Top 10 Endurance Sport Lessons of 2013
By any measure, 2013 was an awesome year for this slow, chubby and misinformed endurance athlete. It started with a nervous pre-dawn drive to a swim clinic. I didn’t know anyone attending the clinic but I knew that they were going to have a real live triathlon coach, John Hanna, there and that my swimming …
2013 Medoc Trail Marathon Race Report
Flight of the Stumble Bee The 2013 Medoc Trail Marathon was the highlight of my race season this year. The Medoc Trail Races – both the marathon and 10 miler – have a lot going for them: dedicated race directors, amazing volunteers, challenging venue, excellent swag and cool trail names. If you like trail races …
Quest for Medoc Part 2
Many things in life are predictable, reassuring, supposed to be there. I’m sure over the past few weeks you’ve seen more leaves on your local running path, maybe some acorns or walnuts. Heard the honks of migrating geese. Smelled that indefinable something that precedes autumn. How do I know that summer is lapping over into …
Quest for Medoc: Part 1
October 2011 Owls Roost Trail, Greensboro, NC, Watershed Trails We find our hero, armed only with a hydration vest, speed-hiking the last few miles of the 2011 Triple Lakes marathon in a desperate bid to beat the eight-hour cutoff. I’m moving as fast as I can, maybe 20 minute miles. I’m walking a mountain bike …
Moments of Validation
I’ve always thought that being happy is a skill. It’s a matter of looking at the whole picture. It’s finding that ray of sunshine, wrestling it into the back of the truck and getting it home before you get it all dirty. Sure you came in last in your age group but three years ago …
A Tale of Two Triathlons: Part II
“Running in place will never get you the same results as running from a lion.” – The Most Interesting Man in the World. So after my epic fail at 2012 Sevierville sprint triathlon what did I do different in preparing for 2013: everything. No seriously: everything. Shortly after the race I replaced my 1994 Trek …
A Tale of Two Triathlons: Part I
“If at first you don’t succeed … try coming up with an actual plan and then loosely following it.” – Al Dockery 2013 I’ve been wanting to write about the 2012 Sevierville sprint triathlon for a while. How did it go? Not so good. My working title for a race report would have to be …
Wacky World of Wetsuits
I’m going to to ahead and confess to some wetsuit avoidance. I find wetsuits intimidating for two reasons cost and fit. Wetsuits have some fairly serious sticker shock. The other more important issue was my belief that wetsuit manufacturers probably did not make a wetsuit I could actually wear. Frankly athletic clothing makers never foresaw …
2013 St. Paddy’s Day Dash & Bash
Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Greenville, SC, with my wife and daughter (Team Al) for the 2nd annual St. Paddy’s Day Dash & Bash 5K and 10K. There is nothing like starting off your running season with a St. Paddy’s day event. As I lined up at the 5K start on this …