_Chiropractor
My lower back had been unhappy since mid December 2012. I visited the chiropractor office next door to work. The guy was uninformed about endurance sport and tried to obscure the business angle of the transactions. He promised a life changing experience by untwisting my pelvis. I had no faith in the guy but couldn’t argue with the crooked spine on the light box. I also knew this was the only healer of any sort that could fit into my daily routine. I considered the parameters: overhead, insurance, chance of improvement vs. new issues, $, age—it was an easy decision.
The attempt to realign the bones yield immediate result. The adjustment-induced problems were tolerable compared to the benefit. The practitioner lessened my shoulder/neck pain that wasn’t in the treatment plan; he couldn’t leave the tense muscle unloosened.
I often held back during my runs because the hips felt weak, reminiscent of fatigue induced from hip adductor and abductor machines. The pain was below threshold but doesn’t inspire confidence in running.
By mid March, I was down to 1 office visit per week. It had been a successful process given my limited expectation. I was grateful the medical insurance had mostly worked out.
_Local Running Club Events
Many runners liked races but disliked the overhead. The Carrollton Runners’ Club and Plano Pacers strove to solve this problem.
Carrollton hosted 2 monthly chip-timed 5k for $2 each with optional free 1-mile race. There’s a 50% penalty for not registering on line. Reuben got the system down to a science; some members kept the chip and showed up 100 seconds before the gun.
Plano club’s timing system was lower-tech but $2 cheaper than Carrollton.
My first Carrollton 5k was an ego booster. “When you look around and see no sucker at your poker table, you’re it.” Running worked the same way. I started 90 seconds late to ensure someone to follow. One guy remained in front of me after 2k; we made a wrong turn. 2 of us eventually retook the lead after the 300-meter excursion. My legs wanted to go faster but didn’t know the course. My pacer kept apologizing; I replied “it’s OK” but really wanted to say “focus on running; run faster.” I ran away from him toward the end, Wiley Coyote-like.
My first Plano 5k was more humbling. I came ill-prepared and ended running in work shoes. The race wasn’t chip timed; I had to start on time. I kept the leader in sight, determined not get off course. The pace felt fast but couldn’t confirm without GPS. What felt like 10 minutes later, I saw the start. “That was the easiest 5k,” I thought. The course was not out and back. I used up my legs half way into the race. I finished with very positive split. I destroyed the 2008 bungee lace. It was a fun experience.
_1-mile Race
Carrollton 5k had a free optional 1-mile race 15 minutes before 5k. McMillan’s calculator predicted 5:49 pace. I never actually ran the mile; I didn’t have the gear to hold this pace.
I set GPS to 6:00 pace both times. I would lose this pace at a hill and never recover. I started to kick 200m to the finish but it would be too late. I felt I had more to give but didn’t know how to dose the effort. Something to work on.
_Spin Class
A Fly Wheel opened near my house. I skated in one day to find out what “stadium cycling” was; I half expected to be kicked out because of my skates.
The employee was very enthusiastic when regurgitating all the key features and benefit, including power. It sounded a little too good.
“I get to see my wattage? What’s the precision?”
“What’s wattage?” Neither physics nor electricity bill was her forte. No one could give me a straight answer.
I went to the complementary session on a windy day. The stationary cycles were sturdy and had built-in power and cadence meter with questionable accuracy. The 45-minute class was designed around intervals. The music and instruction was canned and loud, which I anticipated since earplug was complementary. The rest period before the final interval was disguised as “upper body workout.” The tension was an analog device disguised as digital. Most key intervals were done standing up, which eliminates many issues associated with other cycling such as fit.
The power output were often posted on display. I had problem keeping up with the female instructor, who tried to bond with a few targeted customers convictionlessly. My trainings didn’t prepare my muscles to run on a stationary bike at 110+ rpm. My calves were screaming; my cardio was somewhat taxed.
I couldn’t say it’s not an effective work out. I just didn’t know what the workout was for other than becoming better at this particular form of exercise. Some clients seemed to think this was the bridge to weight control.
The power was measured in an unspecified unit, which seems to be a nonlinear function of watt. The website claimed I averaged 32.9 mph!
I looked up Tour de France time trials:
2004 prologue winner averaged 33.2 mph. Cancellara held that for 6 min 51 second.
2010 stage 19, 52km. Winner averaged 31.9 mph.
I’ll challenge Fabian Cancellara to Fly Wheel next time he’s in town.
_Limits
I decided not to qualify for RAAM solo. It was a time management decision.
Badwater 135 looked further away every time I reviewed the requirements.
My training focused on cardio and muscular fitness. For other challenges, I assumed my body would rise to the occasions: heat tolerance, soft tissue integrity, hydration, and GI. I did not have a good solution to my foot issue with slow pace.
Logistically, it was becoming difficult to get in the big-name endurance races; I wasn’t the only one going through midlife crisis. “Just get a Porsche and 18-year-old girlfriend,” a friend advised. I hadn’t lusted after a Porsche in a while, but I promised myself a money-no-object bicycle or motorcycle if I qualify for Boston Marathon.
_Balance
I made an effort to have a more balanced athlete life instead of focusing on one event’s performance. I was happy and sad about this decision.
Alberto Salazar’s interview was a tipping point. In the moment of Mo Farah and Galen Rupp’s triumph, he talked about how unhealthy athlete excellent was. I wondered if coaching Lance Armstrong affected his perspective.
I often broadcasted lofty goals to generate pressure on myself. This approach helped me to reach academic and athletic milestones; the flipside was the stress. After exhausting low-hanging fruits to resolve my walking limitation, Badwater felt like a dark cloud hanging over my head.
Tyler Hamilton and other cyclists’ confessions steered me.
Even convinced of his doping, it was hard for me to watch Lance being grilled by Oprah.
I recalled some of my milestones: Ironman opened doors and introduced me to new types of fear. Skating HHH gave me experience facing unknown. Ragbrai was refreshing, joyous, and relaxing—I watched myself becoming the person others wanted to see. I tried to solve Montreal 24 Hour like an engineering problem; I received help from unexpected sources; I watched my body performed outside of expected parameters.
One lesson I remembered about Ironman and Montreal 24 Hour: I lived by numbers for over 6 months yet the race statics became unimportant after the events, but I remembered the obstacles and how I tried to overcome.
Somewhere along the journey, endurance sport became the canvas upon which I documented my life. I experienced what it's like to be outdoors and to feel the red blood cell move. The finish time was only a small part of the empowerment. Maybe it's time to shift the focus from results to playing itself.
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