Click here to view the embedded video.

Now Dory’s advice when Marlin gets dejected, is to “Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!”

For our purposes, I’d like for you to consider both the metaphorical and the literal meanings.

First, the metaphorical:  This is great advice, even from a fish:  Just keep moving forward! It does not matter if you are moving slowly, or find obstacles in your way, but if you want to progress toward your goals, and grow as a person, you must keep moving forward!

Now in the sport of triathlon, there is also the literal aspect to consider.  It goes without saying that during the swim, the best advice is to just keep swimming. But like I already said, it goes without saying. So let me suggest instead a more practical way to approach the problem of just keeping swimming for those of you who are relative newcomers to the sport and/or generally fear the open water (which is most people).  The breast stroke is a stroke that can allow swimmers to lower their heart rates, catch their breaths, and sight ahead to make sure they are on track.  Thus, I suggest swimming freestyle for a specified number of strokes (you can experiment to see how long you can go before switching strokes, but practice counting strokes so you can focus on a specified target) and then switch to breast stroke as needed to re-group.  This will allow you to take a break while continuing to move forward.

This is not very different from taking walk breaks on the run.  I also think it is a good idea for most athletes to take walk breaks through the aid stations, but if you are new to running, you may want to take more frequent breaks to keep your heart rate lower.  Again, this is a way to regroup while still moving forward.

When biking, just keep moving forward.  Eat and drink as you go, and do not stop unless you have a mechanical problem and have no choice but to stop.

In transitions, keep making as much forward progress as possible. You will necessarily have to pause at the rack to get your gear and go, but don’t stop to have a snack and don’t sit down to rest.  Just keep moving and get in and out of transition as quickly as possible.

So, take Dory’s advice — both literally and figuratively — and just keep swimming! just keep swimming! just keep swimming!

On Saturday morning, there were two trail running events: a 5k and a half-marathon. I participated in the half-marathon, which was the most hellish half I have done!

Rocky Hill Ranch is named Rocky Hill Ranch for a reason!  It was — (um, yeah) –  rocky and hilly!

Well folks, you know how you are supposed to train for the conditions in which you will run?  Let me be your poster child for this lesson!  The half-marathon distance is no problem for me, but the off-road part killed me. I haven’t done an off-road race since last fall, I think, and I don’t often train on trails (“real” trails that is — the hike and bike trails here in Austin don’t count), and that really jumped up and bit me on the arse.

By mile 8, my calves were cramping up — a lot — and I had to walk a good portion of the last few miles.  And the last few miles turned out to be some of the most brutal miles.  In fact, one of my camping neighbors came over after the race and said, “Hey, what did you think of The Wall?” And I was thinking: “Huh? The Wall?”  I didn’t know what he was talking about!   I do remember hobbling down and up a segment labeled “The Grind” and hoping that my calves wouldn’t seize up and send me toppling into the ditch.  (They post a big sign to let you know about the impending doom right before it happens.) Anyway… I thought when he was talking about The Wall, he meant The Grind, but it turns out there is another huge down and up called The Wall shortly after The Grind, but I have to be honest:  I have no recollection of The Wall.  None whatsoever. 

In spite of all that, I managed to shuffle back to the finish line to complete the race.  I think I have to call this my worst running race ever — or at least among the worst races ever — along with 1) the time I ran a marathon with peroneal tendinitis (tolerable until mile 9, then really bad) and 2) the time my IT band flared up at mile 4 of the 20k Decker Challenge.  Ouch.   At least this time, it’s nothing a good ice bath and some massage can’t resolve.

On Saturday, there was also the bike toss competition!  This is a Dirty Du tradition, in which participants throw an old junker mountain bike for distance.  I believe the winning toss was around 30 feet.  Here are a couple of photos from the prelims.

On Sunday was the main event:  the Dirty Du, and its little sister, the Sprint Du! Here is a short quicktime (.mp4) video of the race start, as the participants begin the first 5k run. Dirty Du Race Start

The Dirty Du website describes the duathlon course as follows: “The Dirty Du course is a 5K trail run, followed by a 12 mile mountain bike ride, followed by a 5K trail run. The run is off road and technical. It has several hills, some steep, with lots of rocks. The bike is 80% single track and 20% Jeep trails.”  (The sprint is about half the distance of the regular race.)

The half-marathon run route on Sat was the same as the bike course plus an additional mile or so spur to get it up to 13.1, so I got a really good look at this bike course.  What they don’t tell you is that it seems to be about 90% uphill.  Not sure how, but it seemed that way at least. I would also say it was way more single track than jeep roads, more like 90/10 or 95/5.

(And supposedly there is a place on the bike route that they call The Wall, but that’s just hearsay.  <ha!>)

Here is a short video clip near the beginning of the bike course:  Dirty Du Cycling video clip These cyclists were huffing and puffing already, with a really long way to go.  I tip my hat to all who completed this tough race.

Anyway, it was a fun weekend, in spite of my own not-so-stellar racing day.  It’s probably good now and then to have a really bad race so that when the good ones come along, they are oh, so much sweeter.  At a minimum, it reinforces lessons that we already know but of which we sometimes need to be reminded.

If you are looking for a fun camping weekend for the whole family, where you can try an off-road du or an off-road run, this is a great option held around this time each year.  Just make sure you spend a lot of time off-road before you get here.

In particular, I advocate incorporating one-legged squats and side-lying leg lifts to build buns of steel!

Start with 1 set of 10 reps on each leg for the one-legged squats, and work up to 2 sets of 15 on each leg.  Here is a video demo of one-legged squats.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For the side-lying leg lifts, do 20 lifts, then 20 circles on one side, then switch sides and repeat.  You WILL feel the burn.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Add these exercises to your workouts just a few times a week.

For more Placid Athlete video tips, go to the placidathlete channel on You Tube.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I hope that you are celebrating today with a swim, bike, or run (or other awesome workout) to ring in the New Year.

With the beginning of the new calendar, many of us will be celebrating various traditions, such as taking part in regional food rituals (like eating black-eyed peas for good luck down here in the southern U.S.), watching the Tournament of Roses Parade on television, or perhaps even participating in a “polar bear swim” in frigid waters somewhere.

Of course, many of us will also be setting New Year’s resolutions.  The New Year is a great time to start fresh in setting healthy habits to make your life better, but we need to be careful in how we approach setting resolutions. Here is a quick tip to keep in mind when thinking about your New Year’s resolutions:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And then Helen Reddy came on: “I am strong! I am invincible!”

What a perfect song for female triathletes!  The lyrics are below and a clip of Helen Reddy from the Midnight Special is here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an’ pretend
‘Cause I’ve heard it all before
And I’ve been down there on the floor
No one’s ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
‘Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
‘Cause you’ve deepened the conviction in my soul

Oh, yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin’ arms across the land
But I’m still an embryo
With a long, long way to go
Until I make my brother understand

Oh, yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong

I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman

Clearly the lyrics speak about the power of women in a broader sense but, at the same time, the triathlon parallels are there.  A triathlete starts as a novice, endures pain on the journey, gains wisdom, and develops strength and the mental fortitude to know that she can accomplish anything.

Music has the power to change moods.  There is no doubt about it.  And positive thinking, or affirmations, also have the power to change moods and even change lives (one day at a time).  As triathletes, we can find inner strength in difficult times in racing or training (and everyday life!) by using mantras and positive self-talk, including lyrics from popular songs.  I have written about the power of mantras in my article, What’s Your Mantra?, which is available through the subscriber-only portion of placidathlete.com, if you care to read further on this topic.

Right now, I’m thinking that “I am strong! I am invincible!” is a terrific mantra.  I might just start using that one myself.