just Like That, Three Weeks Gone”
Three Weeks Of Work…Or Insanity?
This weekend starts the first of three competition weekends, and I don’t normally ever do three weeks in a row. I have no idea what I was smoking when I thought this was a good idea. First up is 60K cycling (20K, a 30-minute rest, then 40K) for the senior games. Next week is aContinue reading “Three Weeks Of Work…Or Insanity?”
Commit First, Deal With Details Later
Getting back into the swing of competing was never going to be easy. But over the summer, when two surgeries took me out of the game, I now realize it was easier than I thought to forget just how hard it was to plan and think and execute, while still working and taking care ofContinue reading “Commit First, Deal With Details Later”
Crack Of Dawn Training: Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be
It’s back to the running, the road bike, and the pool at the butt crack of early morning. The foot is doing well (no bare feet, so no triathlon transitions yet, until after the 90th day post-surgery) and no trail running until late September. No swim fins, either, until the 90th day. But everything elseContinue reading “Crack Of Dawn Training: Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be”
Time Left in Rehab Hell: 48 Hours And Counting
Monday, 10 a.m. The last surgeon appointment for my foot. Seven days of steroids (to remove what little swelling is left) and we are done and basically good to go. I now have a matched set of titanium screws and plates, probably worth more than all the rest of me. And yes, I plan toContinue reading “Time Left in Rehab Hell: 48 Hours And Counting”
This Surgical Boot Is No Longer Made For Walkin’
Staples, boot, and bandages are a thing of the past, and I can put weight on both feet now. Not bad at 25 days out of surgery. Thursday will be the full four weeks, and by next week, after another post-operative visit, I hope to be on the bike, at least on the indoor trainer,Continue reading “This Surgical Boot Is No Longer Made For Walkin’”
Foot Up, Out Of Action — Just Temporary
I waited out the pandemic to do it, but it’s done. That fugly foot bump known as a bunion was shaved off my left foot and into history nine days ago, by the same surgeon who did the same thing on my right foot twenty years ago. My toes are blue-black (at least, what littleContinue reading “Foot Up, Out Of Action — Just Temporary”
Hills? We Have Hills In Florida?
I have a few road race traditions I follow, and one of them is a race on Memorial Day. Except this year, the race was moved to a new venue. A new, pain-inducing venue. For almost 30 years, this 5K was a nice, mostly flat, fast course through a small, wealthy bedroom community north ofContinue reading “Hills? We Have Hills In Florida?”
Old Is Serious...Aging Is Hilarious 