another New Mexico 70.3 distance triathlon

Looks like there won't be a 2013 Elephant Man triathlon or a 2013 Damit Man triathlon. Those two triathlons will be replaced by the Jornada del Muerto and the ChupaCabra Challenge, both being held on September 29th. The Jornada del Muerto is a long course triathlon which means its a 70.3 distance triathlon. The ChupaCabra Challenge is a sprint distance triathlon. Both triathlons will be on a very difficult course and can be guaranteed to be a suffer fest!

The Jornada del Muerto and the ChupaCabra Challenge are both part of the Chasing 3 open water series. The chasing 3 open water series is awesome. The NM open water series has done more in a couple years to promote multisport than any other group has in the 8 years I've been doing triathlons. The NM open water series offers tens of thousands of dollars in awards to the age group winners.

So far all of the other races that have become part of the chasing 3 NM open water series have ended up not being in the South West Challenge Series. If this continues there won't be anymore New Mexico open water triathlon races in the SWCS. If all the quality triathlons leave the SWCS I doubt the series will continue to be in existence. That makes me sad. The SWCS is the oldest and largest multisport series in the world. I've enjoyed the SWCS immensely.

I copied this from an email the race director sent me:
The Jornada del Muerto is New Mexicos 2nd long course triathlon! This race takes its name from the Jornada del Muerto, and should be as tough as the original, but not as death defying. With a bike turn around at New Mexico's SpacePort America this race will be an interesting combination of the past and our future.

Then at 8 am we start the ChupaCabra Challenge! Our newest sprint course. This beautiful hilly course will take you to places on the lake you have never been. The view from the east side of the lake is nothing short of amazing.

Saturday CrossFit competition class

At the CrossFit gym I recently started working out at they have workout competitions on Saturdays. I'd avoided going to one of the Saturday classes because.... well... so far I suck at CrossFit, and no one wants to be teamed up with the slow guy in the class. Because of a couple of unexpected mandatory 16 hour shifts and the Christmas holiday this week I was only able to hit 2 CrossFit workouts. 2 workouts is not enough to build fitness as quickly as I'd like. So yesterday I forced myself to attend the Saturday class. I'm glad I did. Everyone was just as friendly and accepting as they always are. Everyone encouraged each other, there wasn't a single person who was judgmental. It was the perfect workout environment.

There were 5 stations, at each station we'd row for a minute, then do a minute of strength training such as pull ups, burpees, wall balls, atlas stones, or kettle bell swings, then rest a minute. We did each station 2 times. The teams encouraged each team member and even encouraged the other teams. The competition fueled me to push even harder than I usually do. By the end of the workout I was BEYOND exhausted, and I had  blast! I'll be attending the Saturday classes fom now on for sure. What an amazing way to start the weekend!

The Missile Man duathlon

After almost a year without training at all I've decided to jump into the 2013 triathlon season head first. On Feb 2nd I'll be competing in the The Missile Man duathlon at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico. It's a 4.3 mile run, 15.5 mile bike, and another run 3.2 miles. The Missile Man will be my 83rd multisport race and 19th duathlon.

My current weight is 244 pounds. I'm a Clydesdale with room to spare right now.

week 1 of Zia CrossFit

Last week I completed my first full week of doing CrossFit workouts at Zia CrossFit. CrossFit is even better than I had hoped for. What I enjoy the most about CrossFit thus far is how friendly and encouraging the other members are. I've never done a workout like CrossFit before, the workouts are intense, challenging, and very enjoyable. Every workout is designed by CrossFit certified coaches and they're there with us during each workout to ensure we get the best workout possible while ensuring we're doing the exercises safely. Its like having my own personal trainer.

Since I haven't done most of these exercises in years I have been using lighter weights than is suggested for men. Even with the lighter weights I was still finishing the prescribed workouts last in the clas. There are 3 or 4 ladies in the class I outweigh by well over a 100 pounds and they are smoking me! How can they so strong being so tiny? I'm amazed.

By Friday I was prepared to attend my 5th day of CrossFit in a row, but I realized I needed a day off. My body was FATIGUED! I'm thoroughly enjoying CrossFit so far, but I realize I have a LONG ways to go before I get back into shape, especially CrossFit shape.

MY FIRST CROSSFIT WORKOUT

On Monday I did my 1st CrossFit workout. After a thorough warm up we did:
Clean + Front Squat 7 x 1+2
then
3 rounds for time
6 Snatch Balance @ 95/65 (click here for video)
9 Overhead Squats @95/65 (Click here for video)
12 Hand Release Pushups

On Tuesday my wife and I did our 1st workout together. She did her 1st two rounds faster than I did. She's a poor winner, she keeps rubbing it in every minute or so.
3 Rounds for time
10 KB/DB Swings @53/35
10 Squats with KB/DB in Rack position on right
Farmer’s walk down and back in rack position on right side
10 Swings
10 Squats with KB/DB in Rack position on left
Farmer’s walk down and back in rack position on left side

Very intense! I'm very sore and I'm hooked. I signed up with Zia CrossFit last night. I'm looking forward to many more suffer-fests like these to come.

personalized crossfit training

I'd been reading a lot about training techniques for endurance athletes. Many pro endurance athletes have started doing some light Olympic lifting to supplement their regular training.  Olympic training builds strength, power, explosiveness, and decreases muscle fatigue and damage in long training sessions. There are some common misconception about Olympic lifters, like they are all big, fat, and muscle bound. Turns out Olympic lifters are some of the leanest athletes in any sport and they have a vertical leap higher than all but basketball players and volleyball players. I decided I wanted to try to suplament my triathlon training with some Olympic lifting so I joined a CrossFit gym. I'm very excited about it.

There's a lot of training in CrossFit that I've never done. Things like Olympic lifting, gymnastics, and kettle bells. These exercises are foreign to me so I decided to get a few days of personal training with one of the coaches, Will O'Connel at Zia CrossFit before I tried a CrossFit workout. I was really impressed with the training I received. I feel ready to try CrossFit to supplement my multi sport training. My 1st day will be Monday. I'll let you know what I think.

Crossfit Santa Fe and Zia Crossfit

Triathlon training is not working for me right now. I'll build a perfect triathlon program for me that fits my fitness and schedule, and then I never end up doing anything! In the mean time I just keep getting more out of shape and unhealthy. A buddy of mine told me about crossfit. I seems intense and fun so I've decided to try it.

Turns out there are 2 crossfit gyms in my area, Crossfit Santa Fe, and Zia Crossfit. I went to each to decide which one my wife and I would go to.

Cossfit Santa Fe is located inside Undisputed, a mixed martial arts gym. A HUGE benefit to this gym is that if I purchased a gym membership for Santa Fe Crossfit I could attend all the jiu-jitsu, boxing, and cardio kick boxing classes for free. They have a ton of crossfit, grappling, boxing, and cardio kickboxing classes available everyday. It seems like they have a class starting just about every hour all day everyday of the week! They offered to help me with my diet and nutrition for free. Another big plus is that they have kids jui-jitsu classes available for my 5 & 7 year olds. The gym is owned by a guy who is a serious stud of a mixed martial artist. He was on The Ultimate Fighter a few years ago. The down side is Santa Fe Crossfit would cost $200 a month per adult membership, $90 per child, and we'd have to sign a contract for 3, 6, or 12 months. If I wanted to get a membership for my wife and myself for crossfit and get two of my kids into grappling it would end up costing us $580 a month. Or $400 a month for just for my wife and I. They also charge a one time $70 fee per member upon signing up. Don't get me wrong, for all they offer it's well worth it, but there's no way my wife and I could afford that until my wife graduates from college and we get 2 incomes for our family again. A big negative for us is that they don't have day care and don't allow children to hang out there while the parents workout, which would make training there virtually impossible for my wife and I.
On 4/5/14 I received a response from Heather at Santa Fe CrossFit concerning the prices at their facility. She said they offer a %50 discount on every other member in a family if one member is paying full price. That option wasn't offered to us when we visited their facility. I'm not sure if it was just oversight or if wasn't offered at the time. But I wanted to share this so anyone reading my blog can make a fully informed decision. There was also a change in Zia CF's prices, I updated those prices in red below. Both places offers a law enforcement and first responders discount.

Zia Crossfit has a much larger facility and more equipment. They don't have any martial arts training at their facility but The Santa Fe Brazilian Jui-jitsu academy offers a HUGE discount to any Zia Crossfit athletes. Zia Crossfit only offers 3 classes a day but the classes are at times that fit my wife and my schedules perfectly. The classes are 5:30-6:30 am, noon to 1 pm, and 5:30-6:30 pm. Zia Crossfit unlimited gym membership with no contract is only $120 a moth, or $240 a month for my wife and I both, there's start up fees. If your wiling to sign a contract the monthly dues go down significantly. The owners of Zia Crossfit are willing to build a free custom training program for any of their athletes who want to concentrate on a specific aspect of their training, such as strength, or endurance. Their gym is kid friendly, so we can bring our babies there when we train.

The updated prices Zia CrossFit as of early 2013 are:
2 times/week: $135/month (days can be combined)
Unlimited: $180/month (month to month, no contract required)
Unlimited: $150/month (6 month contract required)
Unlimited: $165/month (3 month contract required)
Members of Santa Fe Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: $110/month
10 Class Punch Card $200
Drop-in Fee: $25

My wife and I have decided to try out Zia crossfit because of the lower cost, the kid friendly environment, and no contracts. My wife and I start training at Zia Crossfit on Monday I'll let you know how it goes, I predict pain!

low carb induction phase

This was my 4th day back to the low carb diet induction phase and 4th day back to duathlon training. The 1st few days of the induction phase I was grumpy, tired, and light headed. My workouts had been horrid. This morning I woke up and felt great. During my 17 mile bike ride today I also felt wonderful. This morning I weighed in at 230 for a loss of 6 pounds in 4 days.

The training program I'm on right now will have me peak for the Missile Man duathlon on Saturday Febuary 2nd at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico.

finding a training program that works

A week and a half ago I stopped dieting and working out AGAIN. I feel like a broken record. I realize I need to change some things or this cycle of starting and stopping training will continue repeating itself. I need to start doing what I can and change the things that I cant stay consistant with.

I still love competing in triathlons. I still enjoy running but I currently have issues with cycling, so I started a run focused training program with just enough cycling to be able to finish the bike portion of a triathlon. I wont be as well rounded of a triathlete without a lot of cycling, but training consistently is more important than having a perfect triathlon training program that I dont follow. Now that I've addopted this new training regimine I seriously doubt I'll be finishing races with the caliber of athletes I used to. And I can pretty much garentee I wont be beating Arnold Ceniceros anytime soon;-( But those things aren't the reason I fell in love with triathlon anyways. I love triathlon because I love challenging myself, because of the amazing people I meet at triathlons, triathlon training keeps me healthy, and allows me to keep up with my babies!

I weighed in at 236 this morning.

the art and science of low carb performance and triathlon

After 7 years of triathlon training, calorie counting, fat restricting, and yo-yo dieting I got down to 175 pounds, I was fast but was miserable with hunger all the time. I was also grouchy a lot and injury prone. I finally fell off the wagon earlier this year and my weight shot back up. I read the book The art and science of low carb performance and am trying this whole low carb thing with triathlon training. So far I'm loving it. Yesterday and today I did brick workouts (a bike followed immediately with a run) that was long enough I needed to eat and drink to have enough energy to finish the workout. The book said once I'm keto adapted I could eat fat rather than sugary sports drinks and bars during my ride to sustain energy, so today I added a TBSP of olive oil to each of my water bottles. Today at the end of my 2 hour brick I felt great, still had energy, and hadn't bonked. I had a bit of a head ache from not taking in any salt during my workout, the book said I was supposed to drink bullion to avoid head aches and cramps, but I'm ever the critic and rarely do what I'm supposed to.

This morning I weighed 224 pounds.

Lessons learned today:
#1 Olive oil and water works as well as power bars, gels, and Gatorade for long workouts but I need to add bullion for the salt.
#2 Don't ride a mountain bike 20+ MPH down a bumpy trail 2 weeks after having a vasectomy.
#3 Don't try to bunny hop a curb on a mountain bike on fatigued legs after a long run.
#4 Crashing on a mountain bike trying to bunny hop a curb hurts much worse shortly after getting a second vasectomy performed by a mountain bike seat.

White Sands Missile Range 2013 multisport Race schedule

Brent Jones emailed me the WSMR multisport schudule. Looks like WSMR wont be having as many multisport races in 2013 as they usually do.

White Sands Missile Range 2013 multisport Race schedule
2 Feb 2013 Missile Man Duathlon
7K Run/40K Bike
Start time: 0800
Email: brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil
Register online at Active.com: www.active.com

1 June 2013 Howling Coyote Triathlon
5K Run/30K Bike/400M Swim
Start time: 0730
Email: brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil
Register online at Active.com: www.active.com

7 Sep 2013 Yucca Triathlon
7K Run/48K Bike/400m Swim
Start time: 0730
Email: brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil
Register online at Active.com: www.active.com

7 Dec 2013 Polar Bear Triathlon
5K Run/30K Bike/400m Swim
Start time: 0800
Email: brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil
Register online at Active.com: www.active.com

running and being loved

I took my 3 year old to the track today. While I ran my son hunted for flowers and gave me the ones he found when I finished a lap. There's nothing in the world as wonderful as one of my children expressing their love to me.

In this picture you can see him pointing out his favorites.

cyclng outdoors

Cycling on rollers or indoor traininers are good for cycling fitness, but I dont think riding on rollers or indoor trainers create as much cycling strength, explosiveness, endurance, or speed as riding outdoors.

I've had a problem riding outdoors since I got ran over by a vehicle a little over a year ago. I don't know what to call it, fear, anxiety, PTSD? I need to figure out a way to be able to ride outdoors so today I tried listening to comedy routines on Pandora radio while I rode. I was a little nervous about riding while wearing ear phones and not being able to hear the things going on around me so I rode out near Galisteo NM where there isn't much traffic (see picture).

It was a success! I was able to finish an entire bike workout! I wasn't fast, but by George I finished it!

While on my ride I found my dream house! #60 Camino San Cristobal, Galisteo NM. It's for sale too! Only $536,000. Look at those views! See picture below

a boy and his bikes

During my bike ride on the rollers yesterday I hit 6,700 miles on my Cadillac RLE1.8 Road Bike.

I currentyly have 8,003 miles on my Cannandale carbon slice triathlon bike.

And I also have 2,760 miles on my early 1990's model Raliegh Tangent regid frame mountain bike that I use to comute to work on.

Between the 3 bikes I currently own I have a total of 17,483 miles on them. I wish they made cars as well as bikes, we'd never have to buy new vehicles.

chasing Arnold day 4

I started my run this morning as soon as there was enough light to run safely, 6:50 AM. I had to cut it short so that I could be home to take care of my youngest when my wife left for school. I ran 3.5 miles. I haven't come close to rebuilding my endurance or speed yet, but I felt better than I had in a long time.

There's not much better than triathlon training on the highway 14 here in New Mexico, also called Turquoise Trail. It's much easier to get up everyday and train when I know I get to see views like these.

 

When I laid my son down for a nap today I hopped on the rollers and did a little cycling while watching The Walking Dead on Netfix. Thank goodness for streaming movies and TV shows, otherwise indoor cycling would be torture!

Currently my metabolic rate is a little above 3,000 calories. Yesterday I burned 822 calories and ate 2,607 calories. Another day of low carb diet success, I should hit my goal weight of 200 pounds no later than mid summer 2013. I'm currently 227.

triathlon fitness: a long way to go

Tonight after laying our three babies down to sleep my wife and I watched a 45 minute TV show on Netflix and I hopped onto the indoor rollers to gain a little extra cycling fitness. I felt this was appropriate since cycling is my weakest sport and it is Arnold's strength. Plus who couldn't use a little extra calorie burn? My average for the workout was much better than it was this morning. Tonight I averaged 12.9 mph, this morning I averaged less than 11. I'm out of shape, but it doesn't matter where I'm at, it just matters where I'm going. And tonight I moved in the right direction.

There aren't many wives who would be OK with their husband riding a bike, breathing heavy, and sweating in the room while she's trying to watch a television show. I'm a very lucky man.

This morning I weighed in at 227 pounds. I'm down 9 and have 27 more to get to my goal weight. 27 pounds is a total of 94,500 calories, but who's counting right?

chasing Arnold day 3

Friday was my first day back to training after having surgery on October 12th. I ran a little over three miles. Considering how little I've trained this year I felt pretty good.

Saturday was a triathlon rest/recovery day for my kids soccer and some time for my wife and I.

This morning I rode my bike for the first time in a VERY long time. I started a little before 7 AM when there was enough ambient light to ride safely. After only a few miles a large truck passed me pulling a horse trailer and I immediately came back home and finished the rest of my workout on my indoor trainer. A little over a year ago I got ran over by a vehicle while cycling, since then I've struggled to ride outdoors near traffic.

I've lost most of my cycling fitness in the last year, so my indoor cycling workout was terrible. My rpms kept slipping below 85 and when I tried to increase my cadence above 85 per minute my heart rate would sky rocket into zone 3. I wrapped up my workout after an hour so that I could get the kids up and ready for church. In that hour of riding the rollers my average pace was less than 12 mph. I have a LONG ways to go until I'm able to accomplish one of my personal goals of beating Arnold Ceniceros, the champion (multiple years) of the Clydesdale open division in South West Challenge series. At the Eagle in the sun triathlon in El Paso Texas in September Arnold Ceniceros swam 400 meters in 8:06, biked 12 miles keeping a whopping 20.2 mile an hour pace, and ran 5 kilometers keeping an average pace of 9:36, he finished in 1 hour 16 mintues. My average race swim and running times are comparable to his, but I've only had a few races in my life that I was that fast on the bike, and I'm no where near average right now. If I'm going to try competing against ol' speedy Ceniceros I have to get MUCH MUCH faster. There's a LONG road of training ahead of me.

2012 South West Challenge series year end results

The only race left that needs to be tallied for the 2012 South West Challenge Series year end results are the Cotton Country sprint triathlon. Rather than wait for the series point counter I looked up the Cotton Country sprint triathlon results and figured out who the winners for each division are on my own. I'm %90 certain these are correct. I listed some amazing performances for the 2012 South West Challenge series below, the SW series points are listed below that.

The Age Group that had that had the highest combined points total for the top 3 in their AG was the male 60-64 with 214 points between them. They finished 29 races between the top three!!!

The male 20-25 AG was the age group with the closest finish between the top 3 finishers, the top 3 were separated by only 2 points!

Sara Hall and Flip Lyle competed in the most SW series races with 14 races in 2012! Sara Hall also completed 12 races in 2011, 15 in 2010, 16 in 2009, and 8 in 2008 for a total of 65 races in 5 years!!!

Robert Browning had the highest points for the 2012 South West Challenge series with 80.75.

Scott Darling of the 60-64 AG had the most age group victories with 9 races finished in 1st place in his AG in 2012!

In 2012 Flip Lyle of the 65-69 male AG had the largest margin of victory with 33 points over 2nd place.

There are 3 athletes in the men 35-39 who are tied for third place with 48 points!

Below are the 2012 South West Challenge Series age group winners.
Clydesdale open division
Champion B. Laird 57 points
2nd place A Ceniceros 45 points
3rd placeJ Sanchez 41 points

Clydesdale masters division
Champion M. Mowles 79 points
2nd place J. McClure 54 points

Male 20 and under:
Champion Josh Gordon 69 points
2nd place- Ben Campbell- 68 points
3rd place- Alex Bradbury- 50 points

male 20-24
Champion William Kessler 31.5 points

male 25-29
Champion Michael Castaneda 49 points
2nd place Matt Gonzales 48 points
3rd place Gage Bonestroo 47 points

male 30-34
Champion Dustin Ward 65 points
2nd place- Randolph Knox 49 points
3rd place- Jason Atkinson 48 points

male 35-39
Champion Price Lawhon 65 points
2nd place- Cody Hanson 50 points
T- 3rd place- Matt Hall 48 points
T- 3rd place- Jeremy Harwood 48 points
T-3rd place Jan Grande 48 points

male 40-44
Champion R. Browning 80 points
2nd place A. Lugo 58 points
3rd place G. Heredia 51 points

male 45-49
Champion J. Kehrle 80 points
2nd place G. Garcia 68 points
3rd place S. Crane 64 points

male 50-54
Champion R. Reynold 68 points
2nd place B. Gonzales 60 points
3rd place G. Southard 56.25 points

male 55-59
Champion C. Armstrong 78.24
2nd place L. Barfield 72 points
3rd place J Jackson 71 points

male 60-64
Champion S. Darling 80 points
2nd place R. Wiggs 72 points
3rd place M. Strum 62 points

male 65-69
Champion F. Lyle 80 points (14 races)
2nd place G Sargent 47 points

male 70-74
Champion K. O'Connor 78 points
2nd place M. Greer 48 points

75+
Champion R. Park 70 points

Athena masters division
Champion S. Hall 76 points (14 races!!!)
2nd place P. Miller 35

Female 25-29
Champion A. Howell 45 points
2nd place I. Speer 41 points
3rd place A. Wagner 39 points

Female 30-34
Champion R Ruiz 57 points
2nd place S. Bailes 30 points

Female 35-39
Champion D. Sather 43 points

Female 40-44
Champion D. Steele 80 points
2nd place S Heredia 65 points

Female 45-49
Champion D. Steele 80 points
2nd place S. Heredia 65 points

Female 50-54
Champion K. Carlsen 70 points
2nd place H. Crane 67 points
3rd place S. Crewe 60.25 points

Female 55-59
Champion J. Herbert 50.25oints
2nd place P. Baker 50 points

Female 60-64
Champion M. Balsiger 47 points

Female 65-69
Champion C. Akright

a triathlete extraordinaire is back, and I want to race against him!

Since I'll be racing as a Clydesdale next year I was looking at some of the race results and found a name I hadn't heard in a long time: Arnold Ceniceros. He was one of the fastest Clydesdales I'd ever raced against, but a few years ago he graduated from UTEP and moved away. I was very excited to see Arnold Ceniceros is back in the area and racing again. Not only was he a tremendous athlete but more importantly he was a great person.

When I was looking at some of his race times I saw he is still one seriously FAST triathlete! I've raced him dozens of times and never even came close to beating him. One of my bucket list goals had been to beat him in a triathlon. Now that he's back it looks like I have a new goal for 2013, to beat Arnold Ceniceros in a triathlon. That's a pretty lofty goal, one I've never even come close to accomplishing before, but one I'm very motivated to accomplish. Looks like a season of ultra endurance trail running will have to wait awhile, because I'm on the hunt! Time to start healing up from the surgery I had on Friday and get into serious training mode!

This is Arnold:

South West Challenge series points almost totaled!

There's only 2 more races left to be tallied for the 2012 South West Challenge Series! The Elephant Man olympic triathlon and the Cotton Country triathlon. So far, with just 2 more races needed to be counted, there are seven triathletes in the 35-39 age group who are still in contention for the coveted top 3 awards in the South West!!!!

35-39 Age Group
58 points- Price Lawhon
49 points Cody Hanson
48 points- Jeremy Harwood
48 points- Jan Grande
46 points- Mathew Hall
44 points- Mike Edwards
38 points- Valentin Ramirez

I'm still 232 pounds and the first two races of the 2013 multisport season are only 7 weeks away so I'm certain I'll be racing in the Clydesdale open division next year. These are the top in the Clydesdale open division with 2 more races left to be tallied. This divisions year end points aren't nearly as close, but the athletes in contention are very fast.

Clydesdale open division:

57 points- Brett Laird
45 points- Arnold Ceniceros
35 points- Jeremy Sanchez
28 points- Martin Hedge

My daughter is only a few years away from competing in adults triathlons so I looked up their points totals for the season for the female 20 and under division and there isn't a single female under the age of 20 who completed the minimum 5 races to be eligible for awards in the South West Challenge series. Looks like my daughter will probably be able to take top 3 in the Female 20 at the age of 10 just by completing 5 races!!!!

temporary digression

I'd been on a low carb diet I'd read about in the book "The art and science of low carb performance" for two and a half weeks. In that time I'd lost 17 pounds. Although I was getting fantastic results I became frustrated because that book didn't go into a lot of detail about how to eat their version of a low carb diet, so I started eating a more traditional diet for endurance athletes and promptly shot back up to 235 pounds. The book "The art and science of low carb performance" mostly explained why a low carb diet works for ultra endurance athletes. The book said I should buy the book "The art and science of a low carb lifestyle" for a more detailed explanation of how to eat his version of a low carb diet. So I purchased the book "The art and science of a low carb lifestyle" and started reading it last night. I'm back on the low carb diet as of this morning and am expecting a lot of the confusion I had previously to be worked out by this book.

Today I went on a 9 mile run and it hurt. My problem during the run wasn't my endurance. My endurance was sufficient. My problem was that I'm just to heavy to run long distances right now. My body was beat the heck up after that run. I'm very motivated about training for my first 50k ultra endurance trail run, but I'm afraid I need to postpone training for an ultra until I'm at a lower body weight. Hopefully now that I have the book "The art and science of a low carb lifestyle" I'll be more capable of getting to that lower body weight so I can resume training for my goal of earning my 1st ultra endurance trail run belt buckle.

The 2012 Warrior triathlon race report

On Sunday October 7th I competed in The Warrior triathlon, it was my 1st off road triathlon, and my 82nd multisport race. This year the Warrior triathlon was held at the Albuquerque Academy. It was a 5k run, 12k bike, and 400 yard swim. The run and bike utilized the dirt and sand trails inside the Alb Academy. There were plenty of help, over 60 volunteers. The course was a ton of fun, it was well marked and had multiple volunteers at every twist and turn so we never had to worry about getting lost or turned around.

The run was mostly hard packed dirt with a few sandy sections. It was uphill and challenging on the 1st half, down hill and blazing fast on the 2nd half. My run time was a slow and grueling 29:19.

The bike course had some flat hard packed dirt sections, some asphalt, some sandy technical sections, and even a couple ravines that we had to dismount and run our bikes through. I was nervous about the bike, this only the 3rd time I'd ridden a mountain bike off of the black top, so i knew I was out of my realm. Considering my total lack of experience riding a mountain bike and on trails I was content with my performance. My bike time was 41:47.

The swim course vastly different than any pool swim I'd ever done. It was held indoors and utilized two two hundred yard pools. The 1st 200 yards was in a salt water pool, then we exited the 1st pool and ran to a 2nd pool that was a normal pool. I'd never swam in a salt water pool, that was awesome. Having to get out of one pool half way through the swim and run to another to finish the last half of the swim reminded me of Ironman Florida's swim. I felt the split swim with a salt water pool was great fun and made for a perfect end to a fantstic and unique triathlon. Over all this was the most fun I'd ever had at a triathlon. My swim time was 8:16.

I take my hat off to Mark Mico, the race director of the Warrior triathlon.

My total race time was 1:19:20, I finished 7th out of ten in the 35-39 age group and 62nd out of 220 overall.

Just before the start of the race my front tire went flat. Turns out I'd forgot my tire irons at home. Thankfully a guy by the name of Brian Gutierrez jumped in and lent me his. While changing my tire I broke one of his tire irons, but he was ok with it. I was grateful for his willingness to help out. If anyone knows this guy, tell him I said thank you.

The South West Challenge series male 35-39 AG standings

In one of my recent posts I blogged about the South West Challenge series male 35-39 AG points standings. That post was actually incorrect because I forgot to include the results for the Cotton Country triathlon that happened a couple weeks ago. The only triathlete who competed in the Cotton Country triathlon who is currently in contention for the SW Challenge series 35-39 AG was Cory Adair. His strong finish at the Cotton Country triathlon shot Cory Adair up to a solid 3rd place tie with Matt Hall. The 6 triathletes who are in contention for 2nd and 3rd place in the 35-39 AG in the series are only separated by 8 points!!!!!!!

I'm not going to be able to compete in the Holloman triathlon this weekend, so it looks like any one of the 6 triathletes who race the Holloman triathlon may end up knocking me out of the top 3 and taking 2nd or 3rd place in the series.

The SW challenge series 35-39 AG points standings is currently:

1st place Price Lowhon with 65 points
2nd place Cody Hanson with 46 points
T-3rd place Matt Hall with 41 points
T-3rd Cory Adair also with 41 points
T-5th place Jan Grande with 38 points
T-5thplace Valentin Ramirez also with 38 points
7th place Mike Edwards with 36 points

Rebuilding my base fitness or programming the Garmin forerunner 305 heart rate limits

In my opinion the most frustrating part of training for endurance sports is having to rebuild my base. An athlete needs to rebuild their base after they finish a workout routine that is based on periodization, or after taking some time off from training.

Since I took off nearly 4 months from training my base fitness is horrible. When I jog my heart rate shoots up into zone 3 very quickly. Then I have to stop and walk to get my heart rate back into the base building zone, or zone 2. Running slowly, even jogging with frequent bouts of walking is a frustrating but is a necessary aspect of becoming a fast runner.

One of the things that has helped me to run in the proper heart rate to build fitness is programing my Garmin Forerunner 305 to beep anytime my heart rate rises above zone 2. Here's how:
Go to the main menu, highlight training, push enter (bottom right button)
Highlight training options, press enter.
Highlight alerts, press enter.
highlight HR alerts, press enter.
Highlight Max HR Alert, press enter.
Highlight which zone you want to avoid exceeding, press enter.

Now you can run knowing your training in the proper zone without having to look at your heart rate monitor every few seconds.

The 2012 Elephant Man olympic triathlon race report

Today, September 30th 2012 I completed the Elephant Man Olympic distance triathlon in Elephant Butte New Mexico. This was my 81st multisport race and my 8th Olympic distance triathlon. This was by far the hardest Olympic distance I've ever raced. As a matter of a fact, the Elephant man triathlon is easily the hardest course I've EVER raced. It has massive hills, lots of very steep climbing, heat, a rough road for cycling, and a mile of sandy dirt paths on the run. It's also one of the funnest courses I've ever raced. There's AMAZING views, lots of friendly volunteers, and the vehicle traffic was very courteous.

I knew I was going to be slow today, and I was right. Today was one of the 2 slowest race performances of my triathlon career, but I don't feel badly. To finish a race of this difficulty and distance with virtually no training at all in over 4 months is something I was proud of. My legs fell apart at the 10 mile mark of the bike, so the last sixty percent of the race I finished with nothing but heart. I'm in the worst shape I've been in in over 8 years, but my courage, ability to work through pain, persevere through adversity, and my determination has always been my greatest asset, and it came out in force today.

I swam a 1 mile open water swim having not completed any swim training in over a year and still finished it in 34 minutes 41 seconds, I was 10th out of 14 in my AG, 71st out of 156 overall. I finished the 25.5 mile bike in 1 hour 37 minutes, finishing dead last in my division, 92nd out of 156 overall. And I ran the 6 mile run in 1 hour, 12th out of 14, 82nd out of 156 overall. I finished the trithlon in a total time of 3 hours 17 minutes and 58 seconds, 12th out of 14 in my AG, and 110th out of 156 overall.

I only earned 1 point in the South West Challenge Series for the 2nd race in a row. I now have 46 points, and since the SW challenge series is no longer counting the Warrior triathlon 46 is how many points I'll be ending the 2012 season with. The SW challenge series 35-39 AG points standings is currently:

1st place Price Lowhon with 65 points
2nd place Cody Hanson with 46 points
T-3rd place Matt Hall with 41 points
T-3rd Cory Adair also with 41 points
T-5th place Jan Grande with 38 points
T-5thplace Valentin Ramirez also with 38 points
7th place Mike Edwards with 36 points

lucky me

I'm barely hanging on to 2nd place in the South West Challenge series 35-39 AG right now. I just got word that the Warrior tri wont be counted in the series this year. That is lucky for me. I'm too slow and out of shape right now to be able to finish any races in a decent enough time to earn points for the series. At the Patriot tri I only earned 1 point;-( The less races that are left the more likely I'll find myself still in the top 3.

low carb and endurance running

I'm currently attempting to build up my run miles for next years Angel Fire endurance trail run. It'll be a challenging 31 mile run over mountains and through valleys using national forest trails starting at the base of the Angel Fire ski resort. Currently my endurance is poor, I have a long way to go. Last week my longest run was 6 miles. I ran it slowly and it was uncomfortable.

Earlier this week I started a low carb diet I read about in "The art and science of low carbohydrate performance". It's a low carb diet for endurance athletes. When I started this diet I assumed my endurance and speed would decrease. I was also fully expecting to feel horrible. So far I feel great. Today I ran a little over 7 miles consuming nothing but water and felt fantastic. Feeling even better than I had felt on a traditional endurance athletes diet was not what I was expecting, but that is exactly what has happened.

On my first day of my low carb diet I lost 2 1/4 pounds. I'm back into the 220's again! So far I'm loving this.

The 2013 Angel Fire Ultra Endurance trail run 50 K

In 2004 I completed my first triathlon. I was slow, out of shape, and over weight. Finishing a triathlon opened up a passion and love for endurance athletics that's hard to explain. I became insanely motivated and goal driven. My motivation was to become an Ironman. I've done 2 of them. Training for, racing in, and finishing an Ironman was a tremendous experience! One of the best experiences of my life.

 I still love endurance athletics, but am needing a bit of a change to keep me excited about training. I've decided to try being a runner for awhile. I've been running exclusively for a week and loving it. Now that I've been training consistently the next step for me is choosing a goal that excites and motivates me. I've decided to try earning an ultra endurance trail running belt buckle. The shortest distance trail run an athlete can compete in to earn a buckle is 50 kilometers, or 31 miles. There's an ultra endurance trail run in Angel Fire NM that gives belt buckles to the finishers. It's supposed to be an insanely difficult course, tons of steep long mountain climbs where the trails are filled with a massive amount of loose rocks and pine cones. I love a challenge! So now my goal is set: The Angel Fire ultra endurance trail run 50 K in June of 2013!

a new sport and a new diet to go with it

I've decided to give up cycling for awhile (see last post for the reason why), I'm now finishing my 1st full week of training to be a pure runner.

I'm adapting a new diet to go along with my new exercise routine. I'm trying a low carb diet from a book called "THE ART AND SCIENCE OF LOW CARBOHYDRATE PERFORMANCE", by Volek, phd and Phinney MD. Tim Olson who followed the low carb diet advise found in this book won the Western States 100 mile trail run with a record-breaking pace. Now I'm going to try it too! I'll let you know how the low carb diet works for me while doing an endurance athletes regimen. Stay posted!

afraid to cycle

Last year I was involved in an accident while on a bike ride. Since then I've been having difficulty cycling. When cars pass me my heart rate jumps up 20 beats a minute and I cant descend without freaking out and riding my brakes. I end up skipping most of the bike rides on any triathlon training programs I start, then get frustrated about all the missed training sessions and stop training altogether. Consequently I haven't been able to train consistently and have gained 65 pounds in the last year.

Last week I was on a run and having a blast! While on that run I realized I still love running. There's no reason for me to give up on endurance athletics just because I have anxiety cycling. I need to change sports at least temporarily. I believe I'll try being a pure runner until my subconscious starts to forget that cycling is so dang dangerous.

My next step is to find a running race that gets me excited and motivated. I have a few ideas. I'll let you know as soon I decide on one.

quick progress

I'm in my 2nd full week of triathlon training. Today I ran and I felt pretty good. During my run I didn't need to stop and walk to keep my heart rate in zone 2, I felt fast during my sprints, and I wasn't exhausted after the workout. Thank goodness my body has muscle memory. I was convinced it was going to take FOREVER to get back into shape! I think I'll be back into race shape by the Nutcracker triathlon.

If anyone sees Price Lawhon who races in the 35-39 AG, please tell him I said thank you. He was the one who motivated me to start training and eating well again after a 3.5 month layoff from training.

I'm currently 226 pounds , down from 238.

back to training

This is the 1st full week of training I've had in over three months. I've realized that occasionally I need to take some time off from training to recoup and recover. The 3 months I took off I really beat myself up. I shouldn't have. It's part of being a life long triathlete. I'm back, and that's what matters. I'm slow as heck- but I'm back.

Today I completed a swim workout for the 1st time in over a year. Today was a test day. My T-pace is 1:45 per 100 meters. Yes I know, it's shocking how slow I swam, but to be honest swimming is my fastest sport right now. My running is even slower, and my bike times are at a snail pace. But I'm back to training and eating well and that's what matters!

The 2012 Patriot triathlon race report

Last Wednesday I saw that Price Lawhon had surpassed me in the the points total for the South West Challenge series 35-39 AG. I'm crazy competitive so when I saw that Lawhon was ahead of me I HAD to register for the Patriot triathlon. I needed to place 7th or better in the 35-39 AG at the Patriot triathlon held in Rio Rancho New Mexico to regain my lead. Placing 7th at the Patriot triathlon was going to be difficult because of the three and a half months I took off from training and weight I've gained. I've only been training again consistently for a little less than a week.

The Patriot triathlon was my 80th multi-sport race and I finished it in 1 hr 37 minutes 19 seconds and took 10th place in my division. Today was the slowest I've raced in 7 years. I only earned 1 point for the series, so Price Lawhorn is still in 1st place in the series with a 3 point lead. I'm in really bad shape right now and slower than a one leg grasshopper, so if Price Lawhorn races again in a triathlon in the SW series there will be no possible way I could catch him.

A great friend of mine, Matt Hall is a super stud triathlete. He races in the same age group as I do and is competing in the South West challenge series too. Matt Hall raced today at the Patriot tri and did AMAZING! He placed 15th overall and 2nd place in our age group. He earned 9 points for the SW challenge series and is now in 3rd place in the 35-39 age group with 39 points. He's incredibly fast and will pass me in the SW series if he finishes 4th place or better at the Elephantman Olympic distance triathlon Scheduled for Sept 30th.

It's probable that Matt Hall and Price Lawhorn will end up passing me in the series and maintaining their lead and I'll be scratching and clawing for 3rd place in the 2012 SW challenge series. I'm grateful that I saw the action heating up in the series, it motivated me to start training again.

I was exhausted after todays race. Really exhausted. There's no way I'd be able to finish the Redman full distance triathlon, so I'll be taking my family to Carlsbad Caverns that weekend instead.

The Redman Iron distance triathlon

Last weekend I was supposed to race at the eagle in the sun triathlon. I didn't show up. I regret it.

Last year I'd registered for the Redman Iron distance triathlon scheduled for September 22nd. I haven't completed more than 10 workouts in the last couple months, my fitness is at an all time low, and my weight is at an all time high, but I'm going to try racing it anyways.

Day 1

Today I rode my bike. This was the 1st time in months that I got time in the saddle so this felt like a huge accomplishment! I seem to have found some motivation to start training again. That motivation is a late season race. I'll let you know what that race is if I'm able to continue training consistently.

I weighed in at 234 pounds this morning. My goal is to be back to 197 by my first triathlon in the spring.

the Eagle In The Sun triathlon

Man have I packed on some weight. I'm currently just shy of 240. I haven't been this big in a long time. Early in the triathlon season I had registered for the Eagle In The Sun triathlon, that race is this weekend. I am petrified of going. I haven't trained in a few months, but that wouldn't be a problem, I know I could gut check the race. I'm embarrassed, petrified of racing this weekend because of my weight. Everyone who knows me knows me as an in shape and fast guy. I'm everything BUT those things now. I don't feel like racing, I'm afraid people will say to each other, "what the hell happened to him?" I don't want that. I'm going to show up and race anyways. I need to find something to get me back on track with my weight and motivate me to start training again. I'll be back to 300 pounds in no time if I don't do something quick.

my son Cody's 1st triathlon and 1st day of kindergarten

On Sunday 8-19-12 my son Cody completed his 1st triathlon in Los Alamos NM. He was in the 5-6 AG which consisted of a 1/4 Mile Bike / 100 Yard Run / and 25 Yard Swim. He was fearless, acted like he'd done dozens of triathlons before! Even though he was the youngest in his division he was the fastest on his bike, see video below.

On 8-20-12 Cody had his 1st day of kindergarten. Again, he was fearless. Without any prompting from my wife or I he dropped off his back pack,

                                            signed himself in, spelling his name perfectly!

                                           and found his seat with his name on it. No tears what so ever from my son, that's not the case with my wife though! My wife cried all the way to school. She cried on our way home. And she cried for another 20 minutes once we got home. She loves her boy, she's an amazing and very worried mother.

skin cancer and triathlon

Today I had my first precancerous growth removed. It was a growth on my cheek that looked like a scab. It's been there for at least a year and a half. I had no idea what it was until my Dr saw it and asked about it. Thank goodness for Dr Jay Jakobi! My Dad has had skin cancer 6 times, and I have the same skin tone as him. I guess spending the last 8 years running and biking outside without using sun screen or running caps was stupid. I'm ordering the runners cap pictured above, $19.95 off of Ebay. From here on out it's sun block and running caps for me every workout.

I've taken almost a month off from training. Some of my training burn out is gone, hopefully I'm able to fing the motivation to start working out again, my trunk has become quite capacious.

vasectomy for triathlon races

My wife has been trying to convince me to get a vasectomy for a couple years now. I've been stead fast in my refusal. Early in the 2012 triathlon season my wife told me that if I got a vasectomy she'd agree to let me race all the sprint and Oly triathlons I wanted and they'd be paid for with family money. My response...."DONE!!!" Monday is the consultation. 

My wife recorded the conversation when I broke the news that my babies wont be having anymore brothers or sisters. They seemed to handle it well.

interesting vs. proper, a comparison in budding relationships

A friend of mine pointed me to a web site that had a great story (http://hahasforhoohas.com/the-fart-that-almost-altered-my-destiny/) about a date she had with her future husband. I found it hilarious and it reminded me of the beginning of my wife and my relationship.

On the first date with my wife I had a severe 3rd degree burn on the upper inside of my thigh that was becoming infected so I walked funny (caused by super heated cake icing, liquefied plastic, and melted polyester, but that's another story), I drank from her glass without asking or apologizing, I had to push start my Suzuki Samurai, and I called her the wrong name.

On our 3rd date I ripped a nasty heart stopping fart in my Suzuki Samurai but I didn't roll down the windows for her;-), then I ripped another one on the same date in a crowded theatre with her cuddling so sweetly on my shoulder.

Shortly after that I introduced her to my grandmother and introduced her by the wrong name, an entirely different name this time.

A month into us dating I bounced some checks at the bank she worked at and went to her to have her fix it.

Then a bit later I accidentally caused her to get 2nd degree burns on her face, chest, and legs resulting in severe sun poisoning, and oozing of reddish fluid from popping blisters.

She still married me, apparently it's much more attractive to be interesting than it is to be proper or normal.

my daughters big week

This has been a big week for my daughter. She lost her 2 front teeth and got her ears pierced!

                          This is moments after my daughter and her friend got ther ears pierced

                                        this is shortly after she lost her front teeth

play time

A couple weeks ago I decided I'd take a month off of triathlon training and racing. I've been taking advantage of the extra time with my kids. Yesterday my wife and I drove the babies to the Albuquerque Sunport and watched planes take off and land. I gave about a thousand rides to the kids on my shoulders, they held their arms out and made airplane noises pretending they were flying. This morning the boys were running around the house with stuffed animals on their shoulders making plane noises. They told me they were giving rides to their kids like I did for them yesterday. That touched my heart.  

Today I taught my boys how to build a fort out of blankets and the living room furniture. Then we played Avengers for an hour. You can see my son holding his stuffed Captain America in the pictures.

Earlier this year I registered for the Santa Fe triathlon, the Damitman triathlon, and the Elephantman triathlon, those were supposed to be my priority races this year. I wont be competing in them, I've gained a ton of weight this year, weight gain and triathlon do not mix. I'd rather be a no show than show up slow, over weight, and an embarrassment to myself. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out a way to stop the weight gain and start some losing soon.

Now that I weigh over 200 pounds again I changed the name of my blog back to Cody the Clydesdale. That sucked. I'm hoping to be able to change it back to Cody the former Clydesdale again soon.

Ever notice how the heavier you are the less capable you are of tolerating the heat? Man, I'm miserable in this heat right now!

qualified for the 2012 USATriathlon national championships

I received an email from USAT that I qualified for the USA Triathlon national championships held later this year in Vermont. This was the 3rd time this season I finished a race with a high enough placing to qualify. We can't afford to go to Vermont this year, I'm hoping 2014 is the year.

Congratulations Cody Hanson. You have qualified for the 2012 USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance National Championship after finishing in the top 10 percent in your age group at the BUFFMAN & SQUEAKY AND THE DOG HOUSE SPRINT.

The Olympic-Distance race will be held Aug. 18 in Burlington, Vt., as part of the 2012 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships, presented by People’s United Bank. This race serves as the nation's premier Olympic-distance event, with the top age-group athletes from all 50 states forming a prestigious field.

USA Triathlon is now making additional slots available after the event was announced on June 5 as being sold out in record time. (For example, USA Triathlon is working with the City of Burlington and local organizers to receive the necessary permits to expand the transition area.)

In order to fill these slots as they become available, USA Triathlon has set-up a wait list. Effective now, you can add yourself to this wait list. We encourage all qualified athletes to do so as quickly as possible, because we anticipate that slots will be allocated immediately upon their availability.

Also, please note that the Sprint-Distance event, which will be held on Aug. 19 as part of the 2012 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships in Burlington, Vt., is not yet sold out and registration is still open. While qualification is not necessary, the Sprint-Distance event will provide an equivalent National Championship race experience and, like the Olympic-Distance event, serve as the exclusive qualifier to become a member of Team USA and compete in the 2013 International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships in London, England. However, any athletes who register for the Sprint National Championships, and are later added to the Olympic-Distance National Championships via the wait list, will not receive refunds.

For more information on the 2012 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships, please visit www.USATNationalEvents.org. Please note: athletes must be current USA Triathlon annual members through August 18, 2012 before registering. You may renew your membership at www.usatriathlon.org.

acceptance

Since taking on the Total Money Makeover I've been working allot of hours. Since starting to work this much I've been unable to heal well from my training, I've been getting sick a lot, and I've been struggling horribly with my weight; I weigh over 200 pounds again, I'm a Clydesdale again for the 1st time in over 2 years, and that makes me very very disgruntled. I don't mind working this much because I'm changing my wife and kids future for the better, but I've realized I need to rearrange some things to make this a little less difficult on me. If I try to do everything perfectly all the time I'll never be able to do anything well. That's where I've been recently. I'm struggling to find enough time to sleep, finding enough time to spend with my wife and kids, struggling with my weight, I'm getting ill frequently, missing a lot of workouts, and not healing from my training.

I've decided I need to take some stress and pressure out of my life. I've been praying to try to have the serenity to accept the things I can not change, to have the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I've been stressing myself out about my weight gain. I've been trying to drop back down to 175 pounds and it has not been going well. Rather than continue to beat myself up about my weight gain I'm going to try and maintain my current weight. I'd be happier if I was lighter, but I'm really unhappy with myself when I keep trying to force myself to diet and fail, diet and fail, diet and fail. I raced for years as a Clydesdale and enjoyed myself, there's no reason I shouldn't accept myself exactly as I am now. There's no reason for me to make myself as miserable as I have been about my weight. I may be a little slower at this weight, but I'm still in the healthy range, and I'm still a God fearing christian who is a good husband and father.

I've also decided to start training a little less and lower the intensity of my workouts. I haven't been healing well and I've been chronically over trained. I keep missing workouts due to fatigue and illness, I've always heard that it's better to go into a race a little under trained than a little over trained. I'm going to test that theory. The extra time I have will help bring a little more balance and health into my life. More importantly I believe God has been trying to get me to make these changes in my life for awhile. If it's God will I should listen. He is perfect after all.

God, please help me accept your will over mine, and to figure out what your will is for me, in Jesus name I pray. Amen

 

workout woes

I worked 40 hours of overtime during my weekend. I got off a 16 hour overtime shift this morning. I've been working like this since December. I'm so tired. I can't even get the energy to get up to fix another cup of coffee, much less get the energy to workout. I'm hoping to find a way to get in a 75 minute bike ride before I have to go back into work tonight. I missed Monday and Tuesdays workouts, I can't keep missing training like this or I'll be back to being a fat slow Clydesdale in no time. Must.... go... ride....

becoming debt free with Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover

In late 2011 my wife and I decided to try to become debt free.We attended The Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University to learn how. So far we've completed step one of The Total Money Makeover which is saving $1000 for emergencies and step two which is paying off all debt using Dave Ramseys debt snow ball. I'm very proud of my wife and I, we've accomplished so much. Who in America these days can say they have no debt? My wife and I now can. The most important thing we've learned in the process of paying off all our debt is that ppersonal finance is 80% BEHAVIOR and only 20% HEAD KNOWLEDGE. Most people live outside of their means. They use credit cards and get loans to get things they don't need with money they don't have. They buy more than they can afford and justify it by saying to themselves we deserve this, we work so hard, or the kids shouldn't go without should they? But what they should be saying is "do we deserve to be broke and should we be teaching our children to be broke and live irresponsibly too? We know, because we lived like that most of our lives.

We are now approximately 4 weeks away from completing step three which is saving 3 months of expenses in case I lost my job or became temporarily disabled. Dave Ramsey said on average it takes most families 24-36 months to complete steps 1-3. If all goes as planned by August my wife and I will have completed steps 1-3 in 8 months. It's been hard, much harder than I thought it was going to be. I've been working 72-84 hours a week every week since December of last year. I've had to miss kids soccer games, family activities, friends get-to-gethers, UFC parties, workouts, triathlons, bike races, etc. Pretty much all I've done is work and sleep. I'm beyond tired. Since I started working this many hours I've struggled with weight gain, being too tired to work out, getting sick frequently and taking a long time to get better. Worst of all is that I miss my wife and kids desperately. But it's been worth it. After 8 months of sacrifice and prayer we are so close! I can't wait to be able to wake up every morning knowing we owe no one any money and we are finally living the way God wants us to. The bible says these things about debt:

The borrower is slave to the lender. When you are in debt to another, you enter into a slave/master relationship with your creditor. (Proverbs 22:7)

We are required to pay back what we borrowed. It is easy to take this lightly, but if we borrowed it, we should pay it back. (Psalm 37:21, Ecclesiastes 5:4).

There are no instances in the Bible where God provides through a loan. He provided for His people in many ways but loans were not one of them. That is something to think about next time you get tempted to reach for the credit card. 

If anyone else is interested in becoming debt free I'd highly suggest attending The Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University. It's nine 90 minutes classes over a 9 week time and it costs less than $120. I promise you, it'll change your lives and your children's lives. It'll change your legacy.

deodorant and cancer

I've heard a lot of things on the net and news that deodorant may cause cancer. I found this, thought I'd share. 

What do scientists know about the ingredients in antiperspirants and deodorants?
Aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants. These compounds form a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface. Some research suggests that aluminum-based compounds, which are applied frequently and left on the skin near the breast, may be absorbed by the skin and cause estrogen-like (hormonal) effects (3). Because estrogen has the ability to promote the growth of breast cancer cells, some scientists have suggested that the aluminum-based compounds in antiperspirants may contribute to the development of breast cancer (3).
Some research has focused on parabens, which are preservatives used in some deodorants and antiperspirants that have been shown to mimic the activity of estrogen in the body’s cells (4). Although parabens are used in many cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical products, according to the FDA, most major brands of deodorants and antiperspirants in the United States do not currently contain parabens. Consumers can look at the ingredient label to determine if a deodorant or antiperspirant contains parabens. Parabens are usually easy to identify by name, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, or benzylparaben. The National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Database also has information about the ingredients used in most major brands of deodorants and antiperspirants.
The belief that parabens build up in breast tissue was supported by a 2004 study, which found parabens in 18 of 20 samples of tissue from human breast tumors (5). However, this study did not prove that parabens cause breast tumors (4). The authors of this study did not analyze healthy breast tissue or tissues from other areas of the body and did not demonstrate that parabens are found only in cancerous breast tissue (5). Furthermore, this research did not identify the source of the parabens and cannot establish that the buildup of parabens is due to the use of deodorants or antiperspirants.
More research is needed to specifically examine whether the use of deodorants or antiperspirants can cause the buildup of parabens and aluminum-based compounds in breast tissue. Additional research is also necessary to determine whether these chemicals can either alter the DNA in some cells or cause other breast cell changes that may lead to the development of breast cancer.

real food and training/racing

Have you noticed how food is becoming medicine? Cheerios lowers your cholesterol. Activia yogurt keeps you regular. Milk builds strong bones. We no longer are encouraged to eat food simply because it tastes good. It should also correct some medical condition we have.

There is a similar trend going on in sports nutritional products. Athletes seem to be coming to the conclusion that sports bars, protein drink mixes, electrolyte concoctions and more are healthy and a good source of what we need to improve performance. Athletes comment on such supplements as if it is a foregone conclusion that this stuff is not only healthy, but also the best source of whatever it is we need to become faster and more enduring.

I believe just the opposite: A diet high in such highly processed stuff (I don’t think of them as “food”) is unhealthy. Nature has been making foods such as fruits and vegetables for millions of years. We have survived quite nicely eating these along with animal products. Such foods seem to have everything we need to not only survive as a species but to thrive as athletes.

On the other hand, sports nutrition scientists have been making their stuff for about 30 years. And it’s only been for the last 15 years or so that athletes have preferred to carry a bar in their pocket on a bike ride rather than a banana. Now we’ve come to the point where many (most?) think that the best possible food to eat post-workout is something out of a plastic bag. Some even carry this preference for sports nutritionals into their daily lives eating stuff throughout the day that was unheard of just months ago.

Here are a few guidelines I believe will help you when it comes to making food selections.

• If the product comes in plastic packaging eat it only in very small portions, preferably during exercise, and then only because of convenience.
• If the product has more than five ingredients listed on the package it’s best avoided or eaten in very limited quantities. Eat these only when “real” food is not readily available.
• The foods you should be the most wary of are those that proclaim loudly to be “healthy” or “all natural.”
• Typically, the more expensive a product is per calorie, the less healthy it is.
• The less advertising there is for a food, the healthier it is.
• If your grandparents could not have eaten it, it’s best avoided.

This is not to say that you should never eat sports bars or the like. There are times and situations when they are convenient. But the primary time to eat them is during exercise, and then only very long or very intense workouts. Generally, if you are in decent shape and the workout lasts less than two hours all you need is water, assuming you had a meal sometime in the last few hours before starting the session. For such short workouts you really don’t need all of that sugar or the other stuff (protein, sodium, magnesium, vitamins, minerals, etc) we’re told are some how necessary for sports performance.

For optimal health and sports performance simplify your diet.

running on a broken toe & Saffron Extract Satiereal

I'd been cycling with my seat at the same height for years. Recently I've started having some pain at the tops of my knees, that's a sign of my seat being to low. I think the seat height got pushed down when I got ran over by a vehicle last September. I raised the seat height up on Saturday, not only did I feel more comfortable, but I was faster and didn't get fatigued as quickly.

On Saturday I completed my 1st workout since I got sick and broke my toe last week. By the middle of the one hour bike workout my foot had swelled up to the point where my foot was too big to fit in my cycling shoe. Even though my foot had swelled during the ride I felt no pain so I decided after the bike ride to go for a quick run to see how my toe/ foot held up. I felt ok at first, but the pain would start to build up and I'd have to walk after a couple minutes. I kept the run/walk up for about 20 minutes. After the run my toe was hurting quite a bit and my foot had swelled up to the point that it was difficult to get my shoe off. The Dr had said working out would cause me pain but that it probably wouldn't cause any more damage as long as I did it in moderation. Moderation is a difficult thing for a triathlete to interpret. A triathlete who works out in moderation works out much more than the average Joe. So is that moderation for an average person or me? I figure I'll just start out slow and watch how my foot holds up.

Most of the swelling in my foot has gone down, so on Monday I'll try cycling again. If my foot is ok after Monday's bike ride then I'll try running again on Tuesday.

I've been struggling with my weight a lot recently. I've gained 25 pounds since April, and I'm hoping to get back down to around 180 pounds by August. To help accomplish my goal I've been taking Saffron Extract Satiereal, which is an appetite suppressant. It hasn't been very successful for me, it's a miracle in regards to suppressing hunger, but it doesn't do anything to stop the behavioral aspect of eating which is what I struggle with. It doesn't stop social eating, eating because of boredom, or celebration. I'm currently weighing 198 pounds, I want to lose 18 pounds in 5 1/2 weeks which is a 3 1/4 pounds a week. That kind of weight lose is a little too fast to be healthy for a triathlete in the middle of a hard training season, it would of been much better to have never gained the weight to begin with.

I'm hoping my foot has healed enough to race again by August. I'll keep you updated on my weight lose struggles and when I feel up to racing again.

Thanks for tuning in.

The 2012 Grady Williams Lake triathlon cancelled

I just received an email from the race director of the Grady Williams lake triathlon, the 2012 race has been cancelled. There were only 10 athletes registered, they'll be sending out refund checks to anyone who had already registered. Bummer. That sucks, I'd been wanting to race that one for a long time. If it's canceled this year it's highly likely they wont put it on next year. I hope they try to hold this race again in 2013, I've heard from a lot of people it's an awesome format.

sick and injured, season goal in danger?

I got sick 6 days ago. I feel better, but still not well enough to bike. I can't remember ever being sick for this long. Earlier in the triathlon season I pulled my quad and it took almost 3 weeks until I felt 100%. I'm telling you, I'm getting old.

I broke my toe on Saturday night. It feels much better. I can walk with only a small limp, but I'm not even close to running yet. Needless to say between the toe and the illness I won't be racing the Tri Raider triathlon or the Grady Williams the next two weekends. I may end up missing even more races than those. My goal this year was to win the South West Challenge Series. Now that I'm not able to train or race for awhile I'm a bit worried I'll lose the top spot in the 35-39 AG I currently hold.

time off of cycling for illness?

For years I made bad decisions in regards to training. I'd train while sick, injured, within days after competing in Iron distance triathlons, I'd train hard year round without taking an off season.....

For the last couple months I've been doing training I haven't done in a couple years; lots and lots of speed work for short course training. My body isn't adapting as quickly as I thought it would. I'm constantly in a slight state of  over training and I got sick as a dog on Thursday. This was the 2nd time in 4 weeks I got sick. Today my lower back was achy and I still had some lower GI problems, but as usual I was planning on doing my cycling workout anyways. I was determined to ride today. I justified my decision because I broke my toe on Saturday and I knew I won't be running for awhile. Cant run, must cycle right? Somehow, someway I finally made a good decisions, I'm taking the next couple days off of training. On Wednesday I'll resume training with a 50 minute bike with speed work. Until then I'm resting up and healing. I must be getting old.....

I broke my toe, among other things....

It's been a very rough couple weeks.

A couple weeks ago our van broke down, it cost $400 to fix. A few days later the Suburban my wife and I saved up and purchased broke down, $1,600 to fix. On Thursday the air conditioning stopped working and our trunk stopped opening on our van, $1,089 to fix. Over $3,000 worth of repairs in a 2 week long period.

 Friday morning when I woke up I had a horrible flue. I had the body aches, chills, and a fever. Somehow I manned up and sill went to work. Friday night was MISERABLE. One minute I was burning up with fever and had the air conditioner at work on full blast, the next I had the chills and put on my jacket. Thanks to some prayer and Gods grace I was able to tough it out and didn't have to use any sick leave.

On Saturday I broke my little toe by stubbing it on a door frame. The Dr said the best he could do was tape my broken toe to the one next to it to stabilize it. I manned up and still went to work that night for a 12 hour shift. By the middle of my work shift my foot had swelled. I took my boot off to see what my foot looked like. My toe was black and was so swollen it was as thick as my big toe, my foot had also swollen up so badly I couldn't get my boot back on. I had to take some ibuprofen and apply ice for a couple hours before I was able to put my boot back on. The Dr told me it's a simple fracture, and it should heal in 6 weeks. Below is a picture of my toe this morning, my toe is about half the size in this picture as it was last night.

I'm determined not to stress about things. My wife and I are going to pray and ask God for help. We'll accept his will whatever that may be.

Mather 6:34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

---

Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
God is great.

Luke 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

---

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.