I Thought I Was Going to Drown

The water temperature was somewhere in the 60's and I did not own a tri suit. The water was fricken' cold. 500 yards of icy, dark, fish pee filled lake water awaited me and I had my own skin to rely on for protection. I made sure to enter the lake well before the start to get acquainted. Inch by inch I lowered myself into the icy darkness, first my shins, then my knees and upper legs, all the way to the waist. I stood there for a minute, wondering whether I would eventually calibrate to the conditions or have to just suck it up and go numb, either was acceptable to me. When I finally submerged my upper body to the shoulders, and coincidentally all of my organs, it was like a vacuum sucking all of the air out of my lungs and a flash of numbness hit my brain. "What am I doing!?" I thought to myself.

I was surrounded by fit looking men in full body wetsuits seemingly unphased by the chilliness of the water and I was jealous of those bastards, laughing and carrying on in their aquatic blankets of buoyancy and delight. I quickly pushed it out of my head: "gotta race what ya' brought" (as my dad says). So, I began my warm-up swim, easy at first, and found breathing very difficult. I felt as if I could fill my lungs initially, but I couldn't blow the air out to make room for new, life sustaining, oxygen rich air! "What the hell is wrong with me?" I thought. "I feel like I've just chain smoked a pack of menthols or something." My lungs simply would not have it. It was like those many times at birthday parties when I tried to inflate impossibly tiny balloons. Only a little air would go in and the balloon would tighten but not inflate. Then, my cheeks would fill to max capacity, my face would flush, and just as I felt as if my head was going to burst,  I'd give in or the balloon would be spat out of my mouth across the table (probably to mom's disliking).  But, as I neared what might have been 100 yards I seemed to happen upon a sort of equilibrium. I breached the threshold and the balloon inflated; breathing felt close to normal and I wasn't so cold. I could take long, raspy but sufficient breaths on my turn and bellow out large plumes of wasted air in the murky water below me. Success! "This must be what they mean by a proper warm-up!", I remember thinking.

As we made our way to the starting point I felt cool and confident. It was the end of the season and I could lick this 500 pretty damn easily. I was in for a good race. When the bullhorn sounded I made a dash to get out ahead of the slower swimmers, then settled in.

 *Stroke, stroke, breeeeeathe, stroke stroke, breeeeeathe. Stroke, cite the buoy, breathe* 

All was well.

Then, after I turned at the first buoy and proceeded down the second leg, things took a turn. At about the 200 yard mark, as far away from shore and any boats as one could possibly be, my equilibrium fell apart. I could no longer expel wasted air, and could no longer take in air on my turns. The balloon went stiff again. I thought I was going to drown. I began to panic...

 I tried the backstroke, but quickly realized I had never backstroked in my life and I sucked in a bunch of lake water. I rolled back over and began to tread water, a sorry excuse for the doggy paddle, hacking up water and snot and whatever else was in my windpipe. A wet-suiter nailed me in the back on his way by and had the breath to utter, "...ugh, sorry!" "Seriously, I'm drowning and you can have a conversation while swimming!" I thought. My world was spinning. I couldn't tell which way was up and my mind was telling me, "Dude, you're going down. You gotta do something!"

Something... I spotted it. The rescue boat, with all of the lifegaurds, was looking at me. "You can drop out, Justin, no worries. Just wave 'em on over, you'll get it next time." I began to convince myself. "Should have just done the duathlon, dumbass!" I was still coughing profusely, feeling the darkness below me tug at my flailing ankles almost to say, "Give it up, come join us at the bottom. It's nicer than you think down here." I conceded (not to drowning, to the boat); I needed to drop out. I began to raise my arm to wave at them. Slowly, painfully, my elbow exited the water, my wrist was headed up above my head and... "NO!"

 "Calm down... just calm down, Roush. You haven't drowned yet. You can do this. Slow and easy, easy strokes, breathe deep every chance you get. Don't drop out, do not quit! Find the fuggin' buoy and let's do this." Like a button was pressed, my mind snapped back into life! My world stopped spinning and settled down, and just about 25 yards away from me sat a bobbing yellow buoy indicating the final turn and the last leg back to shore. Apparently I had actually made progress in my flailing and doggy paddling.

In an instant, I went horizontal, rolling heavily on my right side to breathe in all the air the world would offer. After each breath, I plunged my head back into the frigid deathtrap, screaming while I blew outward.

*Stroke, stroke, breeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeathe, bloooooooow, stroke stroke*

As my feet finally hit sand and I exited the water I had never felt so relieved in my life. I stumbled up to transition like a newborn deer, barely able to remain upright as I put on my shoes and helmet... delirious. It wasn't until I finished the race that I realized the gravity of my aquatic accomplishment. In an all consuming state of panic, with the immediate solution of dropping out, I was able to control my mind and finish the swim...

After the race, in the toasty warmth of my car, I looked out across the intimidating looking lake that I had just conquered, and I started to believe, "I am a triathlete."

*I will discuss this topic further in the next post, including my analysis of what went wrong and expert thoughts on open water swimming*

The Idiosyncrasy of Runners: Revisited

For those of you who read my previous post entitled "The Idiosyncrasy of Runners", check this out. These videos embody precisely what I was talking about. Such a breadth of motivation for runners; who can possibly judge their training, their race, their results? I'm glad I understand now. We are all different in our accomplishments, but we are united in that we accomplish. Go, run!

Call Me Sisyphus: Hill Training

Since my girlfriend Kim moved to Pittsburgh I've been spending a considerable amount of time in the old "Steel City", and this certainly has made training interesting. As my last post highlights, the topography is very hilly; hills+roller coaster=fun, hills+running/biking=cruel and unusual punishment. Trying to flatten out a course on mapmyrun.com (here's the best I could do) is a fruitless endeavor.  So far I feel like Sisyphus.

Who is Sisyphus?

Sisyphus, in Greek mythology (us runner-types love our Greeks), was a king punished by the gods for his deceitfulness by being forced to push a large boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down to the bottom... again and again... forever. And that's the feeling I get on these undulating runs. With no flat terrain for respite, I'm always climbing up, or laboring back down to get my boulder. <--(better click that one gang, you're life will be changed forever...)

Anyway, with joy (regret) I've decided to (was forced to) embrace it. Like any good student of the sport, I've researched some articles on hill running and have began creating workouts for myself. "Hill running is good for you!" they tell me. And I say, "Yeah, whatever hot shot, just give me the workout... don't walk in here, on your two legs, with your water, actin' all lean and muscly and try to tell me you like hills... that's stupid, and you're stupid." *blink... blink* Ahem, sorry 'bout that...

THE WORKOUTS:
Hill running is a lot like interval training in that you really can't keep running uphill forever, like you really can't run at (faster than) race pace forever. So, you break up the hills with rests or recovery. Here are 5 basic hill sessions that I found most interesting:

*Always warm up first*

1) Sprint Hill Intervals
This workout requires a full range of motion from your stride. Find a pretty steep yet short hill (about 50m) and sprint up it at about maximum effort, lifting your knees and driving off your toes to the top. Walk back down it of recovery and wait for approximately 2 minutes. Try to go for 10-12 reps.

2) Long Hill Intervals
Same as above except lengthen the hill to about (200m-400m), reduce the steepness and your intensity. You'll probably want to increase your recovery as well. Do about 8x200m with 2 minutes rest at the bottom. This workout is excellent for your running muscles. It burns through the fast twitch fibers and requires help from your slow twitch muscle fibers (the ones that help with endurance) due to the length of the hill.

3) "Hard Hills" Active Recovery
Same as (2) above except do not walk down the hill and rest for recovery. Instead, create a course that allows you to "loop" back around to the hill and jog your recovery. I like this type of workout because it improves your resistance to fatigue like you would experience at the end of a race. Here's a 5k course I created in Pittsburgh, notice the loop and elevation changes:

These last two I have not tried:

4) Bounding Hills
On a short hill interval course like that in (1), lengthen your stride by elevating your knee and spring from one foot to the next up the hill (you know... bound). You can do this linearly (in a straight line up the hill) or "horizontally" (a side to side bounding motion up the hill). It is said this workout increases the strength and elasticity of your muscles, tendons and ligaments and therefore helps prevent injury and promote efficiency.

5) Downhill Hills
Stopping yourself while traveling downhill is a quadracep burner. You get very intense contractions of the quad when your foot hits the ground followed by relatively longer periods of relaxation. Simple enough: start at the top of a 50-100m hill, moderately steep, and run down it at about 80-85 percent effort. Walk back up for recovery and repeat. Build up to 6-8 reps. You actually get the same effect walking or running backwards up a steel hill.

So, try some of this out! It requires a considerable bit of "amping" yourself up, but finishing one of these bad-boys is euphoric. I'm talking mind numbing... like snot on your chin, eyes rolled back in your head, odd noises and odors emanating from your body, real mad cow disease sort of euphoric... like "Snuffles the floating dog" good!"

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Citations:
(1)http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/mastering-hill-workouts?page=single
(2)http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hill-training/159.html
(3)http://news.runtowin.com/2010/06/25/5-hill-workouts-video.html

Running in Pittsburgh

Yup... this is the flattest 5 miler I could find around Brentwood, PA. It's an out-and-back. Any deviation off the main road requires climbing gear. This city will kill me...

The Idiosyncrasy of Runners

“At paces that might stun and dismay the religious jogger, the runners easily kept up all manner of chatter and horseplay. When they occasionally blew by a huffing fatty or an aging road runner, they automatically toned down the banter to avoid overwhelming, to preclude the appearance of show boating (not that they slowed in the slightest). They in fact respected these distant cousins of the spirit, who, among all people, had some modicum of insight into their own days and ways. But the runners resembled them only in the sense that a puma resembles a pussy cat. It is the difference between stretching lazily on the carpet and prowling the jungle for fresh red meat.” 

― Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr.

I am by no stretch of the imagination an excellent runner. The fastest 5k I've ever run is a 21:30, net downhill (Knoxville Covenant Health 5k). Also, a 45:38 10k (Rodes City Run, Louisville), 1:41:32 half (KY Derby Festival Mini-marathon). Still, it wasn't until recently that I understood the sentiment expressed in the above passage (it's from a book called Once A Runner by John L. Parker Jr. Excellent book for runners, a must read!) As I bombed past people on the greenway, nasty thoughts would creep in my head: "You're not gonna lose the weight talking on your cellphone while you 'run', lady!" or "Don't break a sweat there man, wouldn't want to get your $50 running shirt smelly!" or "(Insert comment here about any one of these dudes)"

Seriously, if you don't click "these dudes" you suck, you NEED to watch that video...

But, that's not the right attitude at all. Running serves the human spirit in so many ways that it isn't possible for any person to completely understand the motivation, the plight, the goals of another. The benefits are completely idiosyncratic, and defined by no one other than the runner (unless, well, you're Galen Rupp or Mo Farah or something... then everyone wants you to win). The unity comes in that we are runners and that when we cross the line we accomplish. What? Doesn't matter... it's specific to the individual. But, we accomplish together. For the longest time I integrated my competitive "team sports" mentality into running and felt like I had to beat everyone, and by beating them I was somehow better. You either win, or lose... that's it. But anyone who has ever watched THE LAST spent marathoner break into tears after crossing the finish line knows that there is so much more. That person won today, and in our mutual accomplishments we are equal, regardless of talent or skill. (Kimberly, you must be so proud)

However, at the same time this doesn't mean I shouldn't try to be a puma. Said another way, since we don't gauge ourselves against one another we must strive to continually better ourselves! That's precisely where I struggled. I'm training hard to better myself and it was easy to scoff at others who weren't working so hard, but that's not in their "goal set", that's not why they run! While beating the guy next to me served as a great personal training tool, thinking less of others who didn't work hard didn't make me more of a runner, or a better person. I'm not saying you shouldn't strive to win. I just failed to understand that when you're 'dropping his ass' (I've said that before) in the last 100 meters, he's PRing, and when he crosses that line he will be just as happy as you. It never occurred to him that your kick suggests he kindly eat your dust and report to his car shortly after the race, receiving no celebratory Mac-Donalds on the way home for LOSING! LOSER... NO! That's not what it's about.

Perhaps that is why I find triathlons so endearing. There is an additional layer of unity in that you HAVE to train. The best runner who has never mounted a bike will die in the middle of the tri before they get to the run and surely be disappointed. Lance Armstrong, having never donned a speedo, would surely drown (or, take on a lot of water before finishing). You must respect the sport, and your limits, and train to overcome them. Walking a 5k is excellent for some, but you simply cannot walk an open water swim... you must become a puma. I find great camaraderie in the lifestyle, the accomplishments, and the training with my fellow triathletes.

So, I digress. I used to think I couldn't call myself a runner because I wasn't fast enough. Part of that idea probably comes from the fact that I live with an ex-division 1 runner. But, now I truly believe that anyone who runs for any reason, as idiosyncratic as it may be, can call themselves a runner. But seriously, get the f*** off your cellphone while you exercise, the world can wait for 1 hour! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: I recently learned that Lance Armstrong did triathlons BEFORE cycling, but I'm leaving my error in the text because that's a friggen hilarious mistake! I coulda picked ANYONE! :)

A change of pace...

Perhaps it was wishful thinking... or even asinine... to believe that I could keep up with a blog that rides on the frontier of economic research across a variety of subjects. To think that I could be that guy that bridges the gap between interesting economics and people who don't care about economics (Levitt already did that). Or, to blog with any regularity at all. (Boy, was that paragraph an abuse of sentence structure... piss off Language Arts, I like PE!)

So, this blog is no longer that blog ^^referenced up there^^. Nobody reads blogs unless they are both frequently updated and interesting. I flirt with the line of being neither of those, so this blog will now be very different! By that I mean it will now be completely self serving, but wasn't it always? NO! Not completely...

For a blog that is updated frequently and interesting, see: Keeping Up with Kimberly.

I will still write about economics and triathlons... after all, that's what I do. BUT, I will not research interesting topics just because I think they're interesting to my 5 readers, my girlfriend, and that random guy from Ouagadougou (Note: they weren't interested). No, I will research interesting topics and write about them because I'm interested in them... and not care if anyone reads about them. That's right, "anyone", if you read or don't read this blog, I don't care!

If you happen to be reading this, please note that this potentially sophisticated blog has been reduced to "Justin's Diary"... and not the cool Justin. This Justin-->

So, if you find me interesting, you're in luck! Preview of potential topics:

Economics 

Triathlons

Fantastic! Alright! Here we go!