Open Water Swim

Last week, I nearly took myself to the ER after my first open water swim of the year (and my 5th ever), and nearly gave up on this insane Ironman idea because of what I have come to think of as my swim disorder. Yesterday, I met my swim teacher at the lake for a private lesson; we backed it up several steps---I mean, he had me floating in 6-inch water close to the shore to begin with---and by the end of our time together, I had swum out to a buoy at 100 meters or so and back in waves that had some chop. SST (Supersonic Swim Teacher) taught me how to work with the current and how to breathe in the midst of the waves. Tonight, I went back to the open water swim class. While I'm not yet keeping up with the group, I had to stop several times to laugh---it appears that I actually can swim; and these buoys looked a lot closer than before; I had this wave of elation---"Oh my god---I might be able to do this Ironman thing." There's a lot of work to do in a short amount of time, but there is nothin' like a freezing cold swim in which you don't drown to create a sense of the possible. Now I know.

Madison Marathon half-marathon 2008

I started and finished the Madison Marathon's half marathon today. Some of my freshman health majors had decided in the fall to do this race together, and today it happened. As I had promised them at the time, I finished last in the pack---to protect their egos, of course!

Mile 1: Wow--running down Williamson in the middle of the street with several thousand other people---don't get to do this every day!

Mile 2: See Endurance House Luke, my peeps Lynette and Patti, and Berkeley Running Company David...am still running about an 11 minute mile. Life is good.

Mile 3: People on Sherman are giving out beer. WTF?

Mile 4: Begin to remember that running hurts my feet.

Mile 5: Enjoy a walk break chat with Biah from Chicago more than I should.

Mile 6: Start to remember how much the last half marathon hurt.

Mile 7: Start to remember how long I couldn't walk after last half marathon.

Mile 8: Begin to compose resignation note to coach, telling him I think I'm not cut out to go long.

Mile 9: Begin to edit previously composed resignation note.

Mile 10a: Wonder if pain in feet could be relieved by loosening shoe laces. Stop to bend down, only to realize laces are double knotted and hands are swollen enough as to be dysfuctional. Try to suck it up and wash it down with water from fuel belt bottle, only to discover cap thing is stuck. Remember that students are waiting at finish line for me, their teacher.

Mile 10b. Here's Melissa--a surprise, just in the midst of this falling apart mile. I am delighted---and distracted from my pity party. She takes my cap and glasses, which are adding to being overheated. I hug her. "Keep going!" she says.

Mile 11. Movin' Shoes aid station. They're excited b/c I am wearing a Movin' Shoes t-shirt. I am excited because it's mile 11.

Mile 12: Frontrunners---the most tasteful aid station on the course, organized by gay guys.

Mile 13: Why does mile 13 feel like 3 miles? How the bleep will I ever do IM? Melissa magically appears again 3/4 mile from the finish. How does she know where the hard spots are?

Mile 13.1...Running down the chute...first time I've been in an event big enough for this...whoa---it's like being a rock star! See Betsy, see swim coach, see finish line. Do not cry, do not need medical aid....find students, find Melissa, put note to coach in draft box....maybe I won't resign from training just yet! Walk 3 miles home.

Up side:

10k time 6 min faster than first half marathon.
No trips to urgent care or PT forseeable as a result of race.
Learned more about running ettiquette---for the price of 5 or so minutes off the final time.
Learned about going out too fast and walking too little.
Had interesting social experiences.
Saw my fabulous freshmen at the finish---all of whom had done well and survived!
Down side:

Overall time was not significantly faster than last half, even though I didn;t go in injured and have been having good traning runs. A mystery? Or a scientific phenomenon to be explored?
Didn't have the same kind of magical, mystical, emotional experience I did in the first half marathon last fall...perhaps because there were so many runners around...perhaps because there's nothing like the first time.

QUADRUPEDAL 2008

Last year, my second serious training ride of the year was at Quadrupedal, a well-organized, local, supported charity ride that raises funds for the Iowa County Wisconsin animal shelter.

I have been suffering for a year now from post-traumatic hill disorder as a result.

I had never seen such hills.

I had never seen people ride bikes up such hills.

Over the course of a three-hour tour, I got to know those hills well, mostly because I spent a lot of time walking up them, pushing my bike.

Why did I go back? Probably the same morbid fascination that makes people rub their sore spots--to find out if they could possibly still hurt as much as the last time they checked.

Click on the elevation chart to see the PTSD tour of Quadrupedal.