NationRun Guys

The young men on the NationRun team left out of Columbus and the state of Georgia on Wednesday morning. It was cloudy and cool with threatening rain. They were in high spirits and eager to get moving. We were motivated by their commitment and were glad they decided to stay with us while they were in town. Follow their progress on www.nationrun.com

Monday 2-11-08

It was hard getting out this morning...not enough sleep last night and a swim class at 5:00. Well, gone are the days of a leisurely one mile swim. I thought I had it tough back when that was all I was doing! The swim workout this morning was one of the toughest yet. I don't think I have ever been so out of breath. I know I am getting in good shape but it sure hurts. I will put in a plug for these Masters Swim classes; they are designed to get you in good shape. I like they way they are structured and our instructor, Rochelle, is doing a good job.

If any of you have been following the Nation Run guys, they are to be in Columbus today and tomorrow. they are actually planning on staying at our house two nights. My wife is so excited. She sent them an email the end of last week offering our services and they heartily accepted. They are only about two weeks into the trip and they have had to spend several nights in their tents. This will be a good chance for them to get some rest.

Scott Matty

The Columbus cycling community suffered a huge loss this past Sunday when one of its own, Scott Matty, was killed while riding on a local country road. Our prayers go out to his family and friends as they suffer through this tragedy. I did not know Scott but I understand he was a fine individual and super athlete. I am taking a Masters swim class at the YMCA with a young man who was a very good friend of his and to him I offer my deepest sympathies.

I join with another local blogger friend of mine in stressing the importance of being safe while riding and running on the open roads. People in cars generally DO NOT watch out for you so you have got to be very defensive.

Wednesday 2-6-08

The Masters' Swimming program continues at the Y at 5:00 am. We had a fun class today; we are starting to do back stroke which few swimmers know how to do. I have always enjoyed doing back stroke. I was an AAU area champion in this stroke back in the day; WAY back in the day when I was still in grade school. This class is going to help my swimming tremendously. I will comment on anyone who has gotten swimming advice from online swim coaches; use caution not to get bad advice. I remember following the advice of a coach a couple of years ago that has messed up my swimming. I developed some bad habits that are proving tough to break. One is the tendency to hold my head too deep in the water; this creates too much drag and slows you down. The other is the advice to use your legs sparingly if you are doing triathlons. I am having a tough time learning how to kick and getting my legs in shape. This has got to help my running strength! Each class finds me in better shape and less whupped when it is over.

I still have not gotten in the groove in my running and biking. These college classes I am taking are keeping me up late at night and early in the mornings and on the days I am not swimming I am taking time to study.

Friday 2-1-08

I made it on time to the masters swimming class at 5:00 am. That is not easy, in itself, because I have to get up at 4:00 and not waste any time getting ready. I like to take my time getting woke up in the mornings but not on swim day.

The pool was a little warm, but at least that is better than being too cold. The class went well and I feel like I am getting stronger every class. The hardest part is the kicking exercises. I thought my legs were strong but evidently not strong enough. That is going to be the best part of this class; learning how to kick efficiently. This is going to help my running endurance also.