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Only thing which I have change in between is that I started to run.
Simple lessons.
On Tuesdays I have joined and kind of participated in organizing a local "November Project" a.k.a. Juoksuliike. We ran 40 minutes steady state run, 3x10min or 5x5min with varying pace. The best thing in these Workout Tuesday is that they are suitable faster and slower runners = for everybody. They are designed to enable runners with various pacing strategies to join and just run. Fast and slow runners start and finish at the same time and that has been pretty unique even for me who has been on the road soon almost 30 years. Every week 50-70 runners group up and run the streets. How awesome is that?
Then on weekends I've ran a steady state or faster if we have had a brick workout session with triathletes. And then I have tried to include one longer run in my weekly schedule. It is not that long, usually 13 miles. It is better than zero. Everything is.
This winter we have received the first snow already four times. First it snows, then it rains and in between there's freezing temperatures (sub 32F). Accordingly, the roads are almost always icy. Suck my balls -icy. I hardly recall that any winter would have been like this. Conditions like this are okay only if they occur during last weeks of March...
Running is now easier than last November. The progress since then has been pretty steady and enjoyable. I did a lactate threshold test in November and the results were worse than before but they were easy to accept. The five weeks before that test I barely ran or did any sports. I was recovering from an Ironman race.
Since November I been running around 45-50 miles per week, but altogether with swimming and riding the weekly hours pile up to 10-13. It is not much but in our family I'm not the only one who is training for the next summer. So, the current state of affairs is just awesome. Injuries are not a problem, I am not tired and the muscles are working fine. Only thing which sucks to some degree is that my faster running paces are miserable. They make me wanna cry like wolf. But I won't. It has been worse. For instance, just in December I celebrated 1oth anniversary of the 6 hours record of aqua jogging.
But choosing between aqua jogging and running (even at slow pace) is not difficult.
I have this ongoing battle between focusing on running or on triathlon. At this point I think that the battle is irrelevant and useless. But it is just my mind playing tricks on me.
Yesterday I ran the legendary NYE race in Lieto. I was 2 minutes slower than year ago. That's just brilliant. Not. But I haven't trained so much lately, I've been just running. I have an initial plan to run more and faster but that story is soooo old already.
I will update my version 2014 anytime soon. Now...
Your top sport 2015
Yesterday's swimming was pretty bad. Today this streak continued while running. Winning.
The fact is that I'm not going to be faster than I used to be. I accept that.
Another fact is that I am a rebel. I do not take facts as they are. I eat them as breakfast. This relates to my identity as a researcher, as an academic scholar. I like to see the opposite sides of things, to dig deep in them and follow the embedded mechanism in order to realize the world. This also means that over and over again I find myself powerless in front of the enormous space of new knowledge, a space that expands continuously.
But one fact that has pissed me off is the physiological aging which I just can't turn upside down. Being involved in different sports since 1984 I have lived my life through my body and mind. I have faced many ups and downs, just like anyone else. I have enjoyed the epic battle between the joy and disappointment. Thus, becoming more and more aware of that this engine will be slower and slower was devastating at first, but now I'm okay with it. It eases the life.
When we lived in the USA, I relived my youth. I was part of a group of runners who - each at their own level and motivation - ran workouts and long runs together. I realized that that was what missed to most. It is not the results, but the feeling of being part of a wolf pack. Running early morning workouts in a company of your kind made me realize that it was where it all started in the late 1980s. By that time I jumped from the loneliness of speed skating into running group fulfilled by guys with egos of a teenager and taste for bad music. We ran together through the teenage, on a mountain, on a swamp, in the woods, every where. For me this was particularly huge, since I regenerated myself from a shy person into an annoying loudmouth who I am nowadays.
Now, when I have an opportunity to join a huge group of local runners on Workout Tuesdays and Fridays, and Sunday's long runs, it is all about happiness. I feel so thankful for these chances even if I'm the old fart around young shiny diamonds. I no longer care that my current anaerobic threshold is soon at the same level with my aerobic threshold in 1997. Yes, this trend is something that I try to slow down, but there's only few things to do. The most important to me right now is to enjoy the journey and live to the fullest. And this is what I shall do.
So. I just run.
.... and do some triathlons here and there.
Ok. My experience with triathlon is done. I finished an Ironman in October and lost the motivation to do any sports for a month.
Last Sunday I flew back from my annual visit to the USA. During that trip, especially in Columbia MD, I got back the energy which I need to do any sports. Now I just want to run. It is so easy. Just tie up your shoes and go. I like swimming and biking but they are now mostly indoor sports. I want to live and be outside.
So I run. 1.5 weeks ago I raced at the Run Through the Grapevine XC race. It is tough as hell and now when I'm slightly out of shape, it was harder than before. But big fun! On Saturday I was able to join HCS crew in the legendary Bagel Run. Running with the running buddies from 2007-2009 is insanely motivating. Thank you!
Today I was able sneak in the Workout Tuesday and run 40 minutes steady state run with 55 other runners. Awesome!
Still working with the Summer of Triathlons 2014. Its final will be on next Sunday in Barcelona. Then I'll take some time off and return to running.
So.
I had this plan of Summer of triathlons 2014.
I got sick before the grande finale, IM Copenhagen. According to the original plan, I was supposed to get back to running after that. But now I have set another goal, IM Barcelona, which takes place in 5 weeks. This means more multi-sport exercises.
But running is not excluded. Last Spring we piloted novel group workouts on Tuesdays. They were a huge success and they gathered together 50-80 runners from different clubs and sports. Those workouts are now part of a nationwide Run Movement which originates in Porvoo.
Yesterday was the first Workout Tuesday (WOT). I ran 4x5min'2min + 5x1min'1min. Since the workout is planned so that everybody starts and finishes the interval at the same, it is total fun. On Saturday I have 2 hour run with accelerating pace followed by 2 hours bike. Dude!
WOWs were the usual deal back in the day but nowadays any 'typical' running workout has been a rarity. Simply because there is some much other things to take care of. But that's a different story.
Back to today's agenda. Due to the relatively harsh weather conditions we ran (A and I) the Ironman tempo run later in the evening. Temperature was lower but the humidity was 90% which sucked. Now it did not worry me since IM tempo run is not full steam workout, it is just long. It's mentally rewarding 85 minutes with a good company.
We ran the legendary 20 km out and back route from Raisio to Naantali at controlled pace. The outcome was a successful WOW. Average HR was 150 and the pace was just below 4:15/km (6:50 per mile). Now I'm waiting that the sleepiness would arrive soon. Taxicab will pick me up in 4.5 hours...
