The Return of the Mini-Cam

Well, my triathlon training is going well so far. I've been pretty good about swimming twice a week since early March. I was able to get out on the bike around the neighborhood for a 5.75 mile ride. Not bad considering I haven't been on a bike for years. I also am riding a mountain bike which was a Christmas present from my wife about 7 years ago. I hate to give it up but I also know I'm at a disadvantage using it for a tri. Not sure what I'm going to do.

One of the advantages of training for the tri is the cross-training its letting me do. My miles are suffering a bit but, having said that, I look forward more to getting out there and training again. I've been able to do 34 laps in the pool for a half hour. My goal is to do 16 freestyle laps without stopping, which is approximately the length of the swim portion of the race. So far, I'm up to about 8 laps of freestyle, 2 laps of breaststroke, and then back to 8 laps again, and on. After the half hour, I do 2 full-out laps of freestyle with 2 laps of breaststroke to cool down. I know it doesn't sound like much but it's a big step for me to where I was in early March.

Since I've done all this cross-training in the past few weeks, I was interested how I was going to do in the NewHope-Solebury Spirit Run 5k this past Sunday. It was a beautiful day. Temps were in the low 50s (F) and not too windy through the race.

I felt really good for the first two miles of the race. Actually, I was surprised I felt this good. I certainly felt better than I did in the Central Y 5k two weeks ago. But, the last mile has a few hills and I continue to struggle on hills. It is strange because I feel I'm back to my previous fitness level when I run on flat or downhill but, reality sets in when I run up hills (Patience, Joe, patience). (I also have to mention that in my non-competitive year, I did beat Chief and Eric in this race. Just mentioning it. Eric was injured so I give him credit for running the race at all.)

For this race, I decided to pull out the ol' mini-cam. I thought it was a good time to take some snaps along the way and show you parts of the course. There is a video, produced by TZ Sports, that shows the start and entry onto the track for the finish of the race. (I posted it on 'Last Race' on the right hand side of the blog.) If you look closely, you can see me crossing the start (look on the right hand side about halfway through the start. I'm tall with a yellow shirt) and coming onto the track (I'm the zombie-like runner, shuffling his feet. You could have caught me, Chief!). Hope you enjoy.

Because of my recent lack of miles, I'm having second thoughts on running the Broad Street race this year. I really haven't run more than 6 miles in any one training run. I haven't had time to put in that 8 and 10 mile run. I've been focusing so much more on the tri training and the 5ks that Broad Street has been more of an afterthought.

My company's deadline to enter as a team member is this Wednesday. Doesn't mean I can't sign up later (just not for free :-) ). So, I'm a bit on the fence about it right now.

Enjoy the pictures below. (The start of the race on the New Hope-Solebury High School property.)

(Going down Ferry Road into New Hope)

(Steve White ahead of me in the race. (But, not for long. :-) ).

(Making the turn from Ferry Road to Main Street in New Hope. The Delaware River is in the background.)

(Around the two mile mark on West Mechanic Street)

(The finish line in the background on the New Hope-Solebury High School track)