Early Mornings

This page needs some color to brighten it up. This is an August sunrise from Wirtz Road in Rankin County near my home.

My early morning exercise schedule allows me to see some unusual things from time to time. I could say I'm in training for a triathlon in two weeks, which is true, but I will continue my workouts even after the triathlon. Since January, 2002 I've been getting up at 4 AM for some sort of exercise. I let myself sleep until maybe 7 on some Saturdays, but it's now a habit to be up before the sun.

My routine for the last few months has been a 5K run on Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 2300-2800 yards swimming with my Masters club on Tuesday & Thursday, and usually a 36 mile bike ride on Sunday morning at a 17-19 mph pace.

I've entered 5 triathlons and 7 or so 5K races and survived them all. That's actually the best I can say about my efforts, since I'm no speedster. Swimming is my strongest sport, and I owe that to my great friends in the Masters club and constant encouragement from my wife and sister. The cycling is fair, considering I've only been riding a year. My running is the weak link. Lately I've been really working on improving my speed and it's paying off, I think. With a little help from some cooler weather, I cut my 5K time down this week by over 1:30. I hope to run tomorrow or Wednesday under 30:00.

I ran a 5K last year in 26:57. The course was flat and the temperature was 39 degrees at the start, so my poor performance this summer hasn't gotten me too disgruntled. I think my training course is pretty demanding, too.

Next race: Delta State University Triathlon - September 16th