What Was I Thinking
Hello again, everyone out there! Paul here still learning but at least found a book on swimming.
The second day of training is finished! Oh, and I should let you in on a secret: the second day took seven days to happen again. lol So my training has been going on for nine days with only two days completed. You never understand how old you are until you actually put your body to the test.
SWIMMING:
I finally got into the pool. I joined the Y.M.C.A. in Manhattan, Upper West Side. They have a fantastic pool which is open at 5 am. My delay in getting here has been the fact that I did not want to embarrass myself making the life guard get up and down while I was swimming. I spent a week watching the swimmers so that I would gain confidence and reassure myself that it is alright not to be great at something right off the bat. I got there first thing in the morning and I must say that it is the best time for me. There is no one there until 5:30 so there is plenty of time for me to splash around and get the heck out of dodge. I spoke to the life guard before I went in. I simply told him that I have not been in the water in over thirty years. I also told him that he should really keep an eye on me. Why is it, when a person over fifty, tells a young kid a serious statement, they always take it as though we are joking? Well, so be it. I got into the pool and started to swim the crawl. I made it halfway down and then had a great panic come over me. I could not breathe and did all I could to get to the other end and hold on for ten minutes. Then I breast stroked back and got out of the pool. The life guard came over to me and suggested I put a life vest on until I can actually swim. He also said " Wow mister. You were not kidding. You really cannot swim and you want to do a triathlon?" He was cracking up. I am really starting to think that this is a big mistake. It is a good thing that in the swim portion of the race I am able to wear a wetsuit. I have purchased a wetsuit that will keep me floating. I figure that if I can just stay afloat, I can just muscle through it on guts until I get to the end of the swim leg. 23 laps in a pool to me is going to be an amazing accomplishment.
The second day of training is finished! Oh, and I should let you in on a secret: the second day took seven days to happen again. lol So my training has been going on for nine days with only two days completed. You never understand how old you are until you actually put your body to the test.
SWIMMING:
I finally got into the pool. I joined the Y.M.C.A. in Manhattan, Upper West Side. They have a fantastic pool which is open at 5 am. My delay in getting here has been the fact that I did not want to embarrass myself making the life guard get up and down while I was swimming. I spent a week watching the swimmers so that I would gain confidence and reassure myself that it is alright not to be great at something right off the bat. I got there first thing in the morning and I must say that it is the best time for me. There is no one there until 5:30 so there is plenty of time for me to splash around and get the heck out of dodge. I spoke to the life guard before I went in. I simply told him that I have not been in the water in over thirty years. I also told him that he should really keep an eye on me. Why is it, when a person over fifty, tells a young kid a serious statement, they always take it as though we are joking? Well, so be it. I got into the pool and started to swim the crawl. I made it halfway down and then had a great panic come over me. I could not breathe and did all I could to get to the other end and hold on for ten minutes. Then I breast stroked back and got out of the pool. The life guard came over to me and suggested I put a life vest on until I can actually swim. He also said " Wow mister. You were not kidding. You really cannot swim and you want to do a triathlon?" He was cracking up. I am really starting to think that this is a big mistake. It is a good thing that in the swim portion of the race I am able to wear a wetsuit. I have purchased a wetsuit that will keep me floating. I figure that if I can just stay afloat, I can just muscle through it on guts until I get to the end of the swim leg. 23 laps in a pool to me is going to be an amazing accomplishment.
BIKING:
My bike portion, today, went extremely well, as it should because I rock on the bike. I invented a great way to make my muscles push harder, longer. I strapped a 100 pound bag of rice on the back of my bike so that no matter how fast or slow I ride, my legs will be invincible when I take the rice bag off for the weekends. The technique has proved to be pure genius. Today I averaged steady 30 miles per hour for 10 miles, then took it down to 25 miles per hour for the last two miles so that when I get off the bike I can at least run my 10 minute mile. I really feel that no matter what improvements I make in my run, I will only have a 10 minute mile run after getting off the bike. Hopefully my bike speed and endurance will get me far enough ahead of the gang and that the 5 minute mile runners will just about catch me, but not until I have crossed the finish line. lol
RUNNING:
For this portion of the training, I had the privilege of running in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. My cousins have a cottage on the Stockbridge Bowl. It is right across the lake from Tanglewood. First I drove my car to the exact spot where 1.5 miles would be so that I could run from the cottage and then just turn around and run back and fall onto the couch on the front porch. I ate much better for the past week trying to store up on carbs which is something I do not do. I took off and when I got to the half way point, I decided to just keep running around the entire lake. The lake is almost completely encircled by hills; very steep hills. I did well, only stopping on top of one hill to recover. I made sure to keep a great, conceited profile when a beautiful woman drove by. Hell, I cannot be just standing around in the middle of the rolling hills of the Berkshires doing nothing and wearing cool running gear. lol Girls are girls but probably the women passing me in their cars could run circles around me while carrying a fifty pound pack on their backs. lol I got back to the cottage and asked my cousin how far I just ran and she said that the lake is a 6 mile loop from starting to ending at the cottage. You see, my forty-six year old cousin has run several marathons and this is her training ground so she would know. Bravo for me but now my legs want to kick my own ass for agreeing to keep this body on the move for the past 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours it took me!! 20 minute miles!! LMAO Hey, I am at least Moving Good lord I really need to learn how to run.
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