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aztimm's training blog

Thursday 05022013, splash + dash (and a ride)

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USMS Memberaztimm
, May 3rd, 2013 at 01:27 AM (139 Views)
went out for a nice little spin this morning before work:
AM Spin to Ahwatukee 46.78 mi 02:40 17.5mph pace

Started out with some really great weather, 70F and sunny...that lasted about an hour, and then the wind really kicked in. Wind was mostly from the north, and it seemed to hit just as I took my northerly route from Maricopa/QC roads up to Ahwatukee. Saw a few others out riding, even over here in Chandler (well I took Pecos out to Dobson, maybe that's why).
http://app.strava.com/activities/51940672



then I headed up to Tempe Town Lake this afternoon for the Splash & Dash...
took this photo after I got checked in and got my stuff all ready:


it really was a beautiful day... lake temp was 75F, air temp was about 92F when we started (much better than Monday when the temp climbed to 102). low humidity, a bit of a breeze still (but breeze is good for running). I can't really complain much at all with conditions.

here's my write-up for the Splash:
Water temp was 75 and it felt fantastic to get in. My first o/w of the year, and I realized how much I missed it. Was 2 loops of a rectangular course, and I really wish I could have done another (and skipped the run). After the initial fray, I got behind a guy, tried to pass him, and he resisted, so I just drafted off of him for well over half of this. On the 2nd lap I somehow lost him. Was #9 overall for the swim, among those who did the 1500m swim and 5k run.

and here's my write-up for the Dash:
After getting out of the water, someone asked, "are you swim only," and I almost said yes. Took almost 2 min to transition, but oh well, I wasn't out to win the thing. That said, I didn't feel horrible... A friend of mine was doing this, I figured I'd be ahead on the swim, he'd pass me on the run, and I held him off until the halfway point Not a bad run, considering I've only run twice before this in the last 3 months, and both of those were this week (something to work on before the next race).
http://app.strava.com/activities/52036644

it was a decent swim, I know I could be better, but I certainly didn't kill myself. with the sun setting, we did have some major sighting problems when we swam to the west (Town Lake is pretty much on an east-west orientation). this existed a little toward the end of the run, but the sun was lower then and not quite as bad.

yea that run.... evidently I haven't quite lost everything yet, but in order to run decently I need to run. in the last 3 months, this was my 3rd run, with the others this past Mon and Wed. I'm not saying I need to train for marathons again (nor will I), but a 3-5 mile run 1-2x a week wouldn't hurt.


there's another of these in 2 weeks. I haven't yet registered, but I probably will. yea they're kinda addicting. and I promise to run somewhat more between now and then.

and there's the Canyon Lake o/w swim on 5/11, with options of 1500/3000/4500m. of course if I do it (I'm leaning toward it), I'd go for the 4500



so I just realized, this is the first time in several years when I've swum, biked, and run, all on the same day. just not in that order.

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Updated May 3rd, 2013 at 01:33 AM by aztimm

Categories
Swim Workouts , Running , Cycling

Comments

  1. jaadams1's Avatar
    Congrats on a great event, and glad you had fun with it. Had I done the event, it would've been my first run in about...oh...probably at least 15 years or so.
  2. ekw's Avatar
    That sounds fun. I might actually do a race like this. I just can't get into cycling - I'm terrified all the time unless I'm on a bike path. There were paths in MA but not here in AL. I have a road bike but it just sits in my hallway (I don't have a garage).
  3. aztimm's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jaadams1
    Congrats on a great event, and glad you had fun with it. Had I done the event, it would've been my first run in about...oh...probably at least 15 years or so.
    hahah, Thanks James!

    I think if you had done the swim, you probably would have been one of the first. One guy finished his swim in 20:52. Full results are here:
    http://www.4peaksracing.com/results/...ash-n-dash.htm

    I was really surprised how high I ranked...especially just doing it for fun
  4. aztimm's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ekw
    That sounds fun. I might actually do a race like this. I just can't get into cycling - I'm terrified all the time unless I'm on a bike path. There were paths in MA but not here in AL. I have a road bike but it just sits in my hallway (I don't have a garage).
    I avoided these races for a long time, for some reason. Then a guy I was running with (who is also a really fast swimmer, but doesn't do meets) talked me into doing one, and I really enjoyed it. Yea, about 200m into the swim, just as the initial fray was breaking up I was thinking, "what the heck did I get myself into?" But within 5 min after I finished the run I was psyched for the next.

    Thankfully, at least where I live here, we have a great system of dedicated bike lanes on most roads. When I first started a few years ago I did have that fear of riding so close to cars (and I had a nasty spill while I was triathlon training in the late 1990s). But after a few weeks you mostly get used to it. I'll still go out of my way a few miles to ride on roads with bike lanes -v- just taking the most direct route.
  5. ekw's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by aztimm
    I avoided these races for a long time, for some reason. Then a guy I was running with (who is also a really fast swimmer, but doesn't do meets) talked me into doing one, and I really enjoyed it. Yea, about 200m into the swim, just as the initial fray was breaking up I was thinking, "what the heck did I get myself into?" But within 5 min after I finished the run I was psyched for the next.

    Thankfully, at least where I live here, we have a great system of dedicated bike lanes on most roads. When I first started a few years ago I did have that fear of riding so close to cars (and I had a nasty spill while I was triathlon training in the late 1990s). But after a few weeks you mostly get used to it. I'll still go out of my way a few miles to ride on roads with bike lanes -v- just taking the most direct route.
    I don't really like running, but races are fun - I like the atmosphere of it.

    When I was 6 or 7-ish, my godmother had a terrible bike accident (no helmet) - she fractured her skull, was technically dead for a bit, etc. She recovered from it amazingly well but has definite impairments. The part of her brain that handles tact is pretty much gone which can be an adventure. I had just gotten a new bike when this happened and my parents went out and bought me a helmet that I had to wear from then on. As this was the 80s practically no other kid wore one and it made me a teasing magnet, plus I was already skittish about the bike.

    I got over it later and enjoyed some mountain biking and bike path riding, but anything that involves cars still terrifies me. My younger brother has also had two bad bike accidents, one involving a car and one not, but fortunately he's recovered fully and hasn't aquired any bike fear from it.

    I think there is one street in Mobile that has a dedicated bike lane and it goes for one block. They very briefly had a bike sharing program on campus (it was poorly implemented and almost all the bikes got stolen) so they added bike lanes, but that's not a very large area. There are a few cycling groups in town that are trying to get more lanes opened, etc., and I've thought about going riding with them but their events seem to be either long road bike rides not designed for beginners or leisure rides to playgrounds with their kids. Oh well. I like swimming!
  6. jaadams1's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by aztimm
    hahah, Thanks James!

    I think if you had done the swim, you probably would have been one of the first. One guy finished his swim in 20:52. Full results are here:
    http://www.4peaksracing.com/results/...ash-n-dash.htm

    I was really surprised how high I ranked...especially just doing it for fun
    I think I would've been #1 out of the water, and then fell down the list quickly during the run portion of the race. While I could hobble my way through it, I'd still be going backwards quickly.
  7. aztimm's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jaadams1
    I think I would've been #1 out of the water, and then fell down the list quickly during the run portion of the race. While I could hobble my way through it, I'd still be going backwards quickly.
    haha, I think Patrick posted something about that happening to him. he was using the treadmill for a while, and I thought I might see him there.
    there was the option to swim-only, but that's no fun
  8. jaadams1's Avatar
    For something that short overall, I'd do the whole thing. If the swim was a 2-3 miler or longer, then swim only. I'm not going to try to run after that!