chaotic day

Today was a rough day. My daughter got sent home from school during the time I'm usually training, so I missed my workout. The check engine light came on in my Suburban. I only was able to get 3 hours of sleep. I was really hungry all day.

The good news is I got to the gym a couple hours before work and I got in a great workout. A workout that usually takes me 1 hour 50 minutes took only 1hour 10 minutes. I pushed HARD to get it done in time. My legs were trashed! It felt great. I still got to work on time with a couple minutes to spare. After 21 years working at the prison I've only been late 4 times. My streak continues. The other good news is I've lost 5.8 pounds in the last 7 days. Most of that was probably water weight from eating like crap while being on vacation. But still, I'm on track to getting to the 105k weight class. 16 pounds lost, 72 more to go.

more energy during training

Today's workout was awesome! 81 reps total, all double and triples. Today was one of those rare days that everything felt light and no matter how hard I worked I never felt tired. I think that has a lot to do with hiring a sports nutrition coach. I'm recovering quicker, feeling stronger, and have more energy during training now. The workout took me almost two hours. After weightlifting I did the bench press program Shane built for me. I built up to two reps at 129.5 kilos (285lbs). I've always struggled at bench. That Shane's program has built me up to 2x285 lbs is virtually a miracle. I'm hoping to hit a 300lb bench at the NASA powerlifting competition on December 5th in Roswell New Mexico.

My daughter hugged me today and said, "Daddy, your getting skinnier. I can tell when i hug you. You feel different." I haven't seen much weight loss on the scale the last couple weeks,  but she sure made me feel good.

2nd treadmill tabata workout

Todays workout was a day for recovery from strength training, and hard cardio. I did a bench press workout of 5X5 at 65%. After the easy bench press routine I did a treadmill tabata. I did a 5 minute warm up then put the treadmill at a 12% grade, then ran 4 minutes of 20 seconds hard and 10 seconds recovery at a 12 min per mile pace. I felt like I was working hard at that speed. I'm pretty sure I could have ran at a slightly faster pace-, not much more though. I was close to max effort. Next Thursday I'll try the same workout with 2 minutes at a 12 minute per mile pace and 2 minutes at an 11:40 pace.

Man am I in horrible shape! It's hard to believe I used to be so good at running back in my triathlon years. I used to be able to hold a 7 minute per mile pace indefinitely. Now I struggle running sprints on a treadmill at a 12 minute per mile pace. But as long as I'm moving I'm going in the right direction. I have to keep this up and start eating healthier. Being this heavy is not ok. Yesterday my 6 year old was in a play. It hurt to sit in the chair through the whole performance. My belly is so big it pushes against my legs and makes it difficult to breath. No one should allow them self to get so fat that it's uncomfortable to breath while sitting in a chair. I'm currently 279 lbs. My first weight loss goal is to get to the 105k (232lbs)weight class in olympic weightlifting. My 2nd goal is to get to the 94k (207 lbs) weight class. Back when I was training and racing for triathlons I felt best at 200 lbs. Here's a picture of what I looked like at 186 pounds, my body fat percentage was eight & a half percent.

I figure I'll have a lot more muscle now that I'm a weightlifter, so 207 should be pretty lean and healthy for my body type. My #1 goal is to get to a healthy body weight again. While in triathlon I was at such a low body weight it was causing health problems, now I'm at the oposite end of the spectrum.

Healthy. That's where I want to be. Healthy for my wife. To support her through nursing school and the start of a wonderful career that she's always dreamed. To be be a parent and spouse with her, not just a memory. To live long enough to show my baby girl what it's like for me to love her, respect her, treat her with kindness, and listen to her thoughts, feelings, and opinions in the hopes she learns not to settle for anything less than a man who treats her the same way. I want to make sure I'm there for her to walk her down the isle. One of my wife's friends had to get married without her Dad there because he died young. I don't want to do that to my baby girl. I want to be there long enough to teach my boys how to be good, strong, and kind men. If I don't change my eating soon I wont be able to be there with them and it'll be my fault.

Stress and the holidays

I needed the workout the day after Christmas. I needed it for stress relief. This Christmas was horrible, I'm still stressed out and heart broken. I grew up in an abusive family. When I was a kid holidays and vacations were the times of my life that I'd suffer the most abuse and stress. Most people who grew up in an abusive family abuse their children, and their children abuse their children, and the cycle continues indefinitely. I'm one of the few who has been able to stop the abuse cycle. I'm a great parent.... most of the time. Still to this day I get stressed out when we have large family functions, ESPECIALLY when it is Thanksgiving or Christmas. But for some reason this Christmas this year was even worse than usual.

My wife, 3 children, and I decided to spend Christmas holiday with my in-laws. From the time we got to their house I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't relax, I couldn't sit still, I kept pacing, I didn't want to play with my kids, I didn't engage anyone in conversation, and when anyone tried to talk to me I did everything I could to end the conversation as quickly as possible. I didn't mean to be, but I was an ass and I'm sure I made everyone feel uncomfortable. I never yelled at my kids, said hurtful or abusive things to them.  But by the end of Christmas eve my 6 year old had a melt down. On Christmas day my 4 and 8 year were grumpy. I'm certain it was because they picked up on my anxiety.

Next week I have family coming to visit for 6 days. I don't want to act like I did at Christmas, but I'm afraid it'll happen again. I seem to be broken.

The 2013 Santa Fe triathlon race report

I decided to race the Santa Fe triathlon today. It was my 85th multisport race and this time it was crazy for me to attempt it. I haven't swam, bike, or ran in over 2 years. I'm also way to heavy to be running that far! Part of my motivation is that my 7 year old daughter started running in a running club at school. I'd like to run with her in the race she's training for, but in the shape I'm in now I doubt I'd be able to keep up with her. I'd end up missing the once in a lifetime opportunity of running across the finish line with her in her first race.

I knew I was going to suffer on the run. It was a 5k, and it hurt even worse than I thought it would. If it would of been any longer than a 5k I doubt I'd of been able to complete it. I finished the run in 32:21, averaging a 10:18 mile.

The bike was a lot less painful than I thought it would be. I also finished a lot faster than I thought I would. It was a 12 mile bike I finished in 51 minutes 30 seconds averaging 14 mph.

The swim was a 400 meter pool swim. I was the fastest Clydesdale in the swim today finishing in 8 minutes 57 seconds.

This was the 3rd time I've raced the Santa Fe triathlon, and this was by far and away the slowest I've ever finished. In 2009 I finished this race in 1:12:59 and in 2010 i finished it in a PR time of 1:08:48! Today I finished in 1 hour 38 minutes 20 seconds.

I'd highly suggest this race for anyone who is interested in triathlon. It a great race, well supported, well marked, moderately difficult course, music, massage therapists, an announcer saying your name as you cross the finish line. Excellent race experience every time!

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

Albuquerque Isotopes public safety day 2012

Today after church the Hanson clan went to our 1st baseball game. We went to watch the Alb Isotopes in Albuquerque. It ended up being one of the best family days we've ever had.
After the game we went home and played catch. Cody can throw like a rocket! Here he is after a great throw with a baseball that Isotopes pitcher Ramon Landestoy Troncoso #18 gave to him. Cody loves that ball. He asked if he could sleep with it tonight. Ramon Troncoso was a very approachable and friendly player, a great ambassador of the sport.After the 6th inning in front of the score board. My daughter is holding "My Girl", her baby doll since she was 9 months old.

On our way to our seats we saw Marge Simpson. Thankfully my babies had no clue who that was.

Here we are buying our tickets (Mommy's taking the pictures).

A selfless daughter

My daughters been saving her allowance for almost half a year now. Even when her brothers buy something with their money in front of her she chooses to save rather than buy. When we told her we were going on vacation this weekend and would take her and her brothers to the Phoenix zoo she ran to her room, grabbed her piggy bank and started counting her money. Since she'd been saving her money for such a long time I assumed she was going to buy herself something very special.

I asked her "What are you planning to buy honey?"
She replied. "I'm seeing if I have enough money to buy something for all three of us", (meaning her brothers and herself).

Earlier this week my daughter had show and tell in her kindergarten class. Most of the kids chose to show and tell their favorite possessions. My baby girl chose to show and tell her two best friends in the class named Angelina and Maia. She had them stand in front of the class with her and she told everyone why they were special and why she loved them.

My baby girl never ceases to amaze me. God has really blessed us with a daughter who is has a heart for others.

Ironman Arizona Taper time

On Friday I completed my last long run at my favorite run course, Ranch Viejo sub division. Rancho Viejo is located just south of the Santa Fe community college. I ran 3 times around the outer trail surrounding the subdivision, each lap is a 6.3 mile challenging loop with lots of hills and glorious views. After the run I felt great. I was amazed at how great I felt! This year my long distance running has been at an all time best! I can run longer and faster than ever before. I ran 19.3 miles with less fatigue I'd normally experience running for only two hours!

Then on Saturday I completed my longest brick of the year. I rode my bike from the Santa Fe Rail Runner 550 station into Albuquerque via Highway 14, then to the Sandia Casino, then back up to Paseo Del Norte & Wyoming. 77 miles total. From there I threw on my run shoes and took my 6 year old daughter with me on her bike for a run. She and I went 6.1 miles keeping a 10 minute per mile pace. My baby girl is a cycling animal! I can’t wait until she’s old enough to compete in some junior cycling races. She'll kill it!

On the bike portion of my brick I averaged just shy of 14 MPH. The reason for me riding so slow is my triathlon bike was destroyed in September, I’m now riding on an old, slow, off brand road bike. It’s 2-3 mph slower than my triathlon bike. Don’t get me wrong, I love my road bike regardless of how slow it is. I’m grateful to have this bike to use as a spare. A slow bike is better than no bike!

picture of a baby and Moms belly

This is a wonderful picture I saw on Facebook. I remember playing with my kids when they were still in my wife's belly. After awhile they'd learn games and play with me. Once I woke them up and they realized it was play time my boys would feel around until they found my palm, then they'd kick or hit it as hard as they could. Cody had the most endurance, he could play for almost an hour. Rion was our strongest, he could kick so hard he could knock the breath out of my wife and bring tears to her eyes. My daughter would get tired the quickest, but she learned the most intricate games. She would follow my fingers with her hand as I traced patterns around my wife's belly. There were times we could see her fingers when she tried to grasp ahold of my finger rather than just follow the patterns I was making. If I tapped her hand or foot once she would hit back once, if I bumped her twice she would hit me back twice.

Those were some of the best experiences of my life. I'll remember them fondly until the I day I die.

back to trainning with my daughter

Today I went on my first run since getting sick last week. My 5 year old daughter rode her bike next to me during the entire run which consisted of a 20 minute warm up, 4X 4:30 at a zone 4 pace with 1:30 recoveries. On my speed sets I was averaging a seven minute thirty second per mile pace. On my last set of speed work she lapped me! Total we ran for 58 minutes & covered 6.19 miles. That's a long bike ride for a 5 year old!!

I felt pretty good considering how sick I was. My lower back still aches but it felt better once I started running...perhaps it wasn't the exercise that made the pain subside, perhaps it was the company of such a wonderful little girl.

illness, tri's, and family

Last week was my 5 year old daughters 1st day of school. While at school she was getting pushed by a school mate while on top of a slide. My daughter told that girl "I'm my Daddy's only princess, if something happenes to me he'll be really upset." Funny but true! Kids say the funniest things!

On Thursday I felt sick with the begginings of the stomach flue. That day I was planning on doing my 75 minute run regardless of how I felt. My wife put her foot down & told me she wasn't going to let me work out that day. She almost never does that so I agreed. Turns out she was right. I ended up getting more and more sick. If I had worked out as scheduled it would have made my recovery time take even longer than it will now. My wife, she's a smart one!

I missed my 2 long bricks which were the 2 most important workouts of the week. I plan on taking tomorrow off and healing as best I can. I'm hoping to be ready to train by Monday.

my new run partner

One of my fondest memories as a child was when I'd visit my Dad during the summers, almost every morning he'd go running & I'd ride next to him on my bicycle. We'd talk & enjoy each others company. Sometimes a 2 mile run would turn into 10+ miles because of how much fun we'd have together.

Today I was scheduled for an easy recovery run & I took my daughter on her bike. We did 4 miles together. I was amazed with how well she did. She never once stopped or slowed me down, as a matter of a fact she was going so fast I had to keep a high zone 2 pace to keep up with her. She's an amazing little athlete for being only 5 years old. I sure enjoy her.

Next year my middle son should be big enough to go with us also.

my daughter the cyclist

I've been pulling my babies in a bike cart to the park for 4 years. Yesterday I only had to pull my 2 sons in the cart, my daughter rode her bike there. Round trip it was 5 miles plus she rode around the park a half dozen times once we got there. I'm guessing she rode a total just shy of 8 miles. That's A LONG WAYS for a 5 year old!

Essential life skills

Tonight my children & I were practicing some skills essential to a successful life, push ups & pull ups.

Scooter girl

Today was the 2nd day I took my kids to a skate park. Today we tried the skate park in Santa Fe. We were there for over 3 hours when we got rained out & they still didn't want to go home. 3 hours of hard physical activity is going to make for a fantastic nap!

My 5 year old daughter felt much more confident on her scooter trying new tricks & going down bigger ramps. She seems to have mastered the leg pump when going up and down a wall or bowl. Here's a quick video of her.

Cycling like a GIRL!

I had taught my daughter to ride her bicycle without training wheels last year before her 5th birthday. She forgot how to bike during the winter, so I've spent the last 2 days re-teaching her.

Today my daughter asked me to run next to her while she rode in case she got scared. Sounded like a great idea to me. She'd get practice riding without training wheels & I'd get in some base run miles. Turns out I didn't get in many base miles at all, it was mostly hill & speed work. She was amazing at hill climbing! A real natural! I told her she is the best hill climber I'd ever seen & that she made me tired when she rode uphill as fast as she did. From then on she got a kick out of riding as fast as she could uphill, & that little girl can haul butt uphill! I was having to push myself to keep up. She stopped peddling & rested on the downhill, but since she was on a bike she was still going dang fast downhill, so there I was struggling to keep up with her still! She rode for an hour fifty minutes with me running next to her at almost full speed. After the hour fifty minutes a few boys saved me by asking if they could ride with her. At that point I was able to sit down & watch them & rest. Their favorite game was racing eachother, & they did a ton of it! Race after race after race! If they happened to pass her on the flats or downhill, she ALWAYS pass them on the uphill. After about 45 minutes of riding fast & hard, beating them in race after race, she made 2 out of the 3 boys cry! Oh ya! That's my girl!

At my next triathlon I want to make anyone who tries to hang with me cry, I want to race like my 5 year old little girl.

hula hoop girl

My daughter trying to learn how to hula hoop. Very funny stuff.

ballet practice

I work the nights my daughter has ballet practice. Tonight I didn't go to work so I could watch her. She's 5 & is my pride & joy. I recorded this using my phone which is only able to record 20 seconds per video, it can't zoom, & the quality is poor, but you can still see how cute she is! On the other videos I recorded she was dancing in & out of clusters of girls so I wasn't able to get a very good video of her. This one was the best. She's so adorable!
I got the family van stuck in a snow drift on the side of road the other day. My daughter started panicking & said, "we're never going to get out!" I reassured her that we were going to get out & we'd be home in no time.
A bit later when we were still stuck she started crying & announced to everyone in the car, "We're never going to get out! I'll never be able to go to Disney World! And I'm never going to be able to do ballet again!" She started crying thinking of the things in her life she wanted to do & now wouldn't.
I wasn't able to help her through the situation like I should have. I tried to reassure her & tell her everything was fine, but I couldn't stop laughing. When she thought we were all goners her 1st thought was she'd never be able to go to Disney World. How sweet.

Putting up the Christmas tree

Today we put up the Christmas tree, the kids were to excited to wait until after Thanksgiving.

Cody is upset because Rion grabbed his shirt and almost pulled him over. I think Rion is going to be our tough brute who always gets into trouble. We were just recently able to get him to stop biting his big brother. He never tried to bite his sister, just his big brother.