Registration Is Closed

Hello,

Thank you for your interest and support for this year's Tin Man Event.  At this time registration for the event is closed. 

If you have interested in learning more about charity and fundraising efforts that this year's event is supporting, please check out the Kilimanjaro Challenge Blog at www.kilichallenge2013.blogspot.com

Thanks again and please check back at this blog for a recap of the event sometime in the next week.

Training for a Tin Man

Training for a Tin Man

Meeting the course on its terms

10/9/12

7.32 miles, 45 minutes

 

88 days to Africa

 

 

Training for the Tin Man has proven to be an everyday hustle for this rookie.  There has been a significant increase in my physical activity, some moderate modifications to my diet, and a commitment to developing a familiarity with the environs that this woodsman will be traveling through on the day of the event.  My efforts have recently been culminating into a series of Tin Man-esque training routes.  The most recent of these took place on Saturday 10/6/12.

 

The day's challenge was to complete two full circuits around Lake Como on the bike followed by one full circuit of the running portion of the Tin Man course.  Each of the loops was sandwiched between the 1.1 mile round trip to and from the starting line, making for a grand total of 7.32 miles of physical exertion.  There was no "goal" in terms of the speed at which this training route was completed, but there was the commitment to not stop peddling or running for the duration. 

 

Having no experience with an event in which one bikes for a prolonged distance and then gets off the bike and runs for another distance, it has been a unique occasion to become familiar with the sensations associated with the experience.   For instance, biking in the cold weather (below 45 degrees) in knee length shorts turns this Caucasian Male's legs pink.  Despite a moderately thick layer of leg hair, it would seem that those hairs directed the cold air towards the skin and likely increased the drag and wind resistance as I traveled around the lake.   

 

Two trips around the lake on the bike was nothing new.  In fact, I've made six circuits around the lake on the bike with minimal discomfort and substantial endurance.  What was unexpected was the impact the cold air had on my lungs, and the degree to which cold weather intensified the jolts and bumps that the bike and its rider encountered on the path around the lake.

 

It may have been the cold weather, but I did find it entertaining to people watch as I zipped around the lake on my two wheeled gerbil exercise machine.  It was interesting to see how far folks would advance in the time it took me to circuit the lake.  Similarly, it was fun to contemplate the wide variety of outfits that people deemed appropriate for the occasion, and I often marveled at my own internal thought process as I witnessed multiple violations of the very few rules of the road associated with the biking and hiking paths. 

 

Ultimately, it did not matter that a few bikers were going the wrong direction on the bike path, even though it clearly states "one way" on  the path.  Also, I had no trouble riding around the multiple hikers and joggers who seemed to view the bike path as the alternative route around the other joggers and walkers that were traffic jammed on the walking path.  Dogs on leashes tended to scamper out of the way in sufficient time to avoid injury to themselves, and the few rollerbladers who were caught between being pedestrians and wheeled vehicles seemed to pull to one side or the other safely despite the nervous looks on their faces as they fought not to fall or lose their momentum.  

 

In retrospect, I've chuckled to myself thinking of the site that my subjects may have seen as I was contemplating their existence.  I have no way of knowing for sure, but here's be my guess.... They saw a rather odd looking adult male, content with riding in repetitive circles around the lake wearing all grey and featuring bright pink legs and a pink face to match.  Headphones and a determined look on the face completed the picture.  So, in the end, I think we all got something out of the experience and that was just part of the day's exercise.

 

After returning to the start line on the bike, I began phase two of the training.  I hung the bike up in the garage and began to walk down the driveway back to the starting line.  Here is where the unique sensations resume.  It is an odd feeling to be "warmed up" from the bike, yet also feel your legs as numbed or restricted by the repetitive motion of the cycling.  As I began jogging, I truly felt like a Tin Man.  My legs thumped along at a pace that felt slow.  I got a quarter of a mile into the trip and my breath was labored and my legs whispered that it'd be just as worthwhile to return home and relax. 

 

"We still have house and yard work to accomplish" my mind told me and my legs, limbs, lungs, and other "l" parts all concurred.  For some unknown reason, I kept moving forward, one foot at a time, retracing much of the route I had just completed on my bike and now seeing some of the same joggers and walkers that I had seen earlier.  The only difference now is that they bounced around a little more, and I became less intrigued by their behavior and more concerned about my own survival.  

 

About half way into the run, my legs finally seemed to forget that they had previously been riding a bike and the comfort of jogging increased.  Before I knew it, I was back at the starting line and 2.72 miles of foot pounding excitement was in my past.  It would be a mistruth to say that the endeavor was an easy one.  But, I can say that my heart rate and breathing returned with surprising ease, and after a shower and some food I still had plenty of energy for the afternoon's chores.  

 

As a result of the training, I now have the confidence to know that I can definitely complete the event, and the concern will be to sustain the momentum while also acclimating to the continually cooling temperatures.  Thanks for checking in.  I'll see you at the starting line.

 

The Tin Man