Robert H.

Entry 20: Sept. 24
Entry 19: Sept. 11
Entry 18: Aug. 29
Entry 17: Aug. 21
Entry 16: Aug. 15
Entry 15: Aug. 13
Entry 14: Aug. 7
Entry 13: July 31
Entry 12: July 23
Entry 11: July 17 

September 25
Turbulent Times

With the recent hurricanes and the troubles in the financial markets I have found it a little difficult to focus on running over the past couple weeks (that’s my weak excuse for not posting a diary entry last week).

Two Sunday’s ago (September 14) with the tail-end of Hurricane Ike blowing through Chicago, Magda and I went for a long run on the lakefront. The strong winds and rain made for a very tough outing but we persevered and managed a good solid 14-miler. We ran south (with the wind) for the first half of the run and then turned around and ran against the wind for the last 7 miles. At the end of it my legs felt as though they had run more than 14 miles. Hard going but what doesn’t kill you supposedly makes you stronger.

It is an interesting quirk of personality that bad weather usually helps motivate me to get out and run. Initially this isn’t the case. When I'm indoors, all warm and dry watching the wind and rain batter the windows, like any sane person I really have no desire to don running shoes and venture out into the maelstrom. Even if I’ve made the effort to put my shoes on and have driven to the lakefront, I can usually spend a few minutes procrastinating in my car, contemplating the car park as it slowly turns into a boating lake. Eventually though my innate stubborn streak kicks in. The fact that I don’t want to go out is exactly what makes me do so. There is no way that I am going to let myself wimp out because of a bit of weather. Coming from the north of England I am probably better prepared for grey skies and rain than most (I was 14 before I saw the sun). Where I grew up, if you don’t learn to do stuff in the rain, then you just don’t do stuff.

However, once I’m outside and committed, things are generally not too bad. In a matter of moments I am completely drenched which is sort of a relief, as I know I can’t get any wetter. After that, I am able to focus on the run and “enjoy” the added challenge of the elements. OK. Enjoy is probably not the most appropriate term, maybe endure is closer to the mark.

Anyway, as I look back, some of my best races have been when the elements have been “less than perfect,” with last year throwing up two very specific examples. The north-easter that hit Boston just before the marathon certainly added an extra element to the race with hugely powerful wind gusts and torrential downpours. Fortunately it eased off before the race started, but it was still a wet and windy initial few miles. Of course, if we are talking adverse weather, then the unbelievable heat and humidity during the Chicago marathon can’t be ignored. This was the opposite challenge to Boston and one for which I, as a Brit, had little preparation for. It was unremittingly brutal and I hope I never experience anything like it again. That said, I consider it one of my best races (although if you go by my finish time, it was officially my worst marathon to date). But the fact that I ran in those conditions, and persevered, and actually made it to the finish, that made it a truly unique and very special achievement. Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that these two races were "fun,” but afterward, my sense of accomplishment was far greater as a result of these added challenges.

Not that I need such challenges every race. I have 3 marathons in the next 6 weeks, starting with Berlin this Sunday. If the weather gods are reading this entry, I will be more than happy with a partially cloudy day and pleasant 65 F temperatures.

September 11
A wonderful week

John and Georgia, my older brother and niece respectively, have been visiting me from England for the past two weeks and a thoroughly enjoyable time we have all had. During their stay in the U.S. we rented a convertible and took off on a wonderful 10-day road trip, visiting York, PA, Washington D.C., New York, NY and Niagara, NY. The weather was absolutely perfect for nine of the ten days, only spoiling itself on the last day with some heavy rain, but as we were driving back to Chicago it didn’t concern us.

During the trip I still managed to get in some running, although not as much as I should have, given my upcoming races. Nevertheless, the runs I did do were very memorable.

While in D.C. I had a beautiful 14-mile run along the Custis Trail which includes a long stretch along the Potomac River. I even took a detour and ran onto Roosevelt Island, which sits in the middle of the river just down from the Key Bridge, and had a very pleasant trail run through the trees.

In New York I had purposefully picked a hotel in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood which, aside from being more affordable than downtown Manhattan, is also nice and close to Central Park. This made it easy for me to carve out time to run a loop of Central Park, doing a total of seven miles. I have regular business trips to New York and always make it a point to try to fit in a Central Park run no matter how short the visit. I’m sure that runners in New York find this as boringly familiar as the Lakefront path is for those of us in Chicago, but for me it is always a real high point of any visit.

I also managed a quick 4-mile run along the banks of the Niagara River while we were up state, and was accompanied the whole way with the sights and sounds of the falls – a truly unique experience.

We returned to Chicago on Saturday and on Sunday Magda and I put in a long and quite tiring 20-mile run along the lakefront. It served to tell me that I am not where I need to be for running a marathon but, as Berlin is now less than 3 weeks away, it is too late to do anything about it. I will continue to put in some miles but have effectively started my taper. As I have Chicago just five weeks away I am trying to view Berlin as just another long training run. Hopefully my body is able to treat it just as cavalierly!

August 29
What a superb day!

So, the dreaded triathlon is behind me and the fact that I am writing this diary proves that I didn’t succumb to my fears or to a watery doom. Here is my post race report, a tad long, but I promise it will be the last mention of swimming or triathlons.

On race day Magda (what a saint) and I arose at 3 a.m. and, after picking up Sarah (aka: The Energizer Bunny), we headed downtown. I got to the transition area by 4:15am, set-up my bike and other gear in the assigned corral and was completed by 4:45-ish. This left me with a very miserable, stomach-churning, adrenaline-fueled-and-nothing-to-do, three and a half hour wait until my wave was due to start.

Digression: As most folks are aware a triathlon is a race of 3 parts: swim, bike and run. During training I realized there is a 4th discipline: the transition (migrating yourself from swim to bike, and then from bike to run.) On race day I found out there is a 5th element no-one talks about that is possibly the most challenging and energy sapping of all: the wait.

I won’t bore everyone with details of my wait, suffice it to say that I didn’t have any esoteric meditational techniques or mind exercises to help pass the time. Aside from frequent visits to the port-a-loo I had nothing to occupy myself except thinking about my impending immersion in water. Magda sensibly avoided my meltdown into stressed out zombie by going for an 18-mile training run.

All of a sudden it was 7:45 a.m., time to position myself in the start corral with the other purple swim-caps of my wave. While queuing I spotted swim coach friend Maggie who was acting as a volunteer swim marshal. She gave me a hug, some encouragement and a few last minute words of wisdom. At 8:16 a.m. we were ordered into the water and a minute later the gun sounded and off everyone swam in a frenzied thrashing of arms, leaving me standing on the side. My strategy for staying out of trouble depended on me being last into the water and given the large number of swimmers I still hadn’t made it in.

A few seconds later, unable to delay any longer, I leapt lemming-like into the lake. The water couldn’t have been more perfect, 72 F and quiet (except for a few hundred swimmers) and a strange calm enveloped me. I tried to keep out of everyone’s way and maintained a steady breast-stroke rhythm, repeating in my head with each stroke, mantra-like, “Don’t Drown…Don’t Panic…Don’t Drown…Don’t Panic…”

It obviously helped. I never panicked, never stopped to catch my breath, never had to grab a boat, rope or buoy (or another swimmer), and never flopped over onto my back for a few minutes of restful “jellyfish” stroke. A couple of people tried to swim over me, but I survived. I even felt confident enough to put in 8 strokes of freestyle, so Maggie’s training for all those weeks did not go to waste (seriously Maggie, your help and support were enormous, THANK YOU.) Wave after wave of swimmers in different colored caps passed me but I ignored them, maintained focus and soldiered inexorably on. Finally I could see the finish in the distance and began to believe that I was going to survive. A few minutes later I was climbing the steps, assisted by the volunteers, my ordeal over. The time for my 1.5k (0.93 mile) swim was 43 minutes 51 seconds, not swift by anyone’s definition but still 17 minutes faster than I had expected or hoped for.

With my biggest fear behind me I could start to enjoy myself. Transition 1 went well and I was quickly out of the wetsuit and onto my bike. An unanticipated benefit of being so slow in the swim was that most bikes in my corral were gone by the time I arrived, making it easy to find mine. Not suggesting it as a strategy, just focusing on the positives.

Out on the bike I maintained a good high tempo for the first leg while also keeping my eyes peeled for potholes. My second biggest fear for the event (after drowning) was that I would get a puncture which, as we were told at the pre-race talk on Friday, would end my race (tire changes not being permitted as it was too dangerous given the lack of room on Lake Shore Drive.) After all my practice at tire changes I was a little miffed but had to accept reality. With everything I had gone through to prepare for the race and to survive the swim, I was determined not to get a DNF (Did Not Finish) due to a puncture.

In the end the 40k (24.8 mile) bike ride went extremely well, finishing in just over an hour and twelve minutes despite a strong northerly wind. Critically I avoided the worst of the potholes and didn’t get a puncture, many others were not so fortunate – what a horrible way to finish your day.

Transition 2 was as smooth as the first and I was on the final 10k (6.2 mile) run in no time. As always with the Bike-to-Run transfer, my muscles took some time to adapt to the change and the early pace seemed very slow. Nevertheless I was passing plenty of people and my watch suggested that a sub-3 hour time was possible. I had not considered this attainable before the race but now became totally focused, determined to make it a reality.

With my heightened attention to time the run seemed to take forever but eventually the finish came in sight. I put in a final sprint crossed the finish line with a run time of 42 minutes and 36 seconds, the third fastest 10K I have ever run, just 27 seconds slower than my PR. More importantly my total time for the triathlon was 2 hours 43 minutes and 34 seconds, far far better than I had dreamed possible.

The times for each element of the race were so far beyond my expectations I was (and still am) ecstatic:

As an added bonus my older brother and niece, visiting from England, were there to see me finish – the first time that any of my family have been present for one of my races.

During the race I saw many of my CES training partners who all looked as though they were doing well. In addition, 6 of my Pathetic Sharks friends (Francisco, Andy, Cristin, Mandy, Jen and Jeff) participated, as did Mandy’s dad Roger (in the 60-64 age group), all of whom posted great times. A final mention for Sarah the “Energizer Bunny” for whom this had been a long time goal and an even longer journey. She set a fantastic time, proving that you can achieve anything if you have the perseverance, dedication, stubbornness and just a little bit of insanity. Well done EB. Glad Alan made it back from Toronto to see you finish.

Now I can stop procrastinating and focus on Marathon training. Berlin is just over 4 weeks away and Chicago two weeks after that. I can’t wait.

August 21
Motivation

Following last week’s diary entry about my swim experience I received messages of support from two friends back in England. Richard and James recently completed the London Olympic distance triathlon and offered a nice balance of knowledgeable advice and positive encouragement while also making some no-nonsense, blunt admonishments to stop whining and toughen up. In a succinct pithy comment, James pointed out a key factor in why we all train for and participate in events such as the Chicago Marathon and my upcoming triathlon:

“If it was easy, why do it?”

It was exactly what I needed to get my mind in gear and remind me that the enjoyment and thrill is in the challenge. I am strongly competitive but have no hopes of actually winning anything, not even my age group. For me, it is all about turning up, overcoming whatever difficulties present themselves, putting myself on the start line and, hopefully, completing the race. As I have completed more marathons, the challenge has become a little different and I have started to focus on other things as well. I compare myself against the rest of the field to see how I stack up against my peers. How does my time for this race compare with my previous races? Have I set a new P.R.? At the end of the day though, the only person I’m really competing against is myself. And the one question I always have to ask is, did I give it everything I had?

James and Richard helped me realize that for the triathlon I don’t have the comfort of experience and I am back to dealing with all the doubts and worries of a first-timer. Instead of letting the fears beat me, I need to be motivated by them.

Motivation came my way from another source last week, this time with regard to my marathon training. My friend Mark turned 40 earlier in the year and decided to “celebrate” the occasion by signing up for the Chicago Marathon, which will be his first. Mark would be quick to admit that his physical shape when he started training wasn’t where it needed to be and consequently the training has been a tough uphill battle with plenty of minefields to negotiate along the way. The early runs were tough, and I know Mark questioned how he would manage the longer runs when the shorter distances proved so difficult. He has also had to overcome a number of injuries which have affected his training, the latest of which, a knee problem, kept him out of training for over two weeks. Despite everything, he has persevered. To assist him on his journey he signed up with the Oak Forest CARA training group and I know this has been a massive benefit. His pace leader, Jen Ondrejka, has provided fantastic support and encouragement without which I am sure he would not be doing as well or enjoying himself as much.

Mark returned to training last Saturday and passed a major physical and mental milestone by completing his first double digit run, a 15-miler. On Sunday I was thinking about Mark as I hit the Lakefront for my own training run. Magda and I got a late start on the day and after about 10 miles, with the temperatures getting a little high, I was seriously wondering whether to call it a day. I had originally planned to run just 12 miles, but knowing that Mark had toughed it out a day earlier really helped me to stay the course. I forced myself to put in the extra effort and completed 15 miles. Mark, I know you’ll read this and just wanted you to know that all of us have tough days, and that 15 miles is 15 miles. However you do them, it’s a real achievement, so don’t forget to pat yourself on the back.

Good luck to everyone on their Chicago Marathon training journey, and especially to Mark and all the rest in Jen’s “Caboose” pace group. Also good luck to anyone doing the Accenture Chicago Triathlon next weekend. Please try not to swim over me (-:

August 15
Nightmare in the lake

Last night my CES tri group held its final Thursday night training session in preparation for the race next weekend, and the plan called for a mile swim in the lake.

When I arrived at Ohio St. Beach it was to find a very strong wind coming from the north which was whipping up the water. From the lakefront path the waves didn't seem huge but other folks were eyeing them warily and muttering. I was somewhat dismissive having experienced far worse in the North Sea as a kid. The difference of course being that I never attempted to swim a mile in the North Sea, my focus as an 8- or 9-year-old being somewhat different and involved more buckets and spades and less actual swimming 

Once we got into the lake I realized how challenging things were going to be, especially because the lake wall and the breakwaters were causing the waves to come from different directions so you really got tossed about. It seemed to take forever to get to the 1/4 mile post by which point I had already swallowed copious amounts of muddy lake water (trying to drink one of the Great Lakes dry is a novel approach to making the swim easier but trust me, it doesn't work). It actually took me the best part of 20 minutes to cover the 1/4 mile but the amount of energy expended was vastly disproportionate to the time taken or distance traveled. I had countless moments of panic, being swamped by waves, reappearing choking and spluttering, and considered giving up and heading back to the beach every few minutes. Shear stubbornness and a refusal to "whimp out" kept me ploughing on.

I eventually got to the 1/2 mile turn-around marker after 35 minutes "swimming" – not a freestyle stroke in sight. Here, as is usually the case due to the proximity to the breakwater and open lake, the waves were the worst and I was merrily corkscrewed and tossed around like so much discarded flotsam and jetsam. I did a quick U-turn and started to claw my way back to the beach. The return was slightly quicker (as measured by my watch, not by how it felt) and I completed the mile with a total time of 57 minutes and 46 seconds, dragging myself out of the water utterly spent, exhausted both mentally and physically.

Looking back on the night and thinking forward to the race next week I am somewhat nervous to say the least. Last night I was on the verge of panic often and that was in water that I could stand up in if I had chosen to. On top of that, there were relatively few people in the water with me. Next week the swim is in deep water and I will be in close proximity to a large group of thrashing bodies, with each triathlon wave consisting 200 competitors. I'm not sure how much pushing and shoving it will take to freak me out and, while I never actually stopped and stood on the lake bottom yesterday, at least at the back of my mind I could have if I wanted to. Next week that's not an option. Additionally, and perhaps critically, if the water conditions are any worse I have some serious doubts about whether I have the energy or ability to actually complete the swim. Of course if I do manage to complete it, the huge adrenaline rush and sense of well-being at surviving will no doubt provide a much needed energy surge to help in overcoming the subsequent 25-mile bike and 6-mile run – still daunting though.

So, lot's to think about over the next week. Hopefully last night's experience has toughened me up and will help me deal with whatever the race throws at me. Hopefully.

August 13
A valuable learning experience

I ran with the CES group on Thursday night and had one of my best Fartlek/speed workouts ever. The session commenced with an easy 10-minute warm up, after which we did a series of high intensity “sprints” of varying length, with each sprint followed by slower recovery runs, again of variable length, and the whole workout culminated in a 10-minute cool down. Coach Mike put together a tough and varied series of repeats, with the real test coming from not knowing how long each sprint would last or how long you had to recover between sprints. Despite the intensity I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The only negative from Thursday’s run was that I made a true beginners error of judgment. Fleet Feet on North Ave., which hosts the CES Triathlon Training program, had kindly offered a trial of some new Zoot triathlon running shoes (“triathlon” because of their easy lacing system and the fact that they can be worn without socks, thus making for a fast transition). Although I am devoutly loyal to Brooks running shoes I decided to give the Zoot shoes a trial and chose to run barefoot just to see how this would feel.

I should have known better than to run an aggressive workout in new shoes AND barefoot. Unsurprisingly, I paid the penalty for this decision. Fairly quickly a number of “hot” spots developed on my feet which I assumed were due to bits of grit and sand that had got into the shoes and, because I was barefoot, were causing some discomfort. I ignored them rationalizing that the workout wasn’t going to be that long and in any case I had left my regular running shoes back at Fleet Feet and didn’t want to miss anything. It wasn’t until I got back to the store and took the shoes off that the truth was revealed. I now was the proud owner of some very large blisters that covered the surface area of both big toes and the arch and a large part of my sole on the right foot. What had been mildly discomforting in the adrenaline rush of running fartlek was quite painful now that I was finished. Yet another valuable life experience – why do learning curves have to be so steep?

Saturday Magda and I spent the day with friends Kathy and Kieran at their new lake property in Michigan. I found time for a beautiful mile training swim in the late afternoon when the small lake was completely flat and peaceful, accompanied by Kathy while Kieran rode lifeguard in the kayak. All four of us then went back out on the lake just before dusk for “sun-downer” drinks in the kayaks. Very relaxing and picturesque.

Sunday morning Magda and I were up at 4 a.m. to drive back to Chicago for the Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon. The weather and race organization were both fantastic, however neither of us ran particularly well probably due to lack of sleep and inappropriate pre-race preparation the night prior, wine not typically being hailed for its carbo-loading or energy-giving properties.

Aside from reinforcing the lesson about running in new shoes (my feet are still very painful, made worse by Sunday’s race) the half marathon was also a useful gauge of training progress.  I realised that I am some way short of readiness for the Berlin Marathon, which is just over 5 weeks away, and need to focus much more on running and less on swimming and biking. As I should already be tapering for the Accenture Triathlon this shouldn’t be too difficult.

August 7
A good week of training and racing.

One of the big highlights of the past week was completing a mile swim in Lake Michigan with my CES Triathlon Training group. I have not swum a mile before and to do it in open water was very fulfilling (and tiring.) I would love to say that I managed this feat by using the front crawl stroke, alas that is not the case and I was forced to once again rely on my trusty and inefficient breast-stroke. Oh well, can’t have everything. I was again the slowest swimmer in the group, completing the mile in approximately 52 minutes (compared to an average of around 35 minutes for the rest of the group).

The other big happening of the week was the Muddy Buddy race on Sunday. For those not familiar with this wonderful event, the Muddy Buddy pits teams of two in a 10k tag-team cross-country duathlon-cum-obstacle race. The way it works is that both partners (I was joined by Magda as “The Pathetic Sharks”) start the race at the same time, one running, the other biking, The cross-country course is approximately 6 miles long and is separated into 5 legs, with an obstacle at the end of each leg. After completing the first obstacle (cargo net climb, balance beam run, etc.) the two people “swap” disciplines—the biker becomes the runner and the runner becomes the biker (once they have found the team bike amongst the hundreds of others) for the next leg. This leap-frog approach continues until all 5 legs are completed. The race culminates with both team members joining together to complete the final obstacle—a belly-crawl through a huge mud pit.

The whole event is one big party and any competition is of a very friendly nature. Let’s be honest here, it is fairly difficult to be too serious or competitive in a race that finishes in a mud pit and where half the teams are wearing outlandish fancy dress. Not that all competitive feelings are dispensed with, oh no! This is the 6^th year that I have taken part and every year I have thrown down a friendly gauntlet to my friends Magnus and Nora (aka “Mudslide 2”). Unfortunately they have beaten me for the part 5 years, although a couple of years ago the race really came down to the wire, with both teams neck-and-neck at the end and “racing” through the mud pit. What a laugh. With Magda as my new partner I was quietly optimistic that this year the Sharks would be triumphant. Despite our best efforts, this was not to be the case and I was once again beaten by those dastardly Mudsliders, my Muddy Buddy nemesises (OK, I don’t know the plural of nemesis—anemesi? nemesis’?) Congrats Magnus and Nora. Enjoy your feeling of victory. Next year revenge will be mine.

July 31
A welcome return to fitness and training.

My back pain continues to improve and I am cautiously optimistic that the worst is over. Thankfully the triathlon last week does not seem to have made things any worse and I am almost back to a full schedule of training.

On Tuesday evening I spent time in the pool under the watchful eye of my friend and swim coach Maggie, who brings an interesting mix to the training. She is very supportive and generous with positive feedback but is also quite feisty and is quick to crack the whip if she thinks I am slacking. This “iron fist inside a velvet glove” approach is obviously working well as I can now swim a FULL LENGTH of the pool without stopping or reverting to breast-stroke, although by the end of it I am completely out of breath and gasping for air. Maggie assures me that this breathing lark will become very natural in time, but right now I feel more exhausted after 4 lengths in the pool than after running a 10k race. I obviously will not be able to improve sufficiently for the Accenture Olympic Distance Triathlon on August 24 and am once again resigned to doing the mile swim with my tried and trusted breast-stroke (I may set a record for the slowest swim).

I swam again on Wednesday and then had a great speed training session with my Chicago Endurance Sports triathlon training group on Thursday night. It was the first time I had run (aside from the triathlon, which was only 4 miles) in 3 weeks so I was very interested to see how hard I could push it and whether my back pain would return. In the end I gave it about 90% and felt pretty good.

I met up with the CES training group again on Saturday morning for an 80-minute bike ride with a mandatory flat tire exercise thrown in (after my experience at the Harbor Lights Tri I am happy for any practice at changing tires). After the bike ride I put in a 10-minute run, which has become standard after any bike ride, in an effort to improve my bike-to-run transition. More practice still needed!

Training went out of the window for the rest of the weekend as I celebrated my 44^th birthday with friends Magda, Mark and Julie. Magda and Mark are also preparing for the Chicago Marathon so there was a lot of discussion around training, nutrition, injuries, etc.—all the wonderful stuff runners like to talk about. When we weren’t boring Julie with running talk, we managed to take in a Cubs game at Wrigley Field (unfortunately the Cubs lost in extra innings) and finished off with an excellent evening at the Jimmy Buffett concert.

All in all a solid week of training and a great birthday weekend.

July 23
(Triathlon) Virgin No More!

On Sunday I participated in my very first triathlon – the Harbor Lights Sprint Triathlon in Waukegan, IL. The highlights (for those busy folk who don’t have the time or patience to read my long-winded race report) are as follows:

1. I didn’t drown
2. I finished

For those with time and stamina, here is a slightly more detailed race report:

Saturday Noon – After much procrastination I finally make the decision to give the race a try. My back is feeling easier and I promise myself, my girlfriend Magda and everyone else that I will quit if I start to experience any pain, and for once I actually mean it.

11 p.m. – Finish getting my gear in order, checking and re-checking that I have everything.  There seems to be a lot of equipment for a tri and I’m nervous that I will forget something important.  Set the alarm for 4:15 a.m. and head to bed. Can’t believe I’ve just set the alarm for 4:15 a.m.

Sunday 4:15 a.m. – No! I’ve only just fallen asleep. Why do I do this to myself ?

6:00 a.m. – Arrive in Waukegan, feeling nervous. My back is hurting a little bit, but that’s probably just psychological. Maybe I’m secretly looking for a reason to back out (no pun intended).

6:40 a.m. – I finish setting everything up in the transition area. One last visit to the portaloo and then it’s time to go looking for fellow Pathetic Sharks members Andy, Francisco and Jem and work colleague Dave, all of whom are racing today (NB: the Pathetic Sharks is a very small “tetrathlete” training and social group that gets together on an ad hoc basis to practice the 4 key disciplines: Swim, Bike, Run and DRINK.)

Photo: Pre-race nerves with Pathetic Sharks Andy and Francisco.

7:00 a.m. – Line up in wave 5 (identified by our white swim caps), waiting for the off. Very nervous, but no backing out now.

7:16 a.m. – We’re off. A slow run into the lake and then wade until it’s deep enough to swim. I have strategically positioned myself at the back of the wave to avoid being kicked or punched in the frenzied mayhem (vaguely reminiscent of the mosh pit at a punk concert) as the faster swimmers jostle for position. I plan to swim on the far right to lessen the chance of swimmers from the next wave(s) swimming over the top of me.

7:17 a.m. – Panic attack no. 1. My swim lessons fly out the window. I can’t breathe and swim. I force myself to calm down and decide to give up on the crawl and stick to the breast-stroke. Sorry Maggie, nothing wrong with your lessons, just lacking confidence.

7:23 a.m. – Wow, almost half-way. Can’t believe I’m doing this. Have had a couple of dodgy moments but I’m still alive and kicking (literally).

7:30 a.m. – I made it! The 800-yard swim is behind me and, miracle of miracles, I wasn’t the last swimmer from wave 5. There is at least one white swim cap still in the water. Admittedly this can hardly be considered a victory given that I was passed in the water by virtually all of wave 6 and even some from wave 7. Still, I completed the swim and my back is feeling good (possibly the numbing effects of the adrenaline and the cold lake).

Photo: Exiting the swim, the look on my face doesn't appropriately convey the sense of relief.

7:34 a.m. – Completed transition 1 and I am heading out on the bike. A note to myself: I need to practice my swim-to-bike transition as 4 minutes is too slow.

7:41 a.m. – A puncture! No way. Oh well, at least I’ve got a spare tube and I’ve been practicing fixing a flat.

7:46 a.m. – More haste, less speed. In my rush to make a quick change I have managed to twist my inner tube and need to start again from the beginning. Come on Rob, deep breath, calm down.

7:51 a.m. – All finished and I’m off again. This race is excellent. The camaraderie and good will from the other participants is really uplifting.  While I was at the side of the road fixing the puncture I received lots of “Good luck,” “What a bummer” and similar comments of support from the other cyclists as they passed by.

8:10 a.m. – ¾ of the ride completed. Back is a little achy but with all the adrenaline there’s no chance of me not finishing. Sudden realization that I’ve been so focused on the swim and bike I haven’t thought about conserving energy for the run. Need to remember that when I do the Accenture race in a month, but for now it’s too late so I may as well give it everything and hope I don’t pay too big a price.

8:21 a.m. – I finish the ride feeling strong but again waste time in transition, taking nearly 2 minutes before I’m heading out on the run..

8:24 a.m. – Who stole my legs ? I’m supposed to be a runner but I’ve forgotten how to run. I keep pushing despite my legs feeling like jelly and somehow I’m managing to pass people. Guess I need to practice the “brick” (bike/run) workouts more to make this transition easier.

8:37 a.m. – Around 2 miles into the run I finally get my legs back and am running with my normal form. Time to pick it up and finish strong.

8:50 a.m. – Feeling good as I sprint the last hundred meters. Totally focused on the finish line but can hear the shouts from Magda and the Pathetic Sharks who are already finished.

Photo: Post-race euphoria with Pathetic Sharks Jem and Francisco.

What a fantastic race. Much more challenging, physically and mentally, than I had expected but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finally, I want to add a quick note of thanks to Ma Conrad and her work colleagues for their encouragement and support. Knowing that you would all be checking the online diary to see how I did in my first tri really helped to motivate me. Thanks again.

July 17
Nutrition Tips for Long Runs

My back continues to hurt, but is definitely improving. I haven’t run, I haven’t biked, but I have swum. (Swimming is my friend, swimming is my friend, swimming is my friend—eventually I might believe it.) While I flounder about in the pool, the rest of you are steadily increasing your weekly mileage and for most the long run is now over an hour in length. Given this I thought I would offer a few thoughts about nutrition which may be of help over the coming weeks and, ultimately, for the race itself.

1. Carbo-Load Dinner

I’m sure nearly everyone has heard about the “carbo-load” pasta meal the night before a marathon. Well, what’s good before a race is also good before a long run, especially further down the line when the program calls for distances of 16, 18 or 20 miles. If nothing else, it helps you get into the habit of carbo-loading so you know how it feels when you get to the big day. Combining the pasta dinner with an early night is also a good idea, although if any of my running friends read this they’ll fall off their seats with incredulity, having many times experienced the glorious spectacle of Rob turning up to the  Saturday morning long run yawning, bleary eyed, disheveled and hung-over. Not to be recommended, but you can’t miss out on all pleasure just because you’re training for a marathon.

2. Pre-Run Breakfast

If, like me, you find it difficult to eat or drink something before you do your long run, start practicing and experimenting now. Try a variety of foodstuffs to see if some things are easier to digest and work better for you than others—porridge (oatmeal), cereal, granola/energy bars, bananas, yogurt, bagel with or without peanut butter, energy drink, protein drink, whatever. If you can get yourself used to taking in some fuel prior to a run, it will really help come marathon day. For me, I can just about manage half a bagel with peanut butter, and/or a banana, and a cup of coffee, usually all consumed while driving to the meeting point.

3. Mid-Run Drinks and Energy Gels/Supplements

Similar to the pre-race snack, you need to decide what you will take onboard during the long run. There is a large variety of products out there from drinks, gels, beans, bars and tablets all trying to do two main things: replace lost electrolytes and/or replenish energy stores. Which one(s) work best is a matter of personal preference so experiment with a few different types and amounts.  In addition to identifying your favourite sports drink, make sure you also check what the marathon will be offering along the course (the Chicago Marathon has Gatorade Endurance Formula, not the regular Gatorade Thirstquencher, at the aid stations) and make sure you train with this at least a few times in the lead up to the race. Trying a drink for the first time during a race could give you an upset stomach.

4. Post-Run Nutrition

The most important thing to do after a long run is to replace lost fluid. There are various calculations to work out what you’ve lost during a run and how much you should drink to compensate. Most of these require you to weigh yourself before and after running, but in 5 years of training and running marathons I haven’t managed to do this. Instead I just make sure I get some amount of fluids in me.  I work on the assumption that “not enough” is better than “not at all.” One thing I am very careful about is to make sure I always consume some sort of protein drink. I read that research had proved consuming carbohydrates and protein within 2 hours of a long run had significant benefits with regards rebuilding glycogen stores. Plus the protein helps restore damaged muscle tissue and improves water absorption and muscle hydration (although a word of caution, too much protein apparently has a negative effect). It appears that optimally you want a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein as soon after running as possible, and definitely within 2 hours. You can do this in various ways although I find a sports nutrition drink or homemade smoothie is easier and quicker than solid food.