Ryan Beats Dad In Triathlon? ... and The Code of the Elite Runner

CMU Indoor Triathlon
The workouts of the weekend commenced Saturday morning at 3:30 AM when I got out of bed to drive to Mt. Pleasant for indoor triathlon with @ryankarr23 (and @sjck23 too).  It was a fun way to spend some time together ... but there is something I can't get out of my mind.

Before the swim started, Ryan said, "I don't know if I want to beat you because that would mean you are getting old."

Isn't that the truth...I'm getting older for sure, and Ryan beating me in running and/or triathlon is likely to happen this year.  However, since I'm unbeaten in all previous races, I think I've made it clear I'm not going down easy.  Forty-six is not yet old, son.

As of the writing of this post, the official results of the indoor tri have not been posted, but here's what I can tell you:
Swim - Ryan swam 100 yards farther than me during the 20 minute swim.  Ryan is hydrodynamic!
Bike - I rode .4 miles farther than Ryan during the 20 minute bike.  It should also be noted my bike was set to level 19 while Ryan's was set to level 10.  This likely means I worked much harder than Ryan.
Run - I ran about half a lap farther than Ryan during the 20 minute run....on a nine laps per mile track.

Results: Ryan won one of the three events, and I won two of the three events.

Ry, we should probably call this event a draw.  Just sayin.....not sure you want to try and claim this event as the one where you take the reins.  Too many variables.....and when you take over, I suggest making sure it is a legitimate win with a clear measure of success.


The Code of the Elite Runner
Second part of today's post....I ran with Dave Chomet and Paul Aufdemberge (real names)...three treadmills with me in the middle....and did I ever get a running education!  Here was the progression of my discoveries....otherwise known as the Code of the Eite Runner:

• I was running with two guys who have an average marathon PR of 2:23:30.  One of them has run a 1:02:00 half-marathon  PR (yes, I typed that correctly).
• When guys like them go to races:
• They don't register like we do.
• They don't pay to race.
• The day before the event, there rooms set up with free food and drinks....and other nutrition.
• They don't pay for their hotel rooms.
• They get free beach towels not available to any other runners at any cost.
• There is probably a lot of other free stuff they get too...they just didn't want to give away all of the secrets.  Note: I did overhear Dave say "can you get me a pair of size 11s from the Nike rep?"  Sounds like two of the three of us don't pay for our shoes either.

I'm now thinking if I can drop only 25 minutes off my half-marathon PR, I could save a lot in racing fees. Hmmm...that might be hard to do at 46. I guess I'll spend my time trying to keep up with Ry before I start thinking about how I fit into the Code of the Elite Runner.