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Competing in a Triathlon
Watching an event is different than participating in one. We were able to watch our son run in the Flying Pig Marathon weekend and complete a Spartan race. This weekend was different for me because I was participating in the race. My son challenged me to run a Triathlon at the end of July. At a moment of weakness, I said yes. Then the challenge began with him suggesting that I needed to try and beat him.
Our triathlon was a sprint, meaning it was a shorter distance (thankfully for me). A 400-meter swim, a 20K bike ride (about 12 ½ miles) and a 5k run.
I have to confess that I have not run in years—maybe the last time I ran was with the Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band in college. I had to learn to run. The challenge for me was starting my running and working up to the 5k distance.
The training was good for me; I am already trying to keep in good health. My running training started and ended by listening whilst running to the NHS (British Health Care, National Health Services) couch to 5k audio podcasts. I ended up running over 60 miles prior to the triathlon. I felt good about running, although I am definitely not a runner. My best time, of course in practice, was still a generally slow time of over 10-minute miles.
It was great to have my son spend the night prior to the race and join us for dinner and answer my many questions on the race that he competed in last year. We rode up together and were at the event in plenty of time for a little warm up and to get some of the nerves out of our system.
I was over 13 minutes slower than my son for the event. He started on the swim after I entered the pool so that if he passed me, he knew his time was better. I had a good experience at the event and was happy to finish.
I learned that the start is critical in a sprint; I went too hard on the first few hundred meters of the swim. Next time, he goes first. Although I passed a few participants in the pool, I was passed by a few more as I walked from the pool to the first transition location and then spent too long getting ready for the bike ride. I did manage to beat my son on the bike; that was the only event I had an advantage.
My run was poor and I cannot blame anyone but me. My son passed me on the run portion as I was tired from biking and you know already that I am not a runner. I was walking (catching my breath) when he passed me during the running portion. That was all the encouragement I needed to get back running. I heard my son’s finish, so I was not too far behind (okay, 13 minutes…).
I had fun and I would do it again. Next year, I will find the time to practice more.
A few lessons learned.
Run after getting out of the pool…even if you are tired
Carry a bucket for your clothes and then you can use it to sit on before the race and during transition. The two competitors I saw with the 5-gallon buckets looked like they knew what they were doing.
Consider training to unbuckle shoes on the bike to go into the run transition without the clip-on shoes slowing me down.
Run more, swim more and start practicing earlier. If I am to do the event again, I will have to maintain a running regimen during the winter to get ready for a July event. If I can run in April, then I can work on time and not just getting ready to run the distance.
The warm-up is helpful; I need to determine the pool warm-up for the event.
There is no substitute for experience. I read a lot about the event, watched YouTube videos and learned more by doing.
Training for a triathlon is different than my normal bike riding for distance. It was a different mindset on the course.
Activity Statistics:
Swim: 9:16
Bike: 42:11
Run: 34:50
Overall finish time: 1:31:41, place = 68 out of 92 men in the race (I was 30 finishers behind my son). He did better than his time the year before and I am happy to have been part of his motivation.
Ride to Rabbit Hash
I have found out that when I do not have a goal, I am not motivated to ride or walk or do any other activity. I was encouraged to spend more time locally this summer to participate in a few local bike rides. Training to participate in organized rides takes practice on the local roads. Where I live we have a lot of hills, and since I was going to participate in Kentucky rides, I needed to practice on our local roads. As a result, I have enjoyed rediscovering some of the local rides that I ignored for the last few years.
The local challenge:
This year, a buddy of mine, David, who retired when I did, purchased a bike; together we went on several rides. It was great fun riding with him on the local roads.
Another friend of mine was looking for a riding partner for a few century rides. Mike took the Kentucky Century challenge and wanted a riding buddy. I looked at joining the Kentucky Challenge and decided against four century rides. Much to my surprise, I ended up riding three of the four century rides with Mike as well as training on some of the local roads. I also managed a few 50 mile rides on my own and with friends. I think I should have signed up for all four.
Additional encouragement to stay local was received when one of my sons challenged me to compete in a local triathlon.
As a result of my goals for riding this summer, I spent more time around the area than I did outside of our local area.
Favorite local rides:
Have you ever been to Rabbit Hash, Kentucky? I used to go about once a week in the summer a few years ago. It makes for a great stop when you are on a local bike ride. We have seen the original general store, the burned down general store, and now the re-built general store.
Big Bone Lick State Park to Rabbit Hash. This is a favorite ride for me and my wife. Many of the Boone County rides end up or begin at or ride by Big Bone Lick State Park.
We often ride from Big Bone to Rabbit Hash (about 10 miles out) with the variations open to go up the evil twins (both category 4 climbs) or a single category 4 climb or just to ride along the river without climbing to get to Rabbit Hash. We like to go early in the morning as motorcycles come to Rabbit Hash as a destination in the afternoon and evening.
As a side note, Strava recognizes the size of the climb in the results. A category 4 is a big climb (okay—it is hard on a bike!) with category 1 being a harder, steeper climb. This categorization of hill climbs started with the Tour De France; the category 4 climb is the lowest level they count. I am not sure I have been on a category 3 climb. Probably just as well.
The “no brainer.” This is a sponsored ride on Monday evenings along the Ohio River on KY Route 8. It is a no brainer in that as you leave the parking lot, turn right. When the road ends, you turn around and head back. This is a great beginning ride, and David and I did a few “short” 10 out and back rides to get a feel for road riding. The ride is fairly flat and does not have too much traffic. The views of the Ohio River are wonderful.
Harrison’s Tomb. William Henry Harrison’s tomb is in Cincinnati. He migrated to Ohio and became a senator prior to being elected president. He has an impressive tomb and has a regular procession of visitors to the tomb. The ride is a great route along the Ohio River, heading west toward the power plant and ending (if you ride the hill!) with a great view from the bluffs overlooking Kentucky and Southwestern Ohio. I appreciated learning about the ride from my bike mentor Chuck.
My triathlon-challenging son and I rode this ride—had a great day and enjoyed the scenery. Unfortunately, he rode just as fast as I did, so I was determined to train a little harder on the bike ride for the triathlon.
Ride from the Boone County Arboretum. Our ride from the Arboretum avoids the big climbs and starts with a big downhill. The first time I went in 2019 with Mike and David it poured rain on us the entire second half of the ride, all the way up the hill on Big Bone Road (a category 4 climb). Even in the pouring rain, we had a good time. My bike riding mentors took me on the easier ride several times. I returned the favor for David and took the path away from the evil twins (two back to back category 4 climbs), riding on Riddles Run Road, taking a left on 338 or Beaver Road and then up Big Bone Road where we can climb just one category 4 hill before heading back to the Arboretum. This 17-mile loop is a great challenge for any rider. I know that to see if I am ready for the upcoming challenges, once a year I need to ride over the evil twins. I managed to get in a solo ride and accomplished riding up all three of the category 4 hills in one ride. Fun but exhausting.
Loveland Bike tail—Ohio & Erie. This is the rail bike trail in Cincinnati with a paved rail trail all the way to Cleveland. My wife and I have spent many fun rides on this trail with a stop in Loveland to enjoy a meal or ice cream. David and I spent our retirement anniversary (2 years) doing a 50-mile ride on this trail to celebrate.
Lessons Learned:
- Enjoy the local rides
- Go out and exercise and have some fun with friends while you are out
- Join others or use their knowledge to explore some good routes.
Activity statistics:
Century Rides
I did participate in three century rides with my friends this season. I previously wrote about the Horsey Hundred ride over Memorial weekend.
My friend Mike signed up for the Kentucky Century Challenge and I joined him for three of the four required rides. I could have signed up and received a jersey for completing the challenge as well. Maybe next year. I enjoyed our time outside on the century rides.
The best one of the seasons was the last; likely I was in the best shape for that ride. The Limestone Challenge was a beautiful ride and very well supported. It made a difference that it was cool and overcast all day. One of my favorite segments was a switchback climb where we could see the riders ahead of us climbing up as we were climbing into the valley preparing to climb.
This was a big climbing ride and featured two category 4 climbs. This is why I practice on our local category 4 climbs, including the evil twins. The distance rode was 100.27 miles (had to get to the start) and elevation of over 6,100.
The other century ride we did was two weeks before the Limestone Challenge out of West Lafayette, IN , the Wabash River Ride.
We had another perfect day for a century ride in the summer. It was great weather for a long day on the bike. This ride was well supported and much smaller than the other two century rides we participated with. We rode 101.3 miles and climbed over 3,650 feet.
At the end of the ride we were looking for the hills that the organizers said were coming up. The day was cool to start, which is always great. We did cross a covered bridge and enjoyed the views of the river from the banks.
I am not a fan of pickles, and Mike and I both thought it was funny that at the Wabash and Limestone rides they offered riders pickle juice. Maybe I will try it some other time.
Cincinnati USA
It was a cold and wet spring. Not too much time for training on the bike outside. The good news is that Cincinnati has a lot of fun places to go and see.
In between the cold and the rain I was able to go to see the Cincinnati Reds play baseball. First professional game I can recall being at where the temperature was under 40 for the entire game. The Reds played their second game of the season, after their opening win, to a small crowd (18,737) compared to the opening day crowd of over 44,000, one of the biggest at the ball park. Even though the team lost, we were convinced that warm weather was coming. The game was fun and baseball always holds the promise of summer.
It was expected to rain when I went to see my first professional soccer game. The local club “FC Cincinnati” plays in the University of Cincinnati football stadium awaiting a new soccer stadium in town. So, it was fitting that I was invited to the game with my son who played in the first soccer game I ever saw. The day turned out nice and even though the game ended in a 1-1 tie, the game was exciting. The crowd, into every kick and pass on the field, seemed to know all the rules. With 26,023 fans in attendance, the noise and excitement was a contrast to the baseball game. Constant noise and cheers came from a fan section called “The Baily” that lent the game an atmosphere of intensity with chanting, drumming and yes, yelling.
The Baily has chants and songs for all occasions. We were able to witness the snake of fans in their orange and blue on the way into the stadium all chanting (Yes, I had to look it up…)
Cincinnati here we go, here we go, here we go.
Cincinnati here we go, here we go, here we go.
OLE OLE – OLE OLE, No one likes us, but that’s okay.
So score a goal, or score a few, Cincinnati, we’re here for you!
Looking from our seats at the Baily after a goal by Cincinnati
Another tradition in Cincinnati is the Flying Pig Marathon, something I have never done or even been to see in action. I do have friends that have run, including one who ran the marathon for 20 years in a row. The same son who took me to my first soccer game invited us to see him run in his events. He ran the “3 way with cheese” events, a 1 mile, 5k, 10k and half-marathon on the Flying Pig weekend. He did really well and we were glad to be on the sideline cheering him on.
My friend who ran all those marathons is also a champion bike rider and has completed a few iron man challenges. I have no desire to run a marathon, let alone run one at the end of a swim and bike ride of over 100 miles. We did manage to do a century ride together at the Horsey Hundred bike ride.
Before the start of the Horsey after we got our numbers and were ready to go to the start. The jacket was short lived and did not make it on the ride.
Each year over Memorial weekend, Georgetown hosts the Horsey Hundred, a bike ride displaying for all who care to bike ride the beautiful horse country area in Kentucky. The organizers directed us on routes past several horse farms; we were impressed and welcomed at the rest areas stocked with friendly volunteers and needed snacks.
Look–horses!
The ride was a challenge as the weather in the afternoon turned sunny for the first time in weeks. Too bad I had not trained in the heat or the sun for the ride. I think we were both a little overloaded with the sun when we pulled into the finish after the 100 miles of bike riding. I am thinking my next ride (already signed up for a century ride in September) will see me in better shape for the distance.
Mike and Glen getting our pins for completing the 100 miles.
Spring would not be complete without a visit our local Arboretum. Of course we walked and saw the spring trees blooming and the flowers starting to bud.
The flowers were coming out on the dogwoods just in time for the local dogwood dash.
A few lessons learned.
- Be a tourist in your back yard. We have a gangster tour planned for the summer in Newport, KY.
- Support your local teams. Wow, the baseball and soccer games showed that a lot of local people really like and support Cincinnati.
- Beauty is often in your back yard. Even though we have had to mow often this spring, the budding trees and flowers of spring bring joy.
Activity statistics:
Thank you Mike! I appreciate you pulling me along on the 100 mile Horsey Hundred event. That was not our first century bike ride together as Mike and I did a 100 miles MS bike ride a few years ago. My favorite comment from Mike was that at least he does not have to get off the bike and run a marathon. Amen to that! It was enough just to finish the ride and drive home.
Training ride along the Ohio river, route 8. A favorite out and back trail ride.
On the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
One of our goals is to be a local tourist. When friends and family visit, we need to be able to show off where we live. We have also moved around the country and know that exploring the home town area is important to growing roots in the community.
Lots of product stored for aging
Kentucky is home to several bourbon distilleries. One of our retirement travel goals is to begin to visit them along the trail that the Commonwealth of Kentucky has set. It will likely take us a while to get to all of them. We have friends who have biked on the bourbon trail, and Kentucky has an outline of some suggested bike routes. I am sure I have a friend or two who would ride some of the trail with me sometime next spring.
Bourbon distilleries are large and small in Kentucky, and the smaller makers are the craft distilleries. We started our tours with the craft trail, close to home. We have made one stop so far. Our first stop was the Boone County Distillery. I cannot think of a better introduction into bourbon and the history than what we received from this group.
The tour was fun and informative. We did not make a reservation and were pleasantly surprised to be the only two on the tour. Larger groups proceeded and followed us on the tour. This is one of the benefits of being home when others are at school or working.
After our tour, we had the unique opportunity to see them uncork a barrel and strain the product. It was cool. Even better, we were treated to a taste from the barrel, which was slightly different from the finished product.
A few lessons learned. Being a local tourist is just as much an adventure as flying around the world. The people were very nice, informative and happy to make our visit meaningful. We are planning to visit more local attractions and will get to them soon.
Other items:
We were excited to see the redone Music Hall in Cincinnati. The symphony sounded great and the colors and updates were all very well done. We hope to go back soon to the symphony.
We were able to watch a dog for a short time and appreciated the quiet moments to reflect when you just have to be outside walking a dog. It is a good reminder to reflect on all the good things in life and all that has gone so well for us. We are grateful for every day.
No bike riding on this bourbon trail. I did teach a cycle class on the day of our tour. Always fun!
Have to stay in shape when it is cold outside.
Black Friday Hiking
One of the joys of seeking experiences over stuff is we do not have to join the world in shopping on black Friday. For those that know us well, you know we never did go out on Friday morning for “Black Friday” deals. I usually went into work and wrote performance reviews celebrating a day lacking meetings and emails.
This “black Friday” we took in the local Middle Creek Park in Burlington, Kentucky. We enjoyed the hiking and the stepping away from all of the traffic that exists anywhere near a mall. The venue was quiet and we were part of a small group of hikers; we saw a few others out on the trails. The park has almost nine (8.49) miles of trails.
No cell phone reception and watch out during hunting season–which when we looked it up was when we were out. No hunting in the park, just the neighboring area.
The excitement of hiking in the fall is that no insects are out to ruin your day. It was only 50 degrees out so we were wearing long pants. The other benefit is that no prickly bushes were scratching our legs as we hiked up and down the hills. On the other hand, we are noisy as we walk through the leaves that have almost all fallen, scaring away the local wildlife and sometimes obscuring the path.
The trail we hiked was a multi-use trail for horses and people. Horses must use the trail as we saw evidence of their hoof prints and, fortunately, no other evidence. The ground was muddy in places. The hiking up and down the hills was just right. We enjoyed the glimpse of the Ohio River that is afforded at the top of the trail.
View of the Ohio River from the park
One of the retirement benefits is taking off when the weather is nice and visiting local parks. We are sure that many others had the day off.
The lesson learned from this travel is that near or far, a good time is often determined by our own attitude. We set out for an adventure, and even though this one was closer to home, it was a get away from town and any normal routine that we have established in retirement.
Another lesson learned during the last few weeks was emphasizing the importance of family and friends. We have traveled to a few funerals and attended some locally. It is great to get together with the family and remember a life. It is even better at Thanksgiving and other times to get together and just be together. Making memories together is part of the journey; we are looking to continue to celebrate that journey on our travels.
We hiked about 3.5 miles on this adventure.
Our minimum outdoor bike riding temperature is 55 degrees or a little cooler if the day is warming up. I taught an indoor bike cycle class instead of taking a bike outside.
Retirement Travel with Glen 