So true ericmulk, I think CJ's last 4 days have highlighted how much you have put into this challenge. nice going, everyone.

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make a difference. today.

Thanks Andrew!!! I can't believe you're following us!!! JOOC, where are you: England, Australia, or??? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

hah...???! I’m on the east coast of South Africa, 200km (130mi) north of Durban in a rural sugarcane-growing area on the Umfolozi River. (If I dug a tunnel I’d come out between Hawaii & San Diego :)). I’ll try to attach a map.

Why am I following you? I think it’s because I admire & share your enthusiasm for finding joy in the commitment & process of being an endurance athlete regardless of performance level. Of being the best you can be, where you are, with what you have. The delightfully home-made but utterly compelling challenge that CJ has set and you (collectively) have embraced. And the uncluttered, inclusive, warm relationships that have been established. That is the unifying power of sport. I’m going to miss it when you’re done...

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make a difference. today.

So true, Andrew!! Swimming 4000 daily is really tough! It takes courage to get into the cold water knowing discomfort is ahead, a lot of time, and it makes a person so very, very tired.

I learned that swimming alone in an odd-sized, HOA pool is not as fun as going to a regular lap pool. I like seeing old ladies swim/float starfish style. There was a guy swimming freestyle yesterday and only one arm ever came out of the water. I bet he had a shoulder injury. He was almost as fast as me, which is not saying much because it somehow took me 1hr19min to swim 3000 in my main set. And I was not at the wall much. Weird.

Do you s/b/r in SA, Andrew?

Edit: wikipedia says Durban's motto is "Debile principium melior fortuna sequitur"--Better fortune follows a humble beginning. I like.

SO just did about an hour MTB yesterday to bridge from my last ride to my next one. It is funny that sometimes just doing on run or ride in the middle of a longish layoff, keeps things sharp enough, that you can almost resume seamlessly.

Got my 2 one mile races this Sunday, so gonna take it easy, and just swim a bit between now and then...Afterwards, it's back on baby!!!

Wow, very well said Andrew!!! And, thanks for seeing these things; i learned in my teenage years that i was never going to be a world-beater in any sport but I came to love the process. Just the feeling of movement through the water and over the land is fun, not to mention the nice tired feeling at the end of the day.

Rural South Africa huh??? Do you have any pools out there at all or do you swim in the river??? Dangerous wildlife???

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

So, South Africa is on the cusp with elements that are 1st & 3rd world and a chasm between the two that (unsurprisingly) is proving challenging to bridge. And where I live that interface is very real. I’m fortunate to have a 25m pool within 12min drive (10km run) that is underutilised and has seen better days but through the efforts of a few keen citizens is now clean & has a functioning filtration/chlorination system. The rivers on the east coast are seasonal and carry very high silt loads & bilharzia risk (A disease caused by infection with freshwater parasitic worms). As well as crocodiles & occasionally hippos. So not suitable for swimming. There are some open water ocean options, but they’re further away (50min drive).

I’m a runner revisiting triathlon after a long (21 year) break; I ran & raced in the ‘80s & ‘90s and spent the ‘00s & first half of ‘10s paddling, sailing & running intermittently while raising (with my wife) 2 boys who are now away at university, running & racing. I did a season of sprint tris last summer, and am looking to do sprints & Olympic distance races this summer (October-March). In a country obsessed with ultra distance, I’m a bit of an anomaly. But not immune, so may venture up to half-Ironman sometime.

Thanks for asking :)

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make a difference. today.

Day 38

Easy gravel bike ride

https://www.strava.com/activities/1871463424

Very interesting, thanks for this info. Ya, i certainly would not be swimming in those rivers but you've got a good 25 m pool close to you so that works nicely. I prefer swimming in the pool anyway, just b/c it's so much simpler plus you know exactly how you're swimming and how fast. Is your pool indoor or outdoor??? Do you usually run 10K to the pool, swim X km, then run the 10K home??? Now that would be a tough workout, espec if you swam say 4 km between runs. When in better running shape, i've run 6 miles before swimming, but no 2nd run afterwards. I'm determined to get back to being able to run 6 w/o thinking about it, but that will take another 6 months i think. How's the weather over there, e.g. what typical highs/lows in winter and summer??? I'd guess it's pretty humid??? The closest i've been to SA are my tours of USAF duty in Iraq and AFG but i think their climates are more arid than SA???

Day 38, Friday, 09.28.2018: Swam 1800 scm and ran 2.5 mi.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

There’s some high-octane racing at Jersey Superleague this weekend for motivation: https://www.superleaguetriathlon.com/

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make a difference. today.

Day 39

Riding a few hills.

https://www.strava.com/...;utm_medium=referral

Thanks for the link to inspiration. Earlier today we went to the San Diego G.I. Film Festival and saw 2 cool movies, one about a crew of veteran amputees who hiked Kilimanjaro. The message was hope; do what you can.

Biked 48:38. Ran 28:25.

There's a remake by Weezer of Toto's song Africa that I hear on the radio constantly. Is it popular in S.A., too? I prefer the original, I think.

Day 39, Sat, 09.29.2018: Swam 3600 scm and ran 3.0 mi.

Did you miss swimming yesterday and/or today???

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Yes, I did nothing at all yesterday. And no swimming today. Your question makes me think I should have swam. Perhaps I need another day with swimming? I'm happy to do it. Maybe just 3,000 more? Not 4,000 please.

Just swim whatever dist you feel like and, now that you've gotten all of your 50 x 800 yd swims in, you could swim more of the other strokes. Ever do any 1-armed fly??? Great for doing IM when tired. IME, doing all 4 strokes, and maybe just a bit of kicking all 4 kicks, makes it much easier to do a long swim workout. I know you said your kick is weak but i'm sure it would improve with more practice. :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

inspired by you, I did a s/r/b workout yesterday:
morning: swim 1250m continuous swim (28:30); 20min (transition by car); 5km parkrun (22:38) +wu & wd
afternoon: bike 36km (1:18) on indoor trainer (watching Jersey Superleague Triathlon :))

ericmulk: I’m not fit enough to run to the pool, swim & run home, but I do sometimes swim & run home. great workout, must remember to do it more.

As a whole, SA is a water-scarce country but not as arid as Middle-East & Afghanistan; the east coast (between the Drakensberg mountains & the sea) is much wetter (summer rainfall) and the coast is tropical (summer 19-36deg C; winter 16-28deg C) and very humid in summer.

Calamityjane88: still hear Toto’s Africa on local radio now & then; I will look (listen?) out for Weezer’s version.

damnlucky: can’t help noticing that you have diligently kept up your side of the sprint relay team with some beautiful but challenging rides. kudos.

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make a difference. today.

Day 40

We took a bus up to Nederland, did some mountain biking, grabbed some pizza then rode back down to Boulder.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1876593194

Andrew: Nice workouts!!!

Day 40, Sun, 09.30.2018: Swam 3600 scm and ran 3.5 miles.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

ha. I was a runner in SA in the 70s and 80s, managed to never once run Comrades ;-) being focused on 2 Oceans instead. The short ultra..

sprint and Olympic tris is what I did while we were raising kids, now I find I'm too tired to contemplate ultra distances.. Olympic distance has become an endurance race for me..

Day 41

43 miles on the bike.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1878011541

Day 41. Biked 47. Ran 31.

Yesterday (Day 40) I bike 46:34. Did not run. I was really tired, but I think I was under-eating late last week. I can fix that.

I think I'm 5 or 6 and 1/2 days under. Kids have half days of school this week, and hubby has another business trip. Pacing is everything.

I always try to work out each day. I don't need to plan off days because life will usually force me to take them.
It's tough with you having younger kids. My two are in high school but still need me once in awhile. My wife is traveling for work so she's gone for almost two weeks.
Tomorrow morning I go for my MRI to see what's up with my shoulder. Then next Monday I do that little procedure that every 50 year old male does. So these last nine days are going to be challenging.

Day 41, Mon, 10.01.2018: Swam 4000 scm and ran 3.5 mi.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I'm with you on no planned days off.

Bummer about your shoulder. Was it a mtb fall? And good luck with the colonoscopy. My hubby (52) had his first one last spring. I recall that time as being full of hilarity and laughter. I just asked my hubby about it, and he says he only remembers that I was late picking him up.

+1 with the 'no planned days off'. They just happen when the rest of life intervenes.


Howzit doug in co :) it must have been tough resisting Comrades in the 70s, it was the be-all & end-all race in SA during the years of international isolation until the mines began supporting teams of (black) athletes and they ignited sub-marathon road racing in the 80s. I remember listening to the 1978 or '79 up run on the radio, Johnny Haberstadt way out front until his nutrition plan failed, Piet Vorster and I think Bruce Fordyce passed him when he lay down next to the road with cramps & someone gave him a coke which hit the spot and he was up & running again but didn't catch Piet Vorster, ending 2nd.
I'm still not a 'proper' runner as I've only run/raced one marathon & no further :).

Agree with you on olympic-distance tri being an endurance event now.

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make a difference. today.