Surf & Turf

Last Thursday the water temperature at Cherry Creek Reservoir was 69 degrees, about 5 degrees warmer than the average temperature of the English Channel between Dover, England and Calais, France in August*.  I bring this up not because I’m practicing for an interview with The Weather Channel, but because I am in a quandary.

I registered for the Aquaman Swim-Run Series, a six event series held at Cherry Creek State Park.  It consists of a 1 mile swim followed by a 5 kilometer run.  I describe myself as a runner who swims.  That said, on average I swim almost 15,000 yards per week, clearly more than a fitness swimmer.  By comparison, my average weekly running mileage is about 48 miles.  My interest in the Aquaman Series is to take advantage of my relatively good abilities in both swimming and running and, hopefully, win the overall competition.  The winner of the series historically has been awarded a wetsuit. 

English Channel swim regulations (as laid down by the Channel Swim Association - CSA) state a bathing suit “shall be of a material not offering Thermal Protection or Buoyancy.”  Wetsuits provide buoyancy and thermal protection.  The CSA does not recognize swims in wetsuits. 

I believe in the purity of sport.  That is why I was one of only two competitors in the Aquaman event NOT wearing a wetsuit.  I also believe I was at a significant disadvantage in that race.  I felt like a jockey at the start of the Kentucky Derby riding Mr. Ed.  Conventional wisdom says a wetsuit gives a swimmer a 5 second advantage per 100 yards.  So, over a 1,500 meter swim, that translates into about a minute and a half.  Last Thursday I finished second by 13 seconds. 

When I exited the water my feet were numb.  I stumbled through the first few hundred yards of the run like I’d just gotten off a Tilt-a-Whirl.  My hands were numb.  I looked at them at the two mile mark of the run and my fingers were white.  They were cramping so badly I couldn’t make a fist. 

Here’s my predicament.  Do I ‘man up’ and swim with a bathing suit or join the school of other athletes and don a wetsuit for the rest of the races in the series? 

*August is the month most English Channel swim crossings are attempted.  The water is (relatively) warmer and calmer.

50 on 50: My Urban Ultra

The idea came to me, as many crazy ideas do, during a long run.  It was a Sunday in February and I was cruising along at the back of a pack on one of the Runners Roost Aurora store’s group runs.  “I should do something big for my 50^th birthday,” I thought.  Running 50 miles leapt into my mind.  And so was born the 50 on 50: My Urban Ultra - a self-supported run to celebrate my birthday.

The Route:

My first idea was to run an out-and-back route along the Highline Canal Path.  The dirt trail would be less taxing on my joints than running on roads.  There would be few places where I would cross traffic and it would be mostly shaded.  The drawback is there would be no places to refuel, unless I dropped food, or had someone waiting for me at various intervals.

I wanted to avoid traffic and opted for this route which allowed me to run over half of the miles on trails.  There would also be several places to stop for food along the way.

From my home –

Northwest along the Sand Creek

North on Broadway to Lee Gulch trail

Lee Gulch trail west to Platte River

North on Platte River trail to Bear Creek trail

West on Bear Creek trail to Wadsworth

North on Wadsworth to the Lakewood Runners Roost store at Alameda

Alameda east to the Platte River trail

Platte River trail south to Mississippi

Mississippi east to Buchtel

Buchtel south east to St. Paul

St. Paul north to Mexico

Mexico east to the Denver Runners Roost store at Colorado

East on various streets to the Cherry Creek trail at Iliff

Followed the Cherry Creek trail through Kennedy Golf course and into Cherry Creek State Park

Exited the park at Quincy

Parker Road south to the Aurora Runners roost store

Arapahoe west to Potomac

Potomac south to County Line Road

County Line Road west to Peoria

Peoria south to Lincoln

Why the route past the Runners Roost stores?

The short answer is because that route came the closest to 50 miles.  The long answer is complicated.  I was looking at a map of Denver and guestimated that the distance from my home to the Lakewood, Denver, Aurora and Lone Tree stores was about 50 miles.  I wanted to finish the run with my regular Thursday night Lone Tree Runners Roost group.

On a serious note; my father died last August.  It was on a Thursday.  My co-workers were the first to know as my sister called my office with the news.  I went to where Mary was because I needed comforting.  Then I went home to be with my daughters because I needed to remind myself what it meant to be a father.  Then, because it was Thursday, I went to the Runners Roost because I needed to run with my friends. 

I wore the Altra Instinct 2.0 (shown here with my Guerrilla Tag).

What did I eat?

Pre-run:

1 ½ cups brown rice

            1 cup Almond Milk

            1 banana

At miles 15, 20 and 30:

            Bagel

2 tablespoons peanut butter

Banana

At miles 39 and 42:

            Cliff Bars (special thanks to Jill at the Aurora Runner’s Roost)

Throughout the run:

            1 packet of Vitargo

            4 pints of Red-flavored Gatorade

            1 very sweet tea at mile 30

As I compared the calories expended relative to calories consumed, I realized that I was running a large caloric deficit.  By the end of the run I was in ketosis and really wasn’t hungry and, quite frankly, nothing sounded that good to eat – except cake! 

The worst parts of the run were the stretch along Alameda and ten minutes around noon.  I stopped for almost ten minutes waiting for lights to change on Alameda.  That is where I met this dude.

Actual conversation:

Dude – “How many miles?”

Me – “About 25, on my way to 50.”

Dude – “I ran two marathons once.”

Me – “Well, get back at it.”

The other low point was when I was on the east side of Cherry Creek State Park at mile 39.  I was feeling tired and there was a pebble in my shoe.  I sat on a bench in the shade of the only tree within several hundred yards.  I responded to a text from Mary and looked at the time – 11:53.  A man walked by and I looked at the time again – 12:03.  Ten minutes vanished like my will-power at an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet.  The man was now a speck well away from me.  I had enough of my wits to know that I was getting close to the danger zone and needed sugar.  I exited the park and stopped at a Conoco where I guzzled a sweet tea and ate a Cliff Bar.

So, why did I do it?

Because I fear death.  Many guys when they hit mid-life, buy a sports car – typically red – and drive it like a matador taunting a bull, thinking they can out-race death.  There is some small part of me that thinks I can out-run death.

This was also an inner-quest.  I tried to equate miles to years in my life and recall where I was at each milestone.  That was cathartic.  The miles and years just flew by.  I got time to think about what is important to me and what I want to accomplish in the time I have left.  I have assembled a rough ‘bucket list’ and am looking forward to checking items off the list.  As a kid I wanted things because I thought that having things would make me happy.  As my body turns into an old man I want experiences, and friends to share them with.

Would I do it again?  Absolutely!

What would I do differently?

I would have taken more photos.  I would have stopped at the Conoco near Kennedy Golf course.  Most importantly, I would have coerced some people to run with me.  Next year my birthday falls on a Thursday.  Please run with me.

I’m not sure if this is a hint, but my wife bought me a set of golf clubs for my birthday.