Running with the Pack Podcast

This week, we cover a ton of topics including Stevie’s vacation plans, my bike update, body image, what to do when you’re injured (cross train and do a triathlon obviously), mud/adventure runs, margarita cliff blocks, gluten free life, Facebook mania, and more.

Stevie and I talk about the Happy Valley Sprint Triathlon that I did on Saturday and the Firecracker 4K race that we ran on Sunday plus some upcoming events. Stevie also updates us on her progress through the Insanity Workout.

This week, we have a lot of short topics (summer running, fun races, endorphins, etc…) and then finish with a race report about the Black Bear Triathlon, which was my first Olympic-distance triathlon and my first open-water swim. Before the show, Stevie asked me how the Black Bear Triathlon went.

The short version:

Cold. Frightening. Wet. Intimidating. Demoralizing. Painful.
Exhilarating. Amazing. Euphoric. Challenging. Enlightening.

—–

The longish version:

The water was incredibly cold compared to what I was used to. I went in for a practice swim and nearly quit because of the water temperature. It triggered a strong panicky feeling, but Andrew made me go through with it. I’m glad he did. I had never done open water swimming before, so that was all new too. I had to contend with other swimmers and staying on course. I also got a friction sore on my neck from the wetsuit. I felt a little dizzy after getting out of the water, so I took my time in the transition area, ate a gel, said hi to Andrew, and then ran my bike to the mount area.

It was raining while I was doing the bike course, so the roads were wet. I was obviously on one of the lowest-end bikes there and got passed by a ton of people. I saw some people with flat tires and a couple who wiped out – so I’m glad nothing like that happened to me. The race description said that the bike course was REALLY hilly and challenging. They weren’t kidding. I kinda suck on hills, even though I practice on a hilly route. It’s partially because my bike is cheap and heavy, partially because I have only been cycling for a year, and partially because the competition at this race was incredible – loads of people from Philadelphia and New York – many of whom have done Ironman events before. After one last killer hill, I made it into “T2″ (second transition) from the bike to the run. I saw Andrew again – racked the bike, took off my helmet, gloves, and glasses, and put on my running shoes.

The run was the easiest part. It was a nice flat two-loop course. I passed several people who had passed me on the bike portion. I had another gel and drank lots of water. I felt pretty strong. I had some pain in my back and a stitch in my side, but nothing unbearable. I finished the two loops and ran up to the finish line where they announced my name. The woman giving me my medal said “State College, Penn State, wooo!” which I thought was pretty cool.

After the race, I caught up with Andrew, grabbed some snacks, got my gear from the transition area, and headed back to the car. Once there, I switched out of my triathlon gear, used a couple of Action Wipes, put on clean clothes, and we headed home. We stopped at the Powerhouse restaurant on Route 80 on the way home and had some of the best eggplant parm that I’ve ever had.

I finished in about 3:11, which was 263 out of 364 people who started (so back of the pack). My goal time was 3:00, but all things considered, I’m very happy with how I did. I finished with a smile on my face. I learned a lot. I had a great time.

Stevie and I have both had car issues this week, which maked us think about the relationship between running and transportation. We also talk about my Nike Free 5.0 shoes, Week 4 of the Insanity Workout, and my upcoming triathlon.

Stevie and I are back after a short break. In this episode, we talk about my first swim in a wetsuit, adjusting the sound levels, Stevie’s new (used) bike, cycling shoes, Tia’s marathon, Justin – our youngest listener, triathlon-legal strokes, the need for a “marathon contract”, getting black toenails from Vibrams, the idea that everyone deserves to feel like a champion, and more. Yeah – lots and lots of topics this week!

I want to make special note of the section where we talk about needing a logo for this podcast. I’d like something that I can use to promote it through things like t-shirts, medals, coins, etc… See the 24-minute mark for some of our ideas.

In the podcast, I say that I’m using RunTracker, but the name of the app is actually RunKeeper.

This week, we talk about the trio of triathlons that I have signed up for, my attempts to learn to breathe bilaterally when swimming, the Penn State Dance Marathon, and other topics sent in from listeners.

I’ve been saying for a while that I want to do three triathlons this year. I took a good look at my travel schedule, picked these three, and completed the registration:

On May 23, I’ll be doing the Black Bear Triathlon. It will be my first open water race, first time in a wet suit, and my first Olympic distance triathlon (1500 meter swim, 24 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). In addition, the bike course looks pretty hilly. So this is definitely going to be a challenge for me. I picked it because the location looks very nice, the views are supposed to be amazing, and I wanted three races that would be spread out over the summer. The timing of this one will make sure that I start getting in shape early in the season. I don’t really care about my finishing time since this is my first race of this length.

On July 3, I’ll be doing the Happy Valley Sprint Triathlon. I did this race last year. It was my first (and to date, my only) triathlon. It’s fun, familiar, beginner-friendly, and very very local – only about 3 miles from my house. I had a blast last year. It may also be my best chance to recruit some additional people to participate or at least come out and watch.

I’ll wrap things up on August 29 with the Riverstock Triathlon – another Olympic distance event. It’s a little over an hour drive from my house. It should be a relatively small race (about 350 people). The swim is in a river and involves both downstream and upstream swimming, so that will be interesting. It looks like the bike course is easier than the Black Bear Triathlon, plus I’ll have more triathlon experience, so this is where I expect to set a reasonable PR time.

So that’s the plan. If anyone else lives in Pennsylvania and would like to try these races, I’d be happy to meet up with you. I prefer to do races with company.

Okay, I finally admit that I have a chemical addiction. I’m flying on an endorphin high and loving it. We also talk about the 2010 Winter Olympics, Stevie selecting new shoes, and listener mail about triathlons, staying motivated, and more.

Stevie and I talk about our first experience with our Vibram Five Fingers, barefoot running, Stevie’s attempt to work out in Vegas, my growing lust to do a triathlon, and the admission that we don’t really “love” running.