Posts from — November 2005

Earlier this week, I was giving myself grief about not getting up to do a swim workout, when one was not even scheduled. Not doing that unscheduled swim was looking to linger over my head yesterday, when I was unable to rouse myself from bed to head to the pool. If only I went to the pool on Monday, I wouldn’t be faced with the prospect of blowing off no less than 50 percent of my scheduled swim workouts.

Taking a chance that I would somehow still get it in, I took the barest of swim gear essentials with me to work. I was heading to Huntington, LI for the day and figured that maybe I would head to the Aquatics Center at Eisenhower Park on my way home for a swim. It turned out that a coworker in my LI office was also swimming after work and invited me to join her at her pool. It was further away from my home, but the cost for going was free.

The ride to the pool was supposedly only a few minutes away, but the ride took us at least 20 minutes along small roads that I was completely unfamiliar. I began to think this was a major mistake and envisioned getting home around midnight.

Once I got to the pool, things started to look better. The pool was crowded by my friend’s standards, but to mine, it was blessedly empty. My friend complained that it appeared she wouldn’t be able to get a 25 yard lane all to herself. If that is crowded, then she hasn’t swum at Asphalt Green during the same time when only 4 of 16 lanes are available for adult lap swimming. I shared a lane with a benign fellow and concentrated on doing my drills and various freestyle intervals. The water was a balmy 82 degrees which suited me just fine. I finished 2000 yards of swimming before 7pm and stood a good chance of making it home before 8pm.

Unfortunately, no towel service was available so I had to shake myself dry like a shaggy dog walking in from the rain. I tried hanging out in the sauna for a while, but it wasn’t hot enough to do more than eliminate the chill I developed walking into the locker room. Finally, I grabbed a bunch of paper towels from the wall and patted myself dry as best I could. I wished I brought along a change of clothes instead of having to get back into my work suit.

The pool was on a large campus (I am keeping the name a secret so it doesn’t get crowded for when I go back), and I struggled to remember where I parked my car. It was quite dark outside and my wet hair was causing me quite the chill. I managed to find it in due time and started the drive home. I even made it home on time to tuck my kids in bed.

So despite what I said last week about needing to change your state of mind, I skipped swimming Monday morning, which is making me feel like I am a bit of a loser. I know I am being hard on myself, since when I checked my workout schedule at 4:30am, a swim wasn’t on the agenda for the day.

However, my workout plan said I should swim at least twice this week, although 3 times would be better. So instead of taking the opportunity to get start off the week with an early swim towards the better goal of 3 swims I went back to bed. I figured I could use the sleep, since I didn’t sleep that well through the night. My wife kept waking me up with a recurrent cough and nose blowing. Every time I would start to fall back to sleep, I would wake up again like someone suffering from Sleep Apnea, only it was my wife instead of me suffering from blocked breathing passages and I would be the one waking up.

Which leads me to a matter of etiquette; in the case of a couple who sleep in the same bed and where one keeps awaking the other because of a cough, due to allergies, cold, etc., who should move into another room? Should it be the person with a cough so they stop waking up their partner, or should it be the person without a cough, figuring the person with the cough is suffering enough?

I know if it was me with the cough, I would go into another room so my wife could get a good night sleep. Evidently, she doesn’t feel the same way. If you are reading this, I would really like to have your opinion.

According to my schedule, this past week was the first of Base Building. I guess this is where I begin the long journey on preparation for another attempt of qualifying for Kona at the 2006 Ironman Lake Placid.

So far I am off to a good start. My legs are healthier at this time of year than at the same time during the previous 3 years. I don’t feel as though I have the speed I once had, but then again I haven’t been trying to run fast. I am taking it easy, according to plan, and that is suiting me just fine. Without having to push all of the time, I find myself enjoying the training more than I have in a long time.

This morning I set out for a ten mile run. I was going to do it over the northern 2.5 mile loop of Prospect Park and had just completed two plus loops when I ran into Todd. Usually when this happens we are running in opposite directions and we stop and cajole each other into running the way each of us was going. This time I gave in to Todd as he ran in my direction the last time this happened.

As is usual with Todd this soon turns into a competitive run. I found myself frequently reminding him to tone it down a notch. Like a premature ejaculator he just can’t help himself from trying to push the pace. I’ve learned from experience that the results are so much better from holding back and saving yourself for the end.

After my run, I had a quick meal and shower and put in another couple of miles at the ice skating ring with my family. Fortunately, my legs are still fresh and feeling very good. I will have to ask my coach as to whether the skating should be counted towards my training.

Weekly Totals:

Run: 26
Bike: 76
Swim: 2000 Yards

I spent Thanksgiving night at my wife’s aunt’s house in Lakewood, NJ. I wondered how I would feel the next day after a night of engorging on a hearty Thanksgiving meal. I didn’t actually overeat, but by the nights end I was stumbling to bed with a stunning migraine. It was a real brain buster, which saw me rolling around and moaning in a strange bed. The only consolation was that the house was relatively quiet, dark and cool. I popped 4 Excedrin and finally settled down around 2am.

Around 7am I rolled out of bed feeling less than rested, but better than I had the night before. I fed my children some breakfast, while my wife was already out with her Aunt prowling the outlet malls with my hard earned dollars for an early start on holiday shopping. I watched TV with them until 9am when my wife’s cousin woke up and agreed to watch them while I went out for a run. I decided to go to the Manasquan Reservoir nearby. It is a 5 mile loop on a dirt packed trail.

The temperature was approximately 30 degrees with an occasional gust of wind. The air smelled clean and crisp and the trail based running was a welcome change of pace from the Prospect Park loop. Several times along the way, I took the opportunity to document my run with the camera on my Treo 650 smartphone. I was enjoying the run and the surroundings and I felt the urge to stop and smell the roses.

After I completed the 5 mile loop, I started out for a side trail that I passed earlier. I went along it just enough to make my distance for the day six miles. It was too bad I wasn’t doing my long run today as I was running very well and didn’t feel like having it end.

Today was definitely not a day to be swimming, but that did not stop the (fool) hardy Cibbows gang from participating in the Cibbows Second Annual Turkey Dip. This was an important year for the event. The first time could have been considered an anomaly, but two years in a row is the start of a tradition.

I have been blessed with friends who are willing to participate in this now annual tradition. This year’s participants consisted of Sondra, Abe, Julia and me. Conspicuously absent were Bess and Mike, but they got a pass since they were at home with their newborn son Cole and the grandparents. I was disappointed not to have them, but I understood considering the circumstances.

Julia, who was participating in her first Turkey Dip event, was sitting on the fence for a while about whether should would participate or not. After a couple emails between us, I managed to convince her that she would be foolish not to come to the beach. I think our email exchange says it all:

——————
Wednesday, November 23, 2005 1:44 PM

OK, I’ll do it. What time are you picking people up?
Julia

—–Original Message—–
From: Charles
Sent: Nov 23, 2005 11:28 AM
To: JULIA Subject:
Re: Turkey or chicken?

I fully plan on putting on my wetsuit before I leave my house.

Where are you coming from? I am picking up a couple of people by the Williamsburg Bank in Brooklyn at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenue.

Don’t do something you would regret. While it may be easier to sit on your couch or lie in bed, I am sure years from now you will remember the Second Annual Turkey Dip, but it would be difficult to remember what you saw on TV or thought about while under your covers.

—– Original Message —–
From: JULIA
To: Charles
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 10:45 AM
Subject: Re: Turkey or chicken?

Suffering succotash! Back on the fence.
If I bring the wetsuit (!!!!!) but leave the common sense at home ….
I’ll let you know later today (never make a decision until you have to)
Julia

On Nov 22, 2005, at 12:25 PM, Charles wrote:
Isn’t there an expression “Failure is not an option”? The Turkey is such a majestic bird compared to the Chicken.
—– Original Message —–
From: JULIA
To: Charles
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 12:23 PM
Subject: Turkey or chicken?

Hi Charles,

I’ve been trying to convince myself that I’m intrepid enough for the Turkey dip, but I’ve failed.
I’ll be thinking of you all as you go Cold Turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Julia
——————

We all drove together to Brighton Beach and began the process of disrobing in the Municipal Parking lot. Abe and Sondra stripped down to their bathing suits, Julia put on a long john wetsuit and I completely wussed out and put on a long sleeve wetsuit with neoprene booties, scuba hood and gloves. Sondra provided us all with Turkey feathers and we posed for a moment to snap a picture.

On the beach, the wind was blowing so fiercely that the sand was blown as smooth as glass. The sun was struggling to come out behind a fair amount of cloud cover and the water was whipped into a wicked froth. The wind would pick up bits of foam and blow it out over the beach.

Depending on your point of view, the sea could have had the appearance of a pissed off body of water looking to kill, or it could have had the look of a wild amusement park ride. We hesitated briefly before entering the water, reconsidering as to whether or not we should be doing this. Really though, the decision was already made, because there was no way we were coming all of this way to turn back.

The wind and surf made it hard to enter. The waves were brutally attacking the shore. I caught a nasty wave face first. The sudden rush of cold took my breath away. My head hurt the same way when cold ice cream touches the roof of your mouth.

On this day, I really didn’t do much swimming. The neoprene gloves gave me no feel for the water and the scuba hood wasn’t conducive to turning my head to breathe. For the most part, I just hung out in the surf and enjoyed the ride of the swelling waves. Sondra on the other hand, swam at least a few hundred yards and Abe and Julia did a fair amount of swimming as well. As we started to leave the water, one last wave snuck up on Abe. It swept his swim cap and goggles away.

Having escaped the water, we came across our friend Tim. He had just finished kayaking and came over to see how we were doing. Tim snapped a couple of more photos and then accompanied us back to the car.

After changing, we drove to get some warm beverages and then continued on to our friend Cristian’s house. Just as last year, we crashed on his pad to warm up and chide him for not joining us. Maybe next year he will come. In the meantime, I am grateful for a very successful past year and my good friends.

The conditions in a nutshell were:

Air Temp: 41°F
Winds: 24 MPH sustained
Water Temp: 48°F
Sky: Mostly Cloudy

If only it was easy to change your state of mind, I am sure many people would be able to change their lives. Once a certain way of thinking sets in, I have found it hard to change the course of my thoughts. It is like traveling downhill on a bicycle and you come up to a fork in the road. You somehow wind up taking the left fork, but you wanted to take the right.

Now how can this be? If you wanted to take the right fork, how could you let yourself veer to the left and start going the wrong way? Was it because the left fork was just easier and you are just tired of pushing in the direction you want to go?

Once you start going down the left fork, the longer you let yourself go, the harder it will be to go back and continue on your desired course. You have to stop the downward momentum, push back up the hill (how far, depends on the distance you went before you stopped yourself) and then get back on track. If you let yourself go too far, it will be impossible to climb back up. You will need to continue down this easy path, until the end, whereupon you will find nothing.

You know you are cruising smoothly when it is easy to avoid those left forks in the road. Sometimes though, the road is so slanted to the left and the road to the right is so rocky, bumpy and difficult, that you just let yourself go with the flow.

This is where I am now. I am traveling downhill and I am struggling to stay to the right. I am ok with that. I am definitely succeeding to staying to the right. I’ve arrived at similar forks in the road in my past. This was always after several years of training, where one day I let myself glide to the left.

This easy road on the left side of the fork is very seductive. I’ve taken it before and discovered that at the end of it, I wish I stayed to the right. I arrived at the end of the easy path soft and out of shape and having wasted all of the hard efforts I put in before. I suppose part of the reason why I did this in the past was that I had no set goals in my mind, or if I did, I believed them to be impossible to achieve. I know other people, besides myself who have slipped and taken the left fork in the road. I’ve never heard one of them say they were happy about their decision to go down it. They always look back with regret that they didn’t struggle to stay on course.

This morning the left fork stared me in the face and beckoned me longingly. It was in the form of my warm bed and soft pillow. The right fork announced its presence with howling winds and a cold chill blowing through the cracks in my window. The last thing I wanted to do was follow the right fork to the pool at Asphalt Green for 2000 yards of swimming; but that is what I did.

Right now I am wondering, what was so difficult about that? Left fork, you are a devil.

I see that my friend ST has been nosing around my blog and posting anonymous comments. Its too bad he doesn’t post his blatherings publicly. He is not shy about public speaking and often does so in front of a live audience when he reads his poetry aloud.

I had the pleasure of witnessing his poetry in action at the reading of his book “Sympathetic Detonations”, a collaboration with artist David Lantow. As Todd explained it, the book is an Action Adventure Series in a 5 part graphic novel about a day in the life of striptease artist Jackie Grease, whose aimless wanderings through New York take the reader on a surreal, philosophical journey about nothing in particular.

As when it comes to most things with Todd when he speaks, I am often left confused and/or amused. I must say that most of the deeper meaning behinds Todd’s words frequently escapes me. Much like my understanding of how he can possibly believe he will ever beat me in another head to head match up in a multisport race.

Back to his poetry, I will admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it despite not being able to understand most of it. I thought about writing about it on my previous posting, but decided not to because A. It wasn’t topical to what I was currently writing about and B. I was running out of time since I had to take the kids to soccer. I was hoping Todd would show up and surprise Lucas at his game, but I guess he was too tired from a night of reading (sorry for the guilt trip).

After soccer this morning, I setup my bike on the trainer and rode a very easy 85 minutes while watching a movie called “The Station Agent”. The movie and the ride were so mellow that I wasn’t even sure I was moving. In a sense I wasn’t but at least I got a ride in.

Yesterday, I went to Asphalt Green to swim in the morning for the first time in over 5 months. I set my watch for 4:30am the night before and woke up 31 seconds before it went off, hoping I had at least another couple of hours to sleep. Dragging myself out of bed to go swim at 4:30am was abosoultely brutal. Even though I’ve done this dozens of times before, I am just so unused to heading to the pool after not doing so for such a long time. I felt like I was duct taped to my bed and that I somehow managed to break free of the bonds.

It took me 20 minutes to drive to the pool and I easily found parking. When I entered the pool deck, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pool was configured for Long Course Meters. This meant that I had a lovely 50 meter length to swim. I hate doing flip turns and hang turns are just not conducive to getting a proper rhythm flowing. For me, the less turning the better. I only had to swim 1500 yards and wound up swimming 1600 meters.

It took a little longer to drive home, but I was back in my house just before 7am. I got to wake my children up for school and then still had time to get a 6 mile run in. I took a shot of Hammer Gel straight from the bottle and then headed out into the crisp fall air and ran a very comfortable 6 miles.

Later in the day I went to SBR Sports near Columbus Circle to buy a new long sleeve wetsuit. Everything was on a blowout sale and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to score a new suit at a cheap price. I knew I would need it for the upcoming Turkey Dip.

Unfortunately, I was too late to score an Ironman Stealth wetsuit, but I did get a Orca P-Flex, which is supposed to be even better. Before settling on the P-Flex, I must have tried on 3 or 4 wetsuits. Let me state that trying on wetsuits is not a fun thing to do. The neoprene causes you to break out a sweat the moment you put it on. Add that to the fact that long sleeve wetsuits are pretty difficult to get on properly. Just pulling one on is a full workout in and of itself. By the time I was done, I could barely grip anything in my hands, since they were so fatigued from pulling up the suits.

In order to make my final decision on which suit to buy, I tried a couple out in the Endless Pool in the store. So here I am going swimming for the second time in the day, where previously, I hadn’t swum in a couple of months. I was reluctant to do this at first, since I didn’t want to get my hair wet. I didn’t have anything to neaten it up afterwards and I had to go back to work. Fortunately, my hair stayed somewhat dry underneath the swim cap.

Back in my office, I left my new wetsuit, wet in the bag, on a chair next to my desk. Eventually I took it out and hung it up on the back of my office door. I left the wet bag on the chair. Later on someone came to see me and when she went to sit down noticed that something was “leaking” in my bag. I told her it was from my wetsuit which was still wet from swimming. I had her convinced that I took a dip in the East River, especially when she saw my suit hanging behind the door.

Last Year’s Turkey Dippers

Email to Coach -

Neil -

Well, I am not going to swim at AG at night anymore. It is just way too much of a hassle. I got there around 6:15 after suffering for 20 minutes on the crowded M86 Bus. Too windy and rainy to walk in my work suit. There was only 4 lanes open and the swimmers in them just didn’t mesh. The other lanes were taken over by after school programs. Compared to the kids in the next lane, I was old, slow and rusty. They were swimming by me with such ease and grace.

I am not hanging around until after 7:30pm, because I would just get home too late. If I need to do a morning/night workout again, I’ll do a morning swim followed by a night run.

Since I got home later than usual, I slept too long to get my bike in. However, I realized I didn’t need to be in the office at my usual time, so I had time to do it. I went out, but unfortunately, they are ripping up Prospect Park for repaving, so it wasn’t conducive to riding. I did get in 2.9 miles. Too bad I just didn’t stay indoors. By the time I got back, I just decided to forget about it for now. Maybe I will try for this evening. The morning was just one big false start.

Speaking of indoors, with the winter arriving, you mentioned you may be inclined to lend me your computrainer. Is that still true?

Really what I felt like doing today was running. My legs feel very good and its all I feel like doing lately. Getting in the pool last night was tough. I hate the feeling of the cold water enveloping my body, but once I got going it was ok. I was slow, but swam with what I think was good form.

I am going to have to start popping an Ambien again soon after I eat dinner. The pull of the TV has been fierce lately, causing me to go to bed later than usual. I guess my lazy gene wants to make up for lost time. However, I am starting to feel my passion gene exerting its will.

Charles