Road to Recovery - Day 1

I have had a pesky hamstring injury for quite some time but have also been busy with some family commitments which have required lots of travel back and forth between Richmond and Northern VA. I have been able to get a bike ride in about once a week while up there but have not really been doing much other than lamenting the fact that I can't run. 

Today, I started on my road to recovery. It all started with assuming the standing position at work rather than sitting all day. I have a nice adjustable standup desk but have been a bit sitting more than ever due to my mood. Last night before bed, I put my desk in the standing position in anticipation of standing today. 

After work, I rode my bike to Bryan Park and did some short hill repeats followed by Pilates and then some lower body weight lifting. I have an immediate goal of being able to do an easy run in two weeks. My plan is to continue with strength training, Pilates, yoga, etc. I also am going to try to tighten up my diet. Another goal is to quit drinking Red Bull again although I don't seem quite ready to do that. I will need to be more disciplined with my time so I can do the things I want to do and get the proper sleep. 

I think the key will be to start off small and be consistent. It might be neat to document it all too. So far, Day 1 is off to a good start. Here is hoping that I can continue to fight the good fight and keep up with my work, school, and family commitments. We shall see!

Racing is Back!

2020 In-person Racing was a bust! 

I started writing this earlier this year but then got sidetracked by more important activities. So here is my race recap. Mostly just the stats with no witty recaps. 

It has been a while since many of us have toed the line at an in-person event. I had done a 5K in 2020 in March around Saint Patrick's day. Shortly after that, we locked down and all the 2020 races starting getting canceled. It was all very understandable and I simply deferred all my race entries to 2021. I crossed my fingers that we would be in a better place once those races came around. I spent the rest of 2020 doing virtual races which I talked about in my last blog post. 

Below is a recap of my 2021 races. I don't really have too much to report about each race but wanted to document it all here. 

Vaccination

As 2021 progressed, it seemed like race organizers had come up with satisfactory plans to return to racing with special COVID-19 precautions. Thankfully for me, I was able to get vaccinated through my work on March 22nd. And since it was the one shot J&J vaccine, that meant that by the time of my first scheduled race, I would be fully vaccinated. Sweet!

April 10 - First Race of the Season - Smithfield Sprint Triathlon

The first race of the season was the Smithfield Sprint Triathlon. Age group results below. 

Male 50 to 54
	Overall					------- Swim In -------		T1	------- Bike -------		T2	Total
Place	Place	Name	City	Bib No	USAT Age	Rnk	Time	Time	Rnk	Time	Time	Time
1	23	Christopher Ratchford	Midlothian VA	84	50	1	4:54.4	6:18.6	1	33:40.3	34:44.8	57:16.7
2	25	Gary Martin	Midlothian VA	204	52	4	6:02.3	7:15.9	2	34:53.4	36:02.4	57:33.6
3	62	David Lassiter	Williamsburg VA	81	53	10	7:24.0	8:54.6	3	36:49.9	37:55.5	1:02:13.2
4	65	Michael Spinos	Midlothian VA	132	50	5	6:05.5	7:37.3	6	37:51.8	39:24.0	1:02:40.8
5	66	Michael Fedryk	Virginia Beach VA	72	50	2	5:42.7	7:23.7	4	37:09.7	38:40.9	1:03:07.9
6	76	James Rosen	Richmond VA	226	53	7	6:51.6	9:04.2	5	39:08.9	40:36.1	1:04:08.0
7	114	Jeffery Shackelford	Smithfield VA	186	50	9	7:06.4	9:16.3	7	40:45.1	42:40.1	1:09:44.1
8	141	Scott Dixon	Henrico VA	232	54	13	7:44.9	9:12.8	9	41:36.8	42:30.2	1:14:17.4
9	148	Mark Gordon	Portsmouth VA	259	53	3	5:49.9	8:00.8	10	40:49.0	42:34.1	1:15:47.5
10	150	Evans Thomas	Appomattox VA	187	54	8	7:02.2	9:15.2	8	41:35.2	43:44.6	1:16:27.2
11	161	Hayden Richards	Newport News VA	58	53	14	11:09.6	13:53.7	11	48:58.8	50:56.1	1:18:48.0
12	167	Mark Konst	Newport News VA	274	53	6	6:47.0	9:43.2	13	46:17.0	48:07.2	1:19:50.4
13	181	Charles Corprew	Virginia Beach VA	236	50	12	7:39.9	10:37.4	12	46:36.3	49:58.3	1:24:53.5
14	199	Mike Araojo	Hampton VA	18	53	11	7:26.1	13:32.2	14	52:42.4	55:42.1	1:40:00.5

May 7th - Kinetic Triathlon Festival - Kinetic Half

May 8th - Kinetic Triathlon Festival - Kinetic Sprint

June 6, 2021 - Ironman 70.3 Virginia's Blue Ridge

July 4th, 2021 - Biffledinked 10 X 5K

And there you have it. I don't think I will do any more races this year as I focus on some family commitments. Who knows was 2022 will bring. Perhaps some more racing. We will see. Thanks for reading.