Looks like the second volume in Bill Patterson’s Robert A. Heinlein biography nears completion. At this rate we might see a 2013 publication date, but nothing is ever set in stone in the publishing world.
Month: October 2012 (Page 3 of 3)
When I entered my first triathlon in 2011 my goal (one I probably am not alone in setting) was just to finish. I approached the event from the perspective of a runner in terms on training, and a total novice in terms of preparation. I knew little about transitions, other than it involved changing some gear.
A sprint triathlon is ideal for newbies. Make the swim take place in a pool, an little can go wrong. The weather’s warm, so no need for wet suits. No salt water means one can live with the taste of inadvertently swallowed water. Unlike Ironman, half-Ironman, or Olympic distance events, the distance varies for Sprints. In my case, a 400 meter swim meant eight times up and down. During the summer leading up to the event I built up my distance from 50 meters to 1000, which concluded my first basic goal for the swim portion.
I figured when it came to cycling, I could hop on the bike with minimal training and then run like I usually did, covering the 2.6 miles at my regular pace. I had read that your legs didn’t always feel fresh getting off the bike, but dismissed that as for distances greater than a Sprint. I had, after all, finished a marathon an ran 40-50 miles per week during the summer training for a second marathon. Reality never fails to bite you where it hurts.
I took my time during transitions. I wanted to make sure I had on the right stuff, rather than rush through and miss anything. The swim sapped a lot into strength through a combination of nerves and under training. The bike sapped more, as I powered through everything on legs not used to sustained speed. The run crushed me. My legs moved sluggishly, and not until mile two did they recover. But I finished, and I learned from the experience. I looked around at the other triathletes, a mix of seasoned veterans on tri-bikes and other newbies with heavier bikes than my old roadie, and felt somewhere in the middle. Even a sprint triathlon at that point felt like the hardest event I’d ever attempted.
In 2012 I finished four triathlons, including two open water events, one of those an Olympic distance effort. I haven’t “geared up” as much as a serious triathletes, but my prime goal remains just finishing. Any secondary goals deal with improving, and that is good enough for me.
I’m strongly considering entering the Shiner half-marathon event. Long drive, but an unusual venue.
Tim Lebon’s London Eye (Toxic City, Book One), from Pyr.
This year I added more cycling into my exercise routine. In 2011 I finished my first triathlon, a short or “sprint” distance that included a 10 mile bike ride. Prior to the triathlon I barely trained on my bike, and it showed. Prior to around 10 years ago I rode fairly often around Austin on my road bike, but I quit to focus on other things. Since I resumed running in 2009 and pushed that from casual 2-3 miles twice a week to at times 50+ miles a week, with a race here and there, and to date three marathons, I figured that incorporating cycling as cross-training might benefit my running. Adding triathlons then seemed a way to motivate me to stay on the bike, and also add swimming as another form of exercise.
I even bought a new road bike, to replace the one that I faithfully rode for 10 years, upgrading to a Cannondale CAAD10. While not carbon fiber, this bike takes off like a rocket when you apply any power, at least on flats and downhills. I find that my leg muscles that were so finely adjusted to running aren’t necessarily to my advantage when I climb hills. Still, I’ve working on increasing my mileage, going from 20 mile bike rides to 50+, then 75+, then a couple of a weeks ago 103 miles in one day, followed by 58 the next.
This marathon bike ride took place in an event called MS150, one of several such in Texas. This event, from San Antonio to New Braunfels and back over a weekend, aims to raise funds to find a cure for multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease. I rode as part of a group, though during the ride the group fractured due to different cycling levels, like many of the other groups in the ride. The first day gave the riders a choice of 70 or 100 miles, also called a century in cycling lingo. I’ve wanted for many years to finish a century, but never thought it possible. Due to a wrong turn on my part while riding alone, I ended up riding three extra miles. In retrospect, I’m not 100% it counts as a century, as the trip contained many rest stops, including one for lunch, and we took advantage of every single stop. The ride for the most part appeared relaxed, despite spending more than six hours in the saddle. The pain emerged around mile 80, when trying to catch up my group after my wrong turn, and then dealing with fatigue, anger, and hills the final 10 miles. I don’t think a shower ever felt as good as that night, after finally getting to the hotel from the finish line.
The next day I expected to be sore and tired, but we took off from New Braunfels early Sunday morning after a rain delay, and the first five miles zipped along. I passed several cyclists; it was not a race, but I had told the family I would be home by a certain time, and having started two hours after schedule, I had to make up for lost time. Then the hills arrived, and the headwinds, and my pace slowed to a crawl. Rather than skipping the rest stops this time as planned, I staggered into each one, drained by the constant wind and the endless small climbs. Not until the wind turned and the roads flattened the last few miles did I managed to return to my planned pace. Still, having covered the distance of a half-Ironman and more in a couple of days, I think I am ready to ramp up my triathlon training in 2013 and aim for a half-Ironman. The mental barrier is gone, and now I just need to combine all three events in one day, which no doubt is easier said than done.
I’ve just acquired two books by James P. Blaylock: Zeuglodon and The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs. A few weeks ago I re-read The Digging Leviathan just to get in the right mood.
Just started reading Brian Francis Slattery’s new novel Lost Everything. A couple of chapters in and it reads like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, but on a river.
