Brick

Today I completed my first bike-run workout, or a "brick" as tri-geeks call it, of the season. It was a 30 mile loop to Ft Calhoun followed by a 10K run.

Fighting the 20mph gusts from the north made going to Ft Calhoun a fine workout, followed by a delightful 30mph spin through Boyer's Chute. That was nice if not deserved. You know, I used to compare riding a motorcycle to well-written poetry. When the conditions are just right, as they were in Boyer's Chute today, cycling is like nirvana. The memories of this ride, of cycling through the vestigial chaff of last year's corn fields, will last a lifetime. They certainly stoke the desire to go out again for another ride soon.

And then there was the run to complete. Oh Nike, my former mistress, how fickle my heart is.

The transition to run was a little rough as I got the breathing all messed up and quickly developed one of the worst side cramps I've had in years. I had to shut it down and walk for a minute before slowly building up the tempo with a renewed focus on the breathing. It worked. Although it was a good run, I secretly wished that I was on the bike instead.

The best news is that the left knee is strong again. No troubles there.

As for the greater running world, I was happy to see that Ryan Hall ran a fantastic London marathon. While he didn't win it -- he was fifth -- the kid keeps getting stronger every time he goes out. Baring injury, he'll be a contender for many years to come.

Finally, after snow on this past Saturday, I think that we can finally say goodbye to one helluva nasty winter. 70s are promised for later this week.

Ah, the good life.

31st Annual Lincoln National Guard Half-Marathon

*** For Immediate release ***
Lincoln, NE. We are pleased to announce the following special guest for the 31st Annual Lincoln National Guard Half-Marathon.

FEATURED GUEST: BRADY MURPHY
Come to the Embassy Suites Runners' Expo to:
* Hear Brady's comments about Dean Karnazes comments during Dean's morning and afternoon speaking sessions.
* Witness Dean Karnazes meeting Brady as Dean mingles with runners throughout the day.

In 2006 Dean Karnazes completed an amazing endeavor of running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. The Lincoln Marathon course was his Nebraska stop on the 7th leg of this pursuit. Now he will return to participate in this year's weekend marathon festivities. He's also the dude that completed a nonstop 350-mile run.

But this is not about Dean.

Brady's career accomplishments have included:
* Winning the Sigma Phi Epsilon Run With a Heart 10K
* Winning the citizen's division Omaha Mile in 2007
* Finishing third (of three) in the bike race to the top of Dana College Hill
* Running a marathon
* Calculating how many tacos it would take to complete 350-mile run.

Running 350 miles burns about 45,000 calories, or roughly 265 of Taco Bell's best, which is about the same number of tacos I paid Munson to overhaul Old Yeller.

Whereabouts

Please accept my apologies for being away lately. Time's been short.

My road to recovery has been going well. The visit to the PT and the hip exercises following have been successful. The bike fit likely had something to do with progress as well. So while I have yet to go beyond 8 miles on a single run, I've stepped up the frequency and mileage without any troubles. Furthermore, interval sessions have officially begun and I managed to put in 6 x 800 meters on Tuesday night. Granted, I sand bagged the first two and only ran the fourth interval near the red line before kicking back to 90% on the remaining two. But still, it's progress I'm feeling good about.

And that's all for the update now. Again, time is short.

Peaches and Herb

So I'm borrowing a bit from the bikesnobNYC, but I couldn't resist on this screaming deal from Craigslist Omaha.


THIS IS A RIUNTE BIKE GIVE AWAY,5 SPEED,BEEN RIDEN MAYBE 20 TIMES,MIGHT NEED TUBES PUT IN,NOT SURE. MIGHT TRADE FOR NEW TRUCK TIRES OR FLAT SCREEN TV

This is a beauty, no doubt. Oh. I mean the craigslist ad. While YELLING at us is always a nice touch, the kicker is the seller's willingness to trade for new truck tires or flat screen TV. Truck tires? I can see a flat screen, but he didn't even give the size of tires. I hate that! Be specific about your fungibles, dammit!

Anyway, allow me to create a word picture for a moment. Let's say that I found some satisfactory truck tires and made the trade. Fast forward to the next time I come home from a five hour ride on Old Yeller. It's time to patch things up with Ms Katherine. Wouldn't this just warm her heart and win her over? I can almost feel the harmony as we'd roll through Elmwood park on this classic.

Uh-oh, I can hear the music in my head again...

I found it very hard to stay away
As we reminisce on precious moments like this
I'm glad we're back together
'Cause I missed your kiss, hey, hey

Reunited and it feels so good
Reunited 'cause we understood
There's one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited
'Cause we're reunited, hey, hey

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Ba-a-a-by

Left Knee Update

For the past two weeks, I've cut way back on the running and cycling mileage to allow the left knee a chance to recover properly from that nagging injury.

For the record, here are the steps I took to get better:

1) Rest: I rested by reducing frequency and restricting all bike rides to less than one hour. In two weeks, I was on Old Yeller twice and the P2sl three times. I ran three times for a grand total of 15 miles. Also reduced leg lifts to about 75% of what I was doing previously. I still swam like a madman.

2) Ice: great stuff. I hope we humans never lose the recipe. An ice bag strapped to the leg for 10 minutes on/off three to five times a day.

3) To reduce inflammation, I just completed taking Ibuprofen for ten days, 4 times daily.

4) Bike fit: I had the LBS professionally fit me to Old Yeller. The seat post height and cleats were apparently good, but I was stretched too extended over the top tube. This caused over-extension in the knee on the down stroke. Solution: a new zero degree seat tube offset and a shorter stem closed the gap.

5) Physical Therapy: I've visited Excel Physical Fitness' Mike Bartels last Friday. (Thanks for recommending him, Matt.) Apparently, the knee injury was a result of a poor hip alignment. Weak muscles in the hip caused the left hip to rotate forward. While not physically smaller, the effect was like having a shorter leg. Without knowing it, I compensated by hyper-extending the left knee. Mike sent me home with some hip strengthening exercises to get things back in balance.

Along the way towards healing I've found that resting often requires some of the most discipline in training when goals and race commitments are on the line. I hope to be back to 100% soon.