Run To Fifty

Everybody needs challenges if sometimes the challenge is simply waking up every morning. The challenge has to be a welcome one, something to answer or conquer. Without it, all days are passive, listless and without motivation. Without it, it's a waiting in line.

Recently a friend of mine accomplished an incredible thing; he completed an Iron Man competition in Australia: 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles bicycling, 26.2 miles run. Andrew had been talking about doing this for a year and set out in 2010 to fulfill this quest. Training in the mild temperature of the bay area for a race that would take place in the heat of an Australian summer; I had concerns that he might pass out or worse, be taken by a Great White Shark in the waters of Perth (happened to a diver two weeks prior). Predicting his time of completion (10.5 hrs), balancing that with the best case scenario (9.5 hour) and worst case (11.5), Andrew finished in just over 10 hours, better than his prediction and close to his best hopes. Just crazy and inspiring.

I can hit a baseball a bit, chase a ball down pretty well, have fairly good hand-eye coordination but these three events which involve strength, endurance and extensive training have always eluded me. Next year I turn 50 and I've been thinking, why not? I called my cousin who is a fitness nut with resources and he offered to let me run across the private hills and trails on his Marin property, as well as use his state of the art swimming facilities. I could also bike and run in the city. This week we drove up north with the goal to start training. My cousin first had me sit with his personal trainer and discuss and set realistic goals. Based on some preliminary trials, they came up with an astonishing time with just a year in training, they believed that I could achieve.

11.0. Nothing close to Andrew's time of course but just to see this time, written and presented by experts in the field was not only encouraging, but extra motivating. 11.0 hours. I hit the pool hard. 11.0. And with my time on the bike and run included, I might break 30 hours. Determining that I could swim 2.4 miles in 11.0 hours which would include an hour of emergency services at the 1.4 mark, plus a raft that i could lay on and rest 2 minutes every 1/10th of a mile before flopping back into the water would be my best guarantee to avoid drowning. Based on my preliminaries, my cousin's experts believe that I could complete an Iron Man with a years' dedication and training, in 30.5 hours (11 hours swim, 10 hours bike, 9.5 hours run). My best case scenario would be 30.25 and only a one week stay in the hospital.

The last part of an Iron Man is the grueling 26.2 mile run, coming as it does after the swim and bicycling. I know to have extra socks in case the run is wet to avoid blistering and practiced on the lush hills on my cousin's 50 acre property. I felt that my form was fluid and smooth and that in a short amount of time, I was in a comfortable stride. At this point of my training I did not concern myself with the pace of any of the other runners that may have been showing off.

















Until this year I had not been on a bicycle (other than stealing somebody's and riding it around the block) for over 20 years. And yet, riding through the city with Dexter has been one of this year's gifts. Our endurance has improved and sometimes our infrequent rides approach a level of joy that I will always treasure. Riding in the city streets prepares one for the unpredictable; car doors, vehicles cutting toward you, people wandering into bike lines, obstacles. 112 miles seems to be about as many miles as I've ridden, total in my life. But dedicating myself I can easily see me reaching 150 miles (total). The bike felt like an extension of myself as if I was the bionic aluminum man on wheels- I recall seeing a blue image (perhaps an out of body vision of myself speeding by in a racing blur) but don't remember much after.










I'm looking fifty in the eye, not avoiding it but running to the landmark. I'm going to give 'em the biggest hug I can muster, mister.











state of the art swimming facilities, Marin 12/2010


ironw00t.com
sarahsinseattle.wordpress.com
schwarzrules.com
photos by Dexter and Maria. Supreme runner is Oliver. This Iron Man is obvious.