Running and sailing -- how's that for a duathlon?

Setting sail on the Eisenhower Park pond

Today's run (Eisenhower Park): 4 miles at 8:32

This morning me and my friend KWL headed early to Eisenhower Park for a training run. We're both competing next weekend -- me in the Dirty Sock 10K and he will be running a 10K on Saturday and participating in a 100 mile cycling event on Sunday. Our plan for today was to cover about four miles around the park and then meet up with my wife and kids for a little remote control sailing. More on that below.

KWL has only been running for about a year. In fact it was just a year ago that he participated in a Fun Run that I'd organized in Central Park and, without any prior training, he beat a handful of experienced runners. He's an avid cyclist and that athleticism carries over to other activities. Our run together was well timed (for me) because KWL set a quick pace and we ran the 4 miles with split times of 8:28, 8:18, 8:31 and 8:48. We started with a couple of laps around the southern paved trails and finished with a lap and a half around the big pond. At least that was my 4 miles. KWL continued to run another mile while I waited for my family to arrive. I was very happy with my pace but less happy with my stamina. I could have run another mile when I stopped because I began to tire. I didn't want to overdo things since I'd run hard the preceding week and I'm planning to keep up the pace in my final runs prior to race day.

Tall Ships ready to set sail

After the running was completed we met up with my family. KWL opened the back of his car and showed the kids the two remote control sailboats that he and a friend had made. The kids were surprised to see that the boats stood higher than their own height. These sailboats were impressive and as I watched them glide over the water I was amazed by their speed and maneuverability. The fact that the boats had no motor for propulsion (only a small servo for turning the sails and the rudder) made it both a serene and exciting activity. Near the end my son handed over the controls of his boat and I got to do a little sailing myself. We ended our Eisenhower Park activities by 10:00 AM and still had plenty of day left. It was a great way to spend our Sunday morning with a good friend and I had yet another great training run.