Day Forty Seven - "Off Season"

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.”
Robert Kiyosaki

Yesterday brought disappointment to a lot of runners that were trying to get to Boston in November, December & January. The 2010 Boston Marathon has filled to capacity of 25,000 runners and registration is now closed. This is a sad day not only for the runners in my circle but also for me. I am not usually selfish, but in this case, I will be. I did not want to run this race solo again. It was awesome to have Sarah waiting at the end for me, but the pre-race event in Hopkinton was a bit lonesome. I knew a few people that would be at the race but not as well as the group of runners that will now need to wait until 2011 for the “Big One”.

Today was Master’s Swim-Tuesday. I woke at 4:55AM after almost 8 hours of good sleep. The Sunday Night Game wore me out and I was in bed with the lights out drifting into slumber at 9PM. The bed was warm, the air cool as it was Monday morning and I was tempted to stay in bed for another hour.

Landing at LTF I saw Ann Marie quickly shuffling into the lobby and down the hall to the locker rooms. She paused as I followed her path and we discussed a little about the closing of registration for Boston. She seems to be taking it better than expected. Her drive and desire are strong for competition and I thought she would have some of the wind taken out of her sails, but she impressed me by her attitude towards the news.

There were a number of swimmers on the deck this morning. I counted at least 21-23 swimmers. I was glad to see Susan (Swimmer Susan) back in the water after a few months of M.I.A. I have to say it is remarkable to watch a natural athlete in the water. Susan has been absent from the pool for months and jumps in and is on the heels of Michele the whole workout.

Coach Mike’s Workout:
200M EZ
100M – Non Free
100M – Drills
8 X 300M on the 5:00:
The 300M was broken:
100M Free
100M Fins
100M Fins and Paddles
150M EZ
10 X 25M – All Out
Then, on the deck after each 25M
5 Push-ups
60 Second Plank
5 Push-ups
200 Cool Down
The 300M’s were tough but I kept coming in at 4:20 to 4:40.

After the swim a number of Swimmers hit the hot tub. I talked with Michele about the closing and the upcoming Half Marathon on Thanksgiving. She wants to hit a 1:40:00 and I suggested the pace groups. I will send her the information on the pace groups later. In talking with Chris in the hot tub he said that he was going to sit with Michele about nutrition. Chris said Michele built a plan for him on his food consumption and what he needs to eat to maintain a balance.

I sat and listen to Michele give Chris a 101 on nutrition for about 40 minutes. The information provided to Chris by Michele was not only helpful for him but it gave me a few pointers that I will take away for Sarah and I.

While leaving I ran into Hampton. Had not seen him in a couple of months. He swims Dynamo Masters with Sarah and Wren and is a Ironman and runner. I have been on a number of long rides with Hampton and have always enjoyed his company. He is a fierce competitor and a solid athlete. He suggested a ride in the Gaps this fall or winter, but I advised him that would require me to pull the bike down and I am not ready for that. I have felt like riding over the last couple of weeks since the weather has been perfect for a Saturday morning ride, but there are plenty of things to do around the house.

Tomorrow is track with only 9 days left to the Atlanta Half Marathon. I will be running with Ann Marie, Jay, Bob, Michele, Jeff, Chris and Stacy. The topic of Boston will come up but I will drive home to the ones trying to qualify that they need not worry about the current disappointment, but focus on the success they have had to this point in their running.