do a sprint triathlon

Alright, the seat actually wasn’t so bad after the first mile or so and I didn’t really think of it. What was on my mind after about the 6th mile was the pain in my right knee was back and as strong as ever. It was right around the turn around so I was able to make the full 13.2 miles, but in the mean time, that tells me that I have to probably call it quits on the cycling for the next two weeks or so.

I’ve got to get my knee to heal up right, especially if I’m hitting the slopes this season.

In the mean time, I’ve been looking around and found a road bike I’m thinking about possibly getting. Right now I’m still on the MTB I had when I was a kid, which is okay for getting around, but unfortunately slows me down some in the morning, and the resistance from the wide tires might be adding additional strain on the knee.

I hope this thing heals up on it’s own, as I’d rather like to avoid surgery.

Got the rear reflector replaced as well as the saddle and ordered a new u-lock since the old one can be easily picked.

The new seat’s a little more ergonomically friendly, but strikes me as little stiffer and a little smaller. T’was only $35, which might explain it, but I’ll put it to the test on Thursday, and if it’s not up to snuff, I guess maybe I’ll have a spare.

I still haven’t implemented the schedule as of yet, but with the new reflector on, I’ll ride Chicago Ave past 90 a little easier.

Found a beginner’s schedule online and cycled the days forward a few so that it would fit mine:

Sunday – Run
Monday – Swim
Tuesday – Off
Wednesday – Bike
Thursday – Swim & Run
Friday – Off
Saturday – Bike

The two things in my life that would really need adjusting to make this really work without a hitch would be I’d have to convince the guys that we should grab burgers on Monday night after work like we used to instead of Tuesday like we do now, and much more importantly find a pool nearby I swim laps in that’s a cheap as possible. Hopefully with the Chicago Park District.

I just looked online and there’s good news and bad news . . .

The good news is there is a park district pool 0.4 miles from my place . . . the bad news . . . it’s smack in what’s left of Cabrini Green. So if I went there I don’t think I’d want to leave my bike outside even if it’s locked up, and let’s face it, even if the place really has “cleaned up,” would I really want to regularly jog past sniper holes that are still there? I have enough crap to deal with at work.

The next closest one is on Chicago Ave just west of 90 and is less than 2 miles from me. Additionally, it’s open 6 days a week and on weekdays there is designated lap swim from 7-10am and 7:45pm-8:45pm. So better accessibility (the Cabrini pool opened at 11am and didn’t have evening lap swim) combined with the decreased likelihood of incurring felony makes the second locale the clear winner of the two.

Alright, time to sleep so I can hit the trail in the morning.

A.) While still challenging, biking seems much less painful than running, which means I don’t mind doing it as much which means I’d probably do it more often.

B.) While it’s less painful, I need to make sure I both wake up precisely on time and streamline the morning routine, as it’s more time consuming.

C.) I need to get a new seat that’s better suited for men, replace my missing rear deflector, and probably get a light or two mounted. (Maybe a bright orange vest wouldn’t hurt either.)

D.) While I’m on the subject of attire, I suppose that’s something else I can think about.

I didn’t think I’d be posting here for awhile, but apparently something funky happened with the knee last week and I’ve read biking should be easier on it while I let it heal up. So in the mean time why not bike 13.2 instead of run 3.1?

(Although someday I’ll get to that point where I’ll be alternating daily.)

I’m just starting 5k’s and granted, I ain’t too swift.

But even if I’m not anywhere near the front half of the pack, I think if I train for it, I should be able to finish it. My only real concern would be the swimming, since the last time I was on a swim team my age was in single digits.

Oh well, gotta start somewhere.