I know I know.
Today I was supposed to publish my Liberty Island race report.
Tomorrow. I promise.
Today was instead spent in Philly.
Beautiful day to be out.
I mean, if it helps, I am wearing the shirt we got at the swim.
So while I could have been typing up a nice long post, I was playing Dad all day.
Normal Dad things like comforting your son while urban wildlife look on.
We learned a lesson in that picture.
When you ask your kiddo, "Want to bring your sunglasses?" and he says, "No."
We learned that you should bring the sunglasses anyway.
Lest he be blinded by sun glare.
On the unstrong side of things, I'm having a little bit of exercise-induced asthma. Or at least, restricted airway.
That hasn't happened since I first started seriously running back in 20 aught 4.
My IT Bands are also really sore from the Philly Tri.
I've been sticking them, but just barely keeping them in check.
So that's the deal.
Maybe I'll have a tad more time to bloggify tomorrow.
If not, I'll just produce the compressed report and go about life.
My dozen faithful blog readers probably don't care one way or another.
End the day with lullabies.
After citying all day, the kids were exhausted, so bedtime was succinct.
Classic Tuesday night song
To which Goodles replied with his final sleepy thoughts, "Why do you always sing the same songs?"
Because you kids don't seem to respond well to new lullabies.
The kids and I loved reading that book.
It's the type of baby book I can slip in every now and then because we like to entertain independent reading.
This is one of my favorite training times of the year.
But, I'll fess up. (I'm also not sure that "fess" is a word.)
No, I confess that I have so many favorite days and times of year that the whole concept is diluted.
So the current favorite of the day of the week of the year:
No more triathlon training.
Just ultramarathon training.
Whew.
What a relief.
Burden off my shoulders.
Plus.
And what Juneathoner wouldn't enjoy this?
Sleep.
One of my guardian angels asked me to sleep more.
Here you have it.
I'm trying to average 8 hours of sleep per day, at least for a straight week.
And if that means I have to take a nap, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to commit.
A hard 5 miler effort on tired legs of a tired body with a tired mind.
But, I pushed through it, with all the effort I had.
Gotta go Stick my legs now, then off to bed.
Tomorrow is another Libertastic day in the life, so I should have some pretty pictures and an overdue race report.
For now, two fresh lullabies, proven successes by my two sleeping kids.
New Eminem Video
I do intend to raise well-adjusted kids.
They only get a few edited/polished lines from the song plus the chorus and they sure as hell aren't watching that video.
Tonight's other song is just chill.
I was reading KRS-One lyrics earlier and this song seemed fitting.
KRS-One is a rapper, his name means Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone.
Wow, 3 days of Juneathon left.
I'll have to figure out how to celebrate.
Wrapped it up with my 6th time racing the Philly Tri Olympic distance.
.9mi swim, 24.8mi bike, 6.2mi run. In that order.
You can see the first two legs of the race from my eyes here (apologies if you're prone to motion sickness):
This year was so easy.
Slept in (relatively) due to the assigned bike locations in the transition area, which is where you secure your bike and running gear for those parts of the race.
Years past, you had to wake up and arrive early to secure a good bike location near the runway through the transition area.
Took our time getting to the race.
Arrived and heard an immediate announcement: "Water temperature is 78.5 degrees. Wetsuits are not permitted."
Great for me. I don't wear a wetsuit. I still think they are cheating.
Kissed my wife goodbye and took a bus to the swim start.
Waited around for an hour.
Brought a drop bag with some food and toilet paper.
Had another racer approach me and she asked, "I'm sorry. Can you spare a square?" I could.
Lined up for the start with the other red caps.
Jumped in the water. Assessed a minimal current assist in the Schuylkill River.
The horn sounded and we were off.
It was crowded and I think triathletes like to hit you for fun. I know I do.
As I mentioned, my age group was wearing red caps. The previous wave had on green caps.
I swam a straight course to the final buoy. Two strokes per breath.
It went by fast.
It wasn't long before we caught the green caps.
In fact, I exited the water in a sea of green caps. I didn't see any red.
I had a very good swim.
Not my best. 3 minutes slower than my best.
But that "Year of My Best Swim" featured a thunderstorm the night before the race and a resultant wicked current.
To the transition area. I struggled to put socks on my wet feet.
I used my favorite, thin running socks. Should've used my favorite triathlon socks.
Pulled on my bike jersey, helmet, and off I went out of transition. Running with my bike.
Hit the road for the bike and my legs felt great.
My bike felt great.
2 loop bike course.
First loop, there was little traffic.
I got passed by what seemed like everyone I passed in the swim.
Lost a water bottle due to a Bump on the same hill I lost a water bottle last year. My bad.
Second loop, it was crowded with many more riders on the course. Riders on the course.
Took 2 new water bottles from the water bottle exchange station. You grab water bottles from the volunteers on the fly.
I will add here that I failed to pass a 68 year old racer on this loop. He better have won his age group.
To the run. My Juneathon Day 26 run.
Dropped off my bike and ran through the grassy beginning of the run course.
I felt great, handheld water bottle in hand. Full of PowerAde Zero
Stepped on the pavement and my run nosedived.
Lower left leg completely cramped. Hamstring, calf, tibialis anterior, and nearly my foot.
Uncool.
Took 2 miles to shake that out.
Oh, but a glorious 2 miles. In the shade. Thanks to the run course modifications this year.
The first half of the run, 3.1 miles, felt so good despite the early adversity.
Here I am, drafting.
The second half of the run was outstanding.
I kept a 44 year old woman (our ages are Sharpied onto the back of our right calf) in sight for most of the run, as she had a good pace. She beat me, but.
But I had a strong final mile, and a strong finish.
I did not get a Personal Record (PR) this time around.
A few minutes slower than my PR from 2009.
And the difference was my run.
Because of those legs cramps, I ended up with a great swim, a nearly great bike (didn't break 20MPH pace like I expected) but a run that was 1min/mile slower than I needed.
Normally here, I'd say, "Next time."
I'm not sure there will be a Next Philly Tri.
I love the course. It is a first class race. Very well organized and orchestrated.
However, it is big. And the athletes and their equipment bring more to the table than I ever will.
It may be time to move on.
I'll make that decision in a few days.
For now, this weekend of 3 races (including the Kids Fun Run yesterday) went exactly how I hoped.
The kids and I woke from our coma this morning with a busy little day ahead of us.
With a busy little day behind us.
Since we were out until nearly midnight, I carefully OK'd the plans with them, but when the plans involve the Philly Tri Kids Fun Run, all you get is an emphatic, "Yes!"
Off we went.
Hit the Philly Tri expo.
I don't do expos.
Signed the kids up for the Fun Run.
Made some cheerleader signs.
Did the packet pickup. Got my free t-shirt.
Then we had time to kill so we hit the Please Touch Museum.
I limited the kids to just a few exhibits. Difficult.
I promised we'd go back, briefly, after the run.
First there was a kids duathlon (children ages 7 and up) in progress as we walked over to the race course.
It cleared out and the young kids were lined up in age groups for their respective dashes.
I set up as cheerleader.
They both had a great race, collected their finisher medals, a soft pretzel and water.
We walked back over to the Please Touch Museum and played some more.
Then we were off quickly to fulfill the remainder of the day's family obligations.
No lullabies tonight. The kids are staying at my in-laws.
Which means they won't be at the race tomorrow.
Guess how I feel about that?
HoneyBunny and I just sang a little song to cheer her up as she said goodbye.
You can choreograph that song pretty well.
Pretend to drop your kid half a dozen times.
Always generates a smile.
But, you're not interested in today's lullaby.
And, you still probably don't care to hear about the Liberty Island Swim.
Like how we got into the water and what the starting line looked like.
This evening, I got my gear together for tomorrow's triathlon.
Properly inflated my bike tires and took it for a spin around the block.
Stowed the bike in our truck and then hit the road for a nice 1 mile run.
During that run, I told my legs how fast I need them to run tomorrow.
And asked them to hold it for 10K.
Since today is technically tomorrow now, I'll talk briefly about the Philly Tri Olympic distance race this Sunday.
They made a few awesome changes:
Race starts 30 minutes earlier than usual
Thus the transition area, where you store your bike and anything you need for the run, is open 30 minutes earlier - 4:30AM
The bike racks are labeled with your race number in an assigned location
In the past, the early bird got the worm
So, we'd be driving to the race at like 3:30 or 4AM just so I could get a good position for my bike. Ya know, to save me like 4 seconds in the race.
The run course has been modified to keep us in the shade more. Last year in particular got way to hot and at least 3 miles of the run had you baking in the sun while running on the pavement
These changes should allow a participate to wake up Later than usual, be less stressed, and stay cool during the concluding Run leg of the race. Thank you Philly Tri team.
I made one further suggestion that we'll see about.
I asked that they put a port-a-potty mid-way in the run course.
That way we can hydrate sufficiently and have a place to relieve ourselves, short of a tree.
I usually drink too little just so I don't need that public potty break.
As today's title suggests, Juneathon Day 24 was Perfect.
And sure. I swam the best course in America.
And it went great.
Even if Goodles had trouble focusing and framing the camera.
But you don't care about that.
You want to know about the Juneathon running.
So here it is.
I woke up early, ran 1 mile in the light ran, showered and went about my day.
On to Juneathon Day 25, hoping to roll into a Perfect weekend.
Hi. How was your day? Looking forward to the weekend?
Um.
Oh. OK. Juneathon Day 23. Finally some decent post-informal-marathon mileage.
Ran 5 miles to dinner. Arrived a sweaty heap.
My wife brought along a towel and change of shirt. Fellow dinner patrons must have been glad we were segregated into a private room. Seeing me shirtless for a spell in the parking lot, trying to sop up the unrelenting perspiration.
Wings were on special at dinner tonight. I only ate 4. Had a salad instead. Because there's a race tomorrow. And I fear it is gonna be tough.
This is my first Open Water Swim (as opposed to Triathlons with a swim leg). I picked a doozy. For the circular course. Not for the distance. Point Seven miles should be cake. Tonight, I was reading the kids a book about the Statue of Liberty that we bought at the Statue of Liberty. It had an illustration of the island. I'm gonna swim around that? :-)
I am not nervous. Yet. By race time, I will be. But then, I'll get kicked in the face a few times, reciprocate, and life will be great.
Back to the title: I'm Not Running at 2AM
Did you read about my inaugural Father's Day Disjointed Marathon? I was supposed to run up to 40 miles that day, and leave the house at 2AM to do so.
But I stayed in bed a little longer because:
Running at 2AM along major roads might be dangerous. Bars let out at 2AM. Drunk drivers and such.
I had no specific reason to think along those lines.
But I left the house at 3:15AM anyway, thinking at that point the drunks had plenty of time to get home.
And since I'm typing this, I probably didn't get hit by a drunk driver.
A generally nice guy as attested by friends and family, he decides to be an asshole, get drunk, drive 130+ miles per hour and wipe out, destroying his car, his life, and his friend's life.
Let me tell you right now.
Running at night, and I've said it several times, I feel quite safe because drivers can see you from so far away.
You can see drivers from very far away. At least half a mile away.
Thus you both have time to position yourself to accommodate the other's presence.
This post will be short and semi-sweet
Because I am tired and semi-asleep
Started the day with a swim.
Mostly freestyle.
Honestly, my primary reason for being at the pool was to talk with a girl at the gym who promised she'd bring in a 25% off Saucony coupon. My ProGrid Ride 3's are starting to hurt my feet.
Good, we swam next to each other and the coupon was received. It is actually 15% off but I'll see how far it will go for me.
We were the only two swimmers in the pool. Normally there are 6.
Turns out there were thunderstorms last night during my 4 intense hours of sleep.
Everyone figured the pool would be closed due to lightning.
It is an indoor pool, but that's an electrocution precaution.
Like my mom didn't let us take baths/showers during thunderstorms. That's normal, right?
I don't think I enforce that rule with my kids.
After work, I was expecting to change the oil in my car, then hit a casual bike and a short run.
Oh, but instead we went to a local carnival (we were supposed to go tomorrow).
Backup. Before the carnival, I took the kids to a local restaurant to fulfill today's promotion:
Bring your kid dressed up to satisfy their "Under the Sea" theme and they get a free meal.
Awesome.
Honeybunny was Ariel of The Little Mermaid.
Goodles does not have an "Under the Sea" costume. He was gonna wear HoneyBunny's standby Ariel dress.
But then he said people would think he is weird.
Where did that come from? We care what other people think?
After a little bit of moping, we had a resolution.
His Finding Nemo costume. From when he was about 2 years old.
He squeezed in and we rolled up to dinner. I've never seen him happier.
So how did the carnival affect my Juneathon?
Well, we were out the door 20 minutes after I got home and we stayed at the carnival until 10PM.
That left only 2 hours to find some Juneathoning.
But my wife also had to babysit, predicting until 11:30PM.
I almost just went to bed and called Juneathon quits. Believe that?
My wife popped in the door just as I finished bedtime stories.
I got to run out for yet another quick Mile. Juneathon Day 22. Done.
Here's your lullabies of the day.
Ben Folds - You Don't Know Me
HoneyBunny started singing along to this song at age 3. She quickly decided we would make it a duet.
She still gets mad when I sing the Regina Spektor parts by accident.
And yes, I do obfuscate the F-bomb every single time we listen to it.
Lovely song. Weird, weird video.
Oasis - Champagne Supernova
One of my favorite memories is walking in the door from work one afternoon a few years ago.
Unprompted, HoneyBunny is just in the middle of the chorus. I was so proud.
There's a better version of the video on YouTube but they don't allow embedding.
So Juneathon almost wasn't, but it was.
With 2 races this weekend, I'm taking it easy again tomorrow.
And getting a good night's rest tonight.
