"Gosh, according to my journal it's been three weeks since I've done a decent fartlek workout. Better hop to it."

I was thinking I’d just had a bad day on the wall. Then I opened my climbing journal to record my workout and discovered that my last workout, a week earlier, had been “a bad day.” Likewise, the workout before that, during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, had been “somewhat aimless.” Aimless and anti-productive, I discovered upon further review: Had it really been nearly two months since I’d done a 5.9 climb? My journal said it had.

Thanks to my journal, I was able to fully appreciate just how much of a wimp I’d become.

In today’s The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer I have a story on how to get started exercising (an expanded version of that piece will run here tomorrow, with links). I cover a lot of ground — from the importance of mixing up your workouts to working out with a buddy — but one thing I neglected to mention was the importance of keeping a workout journal.

“A journal will give you a great base/foundation for the goals you want to strive for on your fitness quest,” according to Elite Conditioning of Vista, Calif. “Writing down what exercises you’re going to do for the day or week will give you a solid game plan to follow. You can always adjust your workout journal when you see fit, but just having something written down will help you greatly.”
Adds Nick SantaBarbara of The Training Standard, “One of the most important, if not the most important, reason for a journal is the knowledge of whether or not you are over training or under training.”

A workout journal goes one better than a log. Typically, a log is a concise statistical account of your workout: how far you ran, how much weight you lifted, how many reps you did. For instance, on Sunday I ran at Umstead State Park; my log entry for the workout might read: “Umstead B&B, 7.1m, 1:00:53, 8:28.” Translated: I ran at Umstead State Park on the bike & bridle trail, I ran 7.1 miles in 1 hour and 53 seconds for a per-mile pace of 8:28. My journal entry would likely include the same information, but it would also include observations about the run, such as, “Took nearly a half mile to fall into pace,” “Got a sidestitch 30 minutes in but straightened posture and worked through it,” and “8:28!? What a cow!” That additional information reminds me that I’m not a fast starter, that I’m prone to pesky sidestitches but know how to work through them, and that I’m lousy with analogies because a motivated cow can move pretty darn fast.

Statistics in themselves are helpful. They help mark progress (or not) and they remind me of what I still need to do, especially if I’m training for a specific event. For instance, if I’m seven weeks in to a 12-week training program for a half marathon, the above entry might remind me that I need to up my next long distance day by at least a mile, preferably two. And if I’m aiming to run the aforementioned half marathon in an hour and forty-five minutes or less, the pace might tell me I need to up my track workouts to bring that pace closer to 8 minutes. All good information.

But it’s the observations that, for me, make the difference. Reviewing my climbing journal, I see not just that the difficulty of the routes I’ve been climbing has plateaued (basic log information), I pick up on a recent negative vibe. In the fall, I was bubbly over doing the seemingly impossible and upping my game week after week. Lately, the tone of my journal is that of a a listless slacker who gets spooked easily, worries more about falling and has, increasingly, been climbing alone. My journal leads me to two conclusions:

Make more of an effort to climb with my Meetup group. The comradery encourages a friendly, supportive competition that makes me push myself. Also, if I fall my belay partner will catch me a lot faster than the autobelay, which has an alarming delay before it seems to realize, “Oh, dude is falling. Better catch him.” The autobelay is also reluctant to praise a good effort.

I need to take a class. And it just so happens my neighborhood gym, the Triangle Rock Club, offers a class called “Fight Gravity” that’s “Recommended for the 5.8-5.9 climber who is stuck at a plateau ... .”

My journal hasn’t magically solved my problem, but it’s helped show me what I need to do to make going to the gym fun again. Thanks, journal.

Google around and you can find workout-specific journals with space to let you record stats and an area for workout reflections. They tend to be a little pricey. You can also buy a blank journal and create your own format, or you can do an online journal (yes, there are apps for that). It’s a matter of what works best for you.

Workout. Then write.

* * *

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Coast

No matter how far you’ve ever walked, I'm guessing you’ve never walked back in time. You can Saturday, on the monthly two-hour historical walking tour through Wilmington’s Oakdale Cemetery.

“Oakdale,” writes Janet Seapker on the cemetery’s Web site, “was part of the Rural Cemetery Movement that swept the US in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Rural cemeteries converted large tracts of land into garden settings. As families purchased lots, they mixed ornamental plants in with the native vegetation, making Oakdale one of the city’s most beautiful spots.” As such, the cemetery is something of a who’s who — or rather, who was who — of historic Wilmington, housing in eternal slumber past majors, congressmen, writers, merchants and others.

It’s the stories of Oakdale’s at-rest residents that’s the focus of this Saturday’s tour, which begins at 10 a.m. It’s free for Friends of Oakdale Cemetery, $8 otherwise. For more info, including the cemetery’s location, go here.

Piedmont

Fews Ford.

It’s been mild this week, but the weekend promises to be back in the 90s — what better time to kick off your sandals and go wading in a nearby river? And if you’re 5 or older, it could only get better if you were encouraged to look for stuff living on the river’s bottom!

That’s the plan Saturday at Eno River State Park, when a naturalist will lead a contingent of 5-and-up waders in search of aquatic life on the bottom of the Eno River at Fews Ford. Located at the end of Cole Mill Road, Fews Ford is a wide spot in the river (hence its ford status) that’s rocky and usually clear, great for both cooling off and finding elusive water life.

There’s no fee but the hike is limited to 12, so pre-registration is required, by calling 919.383.1686. The fun starts at 1:30 p.m.

Mountains

Always on the lookout for a good excuse to visit Black Mountain, it’s hard to find better temptation than Saturday’s Splash & Dash benefiting the Black Mountain Pastoral Care & Counseling Center. First thing to like: the race — a 400-meter pool swim followed by a 5K — is a wallet-friendly $30 per person. Sound like a bit much for your current level of training? Then there’s the second thing to like: the Spring & Dash option, a 200-meter pool swim followed by a 3K, for the scaled-down price of $20. And if you flat out haven’t been active period, there’s the Dip & Dash option: a 50-meter swim followed by a 1K run for just $15 (that last option, it turns out, is just for the 6- to 10-year-old set.

Race begins at 8:30 a.m., last-minute registration is from 7:15-8:15 a.m. More info by calling the host Cheshire Fitness & Racquet Club at 828.664.0400 or emailing info@cheshirefitnessclub.com.

Photo at top of Oakdale Cemetery by Eric Kozen

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

Their parents didn’t swim. A traumatic event involving water in their childhood continues to haunt them. There wasn’t a pool where they grew up — or there was, but they couldn’t use it. They worry about their hair.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37 percent of American adults don’t know how to swim. In 2007, says the CDCP, the nation’s clearinghouse for health information, there were 3,443 “fatal unintentional drownings” in the U.S., nearly 80 percent of whom were adults. The vast majority died because they didn’t know how to swim, a fact that’s scaring a growing number of non-aquatic adults into taking lessons.
Earlier this year, 36-year-old Rhonda Ingram of Raleigh and her family were vacationing at Myrtle Beach. Her 3-year-old and 1-year-old were bugging her to go swimming in the hotel pool; she said no because she knew she wouldn’t be any help if they got into trouble.
“I always thought if I put my face in the water, I’d drown,” says Ingram.
Which is why she and a half dozen other adult women are in the three-foot-deep end of Raleigh’s Optimist Park Pool, trusting instructor Roger Sharrett to put their assorted fears of the water to rest.
“It takes a lot of confidence and faith to be comfortable in water,” says Sharrett. That touches on what instructors say is the biggest challenge for people learning to swim later in life.
“Adults have more fear,” says Kelley Chisholm, who also teaches at Optimist. “Eighty-five to 90 percent of adults have had some traumatic event, an uncle or someone who threw them into a lake.”
“Adults have a bad experience and it tends to carry with them the rest of their life,” adds Craig J. Howard, aquatics director at the Stratford Richardson YMCA in Charlotte.
Which is why before his students even hit the water, Howard gets them to talk about why they haven’t learned to swim. It’s why he spends 30 minutes of the first lesson just getting them to stick their face in the water and blow bubbles.
That was key to Jebronis Knight, a 40-year-old student of Chisholm’s who was reluctant to even get in the water the first day.
“You could see the fear on my face,” says Knight. It took three lessons, but Knight managed to reach what instructors say is the tipping point for most adult learners: He’s relaxed enough, his breathing controlled to the point he can now float. His ability to float makes him confident of achieving his goal: to go snorkeling in the Caribbean on a cruise later this year.
Fear isn’t the only factor that’s held back some adults.
Charlie Spencer Lackey is an African-American who came of age in Anson County in the 1960s. There was a public pool in town, but even with the repeal of Jim Crow laws in the 1960s her family couldn’t afford the suddenly-imposed $500 membership. She took lessons in 1970 when she got to North Carolina Central University, but the instructor, who remained in street clothes on the pool deck, didn’t inspire confidence.
Health issues — rheumatoid arthritis and stomach issues — prompted her to try again. Since discovering the Optimist pool last October (initially water walking, now taking swim lessons) she’s dropped a dress size and her joint paint has diminished to the point she no longer needs a cane.
“I sleep better these days,” says Lackey, who is 59.
Access to year-round pools, says Howard of the Stratford Richardson YMCA, is a main reason why the lack of swimming skills is particularly acute in the African-American community. According to a 2010 survey commissioned by USA Swimming, 70 percent of African-American kids don’t know how to swim, compared with 58 percent of Hispanic kids and 40 percent of white kids.
Even when there is access to year-round pools such as the Stratford Richardson Y, the reality of $50 swim lessons is an economic deterrent, he says, which is why the Y offers financial assistance.
Howard says another concern is more challenging to overcome: “Minority females worry about their hair and what the [chlorinated] water will do to it.” (There is product, he assures them.)
But the main goal for most newbie adult swimmers is simply to become comfortable in the water.
“Once you learn how your body works in water, you learn that it doesn’t want you to drown,” says Candice Robinson. That, says the 32-year-old Raleigh swim student, was a big relief, though not the only one.
“Finding out you’re not the only 32-year-old person who doesn’t know how to swim, that was good to know.”

* * *

Learn to swim

Most pools that offer swim lessons for kids offer lessons for adults as well.

Charlotte area
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, 704-336-3483
YMCA of Greater Charlotte, (704) 716-6200.
YWCA Central Carolinas, (704)525.5770.

Triangle
Durham Parks and Recreation, (919) 560-4355.
Raleigh Parks and Recreation, (919) 831-6852.
YMCA of the Triangle, (919) 719-9622.

Photo: Is it time for you to ditch the floaty and dive in with the kids?

“I have rheumatoid arthritis,” says the 59-year-old Raleigh resident.

She found a solution less than five minutes from her front door: at the Optimist Park Pool.

“I came over one day and asked to see the pool,” says Lackey. “They were real friendly.”  And she discovered that the walking she tried to do around her neighborhood was so much easier on her joints in three feet of water.

Today, Lackey walks in the pool for one hour, three times a week. She’s dropped a dress size, she’s more limber, her joint pain has diminished, she sleeps at night and she’s taken the next step in her water rehab: She’s learning to swim.

Lackey’s example is a reminder to the estimated 50 million U.S. adults who suffer from arthritis: exercise can help.

“People who have arthritis are often scared to exercise because they think they will hurt themselves, but the condition will only get worse if people don't get moving,” Valerie Walkowiak, medical integration coordinator at the Loyola Center for Fitness in Maywood, Ill.

Walkowiak says all all arthritis sufferers can benefit from some form of exercise, be it osteoarthritis — the most common form, in which cartilage deteriorates, leaving joints with no cushion between bones — and rheumatoid arthritis, in which inflammation causes joints to lose shape and alignment.

Some quick tips:

• All types of arthritis can benefit from stretching, to increase range of movement.
• Lifting light weights is good for building muscle strength, which can take pressure off joints.
• Aerobic exercise, such as walking is good. Start slow, she advises, with 10 to 15 minutes of exercise a day. "As your body adapts to the new routine, gradually increase duration to 30 to 45 minutes."
• Other good exercise options for the arthritic: water aerobics, stationary cycling, gardening, swimming, yoga and Tai-Chi.

Walkowiak says to consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine. To optimize your results, she advises working with a therapist or personal trainer.

Lackey is sold on her new exercise routine, a routine that keeps on giving. The lack of pain she experiences from her one-hour water walks lingers for a good day or two.

“Oh, I feel good,” she beams. “I feel wonderful.”

Photo: Pools are especially good workout venues for arthritis sufferers.

Coast

February: on paper the shortest month, in your mind, the longest. Forced to bridge the gap between dread, post-holiday, dreary cold January and the start of spring in March, February can seem interminable. The best way to escape the February doldrums? Jump into an icy cold Atlantic Ocean.

OK, maybe not icy cold — as of Tuesday the water temperature off Johnny Mercer’s Pier in Wrightsville Beach was 48. But cold enough to get your attention (especially if you go in up to your waist). And that’s what hundreds of hearty souls will do Saturday from 3-3:30 p.m. as part of the Polar Plunge, a fundraiser for New Hanover County Special Olympics. Anticipation starts to build at 11 a.m. when the gates open at Carolina Beach’s boardwalk. Entertainment begins at 11:30 a.m., there’s a costume contest, then at 3 everyone gets to sprint into the Atlantic. Whether you stay in the water until 3:30 is, as far as we can tell, optional. But you’ll earn only partial bragging rights if you don’t go completely under at least one wave.

Taking the plunge isn’t cheap: $30 for “student plungers,” $50 for “adult plungers.” You must sign a rather comprehensive waiver.

Sound good? Follow up here.

Piedmont

Maybe jumping into the frigid Atlantic isn’t your idea of how to enjoy a February weekend? How about a guided hike?

Sunday, from 1:30- 4 p.m., Ken Moore, assistant director emeritus at the N.C. Botanical Garden leads a “Late Winter Walk at Mason Farm — in the Footsteps of John Terres.” Terres, according to the NCBG, was a naturalist who “explored the roads and trails of the Mason Farm Biological Reserve, day and night” from 1961-1968. His treks were the basis for his book, “From Laurel Hill to Siler's Bog: The Walking Adventures of a Naturalist,” and the hike’s timing “is perfect for taking a closer look at nature in the lingering days of winter and the early awakening days of spring.” $10, $5 for botanic garden members.

From 1961 to 1968, naturalist John Terres explored the roads and trails of the Mason Farm Biological Reserve, day and night. The resulting journal of his adventures, From Laurel Hill to Siler's Bog: The Walking Adventures of a Naturalist, remains a classic of natural history writing. Join Ken Moore for a nostalgic stroll in the Reserve to note changes and recall some of Terres's adventures observing local flora and fauna. Late February is perfect for taking a closer look at nature in the lingering days of winter and the early awakening days of spring. Fee: $10 ($5 NCBG members). Inclement weather date: Feb 27

Learn more about Mason Farm Biological Reserve here. Directions here.

Mountains

Another thought on how to kickstart your heart in February: the 19th Annual Park Ridge Health Frostbite 5K, 10K and 1-mile Fun Run/Walk in Hendersonville. The race starts at 2:30 in the afternoon, when the chances for actual frostbite will be lowest. Walk-up registration is $35, a healthy jolt to the system guaranteed.

Specifics here.

* * *

Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

Coast

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

The light changed, we crossed NC 55, then shortly dismounted to cross the railroad tracks before Carpenter Upchurch Road. As we did, Stan and Jan Cox were crossing from the opposite direction. We struck up a conversation — the father/son tandem continued on — that continued a few days later with an email exchange. From those conversations I learned this about the couple that, had it not been for the dismounting disturbance of the railroad tracks (there is no crossing and concrete barricades actively discourage cyclists from hiking over the tracks), I would otherwise simply have passed with a wave and a hello.

• Both commute by bike to work, Jan as a teacher at Green Hope High School (which we happened to be across the street from), Stan to N.C. State’s Centennial Campus. Said Stan: “My commute is 11 miles one way and I cycle commute around 3 times a week.  Jan commutes 4 miles one way and she commutes around 2 times a week.  Commuting is my favorite riding because I feel like I'm accomplishing something and weekend riding is not what it was now that the roads west of Cary have become more and more crowded.  We are both fortunate in that we have routes that take us off main roads; not easy in this cul-de-sac road planning area.  I put a lot of thought into finding a good route.”
• About dealing with motorists: “Most drivers are courteous to me and I try to be courteous in return,” says Stan. “I never run lights, stay to the far right side of the lane.” Cyclists are common on Centennial Campus, so it tends to be more bike friendly. As for Jan, Stan says she sticks to the back roads. “She tries to avoid the high school drivers; I cannot say that I blame her!”
• On how they got into cycling: “I've ridden road bikes pretty much all my life but mostly just casual riding,” says Stan. “I started cycling more seriously to do triathlons. Jan got a road bike a few years ago figuring if I was going to go out cycling then she might as well join me!  It has been a nice hobby for the two of us.”
• On living a well-rounded active life: “My preferred sport is swimming; unfortunately I cannot swim to work. (Ever see the Burt Lancaster movie ‘The Swimmer’?) ... “I do the FS Series swims.  Jan swims and runs so she can do an occasional triathlon.”
• On goals: “We also ride with an MS team that cycles year round," says Stan. “This year we would like to ride double centuries — 100 miles on Saturday and Sunday, something we've never done before.  The MS ride is a different experience from the swimming/triathlon events I normally do as you aren't racing a clock so it is more relaxed.”

After 10 minutes or so, our respective lures — mine of finishing up, the Cox’s of getting a ride in before the afternoon heat hit — ended our conversation.

The entry in my workout log book for May 31 reads “strong ride,” but I can’t recall what made it so (climbed the hills with ease? Smoked on the flats?). But I still remember my stoplight exchange with the father/son tandem — they get ice cream at McDonald’s — and my crossing paths with the Cox’s.

Good workout, better conversations.

Me? I dove into 15,000 gallons of ice water.

Technically, “ice water” may be pushing it. According to the duck, it was 65 degrees. To put that number in perspective, jump into the ocean during your summer beach vacation, then subtract 20 degrees. It’s a big difference, trust me.

Today was opening day for our backyard pool. As long as I can remember, I have dreamed of having a backyard pool. When we went house hunting a couple years back and found this place in Historic (mid-1970s) Cary with a backyard pool, it was a done deal. At age 51, I decided I was worthy of this perceived extravagance. My wife felt the same: “Give them whatever they want,” she told our Realtor when negotiations reached an impasse.

My reason for wanting a pool hasn’t changed over the years: Water offers the ultimate escape. As a chubby kid, I felt weightless in the pool. As an adult who expects a lot from his body, the pool provides welcome relief for my aging joints. As a kid in an occasionally chaotic household, I savored escaping under water at the neighborhood pool into a world of muffled quiet. As an adult, that same muffled world shields me from the incessant call of the cell phone, the chirping and beeping of email and text messages. As a kid, the water was my chance to escape and regroup. It’s even more so today.

The duck is smiling because it's out of the water.

The pool is the one place where I can make time stop. Or very nearly. From now through late-September, I will make a daily habit of going into the deep (8 feet) end and treading water for 20 minutes. I’m not a natural in the water; staying afloat takes some effort, an awkward collaboration between continuously kicking legs and figure-8ing arms to keep my head above water. Once I slip into that unconscious rhythm, I slip into a meditative reverie. It’s the one time I am assured of giving my brain time to do what it rarely gets to do: think. Really think — about whatever manages to bubble to the surface through the usual muck of day-to-day concerns: work, survival, oil spills. Sometimes my brain can get here on the bike, sometimes during a run. But it always happens during my 20 minutes in the deep end. Twenty minutes to think, 20 minutes of physical rehab: You can’t put a price on that.

Which I think about every time I pay the mortgage.

Grueling Triathlon of Doom? Such truth in advertising, I thought. Triathletes are well-conditioned not to view what they do as “grueling,” nor to entertain notions of “doom.” My mind raced; shortly, my fingers followed, on my own keyboard to see what this Grueling Triathlon of Doom was all about.

It is, I soon discovered, about triathlons for the antitriathlete.

“This is a beginners practice triathlon designed for nontraditional athletes, couch potatoes, under dogs, fathletes, hard workers, grownups or you,” proclaims the event’s home page. “If you've completed a triathlon, can swim a 500, run a half marathon, or own some aerobars this is not for you. If you think you might have a shot at winning this race then this race is not for you. This race is for the rest of us normal folks who think that, given enough time, and the right kind of environment, that we could probably finish a triathlon. (Maybe. If we worked really hard.)”

Navigating the post-race pot luck is about as grueling as its gets at the Grueling Triathlon of Doom.

It’s a triathlon, in short, about doing things you might enjoy — running, biking, swimming — in doses you would enjoy doing them: Five laps in the pool (as opposed to the 2.7-mile ocean swim required of an Ironman), a nice six-mile ride on the bike (not 112), a 1.5-mile run (not a marathon), just enough to get a good glow going but not enough to invite leg cramps, nausea, heat stroke or any of the other maladies associated with the last leg of a triathlon.

The Grueling Triathlon of Doom — which is June 6 at the Downtown Durham YMCA, fyi — is one of a growing number of events once reserved for hard bodies and folks with all the time in the world to train (meaning: no family, no social life, no fondness for the appetizer and desert menus). Triathlons, runs, bike rides — no longer do you have to have the intense resolve and commitment of a Dave Scott to pin a number-bearing bib on your chest.

Quick quiz to see how up you are on this trend: After a 100k training ride, how should you handle the “glycogen repletion window that follows four hours of vigorous exercise”? Would you “aim to drink or eat 3 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight,” probably in the form of some convoluted and none-too-tasty drink mix? Or would you have a giant ice cream sundae? If you were taking part in the 11-year-old Ice Cream Ride sponsored by the MSFITS Bike Club of the Triangle, you would be replenishing with Rocky Road slathered with Fluff,  hot fudge, nuts and a maraschino cherry. (This year’s ride is June 19 and requires riding through RTP, Durham and parts of Chatham County before handling the ice cream scoop.)

Maybe you’re divided on the issue. Maybe you like the notion of competition, you just don’t have the time or inclination to train for the front of the pack. Rides such as the 44-mile Poker Ride give just as much of a chance of winning to folks who ride a 12 mph pace as those who ride at 21. Ride the course, pick up three random playing cards along the way, best hand wins up to $300.

Foot races have excelled at embracing this inclusive policy. Take the Thin Mint Sprint May 22 in Charlotte: There’s no sugar-coating a race dedicated to arguably the most addictive cookie ev-er. Yes, there’s a 5k that may involve heavy sweating. But there’s also a 1-mile Fun Run/Walk as a carrot for everyone to get out and move in support of financial assistance programs for girls who can’t afford to join the Girl Scouts.

Quick warning: Don’t judge the intensity of a race by its name. The inaugural 3 Little Pigs Triathlon June 19 in Smithfield is a legit sprint tri. Porkers be advised that when the starting gun goes off at 8 a.m. you’ll be expected to swim 250 meters, bike 12 miles and run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).

The good news: Such information isn’t tucked away in the fine print; you’ll know upfront what you’re getting into. The better news: There are all sorts of Ice Cream Rides, Thin Mint Sprints and Grueling Triathlons of Doom to give everyone a chance to see if they might be a runner, a biker or, yes, even a triathlete.

Your training begins by finding one at this extensive rundown of regional events at SportOften.com.

So I was surprised when I stopped to thank Malley for her support after Sunday’s 4th Bi-annual Splash, Spin & Sprint Indoor Triathlon at her response. “I just can’t imagine people going that far,” said Malley, who belongs to the UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont where the event was held and had volunteered to help with the event.

I did 24 lengths in the swim, Scott, in the next lane over, did 44. The average was 30.

First, the SSSIT isn’t that long: You swim for 15 minutes, you ride a stationary bike for 15 minutes, you run a treadmill for 15 minutes. I should say that in theory it isn’t that long. Fifteen minutes in the pool? I can at least float. Do the stationary bike for a quarter of an hour? I do two-hour mountain bike rides. Run on a treadmill for 15 minutes? Please! Two problems with this theory.

One, because 15 minutes might seem like a drop in the bucket compared to your regular workout your inclination might be to do it fast, as fast as you can. Which might work for one event, but then you realize you have two left. (That approach is especially risky in the pool if you’re not a swimmer.) Three sprints back to back to back and you’ve had a workout.

And two, while 15 is a small number, 45 minutes (3 x 15) is about the length of a typical class at a fitness center. Imagine going full throttle for 45 minutes in your favorite fitness class. Which is what surprised me about Malley’s observation because she takes one of  the more arduous 45-minute (or longer) classes offered: a spin class. Spinning may not translate to the pool, but it’s 45 minutes of non-stop exertion none-the-less.

Lightheaded, I tried to peek over and see how Beth on the bike next to me was doing.

The winter indoor triathlon has been slow to catch on in these parts but flourishes in the Midwest. It’s a great concept, providing motivation to keep working out over the winter. It’s especially well-suited as a cross-training alternative for warm-weather outdoors athletes, from road cyclists to runners. Kathy DeBlasio, Meadowmont’s Lifestyle Enhancement Director, says the SSSIT was created for those reasons and to give the curious a sense of what a triathlon is about. The distances are comparable to those in a Sprint triathlon, which typically consists of a 500-meter swim, 12.4-mile bike ride, 3.1-mile run.

To further encourage the Kathy Malleys out there, here’s a look at who does indoor triathlons, with some numbers from the Meadowmont event:

By sex
Females: 22
Males: 10

By age
Teens: 1
20-29: 2
30-39: 6
40-49: 15
50-59: 7

Swim
Most lengths completed (25 yard pool): 44
Average: 30

A sprint to the finish.

Bike
Farthest distance: 9.08 miles
Average: 5.32 miles

Treadmill
Farthest distance: 2.33 miles
Average: 1.77 miles

Those numbers alone should should make Jill Malley think again about doing Meadowmont’s next indoor tri, scheduled for November (date tbd). And if she needs a little more motivation, let’s turn to the man who’s job it is to convince runners they can run 100 miles at 10,000 feet and mountain bikers that they can ride 100 miles at 10,000 feet, Ken Chlouber, founder of the Leadville 100s. At pre-race meetings before each event, Chlouber encourages the field to do the seemingly impossible with this statement: “You're tougher than you think you are ... and you can do more than you think you can.”

See you on the bike next to mine in November, Jill.