Iron Pol

After four years of triathlons, my Tri Fox racing jersey gave up the ghost.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it became a ghost of its former self.  While we have changed the layout a bit, the jersey on the right used to be nearly identical to the jersey on the left.  Of course, the front of the old jersey is much closer in appearance to the new one.  When my son was looking at them, he told me the old one was inside out.  When he realized that wasn't the case, he wanted to know why it was so faded.

It's a good advertisement for sun block.  The same forces that completely washed out my jersey were at work on my skin, as well.

I wonder if I could use that as an explanation for my bald spot.  "No, really, the hair is there, it's just faded away to nothing because of the sun." Or, perhaps, "You've heard of 'beach blonde."  Well, I'm beach bald."

I wore the new jersey for my 22 mile training run, last Saturday, and all is good.  The old jersey was from Sugoi, whose products I love.  Most of my gear is from them.  The new jersey is from Louis Garneau.  It's really comfortable, and time will tell how it holds up to the abuse I'll give it.

My one immediate "dislike" is the back pocket.  On the Sugoi jersey, there are two small pockets, one on each side of the back.  They are fairly tight, so I'm always confident my gels are staying put.  On the LG jersey, it is one big pocket in the center of the back.  While it does have elastic to help keep it closed, I'm far less confident things will stay put.  The upcoming Green Bay marathon will be the first test.  I'll carry one gel in that pocket to see how it goes.  The rest will go in my Race Ready shorts.

If a new jersey is right, the picture outside, this morning is just wrong.  April 21st (Happy Birthday to my brother and sister, twins born five years apart), and it's snowing outside.  Not only is it snowing, it's accumulating.  That's about a half-inch of slushy snow on the windows of my cars.  There was snow covering my grill in the back, and it's starting to stick to the grass.

The only positive spin is that we need the precipitation.  But why snow?  Rain would do the trick, just as well.  Last Friday, I took the bike out for a 21 mile ride.  Saturday morning I ran 22 miles, starting at 5 a.m., wearing shorts and that new tri jersey.  And Monday and Tuesday bring snow.

I have a marathon in less than four weeks.  This snow stuff needs to end.

I'll sandwich that "wrong" between two "rights."  And this one is super-cool.  This picture shows both my kids out biking.  My daughter finally put away her tricycle and moved to the "big girl bike."  She's getting pretty good, and has even overcome her concern of crashing because of sharp turns (she sometimes fails to take into account the training wheels).

Just as exciting is that my son is on two wheels.  One of the other boys in the neighborhood has the training wheels off his bike, and my son was quick to follow.  He didn't care that the other boy is nearly 18 months older.  I was amazed at how quickly he moved from two wheel novice to expert, and how little adult help it took.  He spent one day with different adults helping him balance.  Four days later, with no additional help, he was zooming around like a pro.  He's even mastered the uphill sections of the driveways, 180 degree turns on the sidewalk, and avoiding his sister when she gets in the way.

We're going to start looking for a slightly bigger bike, which should make his next triathlon loads of fun.  Last year, he had the training wheels.  This year, he'll be on two wheels and (hopefully) a bigger bike.

*Sniff* They're growing up so fast!

There are probably a few people still following this blog who remember me in "my other life."  That would be my life as Running Pol.  While Iron Pol is focused primarily on endurance events, particularly triathlon and Ironman, Running Pol split time between politics and running.

When I transitioned to triathlon, I left the political discourse behind.  Well, mostly.  I know I've thrown a few things up here.  In order to minimize the impact of politics on this site, I've decided it's time to allow Running Pol to be reborn from the ashes.

Since this site will remain as my record of training, races, and family matters, a new site has been created.  My new foray into political blogging is called Always Right.  Anyone interested in just how my mind works in that arena, stop by.

And the rest of you will be free of the political rantings on this site.  As always, I appreciate everyone stopping by to check up on me and make sure I'm still able to type.

In the late 80s, I got into a bit of trouble with my parents over music.  Now, my parents were fairly tolerant about music choices, so long as it was played at a reasonable volume.  My parents accepted my punk rock music as easily as they accepted American folk.  They even coped when I showed up at home with the remnants of a mohawk, a pierced ear, and tapes from the punk band of which I was a member.

So getting in trouble with my parents over music was a rare situation.  Then again, it is safe to say that respect was more the issue than the actual music.

Our church has a tree farm where members frequently camp.  While in high school, it was common for many of us to bike or drive there several times a month.  And many families camped there over long weekends.  Some of them, one in particular, were far less tolerant of alternative music, or any secular music, for that matter.  My parents had voiced that concern to me and asked that I be respectful when playing music while camping.

After that, I always picked contemporary Christian music if this family was around.  Apparently, that wasn't sufficient, as they continued to object about my music.  Finally, I lost my patience and broke out my copy of Larry Norman's Only Visiting This Planet.  The song I selected was picked for maximum impact.  "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music."  Lost patience was catching, as my parents realized what I was doing and got fairly tense.  Not about the music, but about the disrespect being shown to another adult.

Larry Norman was often called the father of Christian rock.  Through his music, he reached a lot of people otherwise shunned by the church.  He was, himself, shunned by those who believe any "rock" music is bad.  Others frowned upon his appearance.  After all, the "hippie" look wasn't widely accepted by the more conservative factions of the church.

Those who looked beyond the person found a wonderful singer and songwriter.  Often considered the Christian version of artists like the Beatles, Elvis, and Bob Dylan, Norman touched on subjects such as war, addiction, and faith in ways nobody else did.  His influence on Christian music extended well beyond his career.  Still today, many consider him to be one of the biggest influences on their music.

Sadly, Larry Norman passed away on Sunday, February 24.  After battling heart problems for many years, he died peacefully with his family at his Oregon home.  He was 60 years old.

He will be missed by his family and friends.  He will be remembered by those who loved his music and ministry.  And the contemporary church will always be better for his willingness to worship God in new and unconventional ways.

Rest, Larry.  The trip is over, and we know you're home, now.

Growing up, it was fairly common to see lots of people outside during an eclipse.  As a student, there was usually the opportunity to get extra credit in everything from writing to math.  Apparently, things have changed.

Since it will be nearly three years before the next total lunar eclipse, we decided to let the kids stay up and see it.  While it was too cold to sit outside for the full event, I set things up so the we could be outside during the total eclipse.  That worked out well, as I doubt either of the kids (or me, for that matter) would have the attention span to watch the entire show.

When I stepped outside to set up chairs and blankets, I was surprised to find myself alone.  None of the kids from the neighborhood were out, and my children are the youngest of the bunch.  Shock aside, I made sure my son was dressed warmly and grabbed the binoculars.  Before we headed out the door, I asked him about the color of the moon.  He very confidently stated it was white, the answer for which I hoped.

He had no idea why he had been allowed to stay up so late, much less why we were going outside "to play" so long after dark.  As we left the garage, I had him look at the moon.  His reaction was pretty cool, and he wanted to know why it was red.

We discussed the eclipse a little, and I let him try the binoculars.  In the past, he has struggled with them, and this time he was able to find the moon.  It was priceless watching him find it for the first time.  His eyes were probably as big as the moon.  Though he is too young to really understand, I hope our little adventure will stick with him as he gets older.

He stayed outside for a good 25 minutes, and kept switching between the naked eye and the binoculars.  He asked a few good questions, and was excited when he went back inside to "tell mom about the moon."  Our daughter was less excited, though she did eventually go outside for a few minutes.

And one neighbor girl did find her way outside to watch some of the eclipse.  She was equally as excited to look at the moon through the binoculars.  Part of me really wants to pick up an entry level telescope and stand so we can see other features more clearly.  It's tough to see the rings of Saturn when looking through binoculars.  Steady as I might be on aerobars, I can't keep binoculars that motionless.

While staying up late one night when he is four probably won't lead our son to become a great scientist, it gave one more little push to help him understand how interesting learning can be.  And interest in learning is always a good thing.

Blizzard-like conditions, last night, led to brutal conditions, this morning.  It took me over an hour to shovel the snow, and almost that long to get into my car.  Yesterday afternoon, it was raining.  Late in the afternoon, it turned to hail, then snow.

This morning, it was -15F air temperature, with wind chills in the -45F range.  I had to wear two pair of gloves while shoveling.  In a tribute to images from my youth, I had ice on my eyelashes and eyebrows when got back in the house.

Between the rain, hail, snow, and sub-arctic temperatures, every door on my Blazer was frozen shut.  I tried the back hatch, and the button was frozen in place.  I had to get my remote and unlock the hatch so I could get into the car and force a door open.  The hinges were nearly froze, too.

And STILL, I passed someone out running as I drove to work.  I fully support training.  But unless you are training to race the Iditarod as PART OF THE DOG TEAM, running outside in these temperatures is probably a bit risky.  If you are one of the die-hards bound and determined to run regardless of the conditions, make sure you are taking the precautions needed for the conditions.  Remember that in temperatures such as these, exposed skin can suffer from frostbite in a matter of minutes.  Cover your hands, face and ears.  Layer well so you can stay warm while maintaining temperature control.

And above all, let people know where you will be headed and stay in well travelled areas.

As endurance athletes, we are accustomed to taking care of our bodies.  Our clothes are designed to be lightweight and wick away moisture.  Our shoes are engineered to correct a variety of gait issues, minimizing injury.  We wear hats, glasses and sunscreen to protect our heads, eyes, and skin.  Heart rate monitors and power meters provide feedback regarding our effort.  And we listen to our bodies when training and racing.

And still, the odd injury can crop up.

I've completed a dozen half and full marathons.  I've logged thousands of miles pounding the pavement training for those races.  While my triathlon resume is a bit shorter, I completed two half and one IM distance race in 2007.  For the most part, I've been injury free, and I've NEVER had a blister on my feet.

The closest I ever came to injuring my feet was in my first triathlon.  That's the one where my chain broke half-way through the 15-mile bike and I ran the rest.  Barefoot.  Sore feet?  Yes.  Blisters?  No.

So you can understand my shock when I took my shoes off yesterday and found not one, but two blisters on my toes.  Somehow, the two biggest toes on my left foot (I guess that would be "the big toe" and, what, the "pointer toe?") rubbed together leading to these blisters.  Extremely odd.

The worst part is that these did not occur during training.  My feet were fine, yesterday morning, after my seven mile run.  No, these blisters developed at work.  In my dress shoes.  And remember, I'm an accountant.

So, thousands of miles of running, no blisters.  And I somehow manage to get TWO blisters while sitting at a desk.  Doing accounting things.  Apparently closing is far more demanding on my feet than the thousands of miles I logged in training, last year.

I need a rest week.

While triathletes around the country were busy watching the broadcast of the Ironman World Championships, I was typing out an E-mail.  What, you ask, could be so important, and time-consuming, that an E-mail could occupy the entire 90 minutes of the race?  Read on...

My letter to NBC26, WGBA out of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The purpose of this E-mail is to express my displeasure with the decision to preempt the Ironman World Championship broadcast by NBC on Saturday, December 1, 2007.  Given the "show" that replaced this national and often award winning broadcast was a far less compelling infomercial, the decision is even more baffling.  Without the benefit of concise data, it is only a guess, but my assumption would be that your viewership for the day dropped significantly.

Those of us active in the triathlon lifestyle often struggle with our sport being associated only with the race in Kona, Hawaii.  NBC's coverage of the event, however, has been amazing at growing the sport.  To have the one event that receives network coverage preempted by an infomercial is sad.  It also shows a lack of understanding of the triathlon demographic.  In case there actually is that lack, the average triathlete is an active professional with significant disposable income.  Instead of reaching out to that market, your station opted to shun it and broadcast an extended commercial on gaining energy.  Broadcasting the triathlon would have provided a more realistic answer to that goal.  Getting active through events such as triathlons is a far better solution than whatever was being promoted on the infomercial.  Unfortunately, I am unable to speak directly to the infomercial as I turned it off in disgust.

Yep, that was how my day went.

A recent post on raceAthlete comes from Erin of the Long and Winding Road blog.  The comments on her post were as interesting as the post, and my own response fits better here than in the comment section. 

Her post comes from discussions held at a spa she recently visited.  Her post is worth reading, so stop by her blog or raceAthlete for the full treatment.  In the mean time, allow me to ‘splain.  No, ‘twill take to long.  Lemme summup.  (Sorry, couldn’t resist) 

The long and short of it is that Erin entered, well, was dragged into a conversation with another female triathlete.  This woman apparently has some amount of self-satisfaction with her training and race performance, and was willing to share with anyone and everyone in her presence.  During the discussion, it came to light that both Erin and the other woman had finished their first Ironman events in 2007. 

Erin’s primary interest was in sharing her feelings from the day.  I imagine she probably had stories similar to many other Ironman participants.  High points, low points, and that it was one of the best days of her life.

The other woman?  She was more interested in Erin’s time.  When she had it, she was apparently quite smug as she pointed out that her time was about two hours faster than Erin’s. 

This very nearly resulted in Erin’s head exploding from her body and blasting through the other woman’s chest.  Luckily, Erin seems to be part saint, and responded about the good time the woman posted.  Which promptly encouraged the other woman to talk about how “poorly” she did, and that she can be much faster, and plans on qualifying for Kona once she straightens a few things out. 

Erin’s take on the whole issue is that the woman seems to have missed something.  For Erin, Ironman is about personal accomplishment and individual success.  For the other woman, it seemed to be about competition and doing better than others. 

One of comments left at raceAthlete was from Mike (blog unknown).  He was confused by Erin’s response, and indicated he has no problem with others finishing ahead of him.  “… I accept the fact that they are better than I am.”   I think this misses the point, and raises a few questions.

Most of us who enter triathlons accept that many will be faster than us and others will be slower than us.  It is a fairly small group that is capable of competing to win and the rest of us must compete against ourselves.  That said, the only real question about time in a race should be, “Did you achieve your goals for the day?” 

If someone asks me how I did in Louisville, I tell them I did well.  I finished the race, and met most of my goals.  If they ask my time, I’ll tell them.  If that individual’s response is to try and “one up” me by telling me they had a better time, they are the one in need of an attitude adjustment, not me.  If their response is similar to mine, hackles are unlikely to be raised.  “I did well, too.  I had a great swim and okay bike, which enabled me to finish just under my target of 12:30.”  That’s significantly different than a self-satisfied, “13:12?  I finished in 12:10.” 

The plain and simple fact is that time alone is a poor judge of how “well” someone did on a given day.  Consider two people at the same Ironman.  One finishes in 10:45 and the other in 11:15.  Who had the better day?  At first glance, one might say the person who ran the 10:45.  What if that person is Faris al Sultan and the person with the 11:15 is me?  Faris just ran something like two hours under what he is capable of doing.  And I just ran a PR of nearly an hour. 

But does that even answer all of the questions? 

What if we find out Faris raced with a bad knee and a mild touch of the flu?  And I raced under the same conditions as the raceAthlete sponsored team from 2007.  A brand new BMC bike, coaching, Power Tap, etc.  Might that change our answers?  There are so many factors that go into completing an Ironman that the simple question of “What was your time” is almost guaranteed to miss vital information. 

And the fact that someone ran a faster race is absolutely no indication of someone being a “better” person.  Now, I understand Mike’s point.  They are “better” racers.  Perhaps.  That all depends on perspective.  Dick Hoyt hasn’t won too many races in his career.  Then again, most of us don’t carry the load he does.  Those who finish ahead of him aren’t necessarily better.  They just got to the finish line faster. 

Individuals who attempt to boost themselves up by pushing others down should examine their priorities.  I am all for the woman Erin met improving herself and qualifying for Kona.  If she does, she deserves every bit of credit given.  GIVEN.  A fast time or a Kona slot is not a license to belittle the accomplishments of others.  Many of us will likely never qualify to race in Hawaii.  It makes us no better or worse. 

Attitude.  That CAN make someone “better” or “worse.”  I’ll hang all day with someone who has a positive attitude.  If they’re slower, I’ll run with them.  If they’re faster, I’ll run with them while I can. 

If someone has a rotten attitude, I’ll walk or sprint just to find someone with a better attitude.

It looks like I might have my next major undertaking laid out before me.  That will teach me to open my mouth too widely.

This morning was a great day for a swim, as several triathlon friends were there for workouts.  It was nice to catch up without the pressure of a big and vital workout.  All too often, my conversation at the pool consists of:

Hit wall.  "Hi." Turn and swim the other direction.

It sort of covers "polite" in that I did, in fact, acknowledge them.  It makes it difficult to see what is happening in people's lives.  This morning was different.  I was able to stop between sets.  While it may have only been 30-60 seconds at a time, it gave me brief opportunities to see what people had on the agenda.

Then, we all hit the whirlpool and caught up.  During the "what's next" part of the discussion, I mentioned that I would have to hit some of the trail races one of these friends will be directing.  I indicated it would be good training for a race I was considering.  "Oh, which race is that," he asked.  "A 50 mile trail race in Kettle Moraine."

"Really!  I'm running that race.  We'll have to do some training, and might even be able to run together in the race."  And like that, my "perhaps" race has become something with a bit more peer pressure.

That's just how I roll.  Come up with an idea and then find someone to light the fire that will be held under my toes for the next six to twelve months.  Some think it's all about self-motivation.  Sometimes, it's just easier to let others provide the motivation.

So, anyone have a training plan for a 50-mile race?