Chapter 37: Hot, Hot, Hot!

 

    Week 6 completed.  This is going to be a shorter post as everything this week was just…meh.  Nothing bad, but nothing really awesome either. I had several things over the weekend so this post didn’t get out on Sunday like usual.  If you were waiting with abated breath, sorry.  But no one texted me wondering where the blog post was….It was a hot week AGAIN.  And rainy and stormy.  It definitely has been a challenge to maintain what I feel is a good workout rhythm.  But I’m getting it done.  One week, one day, one workout at a time. It's hard sometimes, but my calendar quote this week was "it doesn't get easier, you get stronger".  Yup!

Might be a little off, but sure felt like it!

Weekly Stats:

• Swim (3x)
• 3.12 miles (5,500 yards)
• 1:51:17·  
• Bike (3x)
• 86.21 miles
• 5:00:51
• Run (3x)
• 9.32 miles
• 3:20:02
• Strength (2x)
• 51:33
• Yoga (3x)
• 1:27:05
• TOTALS:
• 14 workout sessions
• 108.66 miles
• 12:30:49

Training Notes:

    I’m kind of in the middle of a weird time in my training plan.  I’m starting to pick up some more times and longer miles and minutes on the bike or run, but not quite at the point where it really ramps up…yet. This week I had a 2.5 hour bike ride and a 90-minute run for my long workouts.  Unfortunately, storms rolled in on Friday so I did the long ride indoors.  I made it through Stranger Things 2, and I think that might be it for me and that show.  I got enough closure that Eleven is now living a sort of normal life.  The thing that was holding me into the show was the 80’s throwback for me.  Saturday was a good time for Happy Gilmore 2.  Fun movie, but crazy that the first movie was 30 years ago.  

    My run on Sunday was just gross.  At 6:15 AM, it was already 84 degrees real feel, and felt like I was running in swamp air.  Interesting observation during the sweaty run though:  my first 4 miles I was averaging about 9:21 per mile with a 148 average HR.  My last 4.9 miles I was averaging over 10-minute miles with my HR creeping up into the 150’s.  That heat and humidity really affects my body.  I knew that already, but I really was aware of it today.

    

    I did a couple new strength and yoga workouts this week.  For the strength sessions, I did a workout that combined arms & abs.  That added some good effort.  Same with the yoga.  I’m at a point that my main two yoga workouts for athletes are becoming a bit too easy as they are more about stretching.  So I did different videos, and I got my butt kicked.  A lot more balance and strength for these. There may (or may not) have been some falling over.  No cameras were present, so there’s no proof!  I’m still getting the flexibility part in, and that’s important for my recovery.  My body is still feeling strong and no complaints on aches or pains.  Nothing that isn’t normal for me at least. 

    I have Kill Creek Triathlon, a sprint-distance, in a couple of weeks.  Feeling good about that short distance—it’s only a 500-meter swim, 10.5-mile bike and 3.1-mile run.  I feel another PB coming on.  Last year I had a PB by 4 minutes.  I think I can knock another 5 minutes off.  We’ll see how it goes on August 9^th. Planning on volunteering at the kids' triathlon the next day as well.  That should be fun, it's only for kids 14 and under.  

Daily Life:   

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28    

    I watched the movie “Without Limits”, the story of Steve Prefontaine, a world famous runner from University of Oregon in the 1970’s.  Before he was able to compete in his second Olympics in track, he was killed in a car wreck.  His coach at Oregon was Bill Bowerman, whose small shoe making hobby on the side became a company we know as Nike.  Prefontaine was a pretty cocky kid, although he could back it up.  One of his quotes is “A race is work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding”.  I thought about that quote as I try and put together all these disciplines of swimming, biking, running, and nutrition (and the mental part—can’t forget about that huge piece!).  I have to get them all working together to be able to finish a short-distance race and, in 14 short weeks, a 140.6-mile full-distance Ironman.  13 or so hours have to come together into a work of art.  Some people don’t care about Ironman and that’s OK.  Some wonder “are you crazy?!”, and some just know I am when they ask about the distances.  It is crazy.  It’s a long way. Over 140 self-propelled miles.  That’s two hours of driving on the highway at 70 MPH.  But as I look at the distances and respect them, I know everything has to work together to get to the finish line.  I don’t take that for granted.  But I’m working everyday to get each part of the race as strong as possible to be ready for the final miles and finish chute in November.

    In the book of Romans, Paul tells us that “we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God”.  This doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us will be good.  For sure, that’s not the case.  We’ll have trials, catastrophes, tragedies, and struggles.  What I’m hearing Paul say is that everything that happens throughout my life is part of God’s ultimate plan for our lives.  I would never tell anyone that “it’s just God’s will” when something bad happens in their life. But I DO believe that God uses ALL of it to form us into our future selves that HE made us to be. Every discipline in my life, every moment, every challenge, and every triumph….God knows those were coming and will use them to get me to the finish line.  I’m not a theologian, so this is really only my interpretation.  I’m sure there’s more to it that someone who has studied more can talk about, but I’m a simple person when it comes to my faith.  I don’t think God made it hard.  And I’m glad that He has an ultimate plan for me, and that helps me get through all the times in life knowing that it will all come together to make the best version of myself. 

Final Thoughts:   

    Oh yeah, it's official.  The Olathe West Triathlon Club received our trophy and state banners for the Kansas 2025 High School Club state championship and the Overall Club state championship.  Outstanding works guys and girls!  Proud to be a part of this group of students!

    Well, it’s hot. There’s no way around that. I know that working through the hard hot times right now will benefit me so much in November.  I just need to keep showing up, keep doing the workouts to the best I can, and trust the process.  Only 3-1/2 months left.  Time is just ticking by; the weeks are flying and the pages on the calendar are turning quickly.  I have three more weeks of the build up phase, which includes the Kill Creek sprint Triathlon.  Then my times and miles really go up.  Bring it on.  Every week, I just have to

Show Up, Keep Fit, Stay THE Course, 

and Keep Moving Forward

    As always, thanks for following along.  Knowing you all are watching and keeping track keeps me motivated.  I appreciate the support.

CPC

7/29/25

Olathe, KS

95 sleeps until Ironman Florida