We're back

The website is finally working. The issue was upgrading the underlying engine without losing content. To that end I followed the advice of a popular science fiction writer Jerry Pournelle, who years ago wrote a monthly column for Byte Magazine. In that column he often recommended against taking on tasks you lack experience with, and instead finding an expert. The expert I hired took the load off me, did things I know little about, and did a great job. 

Something that broke long before the upgrade was email sending. I will continue working on it, but you can always contact me at [email protected]. 

It’s been a little over a week since my hernia repair. I don’t know what kind of tape surgeons use to close the wound but mine is still stuck on tight. It will be a week or two until I am cleared to swim. So far I have managed a couple of walks and a couple of bike turbo trainer sessions. Slow and steady progress.

Being a senior athlete comes with many challenges. One of them is adapting widely accepted training methods designed for much younger bodies. Younger age groupers long to have more time to train, and look forward to retirement as a way to increase training volume. When they do retire they have time, but their body cannot absorb the stress. I am almost finished with a second revision to my long course training plan trying to juggle way too many puzzle pieces into far too few slots.

Until now I relied on Facebook and Instagram to share my ups and downs. For this next training cycle I have decided to expand onto Strava. I just don’t want people to think they should train like me. Or just like anyone else. Strava does not show you the intent, only what happened, and there are many factors that will influence results and contribute to unexpected outcomes.

I think Jerry Pournelle had some good advice. Whether you are already an triathlete, or thinking about starting, a coach will filter the Internet noise, hold you accountable, provide sage advice, and save you a lot of time. If you work well in a group setting, by all means join a club near you. If, like me, you prefer to train alone, or if there are no nearby clubs, consider working with me.