a great weekend

What a great weekend! It started out with me doing my weekly weigh in on Sat morning. I weighed in @ 224!! I've lost 34 lbs. since Nov 13th. I'm at my racing weight from last year when I was at my fastest as a triathlete. I'm well on my way to my goal weight of 199!

Sat night I worked vehicle patrol, which is the best post at the prison. While on that post I was able to listen to the Patriots & Giants game on the radio. I'm not a big fan of either team but it was wonderful to be able to listen to the game that the Patriots went undefeated in the regular season. I was able to listen to history being made.

Sun morning I watched UFC 79 that my wife recorded on TiVo for me. The Chuck Lidell vs. Silva fight was the most hyped MMA fight in at least 6 years. It was an amazing fight. I'm so glad I was able to warch it.

Then Sun after church I picked up the bike I've had on lay away for 6 months. It's a gorgeous Raleigh Cadillac addition road bike. I'm so excited to take it on the first ride today.

On a side note even with all the hrs I'm working I haven't missed a single schedualed workout since my failed attempt at going Iron. Yup, that even includes swimming! Anyone who knows me knows that me swimming is a near miracle!Sorry this post is so short & impersonal. I'm working an average of 86 hrs a week & still keeping up with my training, so time has not been something I've had much of. Peace! I'm out!

Back to the daily grind

The training has been going well inspite of the incredible amounts of over time
I've been working. I swam a time trial today and it was the fastest swim TT
I've ever done. 1000 metes in 19;46. Still laughable I know but progress none
the less.

My family & I went to Nevada in mid Nov & then to Hobbs NM immediately after
that for some vacation & racing. Although we had a great time & we needed to get
away for a bit it was really bad timing. It set us back financially where we had
no room to be set back too. I'm paying the price now. I've worked a 12 hr shift
all but 3 days this month. If all things go well I'll only need to work 12 hr
shifts everyday until mid-late January. After that I'll only need to work about
70 hrs a week to support my family. That's still allot. But it's better than the
86 a week I'm working now. There's light at the end of the tunnel, but I must
admit it's been a heck of a struggle both physically & emotionally. For the most
part I'm ok with working allot. I really like my job & my wife has really helped by fixing all my meals, packing my gear & food for work, & is doing 100 percent of the house work. My only job
is bringing home the $, triathlon training, & spending as much
time w/ my children as I can. The only day I felt it was more than I could bear
was Christmas morning. Because I work nights & sleep days my wife decided to
take the kids & spend the night at her parents house to celebrate Christmas
there. I wasn't there to watch my children open their presents on Christmas.
That has me me down right depressed. Other than missing my children's Christmas I
am handling all the hours & the stress of our finances relatively well. I'm
constantly tired and often times cranky but I'm staying the course. I am trying
to keep in mind that God would only put me through this rough time if he knew I
was strong enough to get through it In a way I'm honored that he's putting this
test in front of me. If he had me go through my whole life without any stress that would make me wonder if he knew I was too weak to be tested. It's times like this when I feel like I am too weak to do what needs to be done that I lean on him. 3 more weeks of overtime is all I need to do to be caught up. At times that feels like such a short amount of time. At others I'm thinking to myself "how the heck am I going to get through this, I'm already SO tired."
If there are any Christians reading this I would be very grateful for prayers.
The power of faith & prayer is amazing!
Thanks peeps. I'm out.

December

For the first time in my life I'm losing weight in a healthy way. I'm not doing
a low carb diet. I'm not starving myself or losing tons of weight quickly. I'm
eating low fat proteins, lots of raw veggies, fruit, & a little bit of fat free
milk & whole grains. Most shockingly I'm utilizing portion control without going
over board & starving myself! I weighed in on Sunday at 233. 23 lbs lighter
than Nov 23rd. There's only been 2 other times I've gotten below 220 since
adulthood. On both of those occasions by the time I got to the point where I was
thin enough for abdominal muscles to be seen & I started to work the abs in
hopes of getting the elusive 6 pack, I'd start gaining the weight back. I'm not
certain I'll get to the point where I'll be that thin this time. But just in
case I've started to really hammer my abs. My coach has me working my core 2X a
week. On top of that I've also started doing a pretty fierce abb routine a
couple times a week on my own. I'm keeping my fingers crossed & my food intake
in check. I'd love to have a 6 pack-heck, even a 2 pack for once in my life.

My work has us post bid every 6 months for days off, shift, & post. 6 months ago
was the first time in my 12 year career that I was able to get the tower. We
bidded on our posts again this week & low & behold I was able to get my sweet
tower again! Oh how I love this tower. I do up there what I'm unable to do even
at home. I sit there drinking coffee, & watch my peaceful surroundings. I don't
have to get up to vacuum, take out the trash, or change diapers. I just kick
back watching the surroundings. That's been my job for the last 6 months & now
will be my post for the next 6 too. Ah, the peaceful tranquility of seniority.
I'm #26 on the seniority list of 300 employees now. & 5 of the officers ahead of
me are eligible for retirement in the next 6 months. It's possible that since
the posts we man are based off of seniority I may be able to continue working
the tower until I retire. 8 years 10 months & counting. Life is sweet!


My Mom took my Mother-in-law, my wife, I, & my daughter to see the Nut Cracker this
weekend. That was one of the best times I've ever had! Not only because it was only
my 2nd day not working a 12 hour shift the entire month of Dec (my other day
off being the 9th for the Polar Bear tri). But because my 27 month old daughter
is completely fascinated with any kind of dancing. She'll sit through an entire
episode of Dancing w/ the stars. She runs around for hours throwing her hands in
the air & spinning in circles pretending she's dancing. I was a little worried
that she'd get bored & start misbehaving. But from start to finish she was
completely focused on the performance on stage. She'd see something she liked &
start clapping & yelling yeah, oh, & even an occasional awe! Most of the time it
was when everyone else decided to clap too. But there were quite a few times
when she she was the only one applauding. She didn't notice or didn't care if
she was the only one clapping. She was just a bundle joy the entire performance. I thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen in my life. I must admit there
was a few times when my eyes filled with tears seeing how happy she was. Being a
parent is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. I never knew any
one thing could bring me this much joy. Ah, life is good.

Got tagged & weekly weight

I got tagged by Michael Lovato. Pretty cool! I have to write 5 interesting
things about myself. When I read that I figured it would be no problem. I've
realized since trying to write this that I'm really lame! Can one of my
interesting things be I'm really boring? Lets see....

1) I played a season as the left side offensive tackle on a semi-pro football
team called the Albuquerque Assassins. I weighed 250 lbs at the start of the
season, but my coach said I needed to put on weight. So I bulked up to 270 in
about 2.5 weeks. Gaining weight is as easy for me as breathing is for most.


2) I've worked at the NM State Penitentiary since I was 19. Ok. Not that
exciting, like I said, I'm kind of lame. Well, I was on the SWAT team for 5 years
& had responded to multiple riots throughout NM. My team & I were the only ones
entering when all instincts were screaming to everyone to run out! You know I found out then that humans have a pack instinct, & when it kicks in it's very hard to ignore. A little better I guess.
Ok, how about I've almost been stabbed 2 times while on duty. Not just "I saw a dude with a shank 2 times." I mean in an active fight w/ an inmate
trying to stick me. I haven't gotten shanked yet knock on wood.

3) I married up. You ever see those couples where you think "what the heck is
she doing w/ him?" That's my wife w/ me. When on our honey moon we toured some
really old Indian ruins in Mexico. At that time I was almost 300 lbs The tour
guide kept having to wait on me because I was so out of shape. My wife was
zipping all over the place. She never once complained or commented on me being
only 27 & unable to walk at sea level. She's the only person I've ever met who
could be explained as truly not worldly. She doesn't care about looks or money.
Good thing or I'd still be looking for Ms Right;)

4)I rode my bike from Santa Fe to Hobbs NM. 340 miles. I know, not all that
exciting. But that is my problem here. I'm really unexciting! I had no idea this
tag would be harder than a physics pop quiz! LOL.

5) I have no idea what to put here..... How about for #5 I put: I teach my daughter horrible things. Like last weekend my wife told my daughter she had
to pick up her toys. She started crying, so I whispered in her ear what to say to
my wife. My gorgeous daughter turned to my wife w/ tear streaked cheeks &
proclaimed "But I'm only 2". She has been saying that to my wife at
least a couple times a day since. Hehehe. I taught her that;) I think its cute
now, but I know darn well I'll regret it when she starts using it on me. Until
then I've been laughing until I cry every time I hear her say it. Which doesn't
help I'm sure. For some reason she gets encouraged by her Daddy.

I tag Stacie B
JB from EPT
GI Jane
Deputy Dawg
Southern triathlete

*

Weekly weight or tape

*

Now Mondays are my weigh in days. Last Monday I didn't post my weeight because I'd gained 1.5 lbs. I was up to 235 lbs. It really frustrated me because I hadn't cheated all week. So I decided to check my measurements in hopes that the tape would show an improvement ebven if the scale didn't. I'm writing the #'s as I write this so I'll be as suprised or disapointed as all of you.

Measurment sight/Last measurement/This measurment

Quads /31.5/ 30.5. A loss of 1 inch!

Hips 49.5/ 46.5 A LOSS 3 FULL INCHES!!!!

stomach 46.5/ 44 Loss of 2.5 inches

Chest 43.75/ 42.5 Lost .75

Arms 16.75/ 16.5 Lost .25

Total inches Lost: Hooly crap! I've lost 7.5 inches in a month!!!!!!!

Happy days baby!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooohoooo!!!!!!!!! I'm doing a nerdy dance right now. Sure glad you peeps can't see because i'm really bad at it!!!!!!!!

A cover up tattoo

When I was 18 I decided to get a tattoo. I didn't know exactly what i wanted so I browsed a book at a tattoo parlor until I picked one basically at random. There was no reason at all to go with that particular tattoo. It was Dizzy the devil. Dizzy was a cartoon character who was a baby devil but did good deeds. Once I became a Christian I began to hate that tattoo. This weekend I decided to cover it up with a cross. I felt it symbolic of the progression of my faith & change for the better once I accepted Christ. Here it is:

Heart rate training by article by Mark Allen

Most of my triathlon buddies already know how/why to train by heart rate, but I'm finding allot of people on the WW message boards that this article will help. This article won't fit on the WW message board so I figured I'd post it here so they could read it easily. If your triathlete you may just want to skip down to my post race report.

Heart rate training by Mark Allen

Working Your Heart The secret of training smart

How hard do I have to workout? How far do I have to go? I workout 2 hours every other day of the week and I still can't lose those last 10 pounds. Why do I keep getting injured when I try to run? These are all questions and comments people make about their training that seems to have no simple solution.
I want to give you that solution. It's called a heart rate monitor. Whether your goal is to win a race or just live a long healthy life, using a heart rate monitor is the single most valuable tool you can have in your training arsenal of equipment. And using one in the way I am going to describe will not only help you shed those last few pounds, but will enable you to do it without either killing yourself in training or starving yourself at the dinner table.
I came from a swimming background, which in the 70's and 80's when I competed was a sport that lived by the No Pain, No Gain motto. My coach would give us workouts that were designed to push us to our limit every single day. I would go home dead, sleep as much as I could, then come back the next day for another round of punishing interval sets.
It was all I knew. So when I entered the sport of triathlons in the early 1980's, my mentality was to go as hard as I could at some point in every single workout. And to gauge how fast that might have to be, I looked at how fast the best triathletes were running at the end of the short distance races. Guys like Dave Scott, Scott Tinley and Scott Molina were able to hold close to 5 minute miles for their 10ks after swimming and biking!
So that's what I did. Every run, even the slow ones, for at least one mile, I would try to get close to 5 minute pace. And it worked...sort of. I had some good races the first year or two, but I also suffered from minor injuries and was always feeling one run away from being too burned out to want to continue with my training.
Then came the heart rate monitor. A man named Phil Maffetone, who had done a lot of research with the monitors, contacted me. Phil said that I was doing too much anaerobic training, too much speed work, too many high end/high heart rate sessions. I was forcing my body into a chemistry that only burns carbohydrates for fuel by elevating my heart rate so high each time I went out and ran.
So he told me to go to the track, strap on the heart rate monitor, and keep my heart rate below 155 beats per minute. Maffetone told me below this number that my body would be able to take in enough oxygen to burn fat as the main source of fuel for my muscle to move. I was going to develop my aerobic/fat burning system. What I discovered was a shock.
To keep my heart rate below 155 beats/minute, I had to slow my pace down to an 8:15 mile. That's three minutes/mile SLOWER than I had been trying to hit in every single workout I did! My body just couldn't utilize fat for fuel.
So for the next four months I did exclusively aerobic training keeping my heart rate at or below my maximum aerobic heart rate, using the monitor every single workout. And at the end of that period, my pace at the same heart rate of 155 beats/minute had improved by over a minute. And after nearly a year of doing mostly aerobic training, which by the way was much more comfortable and less taxing than the anaerobic style that I was used to, my pace at 155 beats/minute had improved to a blistering 5:20 mile.
That means that I was now able to burn fat for fuel efficiently enough to hold a pace that a year before was redlining my effort at a maximum heart rate of about 190. I had become an aerobic machine! On top of the speed benefit at lower heart rates, I was no longer feeling like I was ready for an injury the next run I went on, and I was feeling fresh after my workouts instead of being totally exhausted from them.
So let's figure out what heart rate will give you this kind of benefit and improvement. There is a formula that will determine your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate, which is the maximum heart rate you can go and still burn fat as the main source of energy in your muscles. It is the heart rate that will enable you to recover day to day from your training. It's the maximum heart rate that will help you burn those last few pounds of fat. It is the heart that will build the size of your internal engine so that you have more power to give when you do want to maximize your heart rate in a race situation.
Here is the formula:
Take 180Subtract your ageNow we need to adjust this number based on your current level of fitness. Make the following correction as it applies to you:
· If you do no working out subtract another 10 beats
· If you workout 1-2 times a week subtract 5 beats
· If you workout 3-4 times a week leave the number as it is.
· If you workout 5 or more times as week and have done so for a year or more, then add an additional 5 beats to that number.
If you are about 60 years old or older OR if you are about 20 years old or younger, add an additional 5 beats to the corrected number you now have.
You now have your maximum aerobic heart rate, which again is the maximum heart rate that you can workout at and still burn mostly fat for fuel. Now go out and do ALL of your cardiovascular training at or below this heart rate and see how your pace improves. After just a few weeks you should start to see a dramatic improvement in the speed you can go at these lower heart rates.
Over time, however, you will get the maximum benefit possible from doing just aerobic training. At that point, after several months of seeing you pace get faster at your maximum aerobic heart rate, you will begin to slow down. This is the sign that if you want to continue to improve on your speed, it is time to go back to the high end interval anaerobic training one or two days/week. So you will have to go back to the NO Pain, NO Gain credo once again. But this time, your body will be able to handle it. Keep at the intervals and you will see your pace improve once again for a period. But just like the aerobic training, there is a limit to the benefit you will receive from anaerobic/carbohydrate training. At that point, you will see your speed start to slow down again. And that is the signal that it is time to switch back to a strict diet of aerobic/fat burning training.
Keep your interval sessions to around15-30 minutes of hard high heart rate effort total. This means that if you are going to the track to do intervals do about 5k worth of speed during the entire workout. Less than that and the physiological effect is not as great. More than that and you just can't maintain a high enough effort during the workout to maximize our benefit. You want to push your interval making each one a higher level of intensity and effort than the previous one. If you reach a point where you cannot maintain your form any longer, back off the effort or even call it a day. That is all your body has to give.
This is what I did to keep improving for nearly 15 years as a triathlete. It is also the training the Lance Armstrong's coach put him on to recover from his cancer treatment when they saw that he could not handle the high end training anymore. And although it was contrary to what most cyclists do to prepare for the grueling Tour de France, it was what enabled him to capture the title there for the first time in 1999.

2007 Polar Bear race report

Saturday I completed the Polar Bear Triathlon held at White Sands Missile range outside of Las Cruces NM. This was the fourth year in a row I'd done this race. The Polar Bear is the first race of the 2008 South West Challenge series & has the awards ceremony for the 2007 South West Challenge series afterwards. Consequently there is usually a somewhat large showing of people. Usually between 200-300 triathletes.

When I got to the race sight at 5:30 am I was amazed at how windy it was. There were gusts that had to be around 40 miles an hour. My first thought took me by surprise. I was quietly hoping they'd cancel the race due to the severe wind. I'm usually a race fanatic completing at least 10 triathlons, a couple duathlons, a half marry,a century, a few 5 & 10 K's each year. But I didn't want to race that morning at all. I don't know why for sure, perhaps it's because I've gained enough weight that I knew I'd have a poor performance & I was dreading seeing such negative results. Perhaps it's because emotionally I have not yet recovered from my Silverman debacle. Or maybe it's because I would of been humiliated by how much I'd jiggle inside my tri suit. I'm not sure, I just know I realized I was burned out on racing and thought it would of been a great idea to not race. If the race was canceled I could have visited with my fellow triathletes, & to me that kind of morning sounded like fun! Now it does need to be said I felt burned out on racing, not training. I still have a fierce Passion for training.

By 7 am the wind died down, the sun came out, & the temperature was at a comfortable range. No chance at all for a cancellation. So I begrudgingly set up my tri gear next to where I had placed my bike in the transition area. Once it was time for the race to start I heard my Uncle Travis say "better keep the transition area clear or I may end up falling on somebody". He's relatively new to triathlon & isn't yet proficient at doing a running mount onto his bike. He crashes occasionally taking down animals and small children with him:)

This race was a reverse triathlon consisting of a 7 Kilometer run, 30 kilometer bike, & 400 meter swim. Since the run was first it was a mass start. I started in the middle of the pack knowing that the weight I have put on was going to slow me down allot. Starting directly in front of me was Skoshi, one of my favorite people of all time. She's the sweetest person I've met in as long as I can remember. She's 5 foot tall if she's wearing platform shoes and barely 100 lbs. 15 seconds into the race Mark Mico runs up behind me & goosed me. People can get great reactions from a man who's been working in prison for 12 years. Skoshi came close to having to give a 230 lb triathlete hop a ride onto her back:)

That ended up being one of the top 3 worst runs of my life. I averaged around a 8:45 min mile. When I got on the bike I was pretty disgusted with my performance up to that point. The first half of the bike was slightly downhill and Clydes usually haul butt down hill. But I did not that day. At the half way point I started drinking some Amp energy drink for a little bit of a boost. I'd never tried this before in training or racing. But I didn't care if I had a worse race at that point. slow is slow. I suppose there are varying degrees of slow. But I'm not going to debate the specifics of slow here. I figured it couldn't get much worse.

I'm not sure if being passed to many times motivated me or if the energy drink worked REALLY well! But the 2nd half of the race was one of the best experiences I've ever had on a bike. Fat Boy got up & MOVED! About 10 Kilometers from T-2 I passed a 16 year old kid named John. John got really fast recently. He told me he's been running every morning & has lost almost 20 lbs. I was impressed to say the least. John had never beaten me on a run before. He did that day. He beat me badly too!His bike is probably his weakest event & once I passed him that first time it was a war the rest of the ride. I'd pass him, then he'd pass me a few seconds later. Apparently his weakest sport isn't very weak any longer. That boy laid a smack down. Once I got into the pool I had the best swim of my entire life. I passed John & my Uncle Travis around the mid point of the pool. 75 yards from the end I got a massive cramp in my left calf but kept paddling through the pain. Road Rash was watching me & told me I looked like a question mark in the water from that point on. Must of been a big question. LOL.

Not sure how, but I finished 2nd place Clydesdale 39 & under with a time of 1:49. That's only the 2nd time I've ever finished top 3 at the Polar Bear before. But that has allot to do with the big guns like Arnold Ciniceros and Felix Hinoso not toeing the line that morning. regardless of my placing I'm glad I bit the bullet & raced even though I only felt like spectating. That race revamped my love for racing. I'm exited about racing again.

After the Polar Bears awards ceremony I went to another awards ceremony for the 2007 South West Challenge mulisport series. The challenge series is made up of 28 races throughout New Mexico & West Texas. A person has to complete a minimum of 8 races to qualify for the series. They take a persons best 8 races to score the season. I was awarded the 1st place trophy for the Clydesdale 39 & under division.

All in all it was a great day. Best part of the day was being able to hang out with my friends & team mates after the race. A person can look the rest of their life & never find more supportive & caring people than you'll find at a triathlon.

Not this time

Last week was a week full of challenges for me. Both of my kids got a horrible
case of the stomach flue. My son had it the worse. Although I had experienced my
daughter having the stomach flue when she was only a few months old it didn't
make it any less scary with my son. He's only 4 months old & to watch him be
that sick was very distressing. Both my little ones ended up pulling through it
and are up to their old ways already. Thank God.

I got exited Saturday because I'd lost enough weight that none of my jeans fit.
My wife made a big deal out of taking me to Sears for a couple pair of skinny
jeans. What a great wife I have. She said all the right things to really make me
feel good about myself. When we got there we started searching for a pair that
would fit me, after about ten minutes we realized Sears didn't sell any jeans
that large. We went to 2 other stores at the mall looking for a pair large
enough to fit me. No luck. I'm still to big to shop for clothes in a normal
person store. Normally things like that upset me allot & when something bothers me I turn to food for comfort. I'm not going to lie, I was ready to start shoveling down some serious
food.

When I got home there was a package in the mail for me. I assumed it was going
to be my weight watchers book on eating out. To my surprise when I opened it up
it was a 3rd place trophy for the Silverman Iron distance triathlon. In case
anyone is not up to speed on the happenings of Cody-the-Clydesdale, I DNF'd that
race a couple weeks ago. That trophy sat there in my hands mocking me, my weight
problems, & all that I wanted so badly to be. Oh how badly I want to be an
Ironman. I've been a triathlete for 4.5 years & that entire time I trained for
one reason. To finish 140.6 miles in under 17 hrs. To hear "Cody Hanson, you are
an Ironman." To be able to get the M-dot tattooed on the back of my calf. All
that I desired was sitting in my hands in a painful reminder that I had failed.
There were only 3 people in the Clyd division at the Silverman. If I could of only finished the bike by the cutoff time I would of truly earned
that trophy. It was a beautiful trophy. I rarely get mad. It's always been
pretty hard to get me upset. Sitting there with my dream trophy in my hands that
I failed to earn & having to wear a pair of sweat pants because Santa Fe doesn't
sell jeans large enough for me was more than enough to push me over board. I got
2 boxes of brownie mix out & started making me a huge pan of feel good!
A couple of minutes before the brownies were ready I turned on the TV. I found
that the Ironman World championships was on. It had been on long enough that I
saw who the top 10 males & females were. I saw an idol of mine had made it into
the top 10. Michael Lovato. Most of my buddies don't know why I'm such a big fan
of his. A few years ago I was watching the Ironman Championships & saw that
there was a pro triathlete (Lovato) who was expected to finish top 5. Lovato got
severe intestinal problems on the bike & ended up finishing somewhere around 13 hrs & in 298th place. But dang it he finished! Almost every top tier pro
triathlete I'd seen to that point had quit when he/she was not going to finish
the race near where they expected. I understand why they do this. It would be
better to get off the course & DNF than risk ruining the next season due to
injury. But Lovato finished, risking injury, he simply refused to take the easy
route out. He continued on even when almost every other athlete in his position
would of stopped, he never quit! His fortitude brought him back into the money.
Often times God takes care of me even when I do not deserve it. I experienced a
couple of things that day that were painful & incredibly humiliating to me. My
family watched me search in vain to find any jeans that would fit & I now own a
trophy to remind me of one of the most painful failures of my life. When I was
ready to call it quits God put one of the only things in front of me that could
of pulled me out of my own self misery. I watched more & more athletes cross that finish line & I decided I was NOT going to DNF again! And part of my
plan had to be to lose this last 34 lbs. I turned off the oven, got out my
bike, rode to the correctional academy gym & hit a great 1hr chest & back
workout with the free weights, then I rode my bike across town to the pool & had
an incredible 40 minute swim. Went to the cardio room upstairs & did 3 sets of
10 minutes rowing to 10 minutes running, repeat. Then I rode to the Santa Fe
high school & ran up & down the entire stadium twice which took another 45
minutes. By then it was dark & rode I back home. Total time on bike round trip
was 2:10 minutes. I completed a total workout of 5hrs 5 minutes.

I want to become an Ironman now more than ever. Not only to prove to myself that I can can do it but also to show my children by example that as long as they continue to try, learn from their mistakes, & don't except failure they can overcome any obstacle.

a post short ride report

Things seem to have finally calmed down & is returning to normal. I'm back to
work after having 2 out of 3 weeks off & I start my IM training program for IMAZ
Sat. Ah, the joy & comfort I find in training. It's my time of stress relief,
when I clear my head, find focus, & do my best thinking.
A quick update on things & an explanation as to why I've not been up to date on
my blog. A month ago I found out my favorite aunt has an incurable form of
cancer. Shortly after we received info that my Mom & Step-Dad has cancer also.
When it rains it pours let me tell ya. Last year I lost an Aunt to pancreas
cancer. I'm getting pretty sick of the C word.

This week I got news that my Moms operation last week to remove the cancer seems
successful. My Dad has had emphysema for years now. Turns out there are 2 kinds
his cancer could be. A fast acting cancer in which all they could do is give him
radiation to try & slow it as much as possible because he's not healthy enough
to undergo surgery or any other aggressive form of treatment. Or a slow acting cancer which the Dr.'s would do nothing for because the Emphysema would kill him first. Turns out the it's the 2nd kind. We're relieved. I got word Thanksgiving week that my aunts cancer can probably
be put in remission with Chemo. The type of cancer she has usually stays in
remission for 1-3 years. Her type of cancer has been put into remission in other
people who has had this form of cancer up to 3 times. So that means we'd still
have 3-9 years w/ her. But now, come to find out the DR's have found 3 aneurysms
in her brain that need to be operated on. It's a pretty extensive operation so
they plan on fixing only one aneurysm at a time w/ around 6 months recovery per
operation. First one is scheduled for Jan. Enough of the depressing crap.

Now to the fun stuff. My Ride to Hobbs went perfectly. I left my house in Santa
Fe on Monday @ am. It was around 30 degrees out & clear. The first 40 miles to
Clines Corners were slightly up hill. I averaged 10 miles an hour there. It had warmed up enough by the time I'd gotten to Cines that I was able to remove
all my cold weather gear. I ate a 6" subway sandwich @ Clines Corners, refilled
my Gatorade & was on my way. After Clines the wind turned to my back & the
entire rest of the way to Vaughn NM. I rarely rode below 20 miles an hour from
there. In Encino NM the speed limit was 25 MPH & I was doing 31 when a state cop
drove by me going the opposite direction. I was SO hoping I'd get a speeding
ticket on my bike! I would of made a copy of my ticket & framed that sucker! It
would of been proof that the State believes I'm just too dang fast on my bike.
To bad the Silverman didn't think so. Lol. He didn't give me a ticket but I sure
got a few looks. I don't think they see many cyclists around there. I arrived at
Vaughn NM @ 2;30 p.m.. 7 hrs of riding & 115 miles down. When the lady at the
hotel desk asked for my car's license plate # I proudly proclaimed I rode my
bike from Santa Fe She didn't believe me. She even went as far as to walk to the hotel parking lot & look for my vehicle.

The next day I left @ 7 am. 15 miles outside of Vaughn my rear tire got a huge
blister on it. It was 1 inch wide & 1.5 inches long, it puffed out from the tire
about an inch. Very crazy looking. The blister or bubble if you will was so big
my tire wouldn't roll because the bubble was too large to fit through the tire
well. I was forced to pop it & see if my tube was affected. Thankfully the tube
was not leaking after the bubble was popped but there was now a 1X1.5 inch long
area where the rubber was no longer covering the tires Kevlar. I was able to
ride on the tire the way it was for another 5 miles before I flatted. When I put
in my new tube I folded up 2 one dollar bills & placed the bills in between the
tube & the bare area on my tire in hopes that I could provide some extra
protection. It worked! I rode 75 miles on my tire like that. FROM Vaughn NM to
Roswell there are no gas stations or anything else to buy supplies. Just a 90
mile stretch of road with one rest stop 52 miles outside of Vaughn. So I packed powdered Gatorade & enough Hammer bars to last the entire ride from Vaughn to the rest Roswell. By the time I got to the rest area I'd been out of Gatorade for about an hour & a half. I
was pretty thirsty! I filled up my 4 bike bottles with my powdered Gatorade &
water from the water fountain & did my best at rehydrate myself. The rest of
the way into Roswell was great. Peaceful. Nothing but me & the road.
I stayed @ the comfort 8 motel there in Roswell. My wife & 2 children met me
there. The hotel had a pool so that night I played w/ my kids in the water. By
the time it was bedtime my kids seemed as tired as I was. Great way to end a
wonderful day.

Wed morning I awoke to my legs feeling slightly stiff and sore. Plus my mouth
was really dry. Although I did my best to hydrate last night I was unable to do
it. I ate a quick continental breakfast kissed the family & shot out
the door. Destination Hobbs NM. 120 miles.
From Roswell to Caprock (about 40-45 miles) is slightly uphill. The wind was HOWLING right in my face the entire way there. It was slow going. I only averaged 10 miles an hour.
After Caprock it was a slight downhill to Tatum NM but that dang wind got even
worse & was still blowing in my face the entire time. I only averaged 12 MPH
from Caprock to Tatum. Once I hit Tatum the temperature dropped quite a bit. The
big snow storm that NM was expecting was dropping the temps & making the wind my
mortal enemy. My feet were so cold they felt like blocks of ice. @ Tatum I got
some duct tape from the Town & Country & wrapped the tape all around my shoes to cover the areas that had holes in hopes of keeping the wind out & the heat in. Although from
experience I know that is pretty affective the temperatures just kept dropping
so it didn't feel like it helped. From Tatum to Lovington was pretty uneventful.
The wind died down a bit but the temps continued to plummet. By the time I got
to Lovington it was well below freezing & I was pretty much miserable. Because of the wind blowing in my face the entire way I had made really slow time. I was in
danger of not making Hobbs by dark. Felt like Silverman all over again. Half way from Lovington to Hobbs it became to dark to see & I was forced to call my wife to come pick me up. By the time she got to me I was only 10 miles from the Hobbs city limits. When I got into
the van I seemed to have a case of hypothermia. My body was shaking horribly &
uncontrollably. Add that to the fact that I had missed my goal of making the
entire trip unsupported, I was not a happy camper.

The next day was Thanksgiving & I awoke w/ a stomach flue. I couldn't keep
anything at all down. The storm had hit during the night & had dumped 2 inches of snow
on the ground. So you know what I did? I forced my wife to drive me to the place
where I got picked up so I could ride in the rest of the way. I couldn't say I
had ridden my bike to Hobbs if I didn't ride in that last 10 miles. My wife was
FURIOUS with me because I was sick & it was dangerous from the snow on the ground. It took me 2 hrs to make that last 10 miles because I kept having to stop to puke & I took a spill twice on my bike. But dang it I made it!

By Sat morning I was feeling much better. My legs were still a little stiff & I had a good sized scab on the right side of my nose from getting such bad wind
burn. Other than that I was ok. I knew I still needed to rest to recover from my
ride & sickness but I had told all you peeps I was going to do a tour de stade
of Hobbs high & I couldn't make a liar out of myself. So I drove to the high
school stadium, jumped a fence to get in & did my tour de stade. Very
anti-climactic!!! I was bored 10 minutes into it. How can I ride for 20 hrs 15
minutes in 3 days with nothing to look at but empty plains & not be bored once,
but 10 minutes on the stairs I was bored out of my mind? I forced myself to
finish then went back to my Aunts house to partake in some more Thanksgiving
turkey.

For any weight watchers out there Thanksgiving week I earned 115 activity
points!

Well thanks for tuning in. Sorry I've been out of contact for so long. Hope all u Peeps had a great
Thanksgiving. Peace!

So Much More Than a GuardI AM A CORRECTIONAL PROFESSIONAL

So Much More Than a Guard
Submitted Anonymously

I am a PERSON
I am young and old, tall and short, man and woman, and I am of all faiths
I am a father, mother, brother and sister, I am a son and a daughter, and I am a single parent
I am from all parts of this great country and I am a citizen of my community
I wear a uniform, I maintain the highest standards and I represent my agency
I see things that hurt my soul and damage my spirit, but I maintain hope
I lead by example and I am a good and decent human being
I have a family of loved ones at home and a family of partners at work
I feel, I care, I rejoice. I am a PERSON
I am a WORKER
I am well-trained and part of a GOOD TEAM
I work with men, women and youthful offenders; I work with many cultures, races and faiths
I work evenings, nights and weekends, holidays and birthdays
I stand a post, man a tower, carry a gun, I transport, search and move offenders
I train staff, write policy, maintain standards and keep safety high
I supervise good people and hold my partners accountable
I maintain buildings, locks, vehicles, radios, phones, computers, fences and weapons
I work behind the scenes in cramped offices to make sure the ship keeps running smooth
I am sometimes verbally and physically abused, yet I maintain my professionalism
I accept my work is stressful, and I maintain my honor.
I am a WORKER
I am a PROVIDER
I provide good food, clean clothes, and I provide Protection
I provide education, vocation, work skills and opportunity
I provide GED, reading, writing and math classes, and recreation
I provide medical, dental and vision care, I provide hospice care and dignity
I provide re-enter opportunities, legal access and religious programs, I provide hope
I provide mental health, substance abuse and anger treatment
I provide a bed, a roof, warmth and food.
I am a PROVIDER
I am PROTECTOR
I keep offenders safe while sleeping, working, resting and playing
I supervise parolees and offenders in community corrections and ISP
I provide suicide watch to protect people from themselves
I control contraband and maintain facility and public safety
I control access, I keep offenders in and others out
I protect offenders, partners, visitors and volunteers from harm
I protect the public, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year–all day, every day.
I PROTECT Them, Us and YOU

I do what I do because I serve my community, my agency, my state and my country.
I am a Person, a Worker, a Provider and a Protector.
I am not a guard. I am your Correctional Professional.

weekly weight, & the IMAZ

I weighed in this morning at 236.8. 20 lbs lighter than my Iron debacle. Slow but steady progress is the name of the game for me this year. Last week I had 115 Activity points on weight watchers on-line.

I registered for the IMAZ in Nov 08 & the 08 Kona lottery. Around $650 total. What the heck was I thinking? Spent a ton of cash on only one race, & some more cash on a slim chance of a race. Oh the life of a broke triathlete.

I'll try & post tomorrow on how my 340 mile 3 day bike went.

Dave Scott & my weekly weight

My diet was going great until today. I didn't cheat today on purpose, but I did cheat today. It was my B-day today & my wife cooked me a Turkey dinner. I earned 10 activity points this morning purposely for my B-day dinner. Plus I still had 21 weekly flex points I could use tonight. So I felt I could have a little stuffing, yams, and a piece of chocolate cake (ONLY 5pts for a piece of cake!). I ate a turkey leg assuming that the dark meat would be about double the points of the white. WRONG! The turkey leg was 27 flipping points! That used up my Activity & flex points plus put me 19 points over. Lesson learned! But I'm going on a 3 day 350 mile bike starting in the morning so I'll just pretend the extra calories were to prepare my body for my ride.

Weekly weight loss update:
Activity pts earned 40.
Activity pts used: 18
weekly points used 39.5 (all of them)
total points over or under for the week: 19 points over :( All of the over pts was used today :(
Weight: 242.4 lbs down43 to go!


I got a great B-day present today. Michael Lovato wrote me & wished me better luck on my next Iron & to keep my chin up. I didn't email him & advise him about my Iron. He remembered from our conversation at the sept Harvest Moon triathlon. He then took the time to hunt me down & find out how I did, & to tell me better luck next time. I thought that was pretty dang considerate! Very classy person.

I got to meet Dave scott at the Silverman. that was probably the highlight of the weekend.

Weight watchers first week

I joined weight Wathchers online Tue 11-13 to start my weight loss & Iron goals. I'm really enjoying the way weight watchers online works. I'm given a certain amount of points that I can eat each day. I'm finding there are allot of ways I can fulfill cravings & hunger by eating snacks that have very low "points". My favorite so far is red & yellow peppers w/ salsa. I use the strips of peppers like a potato chip. I ate 2 cups of spinach yesterday w/ dinner & it was 0 points. I think the foods I'm finding that are low points are also nutrient dense.

I can earn more points in a day by exercising. 2 days ago I got really hungry midday but had used up allot of points early & didn't want to go hungry during dinner. So I decided to go for a 1 hr 40 min bike. I got back & typed in my workout, viola, I had earned enough Activity Points to eat an entire extra meal! Hopefully I'll be able to succeed on this weight loss plan. I have a good feeling about this plan so far.

Monday I leave for my 3 day 350 mile bike ride to Hobbs. In my best calculation I'm going to earn 45 activity points each day I ride. To put that in perspective I am limited to 38 points each day without earning any extra activity points. I'll be FEASTING each day of my bike trip. I also plan on running all the stairs of the Hobbs High school football stadium on Thanksgiving so I'll be able to eat well on Thanksgiving day.

My first day joining WW I weighed in at 256. I weighed in this evening at 244. Keep in mind I didn't weigh in in the morning when I'd be lightest. Good news overall.

My ideas for my off season

Now that my official training time is over I'm supposed to take time off. I have some wonderfull ideas for what I'm going to do before I start up training for the Redman in a week or 2. On Mon Nov 19th my wife & I are leaving from our house in santa Fe to Hobbs where we are going to spend Thanksgiving w/ my family.

1) The first thing I'm going to do w/ my time off of scheduled training is ride to Hobbs on my bike. It's 350 miles that I'll do in a 3 day ride.

2) The second thing I plan on doing is 3 tour de stades. A "tour dé stade" is the running of all step columns up and down in any given stadium. The first one I'm going to tour is the Hobbs high football stadium. Once I get home from Hobbs I plan on doing a Tour de stade of the Santa Fe high stadium & the University of New Mexico' stadium.

Ah, the fun of the off season!

On a side note, the weight watchers system I just started is set up so we can earn extra food by exercising. I think on the days I do a 350 mile bike ride & on the days I do my 3 separate Tour de stade I'll be eating well :)

Post DNF thoughts

Well I got pulled from the Silverman bike course @ 3:45pm on mile 89. If I'd of been allowed to continue riding to the bike finish I would of missed the cutoff by 30-45 minutes. I'm not going to offer any excuses. I DNF'd. In my mind I see 2 types of people who deal w/ failure in completely different ways.
1) the types who become sour from failure & quit.
2) The type who use it as a learning tool to better themselves.
I want to be in the 2nd category of people. Failure is NOT what separates those two types of people. How they deal with the failure is. Those walls are placed in front of all of us from time to time. Sometimes it's a little set back, sometimes it's large crushing failure. Those walls are there to separate those who are willing to give up & those who are willing to overcome. I really want to continue to work towards the Iron goal. I'm going to use this DNF as a tool. This is an opportunity for me.

When people pray for bravery God doesn't automatically make them courageous. He puts them in a situation where they can be brave.

When people pray for patience God doesn't automatically make them patient. He puts them in a situation to use patience.

I kept asking God to make me fast for the silverman. I prayed over & over again for him to help me complete the Silverman before the cut off time. The fact is he helps those who help themselves. I went into this Iron 21lbs over my normal race weight & 48 lbs over what I should of been trying an Iron at. I asked for speed & endurance. I knew I needed to lose 57lbs to get fast & have great endurance. I have now been given the wake up call now to accomplish just that. It's up to me weather I will quit or come back stronger...... I will be back again better prepared & lighter.

I weighed in at 256 lbs yesterday (11-13-07). Before Silverman I weighed in at 248. After my DNF I turned to food for comfort like I have a tendency to do. ALLOT of food for ALLOT of needed comfort. 8 lbs worth of comfort in a day in a half. Ouch. When they say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas they are lying. The weight didn't stay in Vegas.

Yesterday I started my goal of losing weight so that I can become an Ironman, so that i can be healthier, & to be a better husband & father. I joined weight watchers online yesterday. Like I said, I weighed in at 256lbs. My goal is 199lbs. I need to lose 57 lbs in 10 months. I will use this blog as a training log towards my goals of losing 57 lbs & becoming an Ironman.

I also want to thank all of you for your encouragement & support. Your kind thoughts & words hepled lift me up when I had fallen. I may never be able to express how much that meant to me or much you all helped me pick myself up & dust myself off. I promise each of you I will try to pass it on to others in the hopes that I can make them feel as supported and loved as you all made me feel. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

My first DNF

I DNF'd at Silverman. I was 30-45 minutes shy of the bike cut off. I'll post more on this later today.

Pre-Silverman Thoughts.....

Well I got to Boulder City Nv yesterday. Got our RV & set it up about a mile away from the swim start. I'd forgotten that Las Vegas was in a valley & that the surrounding area was so dang hilly! Down right mountainous. I can see now that the Silverman web site wasn't exaggerating on the difficulty of the course. I plan on driving the course today to get a feel of what to expect.
My cold hasn't gotten any better. It's no worse, but not better yet either.
Sore scratchy throat, a little weak, a cough, & coughing up a ton of crap. I'm not worried about that though. I have the heart & will power to grind my way through pain & fatigue. As long as my body is capable of getting me to to the finish line in the 18 hr cut off range, my heart can push my body there in under 17 hrs.
It's funny walking around with all these skinny triathlete's having the same goal as me here I am built more like an offensive lineman. I never get intimidated. It's just not a feeling I get often. But I have been feeling...... unworthy. I feel deep down that I will accomplish this Iron dream of mine on Sunday. But I get a little humiliate when a skinny tri guy & I get into a conversation about the upcoming race. They inevatably give my ample frame the once over whith a slight look of surprise & doubt. I'm to the point where I'm just getting my prerace stuff done without much conversation because I don't want to have to defend myself anymore with the usual funny comments of "I may be large, but this big guy can move!" or "I've put in more than enough training miles. Don't let my matabolism fool you." I know I have never felt the amount of pain that someone feels who is discriminated against because of the color of their skin. But I can definately relate. I now know what it's like to be judged by my outside shell rather than what I am able to acomlpish. I just want to quietly get registered, get to the start line & proove myself by my actions. I have never wanted to do well in a multisport so badly. I want to get my finishers medal & know I proved their knee jerk opinion of me DEAD WRONG! There are only 4 people in my division & I would love to be able to walk up & get my top 3 award, turn around with my head held high & let all those who doubted the fat guy know.....I AM IRONMAN!

sick & leaving....Tonight!

Well guys & gals I'm leaving for Navada tonight at 10pm. We're leaving at night in hopes that our children will sleep most of the way there.

I got sick today. But I don't feel bad. Just a cough & sore throat. Throat is pretty sore, but overall I'm not bad. I'll let you guys know how Sunday goes as soon as I get near a computer that has internet acsess. Peace Peeps!

Equipment check list

Equipment check list
LAP TOP
SWIM GEAR
Goggles
wet suit
Triathlon singlet
Or tri top
TRI BOTTOM!!!!
Sunblock
Towel
Sweat pants
Wind breaker

RUN EQUIPMENT
race number holder
Gloves (if cold)
Shoes
Running cap
Energy gels

BIKE EQUIPMENT
Bike pump
Hash pipe
Tape
HR monitor
Helmet
Shoes
Socks
Bottles
Sports drink
Tire changing pack
Extra tire
Chamois cream
CO-2 cartridges & tubes
Bike
Wheels
Extra set of wheels

T-3 BAG
Pants
Shirt
Socks/under wear
Deodorant
Tooth brush
Tooth paste
Cologne

MISC. EQUIPMENT
LAP TOP
Alarm clock
Phone charger
Phone
USAT card
Wallet
Proof of insurance
Proof of registration
CD's
tom-tom
address to race
Address to hotel/RV park
Camera
Lounge chairs
tarp
Tent
bed roll
Sleeping bags
Extra blankets
Pillow
Extra pillow

some pics, & examples of why I need to lose weight, a patriotic u tube, & the Silverman

Here I was at 285 shortly after I married my dream woman. Feb 03 I actually got to 300 lbs!
275lbs w/ my best buddy & his baby girl @ my wife & my wedding. Can someone say "pass me the cake!"
And she's the biggest reason I really want to stay thin. My gorgous wife! I don't want us to be like Beauty & the Shreck anymore.

The picture above is back when I was 220lbs (28 lbs ago) & where I'd like to be again by the March 08 Stealth duathlon.

First thing first. My Dad sent me a U tube. I thought it was worth sharing. Very patriotic.
www.youtube.com/v/QZFkZiwMLZ4 There aren't enough patriots anymore.

Well I'm ready for my Ironman. I really wish it were time. I've never felt the taper blues as badly as I am now. Pretty fierce! If my taper blues has anything to do with how well I'll do at the Silverman, than I'll smoke that course! I'm pretty exited about a little something. I just found out there are only 4 people in my division. that's a %75 chance of placing top 3 in my first Ironman ever!!! I couldn't even imagine how cool it would be to take top 3 in the hardest Iron in the World!!!!

I'm really exited about Nov 13th. that's the day I am going to start weight watchers online for men. S. Baboo has had some pretty great results. I've always been able to crack the whip once I get to a point where I am disgusted with myself. But for whatever reason as soon as I get near to my goal weight I start packing it back on like I'm preparing for hibernation. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but keep my fat clothes in storage just in case.

Sometimes a person can gain muscle & loose fat, so the scale can be deceiving. So that I can keep realistic track of my gains (or losses if my plan is successful) I took measurements of myself today. Yes, I know. Not exactly the measurements of a triathlete. But hey, self loathing seems to be my best motivator. I'm definitely at that disgusted point right now. So I know for a fact I'll be getting great gains for awhile. But can I keep it off? That's going to be the BIG question.

Weight 248lbs Or 112.5 Kg for my metric buddy Sub 6.

Quads 31.5 inches/ 80.1 cm

Hips or butt, whatever I should call that measurement. 49.5 inches/ 125.73 cm, yup, I got some junk in the trunk. Baby's got back.

stomach 46.5 inches/ 118.11cm. Oh gosh, you have got to be kidding me.

Chest 43.75 inches/ 111.1cm. Not upset about that one!

Arms 16.75 inches/ 42.5 cm. If I could walk around showing off ONLY my chest & arms my self esteem would be great.

I figure I'll post my results every week. Stay tuned for my great success story!

On a non-triathlon subjuect, I do find my wife irresistible. I can't help it. But my wife told me last night she thinks she needs to take a pregnancy test. My son is only 2.5 months old. Oh Lord, what have I done?

A sick baby & a ground fighting triathlete

This is my buddy. He's a gifted athlete who's not right in the head. LOL.

-I got home from work @ 6 this morning to hear my baby daughter crying in her
room. That's unusual because shes a great sleeper. When I entered her room she
looked up @ me with tears streaked down her cheeks & said "Daddy!" w/ arms
raised. Turns out she got sick last night. I will never get tired of rescuing
her from even the smallest of things. I love trying to be her Hero! I bent down
& picked up my most precious little girl held her against my chest as I carried
her to the couch. There's nothing worse than when I see her sick. Perhaps some
triathletes would worry about getting sick 10 days away from the biggest race of
their tri career thus far. But what will ALWAYS mean the most to me is my little
Princess. Man I feel horrible for her, it's Halloween & she was invited to a
party where there would be a bunch of other little ones-none quite as cute as
mine though:) Now she's got to stay home. Now that she is 2 she usually never
stops moving. But today I got to cuddle w/ her all day. I love having a Daddy's girl. But I sure hate it when she's sick. I'd gladly take her place whether the
Silverman is in less than 2 weeks or not.

Speaking of Irons, surprisingly w/ only 10 days until what is known as the most
grueling Iron in the world I'm not nervous @ all. My wife & I have got
everything planned out. We rented a 29 foot RV & will be staying at a RV park on
lake Mead less than 2 miles from the race start. I'm looking foreword to it.

Another thing I'm REALLY looking foreword to is my plans to lose weight after
the Silverman. I have the motivation, the support, & a reasonable plan.

Seems like some things just seem to work out perfectly @ times. My buddy & I
are always challenging each other to do things that take us out of our comfort
zone. Not the traditional guy things like drinking & such. Things that usually
better each other. Such as triathlons & multiple day hikes through mountains
neither of us had ever been to.

2 days ago he called me up & issued a challenge to me. Dec of next year (2008) he
wants us to do Grapplers Quest. That is a multiple day tournament for Jui Jitsu &
submission grappling. Actually Grapplers Quest is the West Coast Championships.
Of course like any good friend I agreed, all be it reluctantly There is good
news & bad news about me agreeing to do that. The bad news for me is that I'll have to
start grappling again, & that takes time to train for. Time is the one thing I
have least of @ this time in my life. The majority of my spare time I'll be
training for multi-sport. But I'll need to put in some time on the matts or risk
getting humiliated, beat the heck up, & hurt. Multisport is my true love. But
truth be known Grappling was my first love. I just kind of fell into Jui Jitsu
abut 4 years ago, but I got pretty good very quickly. After only 18 months I
placed 2nd in my 1st tournament. Then after my 1st triathlon I stopped training
for ground combat & never looked back. The good news about choosing to do this
is that there are weight classes in ground fighting tournaments. So its VERY
important that I drop down to about about 199 lbs by next Nov & then I'll cut another 10
lbs right before the tournaments (more on cutting weight later). That is ironic
because no more than a week before my buddy asked me to do this I had posted a
goal on my blog to get below 200 lbs By Dec of next year.
Perfect timing & extra motivation indeed! I'm weighing in right now @ 248 lbs
right now. If the tournaments were today I'd be fighting as a super heavyweight
which is 225 lbs & above. I'd prefer not to have to tangle w/ the big boys. My
goal is to get to 199 lbs & then cut 10 lbs before my competition. Cutting
weight sucks. If you've never done it it essentially means I'll restrict food &
water for a couple days before my official weigh in, in the hopes of being able
to fight in a lower weight class. If the day of my weigh in I still need to cut
more weight than I'll have to sit in a steam room to lose that last bit of water
weight. I'm hoping to fight in the 179-189 lb category in the Gee division, 179-189 no-gee, & in the absolute division. 3 divisions total. Most people usually only choose one division, but hey I'm an endurance athlete. My theory is that this will actually help my triathloning because light is fast! I'll let u know how the training goes. I start grappling again the first week in Dec.
Thanks for tuning in. Peace!

Iron will

My triathlon coach Pete Alfino of Mile High Multisport is awesome. I'm really grateful to have such a knowledge person in my corner who's only concern is to make sure I become an Ironman. I've had a bad coach before. After 5 months with the bad coach I was slower than before I had hired him. I am especially grateful for Pete because I've seen what an unmotivated coach can do to an athlete. Coach Pete is a GREAT coach!

I got an email from coach Pete recently stating I should stop worrying about completing the Silverman by the cutoff time. He said out of all the years he'd been coaching he'd only had one athlete DNF. & that athlete brought it upon themselves by not finishing scheduled workouts etc. Not his exact words, I'm paraphrasing. He told me to think positive. So I sat down today & thought about all the things I'd done to ensure I'd complete the Silverman.

-I ran & biked religiously, rarely missing either.
-lets see....um....uh....there has got to be at least one more thing!Sorry coach. This just has not been a good 4 months for me.

I've skipped almost every swim in the last 10 weeks. I've gained just shy of 40lbs. I'm working 86 hrs a week. I'm not sleeping anywhere near enough.

So then I go over the numbers of my expected Ironman debut. I keep coming up with the same time.

18 hrs.

1hr 45 minute 2.4 mile swim, that is IF I have a great swim.

On my bike I average just over 12 miles an hour on my training days. That's 9 hrs 20 minutes on the bike if there are no problems at all. Just mile after mile of feeling good.

On my training runs I have been averaging 14.45 miles in 3 hrs. That's a 13 minute per mile average. My training run is relatively flat. The Silverman has 3900 feet elevation gained & lost. So if I take into consideration that I'll be running tired from a swim I haven't trained for, & a bike w/ 9300 ft of elevation gained & lost I'm guessing a marathon time of 6hrs 45 minutes.

10 minutes worth of transitions.

Exactly 18 hrs.But that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter when it comes to me. I'm a hard headed stubborn SOB. I have determined to finish this race. & when I am determined to do something I have ALWAYS gotten it done. My high school football coach called me a gamer. He told me when he saw me practice he thought I'd be 3rd string offensive lineman if I made the tam at all. I was only 170 lbs as a freshman & I seemed to get pushed around allot in practice. Luckily the first game of the season we were winning big time. So he started taking out his 1st string players so other kids could play. I dominated the rest of the game. The next game he decided to put me in on a few plays because our starting left guard was struggling against a particular opponents dominant defensive lineman. My coach didn't think I'd do well because our starting left guard was 225 lbs., I was only 170. If he couldn't stop that guy how could Cody? But he had to try something. That defensive lineman he sent me in to block outweighed me by over 30lbs. I shut him down the rest of the game! I started all 4 years of high school football. My coach had said there are some people who just show up on game day. Some people whom competition awakens some kind of beast inside them. I'm one of those people. It's not that I don't give it my all in practice, I do. But on game day I play beyond my means.

I was on the State penitentiary's Emergency Response Team (ERT) for 5 years. My rookie year on the team they brought in the State Police's ERT to teach us how to do a proper riot line. Apparently they are the states best @ conducting a riot line. I won't argue w/ that. They were dang good. They had our biggest ERT members try & break through or take them out. None of our guys could & we have some VERY big/aggressive guys on our team. As I was watching the state police completely dismantle out teams biggest & baddest my competitive side came out. I kamikazied their line & took out their whole right side. All that was left of the right side was a pile of bodies, batons, & scattered helmets. I paid dearly. Can someone say police brutality? But I folded their line like a stack of cards!

A couple years ago the team was called in to do a cell extraction on an inmate. They assembled a 5 man team to do the extraction on an inmate. 4 of the biggest Officers in the state Penn, & me. This inmate had been in prison his whole adult life. All he did was lift weights & eat. He had arms like legs & legs like people. This inmate has many priors for hurting officers. The team was stacked biggest to smallest. Our 1st officer in line was Aaron B. He was an offensive lineman for UNM & heavily scouted by the pro's until an injury ended his career. His specialty is moving anything that should be too big to be moved. Next in line was Robert P. He could bench press over 500lbs & shortly after this extraction he tore some ligaments in his arms while doing curls. The amount of weight he could curl was so much his body just couldn't handle the weight. They were all huge except me. At the time I was only 225. When the door opened we all charged in to restrain this convicted felon. From the rear of the line I saw one officer after another go down. Some hurt, some just tossed aside like a rag doll. Next thing I know the inmate & I are the only ones standing. He charged me & at the time of impact I saw bursts of bright stars, I was nearly knocked unconscious by the impact. But somehow I held on to that giant son of a gun. I threw my arms around his neck & put him into a standing front naked choke (same thing as on this video, but done from in front of opponent). My legs weren't touching the floor as I held on to his neck he was so tall. He started to sway back & forth. After what felt like forever, but in reality was only a second or two he fell backwards, unconscious onto the floor. Game over. Check mate. End of story.

I have no doubt I'll be an Ironman by midnight Nov 11th. All of my training shows I won't finish in time. But I know better. I will be an Ironman.

To imature not to

I somewhat caught up w/ my sleep today. I got a solid 6 hrs. Not much as I
should. But as much as I can considering I have to support 4 people on the NM
state penitentiary's pay. We are the second lowest paid corrections in the
nation, but to be honest if I wanted better I could get better by going to
school or working corrections @ another state. I'm
complacent-er-comfortable-whatever one should call it.

After I woke up I went for a run. During my run I realized my left knee, hip,
& lower back has completely healed up since I tossed out my old work boots that
had one of the air bubbles in the sole pop.

On my run today it started snowing. Surprised the heck out of me. It only
snowed for about 10 minutes & it didn't stick to the ground. But dad-gummit, it
snowed alright..

Now, before I tell you what happened on my run today I need to explain to you
that I run w/ my dog. I don't keep her on a leash because she is EXTREMELY well
trained. When running w/ her if I snap the fingers on my right hand she'll run right next to me on my right side. She'll run next to my left side
if I snap the fingers of my left hand. When we come up to a road she'll sit next
to me until I yell "Go!" at which time we'll both run across the road.

About a month ago as I was running w/ my dog I passed in front of a housing
developments main office. Out of that office a woman ran out of it yelling at me
"put that dog on a leash or I'll have the home owners association fine you!" She
apparently thought I lived in that area. I don't, I just run through there
frequently. So I yelled back, "you can fine me if you can find me!" Apparently
that really made her angry because since then she has been waging her own
personal war against me. Every time I have run by her office she has ran out
after me doing or saying something. Of course I have to admit I am running by
her office as frequently as possible because I'm getting an immense amount of joy
out of her continued threats. So far she has come out of her office & taken
pictures of me & my dog as I ran away. She's run out yelling she's going to press charges
& have my dog put to sleep once she finds out where I live. LOL. Last week she
ran out of her office yelling every cuss word imaginable. I stopped running once
I was about 35 yards away from her, turned & said with as much innocence as I
could put into my voice "what?"
"How many fu**ing times do I have to tell your dumb a&@ to leash that fu#&ing
mutt you dumb white sh*t head!" That is exactly what she said. Luckily I have a great
sense of humor. So rather than getting mad & getting into a verbal confrontation
I said "I'll leash my dog if someone will muzzle you." LOL. Wasn't that much
better than doing something stupid? Well apparently she didn't find this funny
because she took off running after me. She must be a runner because she chased
me for almost half a mile! @ one point she came pretty close to catching me.
She's a pretty fast runner! LOL.

So today I ran by her office & I was thoroughly disappointed to see she was so
engrossed on her computer that she didn't see me. I even walked up to the window
in front of her office & stood there for a bit drinking some Gatorade. Still no
dice. So I decided to go on with my run & see if she saw me on my return. On my
way back I passed by her window again. She just typed away & did not see me.
Well that just wouldn't do! I've been really enjoying our little game. My only
assumption is that she must be enjoying it too, right?

I walked right up to her window again and stood there for awhile to allow her
to catch a glimpse of this fine Clydesdale of a man. I stood there for almost 4
minutes without her ever seeing me. So I did what every fun hearted individual
would do, I banged on the window to get her attention. I got an even better
reaction than I could of wished for! She jumped up out of her chair & hollered
like she was on fire! When she looked @ me I pointed @ my unleashed dog, smiled,
stuck my tongue out at her, & then took off running as fast as I could while
laughing so hard tears were rolling out of my eyes! I know, it was immature, but dang it was
funny!

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her run out of her office & jump into her car. Alright! I thought, she's wants to try to play chase w/her car! Many run trails wined throughout
that huge housing development & I'm pretty familiar with them so I started
running to areas that were as far from her & her car as possible. Apparently
she's pretty familiar w/ the area too because every time I thought I'd lost her
she'd come screeching around another corner after me again. I was getting a
little freaked out after about a half hour of this. I decided this wasn't fun
anymore. I did end up getting away without her seeing where I ran too. I think. But my 1
hr recovery run ended up being a 1.5 hr hard run w/ about 4 miles of intervals
in the middle of it.

You know, I think I'm not going to run near there for awhile. Fun is fun, but
she took our game to far this time. LOL.

Ain't got time to bleed or Stupid is as stupid does

One of my favorite movie scenes is in Predator, an 80's flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The scene takes place after a gun fight. Jessie Ventura got shot in the arm & one of his squads men said "your hit, you're bleeding man". Ventura spits a huge steam of chewing tobacco out of his mouth & replies "I ain't got time to bleed".My situation last night was nowhere as cool or dramatic. But when I'm as tired as I was last night, I need to find motivation where I can. So my mantra for last night was "I ain't got time to be exhausted."

Friday morning I got off of a 12 hr shift, slept 2.5 hrs, and then set out on a 5hr 45 min brick. I rode out from my house on the south side of Santa Fe, rode through Santa Fe via one of the only pedestrian trails in this non-cyclist-friendly city. Then rode south on the I-25 frontage road. Then hopped onto 285 & rode past Eldorado and the girls ranch. Half way to Clines Corners I turned around to head back home. I thoroughly enjoyed that ride. I got to ride through some of the most beautiful sections of this area. It was actually the first time I'd ridden through there. I'd not done that ride yet simply because I'm not that familiar with the area. That is the rout I'll be heading out on Nov 18th when riding to Hobbs NM on my bicycle to visit my family for Thanksgiving. So I thought I'd better do the first part of the first leg so I won't be riding blind so to speak.

Once I got home I finished the ride off w/ a 45 min run. I felt pretty dang good considering I'd done my workout on almost no sleep. As soon as I got home I got ready for another shift @ the Hate Factory. I was scheduled to work a 12 hr shift that night. As soon I got to work I volunteered for another shift tomorrow night (Sat night). About 8 hrs through my shift I am thinking I'm on the tail end of a rough night. I was REALLY tired, but functioning relatively well considering it was 4am, I'd pushed through a 6hr brick & was working on such a small amount of sleep. I got a call from the shift commander about that time letting me know l got 1B control center @ the Super Max facility for 12 hrs Sat night. Shortly after that I got another call from my shift commander advising me I got a mandatory overtime for 4 hrs at the end of this shift. Great. Just flippen great. The supervisors hand out the 12hr shift overtimes before the 4hr overtimes on purpose. The way the policies are written here @ the State Penitentiary is once a person volunteers for a post on their day off they HAVE TO show up. If we don't show we get an AWOL. If we knew we were going to have to work a 16 most officers wouldn't plan on coming in that night for another 12. Without officers coming in for thier day off the Penn would be in a state off emergency due to a staff shortage. The supervisers/administraters here don't care if a person shows up so tired that they are a threat to security. They want a body to fill the post, no exceptions or excuses.

So now I was stuck having to show up for another 12 hr shift 8 hrs after getting off an unexpected 16 hr shift. To add insult to injury I was scheduled for a 2 hr run after this unexpected extended work day. I know what I should of done. I should of gotten off work and gone straight to sleep so I'd be rested for work that night. I could make up my run tomorrow morning when I got off of work. But no, I'm much to stupid for that. I got home, allowed myself 4 hrs sleep woke up and did my scheduled 2hr run. Stupid stupid stupid!!!

Sat night was one of the most difficult nights I'd had in recent memory. I was so tired I had to stay standing the entire night. The minute I sat down I'd start nodding off. To make it even worse I kept thinking the only way I'm going to get gains from my training is if I get enough sleep & rest. The only time a person recovers and gets stronger is when they are sleeping/resting. Sleep is a commodity I have not been privy to recently. I'm scheduled to work again tonight for another 12hr overtime shift. I can rest plenty once I'm dead. For now I ain't got time to be exhausted.

Picks to fit the posts

Couch-potatoe-to-Ironman & I

My wifes first day as a stay at home Mom

My baby girl feeding my incredible eating machine. You see, he's already almost as big as her.

My wife, Grandfather, 2 kids & I

This is, from left to right- Michael Lovato, Me, Amanda Lovato (did I mention I got to hug her) and The Man Couch-potatoe-to-Ironman

chub rub & calorie counting

I did an 8 mile run today. Felt pretty good except for my chub rub. For those of you who don't know what chub rub is you are in good physical shape, & good for you, stay that way. Chub rub is what happens when a person runs when they are overweight. They (me) have extra weight around their thighs so when they run the inside of their legs rub together with so much pressure that they develop raw spots on the inside of their thighs. I worked with a guy by the name of Don Trujillo today. He's a former marathon Olympic hopeful & a local (obviously since I worked w/ him tonight). I told him jokingly about the bloody spots on the inside of my legs & how bad it'll be after the marathon part of my Iron. He immediately went into teaching mode. More on what he taught me later.

I've always been attracted to diets that I could eat as much as I wanted. The Atkins, Paleo, etc. I found those are easy to lose weight on but I am completely unable to keep the weight off. The reason is because those unlimited calorie diets demand I cut out things completely out of my diet. Perhaps there are people out there who can never eat bread, pasta, sugar, etc ever again. But I've found many many times over I can't.Don explained to me calories in & calories out. How to figure out how many calories I need each day. And how to count calories once I figure that caloric # out. Now counting calories is common sense I suppose. But there were some things I didn't know. Such as what percents of carbs/protien/fat to eat. How to know when to adjust my daily calories. It didn't take long to explain all that to me. Why the heck have I been trying to make all this so dang complicated for so many years? As I thought about it I started getting pretty dang exited. I could live life like that. If I splurged on a unlimited calorie diet like the Atkins I was screwed because the whole basis of the diet was to completely avoid those foods. If I'm counting calories & I cheat I need to simply minimize the amount of the bad food I had, figure out the calories I ingested, & then adjust my calorie intake the rest of the day to accommodate my indulgence. Seems simple enough. My first step is to figure out what my calorie needs are. That is perfect timing because my coach told me to NOT diet this close before my Silverman because if I try & do an Iron w/ my body at a negative of any kind it can & probably would ruin my race. So I'll guesstimate where I think my calorie needs are right now & stay in that general area for 1 week. If @ the end of that week I've lost weight my caloric needs are greater. If I've gained weight I need to decrease my daily calories. The first week is apparently imperative that I stay as close to my guesstimated daily calories as possible. @ the end of the week if I gained 2 lbs I know that my daily calorie needs are about 1000 calories a day less than what I ate because 1 lb of fat is 3500 calories.

I think with this info & Justins guidance on my emotional dependence on food I can whoop this thing! Perhaps not all @ once. I need to be patient (not one of my strong suits let me tell you). & I need to realize set backs from time to time are inevitable. As long as I keep those 2 things in mind I think I can make this a life style change. I have decided that before. But I think this time, with this info I can do it. I'll start the calorie reduction Nov 12th. The day after the Silverman. Thanks for tuning in. I'm out!!