It has already been 60 days since my first training for Ironman Canada. It all starts to come together so I feel like I am in the right trak. I still see the Ironman like a monumental task, but perhaps one that can be conquered. Many have done it. I used this many times during my military years specially when I was scared. I remember thinking that it would soon be over and that is what prompted most of us to finish our jobs and go home. This weekend's training was sort of special. It was special in a sense that I broke some boundaries and learned a few things. It was also a week end training that challenged me and I know it got me stronger.
We had our long run scheduled for saturday. I wanted to do it friday in order to have sunday off but that did not work out. So off I went on saturday. As always the group took off and left me behind soon after departure. I am still strugling with my heart rate so I was decided to not let it rise above what it should to let me keep running. I ran and ran until I was at my turn around point. Suprised....very!!! I turned back and as I did, I was getting more decided to not stopping until I had completed my 70 minute run. In the end at abour 65 minutes my back starting acting up and I had been fighting it for a while now. So I stopped and walked for about 2 minutes. I finally ran the rest of the way. I was very happy, in the end I had ran 5.22 miles. Given it was slow at about 14+ minutes per mile but it is still running. A far leap to where I was just a couple of weeks ago.
After running we had an open water swim programed. We went to the beach at the Condado Plaza where we swim regularly. But saturday was not a regular day. You could see the current flowing very strong and the ocean was, well lets just say less than friendly. Some decided they would stay close to the beach. Me well, I decided I would do the usual route and soon one other guy followed along. There is a small sand burm in the middle of the path and as I got to it I walked ankle high thru it. My partner saw me walking and he just took the other way which separated us about 50 meters from each other. Even before I went in the water I knew the current was bad. I had plan A,B,C, & D in case anything happened and I evaluated posible outcomes. In the end the worse that could happen was that I would let myself go under the bridge and into the lagoon where away from the current I would swim to shore. Right.........Wrong, in fact that plan was stupid for 2 reasons, # 1 the bridge is under construction and going below it by itself presents a risk not to mention that I had to measure it right so as not to hit the piling and ge stuck to it. The second part was that I had already ran for 5 miles, far more than I had never ran so I was tired as it was and if I made it to the other side of the bridge I would had about a 500 meter swim to the nearest beach minimum. Anyway out we went and as I kept on swiming I could feel the current. I was correcting about 1 complete side stroke for every two just to keep track in a semi straight line. Gathering from the distance to the wall that was a very serious correction. The current did not catch us as to where we could really judge it because we were swiming at probably a 25 degree angle down stream from it. So it was not terribly easy but the resistance was not head on. So as I swam I felt like it was going to be a tough workout but I would be fine. So we reach the wall, I cheked on my buddy and everything was OK, we knew it would be hard going back but no sense in criying about it we just took off. Now we are heading almost head on once we correct for travel. So as you can imagine it was not easy. As I have always said I have no fear of the water and feel confortable in it, but I also know when to recognize that I am in trouble. There is a crane at the bridge so it served as refrence to measure my progress. As I took a breath I could se the crane. 3 strokes and the crane is at the same place, 3 more strokes and the crane is at the same place, 3 more strokes but this time with some added power and the crane was still in the same place, so by know I go full force for another 3 strokes and the crane moves ever so slightly. I am still not facing my reality and I though I needed to make sure it was in fact not moving. At this point however I recognize I am in the middle of a very strong current and I have to keep moving constantly. To verify my fears I find a white sandy patch on the grassy ocean floor and I look at it while I take a few strokes. First three normal and then three strokes at full power. Guess what, the patch was still there. Ok I am officially in trouble. I is incredible how so many years after your training is son embeded in your brain that it just takes over. I assesed my situation and imediatly knew it was just a matter of patience and some hard work. From that point on I made it a point that every stroke had to count for progress away from that current. I continued to swim hard on the water resting on the way forward and keeping my breathing in control. If my breathing got out of control I would have had to float at the mercy of the current. As I did this I started making some progress untill I finally got a rythm going. At this point I was in survival mode tired but aware of what I had to do. I wathched my technique as best I could and increase my cadence as the current got stronger and slowed it down as it got weaker. By know I am cramping in various places in my legs. It was like loosing a cilinder. I was kiking pretty hard to maintain position as I slowed my cadence to keep my breathing in check. As I cramped I did not attempt to resolve it since it would mean backtracking so I just left that part of the leg unused and as a passenger. Thank fully my cramps were not stubburn cramps and easily gave in and I had use of the muscle again. It took me 12 minutes to swim 300 meters in that current as I was keeping my time, part of my plan. You keep your time so you can track your progress and if it is even worth the effort of what you are doing. Just one of thoose little things you never forget. By the way I could see my partner in fron so that is why I was so focused on my own set of problems, however I was checking on him periodically. He is a strong swimmer so I felt he was probably better than I was. Thru all of it I kept very calm, no problems. I was not in the best of situations but I wasn't drowning either and its not like I had no more options. i took and option and stuck with it and it worked. I was soon at the beach and relaxing in the water close to it. The other people were unaware of my litlle adventure but we all agreed that the conditions were not good for swiming in them. My situation was bad because of my run before the swim. i was tired and my legs had done the work out of their lives before my swim. In the end it was all OK.
Sunday we went for our long ride. I would call it uneventfull but in fact something really special happened. For months now I have been riding the Dorado route. When you get to the town center you can go in two directions. To the left or straight. To the left is where all cyclist go. It takes you around the city center on a relatively flat course and then on to the hotel road or to the short or long bike courses that are typical for cyclist depending on what they are doing that day. Straight ahead is the terrible hill. I call it that because it is avoided by all yet it stares at you all the time because you turn left right at its lowest pint. The hill as i learnes is about 400 meters and 11 degrees up. All cyclist go around all the time but for me everytime I passed around it was like something to one day beat. It kind of stares at you and to me it even laughs at you. it is like it says "go around you chicken shit or I will tear you apart". Sunday I felt good real good. The group had left me behind so the only way to catch up and even go ahead of them was to climb the hill. As I aproached the bridge right before the hill I wondered if I should even try it. As I approached I kind of imagine that hill just laughing at the fat guy kind of looking away saying "he won't even dare to try it". I mean it was a fantasy but the reality was that the hill was always there and I always went around it. Not sunday. I got a high gear and buid speed as I tackeled the problem head on. As I lost the speed I shifted to low gear, then lower, then lower, in seconds I was on my lowest gear and climbing steady. As I climed I smiled as I felt good going up and over the hill. I slowed my cadence afterwards but I was not terribly drained either. In the end I conquered the hill I climed it with flying colors and I am no longer afraid of it. Actually fron now on everytime I take that route I am climbimg that hill just as a reminder of who is king!!!!! Not bad for 60 days!!!!
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