Reality check

 

When reality strikes, all we can do is adjust. We can’t ignore it and we certainly cannot change it. Trying to change reality is another definition of insanity. Case in point: I had a great swim on Thursday. Killed it. I got into a nice zone and before I knew it, I had swam (swum?) 4000 yards, my longest swim ever, and 100 yards more than I will have to in a full ironman. This was obviously a nice boost to the self-confidence. The next day, I had a 1 hr 45 min run scheduled. I figured to tear that one up too. I left the house a little later than usual and it wasn’t long before everything fell apart. The heat and humidity were such that at 3 miles, I crashed big time, and from that point I was relegated to jogging a little, walking a lot, repeat, for the remainder of the session. It was a rude reminder not to get cocky and of the importance of adjusting to the reality of the circumstances. I wanted to just go home and throw in the towel for the day but instead I figured that I needed to stay out there, if for no other reason to work on acclimating to the heat and humidity. I decided that 1 hr 45 minutes of walking and running was better than not being out there at all.

We are so used to our climate controlled indoor environments that a couple of generations behind me have forgotten, or never known, that air conditioning was once the exception, not the universal rule. We think air conditioned comfort is reality when, in fact, most of the people in this world will never know an air conditioned day in their lives. I was 7 or 8 years old before my Dad bought our first window unit air conditioner, which he installed in the living room. The rest of the house remained “au naturel”, so for a number of years more, my only relief from the Florida summers was open jalousie windows and a small oscillating fan in my room. None of my aunts or uncles in Brazil, where I spent 3 months of each year, during summer vacation, had air conditioning either.

We have become so conditioned to having our environment perfectly temperature controlled that we lost the ability to actually live in our natural world. People seem to sprint from one air conditioned environment to another. This is a shame, not to mention one big cause of our energy consumption and a big chunk out of the average family budget. Regardless, I don’t see us going back any time soon. You’d think a country that can put a man on the moon, and seriously talks of sending some to Mars, could figure out a way to build reasonable cost houses that do not require constant air conditioning in the tropics.

Needless to say, my confidence heading out for 4 hr 30 min bike ride was at low ebb but I was pleasantly surprised that I managed the ride with a decent average speed of 15.6 mph. On the other hand, when I finished, I could not have imagined heading out immediately to run a marathon. What have I gotten myself into?

 Florida Ironman Training Log-

Most of my observations are noted above. Each week has its triumphs and failures. I think, at least I hope, I am seeing small but steady improvements. Swimming 4000 yards was a big milestone. I spent the evening checking out the Florida Ironman website for information and was pleased to confirm that the weather is generally moderate, the bike and run courses are  flat, and, best of all, they stock GU gel, which I am training with, at  all the water stops. Every week is a mental exercise in staying focused, motivated, and positive. I am reading a book, Iron War, about the historic Hawaii Ironman in which Dave Scott and Mark Allen went head to head for the entire race. I know who won but I won’t give it away here for any readers. The book chronicles the background and training of each of them in exhaustive detail. All I can think is, “who are these people who will subject themselves to such mind numbing years of training, pain, and effort to win a race?”. It make for compelling reading. My boundless admiration goes out to them.

 Week’s Summary-

Mon. 8/5- Swim, 2450 yds @ 2:17 min/100 yds, total time 1:08:09 hrs

                    Bike, 7.83 mi @ 14.4 mph, total time 32:39 min (spinning on trainer w intervals)
Tue. 8/6- Swim, 1075 @ 2:30 min/100 yds, total time 40:07 min (Masters swim at NTC)
                 Strength training, 1 hour
Wed. 8/7- Run, 3.49 mi @ 8:53 min/mi, total time 31 min (with speed intervals)
Thu. 8/8- Swim, 4000 yds @ 2:20 min/100 yds, total time 1:33:19 hrs
Fri. 8/9- Run, 8.63 mi @ 11:50 min/mi, total time 1:42:08 hrs
Sat. 8/10- Bike, 71.75 mi @ 15.6 mph, total time 4:35:59 hrs