Training for Life: Catching up with the Fresh Prince, Deep Work, Trying Tri

Before Sunday, I had never done a competitive cycling or swimming event, let alone a triathlon. So the Fort Ritchie Olympic Triathlon this past weekend brought me a wealth of new experiences. Kicking and being kicked while swimming. Getting on bike gear while wet. Running without fresh legs. My only other triathlon experience was in medical school, when I ran the run leg of a team relay. As on that day, and unlike a typical road race, not a soul could overtake me on the run. After slogging through the lake swim, my bike and run were good enough to pull me into third place in my age group in this small race. Overall it was a good experience -- I would do it again!

Quote of the month:

"Remember -- today will never know another dawn."

• Dante, Purgatorio, Canto XII.83-84

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What I'm reading:

Will, by Will Smith. Will Smith's 2021 memoir is fantastic. I wasn't particularly interested in starting it. It wasn't on my to-read list. Honestly the only reason I got into it at all was because I didn't have any Audible credits and so was browsing through the free audiobooks available through my library. Audiobook turned out to be the perfect format for this type of memoir, which is read, rapped, sung and acted by the author. For every piece of dialogue by another person in his life, Smith imitates the person's voice. Songs, including first cuts are played and raps are rapped. I used to watch The Fresh Prince of Bel Air regularly in the 1990s. Anyone of my generation who enjoyed any part of Smith's career will appreciate its retelling here. I was also impressed by the thoroughness of Smith's self-examination and appraisal of his own psychology over the years. He has clearly done a lot of work in this department and shares his soul in a most candid and vulnerable way. My wife's first question about this book was: was it published before or after The Slap? Well, that is for another story I guess. The book was published November 9, 2021. Smith's altercation with Chris Rock at the Academy Awards took place on March 27, 2022.

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What I'm measuring:

Deep work. I recently read Cal Newport's book, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. The premise is that the ability to engage in focused concentration is valuable to the modern knowledge work economy. Yet the ability to engage in deep work is assailed by the various modern social norms that fragment our attention. He says that it's only really possible to engage in about four hours of deep work in a day. That might sound like not that much, until you start measuring it!

How I'm training:

I'm going to tilt back towards running for the fall. This will mean back up to three runs per week. I'm roughly going to be following the Run Less Run Faster?marathon training plan in the run up to Freedoms Run in October. I say roughly, because that is a sixteen week plan, and Freedoms is 10 weeks away. During four of those weeks I'll be traveling. For cross training I will take my pick from the grab bag of bike, swim and rowing ergometer. When I was readying for the triathlon, I bumped training days from five up to six per week. But I think it works better personally for recovery to stick with five. Resistance training is going back into rehab/off season mode for the moment, focusing on single limb stance, core stability and mobility. I'm also planning to get back into some bodyweight exercise with GMB Fitness as well.

What I'm listening to:

Stargazing, by Kygo. Summer is a good time to listen to tropical house. I used to put tropical house on in the OR when I wanted to chill out, but I got too many complaints, or rather, confused questions ("What is this?"). I've found Kygo's music uplifting ever since I heard Firestone in 2016, when I remember my two-year-old-at-the-time daughter and I singing the only lyrics we both knew: "We light up the world!" Stargazing dates back to 2017 and feels deeper and more poignant than Firestone's light and poppy kettle drum beat. Stargazing strikes notes of resilience and, ultimately, hopefulness.

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You're saying it's hopeless, that I should hope less

Heaven can help us, well, maybe she might

You say it's beyond us

What is beyond us? Let's see and decide

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On the blog:

Blood flow restriction training (BFRT) has been a game changer in orthopaedic surgery rehabilitation.? BFRT has been used since the 1960s, starting in Japan, where Dr. Yoshiaki Sato introduced it as Kaatsu training (‘training with added pressure’). ? It has become more popular (and more research-supported) in recent years in rehabilitation as well as strength and conditioning circles. Read the full post here.

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Upcoming events:

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August 5, 2023

Captain Bill Gallagher 10 Mile Island Run. This is a classic. 7 miles on the sand. In hot weather, it can be extremely challenging! The current forecast calls for a high of 80F with 75% humidity. Hopefully this means it will not be the 100F real feel that it was the last time I ran in this event!

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October 7, 2023

Freedoms Run. This point-to-point marathon gains over 1400 feet going from Harper's Ferry to Shepherdstown!

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October 21, 2023

End of the Road Half Marathon. I've done this a few times now. It's a small, very unique race. Four of the miles are in pitch black abandoned turnpike tunnels, so headlamps are required!

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November 4, 2023

Remedy Park 10 Miler. Come join us for the second annual 10-mile race through Chambersburg and Scotland, PA!

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November 18, 2023

JFK 50 Mile. Like Adharanand Finn in his book The Rise of the Ultra Runners, I can't help but ask myself: 'Marathons are great. But what if I did, you know, a bit more?' I'm now JFKurious about the oldest ultra marathon in the country...

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