Winter Carnival

This was kind of an eventful morning. Woke at 6am, ate some breakfast, and was off to swim laps. I use the term "swim" loosely as I'm trying to get used to the water as I'm not a very strong swimmer.  Anyway, I swam from 7am until 7:40am.  I showered off and donned multiple layers of clothing for the next order of business. My choice of clothing went something like this; wind brief, 2 layers of tights, 2 pairs of socks, one short sleeve layer,  one long sleeve layer, a wool sweater, a windproof jacket shell, a balaclava, stocking cap, and ski goggles. The temp on the drive to St. Paul was -13 degrees not including the windchill.  One the way I thought to myself that maybe the half marathon wasn't a good idea and thought the 5K would be a better option. When I arrived, I heard that they cancelled the half and dropped it down to a 10K. I thought, "that's doable".  

The start was cold to say the least and was glad I had the goggles. The first mile was tough as I adjusted to running into the wind. My balaclava frosted up, but was still effective. The windchill was something like -25. After the blood was flowing and I got to the turnaround (28 minutes seemed respectable given the conditions), the run back was much more enjoyable. I drank a small bottle of water and used the port a potty. I got a video text from my wife and daughter, who had enough sense to stay at home, wishing me good luck and to stay warm, which I was at that point. I thought a return picture was in order, so I took a self portrait and sent it off, all while i was running. I got a couple looks. Unbeknownst to me, my lovely wife forwarded it one to some friends an family. Needless to say I had an ice beard attached to the winter growth I had. 

The last couple of miles was good and the finish time was about 58 min. Not a bad start to the weekend.  

Grandma's Marathon

Well I did it. I signed up for my first marathon. Grandma's Marathon in Duluth MN. It is basically a run from Two Harbors Minnesota south along the shore of Lake Superior (Lake Gichigumi if you're PC) to Duluth. I am really excited and can't wait! There are a couple of races I may run prior to Grandma's; the St. Paul winter carnival 1/2 Marathon and the Trail Mix 25K in April. I only hope I can put in enough miles to make a sensible go of it. I also started doing my lap swimming last saturday. It didn't go as well as I would have liked, but it's a start and I know that I have a lot of work to do. Enough talk, time to get going. 

I'm finding it difficult to get any consistent running. It's part motivation (it's been so cold outside) and part illness (cold season is upon us). A half marathon on 1/24 may be a lofty goal with the way the training has been lately, but I'll make the final decision the day prior. My lap swimming time starts this Saturday morning and I am excited. I will have to do some research on some swim techniques and exercises in preparation for the upcoming indoor tri and this summers activities. 

long run

Well I guess I'm not very consistent at posting as some, but I'm new at this and not the most technical guy in the world. I have been making my spring, summer, and fall 2009 plans for running and triathlons. First order of business, the indoor tri at the U.  I committed to this with my friend who got me into this new lifestyle. I am excited and nervous at the same time. My weakest point is definitely the swim and that is a huge understatement. I am not a strong swimmer, but recently signed up for for some pool time through a local school district. I have no expectations of my swim time (or distance within the time).  

Next, I need to send in my entry form for the Trail Mix 25K. I entertained the thought of doing the 50K, but common sense (or as I like to call her, my wife) convinced me to do the 25K. I'm sure this was the right decision. My tentative plans after that go something like this; Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in July, another triathlon in Glenwood Mn in august, and marathon sometime in the late summer or fall. I would enjoy doing a marathon with my brother who lives in Chicago. He's done the Chicago Marathon twice and I may have him convinced to do another in 2009. If not, I will have to go it alone. 

But before I can do any of these things, I have to get into training mode. This last week, I logged about 24 miles, half of which was outstide. Semi-respectable times given the conditions. More posts and miles to come in the future. 

Happy New Year! 2009 is off to a slow start. We (my wife, daughter, and I) are all getting over colds. However, I looks to be a promising year in the area of running. This is my first post and therefore I'll keep it short.