The End of the Race Year

Halloween Morning I was up at 5:30 to run the Silver Comet Half Marathon. Since it was raining I let Mary Ruth know it was OK to stay home, after all it was ONLY a 1/2 Marathon (my 6th). Back on February 14th I ran the Reagan 1/2 Marathon before my 70.3 training started. I set a PR that day at 1:57:37. My goal this Halloween morning was to take advantage of the endurance I have gained during my 70.3 training cycle and to see if I could run this 13.1 mile race like a 10k.

And that is what I did. 5k in 25 min, 10k in 50 min, and rode the last half between 9:00 and 9:30 per mile. Finishing in 1:51:43 this is a 5:54 PR from February.

This has been a great race year for me. I think next year I will do 2 things
1. Finish 70.3 Lonestar in April in 5:30:00
2. Break 1:40 in the 1/2 marathon distance. There I said it.

After this race I know I can run faster. and faster I will run.

I broke PR's this year in these distances.

70.3 (New distance) 5:49:15
Olympic 2:47:00 (34min 13sec PR)
Sprint 1:20:04 (3o sec PR)
Marathon 4:30:28 (22:34 PR)
1/2 Marathon 1:51:43 (5:54 PR)

I will go faster.

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A Whirlwind Adventure

This last Wednesday Mary Ruth, Eyrleigh, and I went to Arizona for work. I had to setup a new office in Phoenix. Mary Ruth and I lived in Phoenix for 5 years so the time went like this.

Wednesday: Fly in, work for 2 hours, and then dinner with Aunt Liz, Gordon, Suzanne, Julie, Kendal, and Anne.

Thursday: Work, and dinner with the Giambri

Friday: Work, Greenfield Fall Fair with Lynette, drive to Flagstaff

Saturday: With the Robsons. NAU homecoming parade, and EPIC long run at altitude, NAU football game, dinner, and cards until 2am.

Sunday: Drive to Phoenix, Brian's birthday party, softball game, Red Robin.

Monday: Fly home

To all of you we spent time with, thank you and we enjoyed our time with you. One of the things I was bummed about is the fact that I did not take advantage of the weather in AZ when I lived there. I could have been in Triathlon a lot sooner. When we were walking in the elevator a guy asked if I had done the 1/2 Ironman in Tempe. I guess I look like a triathlete now ;)

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It is bigger than me.

All,

Today marks the first day of the 2010 season. It marks the first day to raise money for Easter Seals at Lonestar 70.3. Follow this link and donate. Pass it around. Pay it forward.

http://tinyurl.com/lonestar703

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A long overdue post.

Warning: This post has a little bit of everything in it including religion. If you don't like this religion stuff, then don't read. But if you don't read this and leave this site thinking this site is all about "me" then you missed the point, so get your butt back here. I want your comments on here, Twitter and Facebook, not because I care what you think about me, but so I know what I can be doing for you.

Today at church there was a sermon talking about "generation me" and Narcissism. I realized that I have been writing this blog for almost 5 full years and all of this time I have put the cart before the horse. I never wrote what exactly what this blog was all about. So this whole time my very scant audience of 5 or so people who read this blog don't know why I write or do the things I do. You can think what you want, but I will tell now tell you the truth of my heart.

I write this blog and live my life the way I do, NOT for myself, but for all of these people.

Mary Ruth- I swim, bike, and run for her. To keep myself in shape so I can fulfil my promise to her. I want to be with her for as long as I can so I can be the best dad and husband possible. I love you.

Eyrleigh- She is the biggest achievement of my life, and I do triathlons for her. I want to be able to be whatever she needs me to be. I want to be the person that hits her fly balls for hours or listens to her play the piano. I want to show her that it's not about "me" but about everyone else. I want to teach her that hard work is the way to achieve great things, not by simply showing up. I love my little bear.

My Mom- I swim, bike, and Run for her because I want to show her that she taught me that hard work does bear fruit, and to show her all things are possible. I love you Mom

My Dad- My dad died 6 years ago and he was over 300lbs. Cardiac arrest killed him, and I do triathlon for him to show him that I am not disappointed in his health choices, but glad that he opened my eyes so I could lose the weight. I miss you dad.

My brothers- You guys think I'm crazy, but I want to show you by living my life and going God knows how many miles human powered, that I want you to achieve to great heights, and to be happy.

My Uncle Dick and Aunt Ev- My Uncle Dick lives everyday in pain, and makes trips to the hospital on a weekly basis, and my Aunt Ev who is the most caring person in the world, she has given her whole life to her husband and 10 children, countless grandchildren and beyond, yet she still has time to worry about me. I love you both and I hope for continued blessings.

Helen and Rob- You give all of yourselves to your community everyday and are truly selfless people. Helen is a breast cancer survivor, and Rob can be found picking up trash on the side of the road, or helping a local farmer milk cows so he can make it to church on time.

Ben- Who is an outdoors man, and I want him to try triathlon. He would be FAST. He has the gifts, but needs confidence. I pray for his confidence. Love to you Ben.

And to all of the other people who I know... a friend running their first 5k, a friend wanting to lose 50lbs, an old classmate fighting CANCER right now, a classmate who just lost a pet, my friends in Arizona who do great things, and my man Jon preparing for Galveston. I also think of all of my family everywhere during those training hours.

I swim, cycle, and stride for children that can't even talk, like my Godson Connor who suffers from Autism, and for kids who have cancer and other terminal illnesses. They will never get the opportunity I have. I will be doing a fundraiser for a children's charity at the 70.3 in Galveston. Stay Tuned.

Swimming in the lake, riding and running on the roads give me time to pray for all of you and to Thank God for this day.

So the last thing this blog is about is me. It is about all of you. I want all of you to go out and achieve great things, be happy, and know that through GOD anything is possible.

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Not doing much...

Well it's been 2 weeks since the race, and I have done the following this week:

Swim= 10 min
Bike= 1hour
Run= 2 hours 5 min
Tennis= 1 hour 20min

That;s a lot for the avg person working out, but cominig off HIM training this has been a light week. I have announced HIM Galveston in April, and will "Go Easy" through October, then back to "Normal" whatever that is ;)

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Looking Back, Looking Forward.

Well I am sitting here watching Sunday Night Football and a week removed from Augusta. I have finally collected all of my triathlon gear and organized it. I have also cleaned up the bike from last week. I was able to go for a 30 minute ride after church today, and I thought of this post. This is a year in review in October. I know it doesn't make sense BUT today's ride officially started the 2010 season.


So, here it is... TIPS I have learned during my 3rd season in this great sport (In no particular order.)


1. I hate the bike trainer, not only because it malfunctioned and cost me a wheel, but it also embodies everything I dislike about riding. BORING!

2. Buy the speedfil. this one purchase helped me keep pedaling completely through the water stops. I kept my forward momentum.

3. Learn to mount and dismount the bike with the pedals attached to your bike. Practice this frequently.

4. Write down your order of things you want to do during transition on waterproof paper. It makes you more efficient in transition.


5. Constantly practice transitions. The 4th sport in triathlon

6. Get a swim coach, and replay his/her voice in your head while swimming. It works.

7. Stay aero as much as possible. See #2 for help.


8. Learn how to change your front and back tire (using CO2 cartridges) in your garage not during a race.


9. Love your bike. Wash, degrease, and lubricate. It will love you back.


10. Don't push to hard on the bike. An extra 10 minutes gained on the bike could cost you 30 minutes on the run.


11. Wear sunscreen, keep it in transition.


12. Leave it all out on the course, but save enough for a strong final mile.


13. Support fellow triathletes. You will make good friends. and to all of you elitists that are annoyed by new triathletes (you know who you are.) No athletes = No market = no carbon fiber tri-bike. Think about it.

14. ALWAYS have a race on the calendar.

I was originally going to wait to decide until January 1, 2010 but life has made a decision for me. I am happy to say I will be racing with my friend Jon, during his first 70.3! Here it is... back to the Lone Star State at the end of April!

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Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Report Part 3

T2.

I Ran in on the Bike and crossed the mat. I went to the third bike rack to the left and got back to transition. I racked the bike and put on my running shoes. As I left I took 8 endurolytes and grabbed endurolytes and 2 gels for the run. I also squirted sunblock on my hands and dabbed it on my shoulders, face, neck, and arms. I rubbed the sunblock in while running during the first half mile. I did hear a drop leaving transition.

Planned Time: 2:00
Actual Time: 2:59
Differential: -:59

The Run.

So I had 3 issues to contend with. 1. Run 13.1 miles, 2. gauge my stomach situation, and 3 that noise I heard while leaving transition. I had planned on running the 13.1 in 2 hours, however earlier in the race I had banked 45 minutes during the swim and bike, not to mention I was low on calories and the stomach issue hadn't worked out yet. I ran at a 9:45 pace for the first mile, and the stomach felt surprisingly good, but I felt it safe to keep a 9:45 pace. 4 miles in I reached for the endurolytes. The noise... crap I had dropped them leaving transition. at 5 miles I saw Mary Ruth and Eyrleigh. This was the pick me up I needed, and I decided to take 1/2 gel at mile 6, 8, 10, and 12. I do not normally eat this much, but I needed 2 things to finish this race, calories and sodium. At mile 9 I felt like I could run a 9 minute mile, however the cramps threatened my right leg shortly after that. So I kept the 10 min/mile pace until mile 12. I did not want the run to de-rail my race. I knew then I would break 6 hours after I passed Mary Ruth and Eyrleigh. ran the last mile in 8:30.

I had finished my First Ironman 70.3 race! This more than matched any expectations I had going in! I didn;t draw it up this way, but it turned out great!

Planned Time: 6:00:00
Actual Time: 5:49:15
Differential +10:45

What's Next?

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Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Report Part 2

T1.

After crossing the timing mat officially ending my swim I hit the deck and my wetsuit was ripped off by a volunteer, and then I made a sharp right turn and all the way down to the third row from the end. My transition area was 20 spots in. I grabbed my things and hit the road. Decent time considering the fast swim. I'll trade 13:30 for 1:32 any day!

Planned Time: 2:00
Actual Time: 3:32
Differential: -1:32

The Bike.

So the plan was to average 17.5 mph and that would put the 56 miles behind me in 3:15:00. BUT the course was very fast, and over the first 1hr 30min I averaged over 20mph. I followed my nutrition strategy for 2 hours and then I got sick of Gatorade, and at about the 1 hour mark my stomach felt bad. I had swallowed some of the river water and it was upsetting my stomach. (Mental Note: TUMS in the bento box next time.) I stayed on the pedals and tackled the hills and wind with ease, but during the third hour I only took in water to settle my stomach for the run. I was the passer on the bike, and the only guys passing me were the fast hardcore guys on the $$$ Tri bikes. At 2:30:00 I rode out of aero more and stretched out my back. I did hit over 40mph on the bike at one point! and so yourself a favor and buy yourself a speedfil already. That thing was awesome! I feel great about the bike, but how would I holdup on the run??? I did pace over a mile per hour too fast!

Planned Time: 3:15:00
Actual Time: 3:00:28
Differential: +14:32

tbc...

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Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race Report Part 1

First let me say Congratulations to all of the finishers of the Ironman Augusta 70.3 Race. This last 9 months has been a long and interesting swim, ride and you guessed it run. I had many workouts where I experienced a training high, and some workouts I would like to forget. Some of my workouts took place at 0F and some at 116F. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Here are the totals for workouts since the "official" 24 week program began. These numbers INCLUDE the 1/2IM

Swim= 72 workouts, 60.89 miles
Bike= 76 workouts, 1,373.4 miles
Run= 78 workouts, 401.1 miles

I missed 4 workouts ALL of them Swims.

In this race report I will include details about what happened in my race. There were 3,500 other athletes, but the 1 biggest thing I have taken from Triathlon is that you HAVE to run your own race. Stick to your plan, and don't let another athlete alter your race. Especially at this distance and above.

The Swim.

I was in the 30-34 guys first wave and we left the dock at promptly 7:45 am. The water was cool, but I was in my wetsuit, so no biggie. The current was swift and it carried us down the river QUICKLY. I used very little effort on the swim. The thing I disliked most about the swim was the amount of twigs, leaves and other debris in the water. I swallowed some of the water and it played a factor later.

Planned Time: 44:00
Actual Time: 30:28
Differential: +13:32

A good beginning, more tomorrow!

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This week in Triathlon: Taper Week 1.

Swim= 4171 yards
Bike= 56.69 miles
Run= 4.58 miles

getting stir crazy, but did get in an open water swim and a 1 1/2 hour ride. Further tapering this week.

Calm before the storm.

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