Joelful Morning

Adkins Arboretum vistor center; the sight of the Arbor Day 5K start and finish line.

Saturday was like another world. It was a gorgeous windless day with temperatures in the seventies. It started out by meeting up with Joel in Easton. We rode our bikes out to the little town of Queen Anne. The morning could not have been more beautiful. That end of the Talbot County is like another world; farm land, train tracks, wide open fields, narrow creeks/streams, and small rolling hills.

Joel was having a blast on the down hills. There is a really cool way to get to Queen Anne and Hillsboro (which is on the way to Tuckahoe) via back country roads; beautiful roads and scenery. We discussed a future plan of riding out to Tuckahoe on the bikes, swimming in the Lake, running the trails, and returning to Easton on bikes. As we were checking out the village of hundred plus year old houses, Joel said that it would be cool to get a group of us together and buy some houses there; have our own little commune of runners and triathletes. Unfortunately, he didn’t have more time than to ride to Queen Anne and back. We said our good byes to each other with a shaky hand slap on QA’s Main Street.

I ventured on to Adkins Arboretum to participate in their Arbor Day 5K. I was amazed by the number of cars in the parking lots when I rode up on my bike. There were 70+ runners ready to go. With the bike leaning on a tree, I quickly changed into a dry running shirt (Valliant appreciates my wardrobe changes between races), threw my $20 at the lady at the desk and got in line to run the race with bib number 185.

There was a correction to last year’s course to make this year’s an official 5k distance. I was nervous about the competition. Not so, because of Noah Wood, who wins most every race he enters, but for all the other runner-looking-types that I did not know. When the gun went off the crowd lurched forward. A boy took off so hard that I knew for sure I’d see him again soon, and I did. He lasted about 40 seconds before he started walking. He did win his age group. I didn’t start in the front, but by the time we were in the field only Noah was ahead of me.

The course was dry and well marked. I kept looking over my shoulder to see who was coming up behind, but there wasn’t anyone gaining on me. I pushed on anyhow, because at last year’s race I got passed in the 3rd mile. We did a double loop back on the course to get the mileage in. I passed a group of ladies I knew from Easton on my second time on the loop. The finish was a welcome sight and I was pleased to hear the timer yell 19:21 when I finished. I was stoked! I went on to be 2nd overall behind Noah and first in my age group.

The folks there at Adkins did a superior job of making the race wonderful in everyway. They really did it well. The post race buffet was fully stocked with bagels, fruit, drinks, cookies, and cupcakes. Winner’s medals were awarded three deep in many age brackets. And, the volunteers were helpful and cheery on the course. Combine great race organization with the beauty of Adkins, and it’s hard to imagine a better venue so close to home.

I truly believe the moderate bike ride to the race warmed up my legs to run, because they felt great. I also feel the bike oxygenated my blood to a level that aided my effort. I’ve experienced that phenomenon while swimming intervals. It was a pretty awesome feeling to be wearing a winner’s medal while hopping on my bike and speeding away back to Easton. Many folks from the race beeped at me when they passed me on the road. Did I say how awesome the weather was? Soon after I left Adkins, in a field were two Bald Eagles standing with two turkey buzzards about 75 feet from the road. The eagles were easily twice the size of the buzzards. Beautiful.

The rest of the day was just as awesome: We drove to DC and watched my niece Ashby and her Georgetown Lacrosse team whoop up on U of Cincinnati. Olivia, Ashby, and I later biked down to the Lincoln Memorial, had milkshakes, and enjoyed Georgetown. Great day. Did I mention how awesome the weather was?

This week we’re looking forward to some lacrosse games for my daughters, a Latin competition for Liv, and the Trail Dawgs Triple Crown Races for my RUR blokes and me. Love, swim, ride, run, and appreciate life ~ WF

New Perspective Through Injury

The Talbot County YMCA Master's Swim Team the "Manta Rays" posing with the Maryland Chidster Swim Series 1st Place Award.

I now have a coaching staff for my swimming. The problem is, though, I can’t swim. Eleven days ago I hurt my shoulder while swimming. Initially, it didn’t seem like a huge deal, but with further stress on my left shoulder later that day while moving stepping stones in my yard, things got worse. So, now, I’ve been to the doctor, had an MRI, been on medication, and have been treating it consistently homeopathically. I don’t want to go into how badly it hurts, but I do want to express what I’ve learned during this down time.

Over the past 3+ years nothing has stopped me from doing some sort of training; running, swimming, or biking. If one or two of them were not an option, there was always the third to do; it’s always been there. With this injury I’ve had to cut out all training in order to get the shoulder to start healing. It’s been tough.

I’m attacking this injury from the angle that it is a blessing. The first blessing is my renewed spirit of compassion. I’ve been so sensitive to what others have said to me with regard to my situation, it’s made me realize how important to have compassion towards others who are injured or are sick. It is so important.

The second blessing is my renewed sense of appreciation for life, abilities, and joys. It is all so fragile, yet, we treat it with such disregard at times. I’d like to keep this new perspective for a long time.

Thirdly, as you all know I have thoroughly enjoyed my swimming and have expanded into Meet competitions with the Master’s Swim team. Through the many times I’ve been at the YMCA for a swim workout, I came to know about the Galan family, a family of swimmers and coaches. Father Galan now coaches his son who is a freshman in college. Daughter Galan, Julia, is in graduate school and coaches individual master swimmers at the Y on the weekends. She, also, attends the swim meets for her swimmers on race days. I came to meet Julia at the Annapolis meet this winter, where she coached me through some of my events. Word got back to me that she wanted to start coaching me on a regular basis. I resisted because I recognized her style being different from what I had experienced through the Masters program. Being on the cusp of the Triathlon season, I feared changing my stroke would not be good at this time. How wrong I was.

This series of events is leading me into being a better trained and prepared athlete. The Galan’s assure me that with their techniques for swimming, I will swim faster with less effort and less strain on my naturally weaker parts of my anatomy…my shoulders. It is just a shame that I had to get injured to come to these realizations.

You see, I have been pulling myself through the water with my upper body. I have not been kicking; not utilizing my powerful legs and core. The Galan’s program builds the “engine”, or propulsion system, which is the core and legs through kicking. Through a rhythm of kicking, rotation, and pulling, I will become an efficient swimmer and not be prone to hurting myself. Though I am not “swimming”, I have in water workouts to do that focus on kicking and core strength.

Our last meet in Pasadena, Maryland was a fabulous meet where I did my personal best in every event. Of course two events were new to me. I was most excited to swim a 35 second 50 meter butterfly. This time last year I had never done the fly. Now I’m on my way to becoming strong in it.

A few posts ago I listed all the events on my agenda for this spring. With my shoulder injured, I have to reassess the list and be realistic. I will have to wait until next year to attend most of them. I hope to be able to do Eagleman, but I’m not sure. We are 2 weeks away from the Trail Dawgs Triple Crown Races. I hope to be able to attend and race. We’ll see. Happy Easter to all! Love, Swim, Bike, Run, and Appreciate Life! ~

Running Free in the Sun

With Africa's Western Sahara behind it, the sun rises on the Atlantic bringing with it a perfect snorkeling and running day in Hopetown.

Last week simply confirmed for me that I am a warm weather runner. Not that I don’t enjoy running in the cold; there is something very enjoyable about an easy winter’s run on a still, crisp, 25-degree day. However, there is nothing like running out the door into a sunny 80-degree breeze with nothing but a pair of tri-shorts on my ass. Yes, that’s what I got to do all last week while visiting the Bahamas with my family and friends.

I enjoyed multiple runs on the 7-mile long island known as Elbow Cay (pronounce as “key”). It is here that my family has visited for the past 6 years for a week in March. The weather can be somewhat fickle this time of year bringing anything from sun and warmth to gale force winds, rain, and cool temps in the 60’s. We got a taste of everything, but for the most part we had sun and moderate breezes.

My runs took me the length of the island. Our rented house was somewhere in the middle where I’d leave “aid station” supplies for me to hit after the first part of my runs. The terrain on the first 3 miles was mostly on dirt road which drifted by quaint oceanfront Bahamian homes, docks, and lush flowery vegetation. The later 10 miles were mostly on asphalt, except for mile 5 which is on the sand beach at the southern tip of Elbow Cay. I’d run with my iPod at times, and always with a water bottle. One of the luxuries of being away with no agenda was I had time to really stretch my legs and body before and after each run. This, I believe, helped me not to feel any soreness AT ALL in my body after 5 straight days of running 50 miles total.

The Hopetown gang paying a visit on nearby Man O War Cay.

Times with our friends and my family were so much fun. We snorkeled the first two full days we were there. I have sunburn on the lower backs of my legs, just below where my wetsuit stopped. My girls call me a geek with my sock-like sunburn. We each took a night to cook dinner, with the kids making dinner on our third night. It was awesome and here’s the photo to prove it:

The meal of shrimp kabobs prepared by our 13 and 16 year-old chiefs. It was a specail meal for us all.

The reefs are in great condition now with lots of new coral growth and many fish. Hurricanes from 7 years ago did a great deal of damage to the reefs that protect and make-up this region. It has taken this many years to see the replenishment of growth. Shell collecting is one of our favorite pastimes; it’s like treasure hunting.

It was good to spend time with everyone and still have time to stretch, do my T’ai Chi practices, and run. I even discovered songs on my iPod that I didn’t even know I liked.
This is my favorite new "form" taught to me by Dell, my T'ai Chi Teacher. The movement is called "Cloud Hands" and it gives an awesome feeling of energy and strength. On fair-weather mornings I would go to the Church patio which fronts on the ocean and do my practice with the rising sun warming my body.

On our first night in Hopetown we ate at the local waterfront pub, Captain Jacks. There was a guy there with a karaoke set-up. For some reason I was inspired to sing my first time karaoke in front of my family, friends, and total strangers. The four kids got up and gave it a go, as well. I sang four very diverse songs by the likes of All American Rejects, Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, and Rob Thomas. I can’t say I was good, but I had fun, and perhaps I am glad I couldn’t hear myself.

The children singing karaoke to "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Loving Spoonful. What fun!

In swimming news, our Talbot County YMCA Swimmers, the Mantarays have won our state championship. So, as we venture to another meet this Saturday, we will have honors bestowed upon us by the powers at be. I hope to swim my first individual Butterfly event, as well as a 200 freestyle and another 100 yard Breaststroke. Then we have April to look forward to.

Love, swim, ride, and run ~ M

March Madness

Hanging out my window and looking over Wittman Park on the afternoon of March 2nd; madness!

March has been crazy as a March Hare. Between the snow storm of the first and second and the heat wave over the next weekend, it’s been great. It’s a wonderful thing to have activities to enjoy no matter the weather. It’s even more wonderful to have folks who share the same desires.

Joel, me, Mike, and Lori hanging out in Idlewild Park. Shaun and Sampson are taking the photo.

I drove Julius to Easton during the snow storm Monday morning to run with friends Lori, Michael, Shaun, Joel, and Joel’s dog Sampson. It was uncomfortably cold but made better by the company. Five days later I was hopping on the bike before dawn on Saturday morning to trek to swim practice. Watching the sun rise over Miles River was beautiful. When I came out of the Y after practice the warmth hit me, 70 degrees. On the way home I experienced two flat tires; a conspiracy; I'll explain:

After practice I hopped on the bike, grabbed a bagel at the B. Bakery, then headed home. By the time I got to Carrol’s Market I had my first flat on the back wheel. By the grace of God, the second flat didn’t set in until Pot Pie Road, though I could hear the debris stuck in the tire hitting the frame for the prior 3 miles. I learned a few weeks ago that if there is debris in the tire to leave it and try to get as far as you can. Last time I heard something in the tire, I stopped, found the staple stuck in the tire, and pulled it out. Then the tire deflated, duh, I pulled the plug.

I know this is a long story, but there is reasoning behind it. Upon inspection of the first flat while sitting in the warm sunshine at a picnic table at Carrol’s Market, I found the source of the flat. It was a metal sliver stuck in the tire. This sliver, upon closer examination, could only come from one source, an over pumped longboard. It seems there is a major defect in the ball bearings of the wheels on these boards. When the boards are over pumped slivers of metal peel off the bearings and are ejected from the bearing guides like BBOS and left on the shoulders of our “bike” ways in the county. It is a shame.

Then upon inspection of the second flat, I found a carbon fiber sliver. Yes, again the source came from these reckless “long boarders” who are taking over our natural vistas, shoulders, by-ways, pools, and blog sites. It seems, that when one of these, so called athletes, “carves a noogy”, they scrape a portion of the carbon fiber strength from their precious boards. Carbon fiber splinters are worse than wood splinters because of their unprecedented strength. The fiber in my new tire would have sunk a Coast Guard rigid inflatable. Shocking, I’d say!

So, what are we to do? I simply cannot put into words my disappointment. I’m afraid to go on the roads and train. I’m going crazy with worry. Dan and I only have 97 days left to train for Eagleman. What will happen?

My initial thought would be to do a post to the RUR website, but LOW AND BEHOLD, it seems the blog site has been taken over with the longboard crap. I was disgusted. Thank goodness I can voice my displeasure here, at least.

So, beware on the roads, my friends, you have been warned. The longboarders don’t seem to have an ounce of decency when it comes to littering our byways with splinters, slivers, shards, and chads. Who knows how this will affect our running shoes (I’d double sock it, if I were you). Tuckahoe seems to be the only safe place to bike and run in the tri-county area; at least for now, until the LB’s go Hummer on us.

If you are confused, I don’t blame you. There is a contingent of our running group that is also Long Distance Pumping (LDP) on long board skate boards. We like to give them hell.

Phinn loving the snow!

My buddy Phinn and I have been on several runs now, and the future looks bright for our young lab. He will enjoy many miles of unleashed glee when running with me; as long as he behaves.

Friday we’re heading to the Bahamas where “training-wise” in intend to up my weekly running mileage by 400 percent. I also hope to get several open-water swims in the ocean. See you in the spring…love, swim, ride, and run…Michael