A Two-Stop Ride

The Danskin bike course may be only 12 miles long, but there are several hills that eat my lunch. Little Tard, with the stop sign, the sudden right turn, and the short steep climb, always defeats me early in the season. Big Tard, with the long, slow, steady climb late in the course, seldom bothers me, but it did today. For both, I had to get off and push my bike and myself up the hill. I wasn’t the only one walking up LT, but I was the only one I saw on BT.

These dismounts are additional evidence that I need to train all year, as if I didn’t already know. I think that one of the reasons come-backs are so hard is that you have to eat the ashes of your cremated former glory, using the "glory" loosely. And yet, come-backs are easier than starting from scratch. Not only do you have greater knowledge of your sport and yourself, but also your starting fitness level is a little bit better and returns a little bit faster. Let’s just hope I can get everything back and then some!

If I had started athletics as early in life as my 13-year-old grandson, I’d be either a fine athlete by now or else all washed up with injuries. He did his first ever triathlon today and finished in the top half of his age group. The kids swam 100 meters, biked 8K and ran 4K. He finished in 36:41, which sounds lightning fast to me. He’s the seventh family member to take up triathlons. I’m afraid I started the whole thing and roped my daughter and granddaughter into doing the Danskin with me. My son and his girlfriend did Couples last summer, and my brother in Seattle did two triathlons last summer and plans to complete three this year. I’m glad not everyone is crazy enough to do seven in a season, as I did in 2008.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and I can really use the break. I won’t even teach senior aerobics because a health fair will occupy the room we use. I’ll just staff a booth for part of the day and will try to interest seniors in becoming more active. That’s a very hard sell. I feel extremely lucky to have made the change from couch potato to active person.

Training log: About 12 miles of cycling on the Danskin course.
Motivation log: Today I used others to motivate myself for a bike ride. Several teammates posted that they would be out at Decker Lake by 7:30 a.m., so I said I’d be there too. I also gained motivation from my grandson, who did his first triathlon today. I’m very proud of him.