Day Twelve - Birthday Workout

Almost two full weeks of training and I'm still alive, able to walk, talk and respond intelligently to questions like, "What's your name?" and "Do you have a shoe size?"

Today is my 58th birthday and I celebrated by taking the afternoon off from work and going for a 40 K bike ride and a 10 K run. It was warm, but overcast with a moderate breeze...perfect for pissing off your body by making unruly demands on it.

I had an original thought while I was biking, but I forgot it. Oh well.

While I was running, I had my digital recorder with me wrapped up in a face cloth so that I could make notes and wipe away the sweat at the same time. Got some great ideas for the sequel to The War Bug.

Once I get this training-for-the-triathlon thing down, I'm going visualize myself as the character in the novel who's running the virtual triathlon and see if I can imagine the competitors and maybe come up with some stuff that I can transfer right into the writing.

I want to use the triathlon scene as one of the keys points where I comment on the issue of human sentience and artificial sentience (as in the virtual personalities created out of programming that creates sentient personalities).

More and more I'm realizing that entering a triathlon to research this scene was the right thing to do. I can't think of another event that tests mind, body and spirit as much as the training has.

I can only imagine the intensity that will be reached when I'm in the actual event.

All I have to do is survive the training.

And now, it's back to my birthday and some much deserved beer.