Today, April 11th 2009 was the Wind triathlon at White Sands Missile Range. It started off with a loop 5k run.
Since last Dec my run has been absolutely atrocious. I came into this race not expecting to do well on the run leg & was fully expecting to have to make time up on the bike & swim legs. I surprised myself and felt pretty good out of the gate.
The first mile was a slight down hill & I clocked the 1 mile mark at 7:05. Shortly after that there was a very long & gradual (grueling) uphill. Usually hills sap my strength, but after I topped this long uphill I felt great & continued back to an 8 min per mile pace. I finished the 5k (3.2 miles) in 25:30 & had about a 90 second lead on anyone else in my division. Of course, the closest person to me in my division was Jason McClure who is my arch nemesis on the racing circuit- outside of triathlon he's probably the nicest person I've ever met. But let me tell you, he & I have had some insane battles during races.
On mile 5 of the bike Jason McClure caught & passed me. As usual he doesn't just pass me, he screams past me at a pace I could never dream of keeping. Because Jason is such a beast on the bike traditionally the only hope I have of beating him is if I can run a sub 24 minute 5k. That usually puts him deep enough in a whole that I won't see him again. Today's 25:30 wasn't good enough to keep old McClure away. He passed me, & I saw another Clydesdale drafting off him.
Occasionally people will draft for a few seconds. But this guy rode Jason's wheel for 10 straight miles!!! That made me angry, & like Bruce Banner so eloquently proclaims, "you won't like me when I'm angry." I start hammering, & hammering HARD! I was going to catch this cheating Clydesdale & convince him to stop drafting. & if he didn't stop I was going to personally remove him from the course. Finally & surprisingly I caught the 2 of them; surprisingly because I'd never caught Jason once he got ahead of me cycling.
I started yelling at this lecherous triathlete. At first he tried to ignore my protests & continued his illegal escapades; you see, in triathlon drafting is against the rules. He realized pretty quickly I was not finding his antics funny in the slightest. I yelled at the top of my lungs & was gradually pushing him closer & closer to the gutter. His choices was to let go of wheel he was riding, or eat dirt. He chose correctly.
From that point on I realized Jason couldn't drop me like usual. He'd get approximately 75 meters ahead of me, then I'd start reeling him in. He'd see me start to catch him, kick in his after burners, & then again I'd start reeling him in. DING! Eureka! I realized at that point what big Jason McClure had been doing to me all these years. He'd sprint passed me on the bike leg until he'd have nothing left. But once he got a half mile or so ahead of me I'd unconsciously slow down. Essentially he's been beating me on the bike with a mind game. I figured out today that if I stay with him for a few minutes of his hammer fest; as painful as that will be, then he'll ride at a sustainable pace.
Unfortunately just before the turn around point Jason flatted out. This is unfortunate because I believe I could have stayed with him today & passed him in the pool. I really believe that today would have seen me victorious over the great & mighty Jason McClure. But instead I won by default. Yes, I know that for the South West Challenge series a win outright scores the same as a win by default. But I hated to see that happen. I hated it partly because I think I'd have squeaked out a victory in the end. But the biggest reason I hate that he flatted out is because even though I'm his biggest rival he still goes out of his way to be helpful, supportive, & honorable. No one as gracious as him should have such an ill-fated & abrupt ending to the day.
About 2 miles left on the bike a MASSIVE wind picked up out of nowhere! It was blowing directly in my face. My speeds slowed down to a CRAWL, but I hung tough & finished slightly behind Felix Hijnoso. Now Felix isn't in my division, but I've only finished the bike this close to him a couple times before.
Now you may think in a triathlon if there is a run, then a bike, then next would be the swim right? Wrong. The most neglected leg of most triathletes is the transition. Transition #1 is how fast can a person get out of his/her run gear & into their bike gear. Then transition #2 is getting out their bike gear into their swim gear. Thankfully I practice this. Even though Felix had a ten second lead into T-2, I beat him handily out of the transition area & into the pool.
I finished the 400 meter swim some where around 7 minutes 30 seconds to 7:40. Giving me a finishing time of 1 hr 48 minutes & taking first place Clydesdale!
I now have 3 first place finishes & one 2nd place for the 2009 SW series. Which gives me 39 points & a first place standing in my division. 2nd place is Alex Garcia with some where around 32 points & in 3rd is Jason McClure with 29.
Next race is the Atomicman duathlon April 26 in White Rock NM. I'll keep you informed on how I do.
Thanks for tuning in.
April 12, 2009
A loving daughter & a Racing Pooh bear
My daughter has been helping my wife make my lunches when I go to work. Belle has started putting little things in my lunch that she enjoys to make my night go by better. Every time she does this & I find it at work I pull out the toy or stuffed animal to brag & show off to all my co-workers. This did back fire awhile back. When my went to shake down my lunch box he opened it up & found a partially naked Barbie Doll. Of course he held it up & announced to the entire shift awaiting their shake down what he found. Very embarrassing.
On April 10th I was doing a race in White Sands Missile Range called the Wind triathlon. That morning when I opened my race bag to set up my race/transition area I found my daughters favorite teddy bear. I was so touched I got a little teary eyed right there in front of all my fellow triathletes. I took this picture to remember this forever & to share what a loving & considerate daughter I have.
April 07, 2009
still losing & fatherhood
This has been the longest I've gone without updating my blog. Things have been busy busy. I'm back to being consistent with my triathlon training (hurray), I'm back to working 6 twelve hr shifts a week (not so hurray), my wife is going to school now so I'm on baby duty 2 days a week (a big hurray).
A few weeks ago my weight was up to the 230's. Based off what I read on Couch-potato-to Ironman's blog I decided to try upping my daily calories to see if I could stay more consistent with the ole diet that way. It has worked miracles! I'm a little hungry, but never REALLY hungry or ever feeling like I was starving the way I had felt before. I've lost an average of 2.3 pounds a week the last few weeks. I weighed in at 222.2 this morning. I'm so happy to have diagnosed the reason I was having such horrid up & downs with my eating. If I keep losing 2 pounds a week I'll be down to 200 pounds by July, just a little late for my A race in June. But better late than never. I'm even having dreams of grandor of racing EVERY race next year as an age grouper. Rather than doing like I did in 20008, when I dropped below 200 for only 2 races, but then had to compete the whole year as an AG'er or lose the points of the races I did below 200 pounds.
Like I'd said my training is back on track again. I had been burned out since I'd completed Ironman Arizona in November. I haven't been missing workouts like I had been. I'm hitting most all of them, even the swims!!!! I know, it's amazing. I'm even swimming!
I am training exclusively for sprint distance triathlons this year rather than Ironman distances like the last few years, so my training emphasis is on speed work rather than long & slow. But even so, my long bike rides are up to 62 miles & my long runs are up to 7 miles. I've knocked off 18 seconds on my 400 meter run intervals in the last 3 weeks. I'm still no where as fast of a runner as I usually am, but I'm improving quickly. Hopefully I'll be back to running my usual 6-7:15 minute miles for a 5K. My biking is actually faster now than I ever:)
Right now my diet is great, my training is awesome, & my speeds are improving quickly. Life is looking good my friend!
This weekend I have another triathlon at White Sands Missile Range. It's the Wind Triathlon, a 5K run, 30 K bike & a 400 meter swim. Should be interesting because my biggest competition, Jason McClure will be there. This will be the third time of the 09 season that we'll be racing against each other. The first one I won, the 2nd he slaughtered me by 7 minutes! Even though Jason is much faster than me right now, it just so happens that I'm slightly ahead in the South West Challenge Series. He has 26 points, I have 29. As long as I place in the top 3 in my division at this weekends race I'll be able to keep my lead, even if only by a point or 2. I'll keep you posted on how the race & the results go.
Well, as I've said before my daughter who is 3.5 years old is taking swim lessons. & I'm excited to say she swam for the first time this last week. She swam about 4 or 5 feet, all under water & using a semi-breast stroke. I was so excited I when I saw her do this I interrupted the class by jumping up & down & yelling hysterically "she's swimming! She's doing it! She's swimming, she's swimming!" I must say, that was one of the coolest experiences of my life. She's 2 years younger than the next youngest child in her class of 8 kids, & she is the 2nd one to be able to swim. There's only one kid who can hold her breath longer than my daughter too. I'm telling you peeps, my baby girl is a natural swimmer.
I've been hoping my daughter could do the Jay Benson kids triathlon in May. To be able to do that race she needs to be able to swim 1 lap which is 25 meters by herself. I wasn't sure if she'd be able to learn to swim that far by then, but it looks like she may. How cool would that be. You can bet I'll record the entire triathlon on our camcorder. Oh, how wonderful father hood is!
A few weeks ago my weight was up to the 230's. Based off what I read on Couch-potato-to Ironman's blog I decided to try upping my daily calories to see if I could stay more consistent with the ole diet that way. It has worked miracles! I'm a little hungry, but never REALLY hungry or ever feeling like I was starving the way I had felt before. I've lost an average of 2.3 pounds a week the last few weeks. I weighed in at 222.2 this morning. I'm so happy to have diagnosed the reason I was having such horrid up & downs with my eating. If I keep losing 2 pounds a week I'll be down to 200 pounds by July, just a little late for my A race in June. But better late than never. I'm even having dreams of grandor of racing EVERY race next year as an age grouper. Rather than doing like I did in 20008, when I dropped below 200 for only 2 races, but then had to compete the whole year as an AG'er or lose the points of the races I did below 200 pounds.
Like I'd said my training is back on track again. I had been burned out since I'd completed Ironman Arizona in November. I haven't been missing workouts like I had been. I'm hitting most all of them, even the swims!!!! I know, it's amazing. I'm even swimming!
I am training exclusively for sprint distance triathlons this year rather than Ironman distances like the last few years, so my training emphasis is on speed work rather than long & slow. But even so, my long bike rides are up to 62 miles & my long runs are up to 7 miles. I've knocked off 18 seconds on my 400 meter run intervals in the last 3 weeks. I'm still no where as fast of a runner as I usually am, but I'm improving quickly. Hopefully I'll be back to running my usual 6-7:15 minute miles for a 5K. My biking is actually faster now than I ever:)
Right now my diet is great, my training is awesome, & my speeds are improving quickly. Life is looking good my friend!
This weekend I have another triathlon at White Sands Missile Range. It's the Wind Triathlon, a 5K run, 30 K bike & a 400 meter swim. Should be interesting because my biggest competition, Jason McClure will be there. This will be the third time of the 09 season that we'll be racing against each other. The first one I won, the 2nd he slaughtered me by 7 minutes! Even though Jason is much faster than me right now, it just so happens that I'm slightly ahead in the South West Challenge Series. He has 26 points, I have 29. As long as I place in the top 3 in my division at this weekends race I'll be able to keep my lead, even if only by a point or 2. I'll keep you posted on how the race & the results go.
Well, as I've said before my daughter who is 3.5 years old is taking swim lessons. & I'm excited to say she swam for the first time this last week. She swam about 4 or 5 feet, all under water & using a semi-breast stroke. I was so excited I when I saw her do this I interrupted the class by jumping up & down & yelling hysterically "she's swimming! She's doing it! She's swimming, she's swimming!" I must say, that was one of the coolest experiences of my life. She's 2 years younger than the next youngest child in her class of 8 kids, & she is the 2nd one to be able to swim. There's only one kid who can hold her breath longer than my daughter too. I'm telling you peeps, my baby girl is a natural swimmer.
I've been hoping my daughter could do the Jay Benson kids triathlon in May. To be able to do that race she needs to be able to swim 1 lap which is 25 meters by herself. I wasn't sure if she'd be able to learn to swim that far by then, but it looks like she may. How cool would that be. You can bet I'll record the entire triathlon on our camcorder. Oh, how wonderful father hood is!
March 19, 2009
calorie adjutment & no HR monitors!
Anyone who has ever read my blog knows I struggle with my weight. Weight is extremely important to endurance athletes. As Lance Armstrong says, "Skinny isn't a body type, it a tactical necessity."
I've always competed in triathlons at a much heavier weight than most triathletes. My race weight from late 2003 to early 2007 was 227 pounds. The last year my weight has been a yo-yo of up & downs, peaks & valleys. From as high as 256 in Nov 2007 to 188 pounds in May 2008. I've been wondering why the vast fluctuation when I'd been at such a consistent weight for about 4 years? My workouts have been better than ever, so what gives?
While reading my favorite blog Couch-Potato-to-Ironman I believe I found the answer. Couch Potato said he went to a nutritionist specializing in triathlon. She told him he was causing himself problems because he was trying to live off 2100 calories a day. She made him increase that to 2800 because he works out so much & so hard. 2100 calories is exactly how many I'd been trying to sustain myself on for the last year of struggle & yo-yo dieting.
Because my calories were too low for my activity level I'd be on my diet for 1-5 days & then have such horrible cravings I couldn't control my eating. I'd binge, get back on track, then fall off the wagon again, then repeat over & over again. Of course with me there is an emotional aspect to my eating. But to be honest, 3/4's of the time my overeating was from physical cravings, not emotional. Now that I see the error of my ways it makes perfect sense. Even to the point that I am questioning myself with, "How did I not see that before now?" But hey, better late than never. I'd rather learn a hard lesson than not learn at all.
On Sunday I raised my daily calories from 2100 a day to 2500. Plus I eat 50 calories for every 100 I burn from exercise. I'm five days into my new daily calorie experiment & I'm doing great! I'm a little hungry, but it's at a tolerable level. I don't have that feeling of being horribly ravenous like before. I think I'm on to something here & I'm REALLY EXCITED. There is no doubt in my mind why I came across this knowledge 2 weeks after I started to pray for God to help me with my weight. He answers prayers to those who trust in Him. I give ALL glory to God! Through him anything is possible!
Both my Garmin 305 GPS heart rate monitor & my Polar F-6 heart rate monitor stopped working. How ironic both would be not working the same week. There 's a$99 flat rate plus shipping & handling to fix any & all problems with the Garmin. $18-$79 to fix the Polar. Hope they send them back quick. I feel blind training without them!
All things considered It's been a great week & I'm more pumped up about multi-sport than I have been in a long while. I believe with my new found diet knowledge I'll be down to a fast & furious racing weight with less of the pain & agony from in no time!!!
Thanks for tuning in!
I've always competed in triathlons at a much heavier weight than most triathletes. My race weight from late 2003 to early 2007 was 227 pounds. The last year my weight has been a yo-yo of up & downs, peaks & valleys. From as high as 256 in Nov 2007 to 188 pounds in May 2008. I've been wondering why the vast fluctuation when I'd been at such a consistent weight for about 4 years? My workouts have been better than ever, so what gives?
While reading my favorite blog Couch-Potato-to-Ironman I believe I found the answer. Couch Potato said he went to a nutritionist specializing in triathlon. She told him he was causing himself problems because he was trying to live off 2100 calories a day. She made him increase that to 2800 because he works out so much & so hard. 2100 calories is exactly how many I'd been trying to sustain myself on for the last year of struggle & yo-yo dieting.
Because my calories were too low for my activity level I'd be on my diet for 1-5 days & then have such horrible cravings I couldn't control my eating. I'd binge, get back on track, then fall off the wagon again, then repeat over & over again. Of course with me there is an emotional aspect to my eating. But to be honest, 3/4's of the time my overeating was from physical cravings, not emotional. Now that I see the error of my ways it makes perfect sense. Even to the point that I am questioning myself with, "How did I not see that before now?" But hey, better late than never. I'd rather learn a hard lesson than not learn at all.
On Sunday I raised my daily calories from 2100 a day to 2500. Plus I eat 50 calories for every 100 I burn from exercise. I'm five days into my new daily calorie experiment & I'm doing great! I'm a little hungry, but it's at a tolerable level. I don't have that feeling of being horribly ravenous like before. I think I'm on to something here & I'm REALLY EXCITED. There is no doubt in my mind why I came across this knowledge 2 weeks after I started to pray for God to help me with my weight. He answers prayers to those who trust in Him. I give ALL glory to God! Through him anything is possible!
Both my Garmin 305 GPS heart rate monitor & my Polar F-6 heart rate monitor stopped working. How ironic both would be not working the same week. There 's a$99 flat rate plus shipping & handling to fix any & all problems with the Garmin. $18-$79 to fix the Polar. Hope they send them back quick. I feel blind training without them!
All things considered It's been a great week & I'm more pumped up about multi-sport than I have been in a long while. I believe with my new found diet knowledge I'll be down to a fast & furious racing weight with less of the pain & agony from in no time!!!
Thanks for tuning in!
March 16, 2009
2009 Raptor duathlon race report
Today, March 15th 2009 was the Raptor duathlon. It's a 5k run & a 30k bike on a very flat & fast course. This morning was a real treat because the race director hooked it up so that I could stay on the military base. I woke up 100 yards from the race sight. Usually when I stay in Alamogordo I have to wake up @ 4:30am to make it through the military's front gate & to the race sight on time. Today I woke up at 6am & still was at the race sight earlier than when I stayed in Alamogordo! Happy happy joy joy!
Today there were some smoking fast athletes who showed for this. I fellow by the name of Dirk won it in 1:05. 2nd place was retired pro-cyclist & endurance endeavors owner James Webster. Jason Atkinson was winning & flatted with 3 miles to go. Fellow Outlaws Paul & Mark were 3rd & 4th overall. Smoking fast triathletes!!!
I was disappointed to see that Jason McClure was not there at the race today. Of course since he is faster than me it was actually better for my standing in the series that he didn't show up, but I do love racing against him because the level of competition he brings makes me a better racer.
My first assumption since he wasn't there was that there would probably only be one or 2 Clydesdales at the Raptor du. The Raptor usually isn't well attended by Clydes. But I found out right before the start of the race that there were 7 Clydes there today!!! Oh boy, not good news for me because I'm running slower than I have in over 5 years. My cycling has gotten a tad bit faster for short course racing, but not nearly enough to make up for my run.
I started the run & felt pretty decent the first mile. I was a little faster than I thought I'd be. About 8 minutes for the first mile. After the initial mile I ran about what I thought I'd run, 8:15- 8:30 minutes per mile. I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I raced today at the same weight that I did for nearly 4 years when I averaged about 7 minutes per mile. 1 minute 15 seconds per mile is a bunch of time to lose when most races have a run of 3.2- 6.4 miles long.
A dream race situation today would of been a shorter run & a bit longer of a bike. Thankfully that was exactly what happened. They shorted the run by quite a bit. I finished the shorter than 5k run at the 25:45 mark.
I had a relatively average bike split for my normal time at the Raptor du. Finishing with a total time of 1:19:40. Now I have a vastly superior bike & a brand new disk/tri spoke wheel set than the other years I've done this race. Same time with faster set up equals a slower engine.
I could get down on myself for being slower in both disciplines at the same weight I normally race at, but I'm actually pretty excited. Here's my thinking: I'm at rock bottom as far as speed goes with no where to go but faster. Today I got a 1st place finish at a race where I raced quite slowly. I recieved another 1st place for the South West Challenge series because of the lack of competition showing to the Raptor! Perhaps I'll be able to get back to my usual speeds in time to hang on to my slight SW series lead- a 3 point lead to be exact. I have 29 points from two 1st place victories & one 2nd place, Jason McClure has 26 points. I have a mere 3 point lead on a power house of an athlete.
I have not been able to figure out why I've been running so slowly & why my breathing has been my limiter. Used to be when I ran I pushed myself to the point where my legs were SCREAMING but my breathing never really got out of control. Recently my breathing has been my limiter, meaning when I run at 100 percent I'm gasping for breath long before I reach the point where I'm pushing my legs. I had James Webster of Endurance Endeavors explain to me why. Now I know, & knowing is half the battle!
Thanks for tuning in!
Today there were some smoking fast athletes who showed for this. I fellow by the name of Dirk won it in 1:05. 2nd place was retired pro-cyclist & endurance endeavors owner James Webster. Jason Atkinson was winning & flatted with 3 miles to go. Fellow Outlaws Paul & Mark were 3rd & 4th overall. Smoking fast triathletes!!!
I was disappointed to see that Jason McClure was not there at the race today. Of course since he is faster than me it was actually better for my standing in the series that he didn't show up, but I do love racing against him because the level of competition he brings makes me a better racer.
My first assumption since he wasn't there was that there would probably only be one or 2 Clydesdales at the Raptor du. The Raptor usually isn't well attended by Clydes. But I found out right before the start of the race that there were 7 Clydes there today!!! Oh boy, not good news for me because I'm running slower than I have in over 5 years. My cycling has gotten a tad bit faster for short course racing, but not nearly enough to make up for my run.
I started the run & felt pretty decent the first mile. I was a little faster than I thought I'd be. About 8 minutes for the first mile. After the initial mile I ran about what I thought I'd run, 8:15- 8:30 minutes per mile. I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I raced today at the same weight that I did for nearly 4 years when I averaged about 7 minutes per mile. 1 minute 15 seconds per mile is a bunch of time to lose when most races have a run of 3.2- 6.4 miles long.
A dream race situation today would of been a shorter run & a bit longer of a bike. Thankfully that was exactly what happened. They shorted the run by quite a bit. I finished the shorter than 5k run at the 25:45 mark.
I had a relatively average bike split for my normal time at the Raptor du. Finishing with a total time of 1:19:40. Now I have a vastly superior bike & a brand new disk/tri spoke wheel set than the other years I've done this race. Same time with faster set up equals a slower engine.
I could get down on myself for being slower in both disciplines at the same weight I normally race at, but I'm actually pretty excited. Here's my thinking: I'm at rock bottom as far as speed goes with no where to go but faster. Today I got a 1st place finish at a race where I raced quite slowly. I recieved another 1st place for the South West Challenge series because of the lack of competition showing to the Raptor! Perhaps I'll be able to get back to my usual speeds in time to hang on to my slight SW series lead- a 3 point lead to be exact. I have 29 points from two 1st place victories & one 2nd place, Jason McClure has 26 points. I have a mere 3 point lead on a power house of an athlete.
I have not been able to figure out why I've been running so slowly & why my breathing has been my limiter. Used to be when I ran I pushed myself to the point where my legs were SCREAMING but my breathing never really got out of control. Recently my breathing has been my limiter, meaning when I run at 100 percent I'm gasping for breath long before I reach the point where I'm pushing my legs. I had James Webster of Endurance Endeavors explain to me why. Now I know, & knowing is half the battle!
Thanks for tuning in!
March 02, 2009
Teaching my daughter, stressing my wife
Yesterday I signed my daughter up for the age 5 swim class she tested into. She's only three & a half years old!!!! That's my girl!!!
To the horror of my wife & in-laws I'm looking in to her starting to practice with the Santa Fe Patriots, which is a local Santa Fe wrestling team. She can practice at age 3, but can't actually compete until she's 4 or 5. And then of course there's the thing I'm most looking foreword to, at age 5 she can start taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the Santa Fe jiu-jitsu academy!!! Oh ya. I won't have to worry about my baby girl. She'll be able to take care of herself! She may even be able to whoop her old man soon:)
Then of course there's 2 more babies of mine (one in utero) which I will teach the fine art of Don't Mess With Me!!!! A whole clan of lil' bad blond mama-jamma's!!!! To the horror of my wife, I really am loving being a Father:)
Now as far as my Multisport training is going I'm a tad bit confused. My weight is fluctuating, but seems to be staying in the 220-230 range. Of course I'd prefer to be lighter, because light isn't just a weight, it's speed. But as long as I'm under 230 I won't stress. I'm destined to be big bald & beautiful! At least that's what I assume because I have a hottie of a wife, & I know darn well she isn't with me because of my money, or intellect. I know she's not with me because of the things I get my baby girl into either because I send my wife into small states of panic on a consistent basis. I do get a sick kind of fascination watching that though. (cue evil laugh)
At the beginning of this week I did a run Time Trial to test my lactate threshold. I am a slower runner now than I have been since early 2004. Late 08 I was running a 6 minute 18 second mile. Last month it slowed to a 7:35. This week an 8:24!!!! Uuuhhgg!!! To be completely honest I was very close to not racing the Raptor Duathlon on the 15th of March because of how slow I'd become in my running.
On the flip side I did a cycling Time Trial today & I was faster than I've ever been. Usually I feel when I'm making speed gains & today's TT PR was a complete & total surprise to me. I went a full half a mile faster in a 30 minute TT. That is a pretty substantial gain! I have no idea what is going on with my body right now. How can I make such gains in one event & digress so much in another? I dunno, but I guess I'll go ahead & show up to the Raptor Du. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky & be the only Clydesdale to show that day. Doubtful, but as Princess Leah said "Obi-One, your our only hope". Ok, a little out of context, but that very well be my only hope.
I've decided to start swimming again. I had taken time off from the pool to let my M-dot tattoo heal. For those of you who don't know the story, I got an Ironman tattoo on the back of my right calf & then went swimming before it was healed so consequently it faded from the red it was supposed to be to a bright pink. I got it re-colored & lo-and-behold it came out pink again!!! What the heck? Well, to be specific, it's no longer a bright pink. Now it's a much more dignified dark pink. Uuhhhggg!!! Out of all the colors of ink my body has to reject why did it have to be red? Well, since my tattoo's already an embarrassment I might as well start swimming early again. It's not likely to turn rainbow which would be the only thing I can think of that would be worse than a dang pink tattoo.
Now onto the important stuff. I've started studying the theological ideological differences of Armenian faith vs. Reformed faith. Not sure why God led me to study such a huge & hotly contested theological issue. This issue has been debated since 431 at The Council Of Ephesus. But the Lord has led me to study this, so I will do my best. I've read 1 book on reformed faith & the points brought up were convincing. Now I'm searching for a well written book supporting the Armenian aspect. If there are any suggestions on books for either side I'm willing to hear em. Also any of you Christ following peeps out there who have an opinion, feel free to leave one in the comment section, or if you'd prefer your opinion to not be public feel free to email it. I'm thirsting for knowledge here.
Thanks for tuning in, I'm out!!!!
To the horror of my wife & in-laws I'm looking in to her starting to practice with the Santa Fe Patriots, which is a local Santa Fe wrestling team. She can practice at age 3, but can't actually compete until she's 4 or 5. And then of course there's the thing I'm most looking foreword to, at age 5 she can start taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the Santa Fe jiu-jitsu academy!!! Oh ya. I won't have to worry about my baby girl. She'll be able to take care of herself! She may even be able to whoop her old man soon:)
Then of course there's 2 more babies of mine (one in utero) which I will teach the fine art of Don't Mess With Me!!!! A whole clan of lil' bad blond mama-jamma's!!!! To the horror of my wife, I really am loving being a Father:)
Now as far as my Multisport training is going I'm a tad bit confused. My weight is fluctuating, but seems to be staying in the 220-230 range. Of course I'd prefer to be lighter, because light isn't just a weight, it's speed. But as long as I'm under 230 I won't stress. I'm destined to be big bald & beautiful! At least that's what I assume because I have a hottie of a wife, & I know darn well she isn't with me because of my money, or intellect. I know she's not with me because of the things I get my baby girl into either because I send my wife into small states of panic on a consistent basis. I do get a sick kind of fascination watching that though. (cue evil laugh)
At the beginning of this week I did a run Time Trial to test my lactate threshold. I am a slower runner now than I have been since early 2004. Late 08 I was running a 6 minute 18 second mile. Last month it slowed to a 7:35. This week an 8:24!!!! Uuuhhgg!!! To be completely honest I was very close to not racing the Raptor Duathlon on the 15th of March because of how slow I'd become in my running.
On the flip side I did a cycling Time Trial today & I was faster than I've ever been. Usually I feel when I'm making speed gains & today's TT PR was a complete & total surprise to me. I went a full half a mile faster in a 30 minute TT. That is a pretty substantial gain! I have no idea what is going on with my body right now. How can I make such gains in one event & digress so much in another? I dunno, but I guess I'll go ahead & show up to the Raptor Du. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky & be the only Clydesdale to show that day. Doubtful, but as Princess Leah said "Obi-One, your our only hope". Ok, a little out of context, but that very well be my only hope.
I've decided to start swimming again. I had taken time off from the pool to let my M-dot tattoo heal. For those of you who don't know the story, I got an Ironman tattoo on the back of my right calf & then went swimming before it was healed so consequently it faded from the red it was supposed to be to a bright pink. I got it re-colored & lo-and-behold it came out pink again!!! What the heck? Well, to be specific, it's no longer a bright pink. Now it's a much more dignified dark pink. Uuhhhggg!!! Out of all the colors of ink my body has to reject why did it have to be red? Well, since my tattoo's already an embarrassment I might as well start swimming early again. It's not likely to turn rainbow which would be the only thing I can think of that would be worse than a dang pink tattoo.
Now onto the important stuff. I've started studying the theological ideological differences of Armenian faith vs. Reformed faith. Not sure why God led me to study such a huge & hotly contested theological issue. This issue has been debated since 431 at The Council Of Ephesus. But the Lord has led me to study this, so I will do my best. I've read 1 book on reformed faith & the points brought up were convincing. Now I'm searching for a well written book supporting the Armenian aspect. If there are any suggestions on books for either side I'm willing to hear em. Also any of you Christ following peeps out there who have an opinion, feel free to leave one in the comment section, or if you'd prefer your opinion to not be public feel free to email it. I'm thirsting for knowledge here.
Thanks for tuning in, I'm out!!!!
February 21, 2009
Dare I say "moderation"?
After my post "the big 3 paranoia" a couple weeks ago that was full of motivation & expecting great things....things simply fell apart. I missed 4 workouts one week, then I didn't work out once the entire next week. Ouch indeed!
Normally I'd beat myself up about something like this. I'm realizing I completed a late season Ironman & didn't take enough time off, plus my focus has been on my 2 children, my wife, & my new baby on the way. I'm going to do my best to rededicate myself, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I'm unable to get back into the swing of hard core training like I'm used to. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. This was supposed to be my season to shine, since I'm now training specifically for sprints & that distance is the one I've always done best at. But, this is a life long sport, it's like my coach Pete Alfino says, I don't do this for a living, it's for fun. So let's make the best of it.
Oh, & if Jason McClure is reading this, thanks for the words of encouragement. For you to encourage someone who is one of your rival competitors in your division, says a lot about the kind of person you are.
The first time I had tried weight watchers online I lost a ton of weight. Hindsight I believe I lost to much way to quickly. I was averaging just under 4 pounds of loss every week. I kept that up from Nov 07 until May 08. I dropped from 256 to an all time low of 188. I remember being ravenously hungry all the time.
I'm hovering around 230 now & I've been attempting weight watchers online again. I'm not dealing with the hunger well at all. I'll get a week into the diet & the hunger gets to me and I fall off the diet wagon again.
Albert Einstein said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over & over again & expecting a different outcome." I might be a very, very, very slow learner, but by golly I think I'm on to something. If I lost to much weight to quickly before & was hungry to the point of torture, & now I'm so hungry all the time that I fail to stay consistent, then obviously I'm not getting enough calories on WW online!
So now what I shall try is to eat double the activity points I'm allocated on WW. I believe this will help for multiple reasons.
-I'll be getting more calories on the days I'm working out which is when I need the extra nutrients & calories to recover.
-I'll be getting more calories so I won't be so ravenous & end up self destructing.
-I will be losing weight more slowly, which from what I'm told makes a person more apt to not gain the weight back.
Like I said, I don't learn quickly, but at times I am capable of semi-intelligent thought. I'd like to point out I did say semi-intelligent. I don't want people to start expecting a light bulb above this noggin to often or they will be often disappointed:)
A tad bit of info for ya. Mac & Cheese out of a box has a butt lod of calories. Today I had just a tad bit, 1 cup to be exact. That was 9 weight watchers points!!! Darn near gave me a heart attack! Beware the mac & cheese out of the box!
Normally I'd beat myself up about something like this. I'm realizing I completed a late season Ironman & didn't take enough time off, plus my focus has been on my 2 children, my wife, & my new baby on the way. I'm going to do my best to rededicate myself, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I'm unable to get back into the swing of hard core training like I'm used to. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. This was supposed to be my season to shine, since I'm now training specifically for sprints & that distance is the one I've always done best at. But, this is a life long sport, it's like my coach Pete Alfino says, I don't do this for a living, it's for fun. So let's make the best of it.
Oh, & if Jason McClure is reading this, thanks for the words of encouragement. For you to encourage someone who is one of your rival competitors in your division, says a lot about the kind of person you are.
The first time I had tried weight watchers online I lost a ton of weight. Hindsight I believe I lost to much way to quickly. I was averaging just under 4 pounds of loss every week. I kept that up from Nov 07 until May 08. I dropped from 256 to an all time low of 188. I remember being ravenously hungry all the time.
I'm hovering around 230 now & I've been attempting weight watchers online again. I'm not dealing with the hunger well at all. I'll get a week into the diet & the hunger gets to me and I fall off the diet wagon again.
Albert Einstein said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over & over again & expecting a different outcome." I might be a very, very, very slow learner, but by golly I think I'm on to something. If I lost to much weight to quickly before & was hungry to the point of torture, & now I'm so hungry all the time that I fail to stay consistent, then obviously I'm not getting enough calories on WW online!
So now what I shall try is to eat double the activity points I'm allocated on WW. I believe this will help for multiple reasons.
-I'll be getting more calories on the days I'm working out which is when I need the extra nutrients & calories to recover.
-I'll be getting more calories so I won't be so ravenous & end up self destructing.
-I will be losing weight more slowly, which from what I'm told makes a person more apt to not gain the weight back.
Like I said, I don't learn quickly, but at times I am capable of semi-intelligent thought. I'd like to point out I did say semi-intelligent. I don't want people to start expecting a light bulb above this noggin to often or they will be often disappointed:)
A tad bit of info for ya. Mac & Cheese out of a box has a butt lod of calories. Today I had just a tad bit, 1 cup to be exact. That was 9 weight watchers points!!! Darn near gave me a heart attack! Beware the mac & cheese out of the box!
February 13, 2009
My comitement to my children
A lot of people often complain to me that their children weren't born with a manual. They are. It is written in the bible how I should raise my children. What I should do & even what I should expect. Here are some of my favorite bible verses about our children.
Deuteronomy 6:6
These commandments that I give you today are to be apon your hearts. Impress them a on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,when you lie down and when you get up.
Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
This verse hits me particularly hard. I need to give conscious effort in how I act each moment of each day. Will I live for Him, or live worldly. Each decision I make affects my childrens views on life and what should be important to them. God, or the world.
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Psalm 127 3-5
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates
Proverbs 13:24
Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.
Mathew 18:6
But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
2 Timothy 3:15
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
1 John 3
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
Deuteronomy 6:6
These commandments that I give you today are to be apon your hearts. Impress them a on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,when you lie down and when you get up.
Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
This verse hits me particularly hard. I need to give conscious effort in how I act each moment of each day. Will I live for Him, or live worldly. Each decision I make affects my childrens views on life and what should be important to them. God, or the world.
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Psalm 127 3-5
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates
Proverbs 13:24
Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.
Mathew 18:6
But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
2 Timothy 3:15
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
1 John 3
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
February 11, 2009
A big announcement for the big 200th post
This year I had a wish list. Among other things I was hoping for a Rocket Aero helmet.
Not sure where the confusion came from. 3 babies in 3 years. Apparently the endurance I'm developing for Multisport can affect other areas of my life. At the Dr.'s office they said they know what causes that now..... Who knew?
We've made progress this time though. There's 4 more months between #2 & #3 than there was between #1 & #2. We may even make it to the 2 year mark between #3 & #4. But then again maybe not, I do find my wife quite irresistible.....I knew my coach shouldn't have given me so much time off after IMAZ.
Our house is much happier & more full of life with 2 babies than only one. I think 3 is going to be great. I'm excited.... and really grateful I'm not the one who has to go into labor for the third time in 3 years.
Not sure where the confusion came from. 3 babies in 3 years. Apparently the endurance I'm developing for Multisport can affect other areas of my life. At the Dr.'s office they said they know what causes that now..... Who knew?We've made progress this time though. There's 4 more months between #2 & #3 than there was between #1 & #2. We may even make it to the 2 year mark between #3 & #4. But then again maybe not, I do find my wife quite irresistible.....I knew my coach shouldn't have given me so much time off after IMAZ.
Our house is much happier & more full of life with 2 babies than only one. I think 3 is going to be great. I'm excited.... and really grateful I'm not the one who has to go into labor for the third time in 3 years.
February 07, 2009
Rough week
I was scheduled to do the WSMR duathlon today. I called WSMR Friday to see if I could stay at the camp ground the night before. The RD told me he didn't have my registration so I wouldn't be able to race on Saturday. I sent in the registration mid December. Apparently they lost it or something. Dang it they really piss me off. I did a mini taper and took 12 hrs leave from work for this race & now they're telling me due to their screw up I won't be allowed to race.
There aren't a lot of people who train as hard as I do in the dead of winter, if at all, & there aren't many people who do this race. The WSMR duathlon rarely pulls in more than 50-60 total athletes so this is a PRIME opportunity to get some great points for the South West Challenge Series. But nope, WSMR screwed up again. This is another mess up of a string of colossal mistakes. Its truly ridiculous. A pack of poorly trained monkeys could RD better than those guys. So thanks to the WSMR rd I won't have another race until late March & I'll have one less race than I'd planned for the South West Challenge Series. I'm so angry I could spit fire.
I have to drop my mini-van off at the shop tomorrow. More mechanical problems. I have the worst luck with vehicles!
& in July the legislature will be trying to make it so that NM state corrections has to do 5 years extra to retire. I can see some light at only having to do 7 more years at the Penn to retire. I don't see any light at the end of 12 years. That's a long time.
On the up side I weighed in at 217 this morning!!!
I'm going to get my M-dot tattoo re-colored today so it's no loner pink I may even get the one on my back cleaned up since I'm there. I figure I might as well get both done at once because I won't be able to swim for a couple months to let them heal. Why limit my swimming like that twice when I could just get them both done at once.
Dang I wish I was racing today. Racing always makes everything better doesn't it?
There aren't a lot of people who train as hard as I do in the dead of winter, if at all, & there aren't many people who do this race. The WSMR duathlon rarely pulls in more than 50-60 total athletes so this is a PRIME opportunity to get some great points for the South West Challenge Series. But nope, WSMR screwed up again. This is another mess up of a string of colossal mistakes. Its truly ridiculous. A pack of poorly trained monkeys could RD better than those guys. So thanks to the WSMR rd I won't have another race until late March & I'll have one less race than I'd planned for the South West Challenge Series. I'm so angry I could spit fire.
I have to drop my mini-van off at the shop tomorrow. More mechanical problems. I have the worst luck with vehicles!
& in July the legislature will be trying to make it so that NM state corrections has to do 5 years extra to retire. I can see some light at only having to do 7 more years at the Penn to retire. I don't see any light at the end of 12 years. That's a long time.
On the up side I weighed in at 217 this morning!!!
I'm going to get my M-dot tattoo re-colored today so it's no loner pink I may even get the one on my back cleaned up since I'm there. I figure I might as well get both done at once because I won't be able to swim for a couple months to let them heal. Why limit my swimming like that twice when I could just get them both done at once.
Dang I wish I was racing today. Racing always makes everything better doesn't it?
February 04, 2009
big 3 paranoia
I just did some MAJOR restructuring of my triathlon schedule. I'm canceling my first A race of the year, the trisports.com Dessert Classic duathlon & another mid season race -can't reveal which one just in case your reading this & are one of the big 3, that is one of the three Clydesdale Open Division athletes that are at this point in time faster than me, & all together likely to prevent me from taking top 3 Clydesdales this year. I'm also changing my A race from the February 22nd trisport.com dessert classic duathlon to a race in June. Can't tell ya which one in June will be my new A race just in case you are one of the big 3;)
This restructuring of my schedule gives me longer to build a bigger peak to really crush my A race and all competitors. By not travelling to AZ later this month it also helps my wife & I recover a bit in the pocket book. Which at this point is badly needed.
I'm really excited about my Multisport season this year. I've always enjoyed sprint distances most. I'm not only much faster the shorter the race is, but there's something exhilarating to me about going out & moving really fast, pushing as hard as possible for as long as the race is, not allowing myself to slow no matter how much my legs & lungs burn. Why would I want to monitor my heart rate and pace myself when I could hear a woosh-woosh as I pass stationary objects on the side of the road or pass other triathletes like they are a stationary objects!!!!!!!!
Another reason I'm excited is because I have more & stronger competition in my division (Clydesdale Open also called the Clydesdale 39 & under) this year than I have ever faced. I call these guys the big 3.
In 4 years I've never had a Clydesdale 39 & under beat me on the run portion of a Multisport race. Now there are 2 Clydes who can out run me George Ferland & David McDonald (he's a fellow follower of Christ! Praise the Lord!). There is also the big bad cyclist Jason McClure. He's the most dominant cyclist in the Clydesdale open division. In December Jason McClure beat me by 8 minutes in a sprint race! 8 minutes! Ouch. I have my work cut out for me this year, & I wouldn't have it any other way. This is awakening my competitive side. Not only has this week been my best week of training since Sept, but I've not gone into an emotional eating frenzy since the last week of 2008!!! That's 5 weeks people!!! The last time I had a streak last this long ended in May of last year!!!! If I continue to lose weight at this rate I'll be down to my dream racing weight of 200 by mid April. That will give me a couple weeks leeway for the Atomicman duathlon April 26th! I may of lost 8 minutes on my 5k this winter, but now that I'm this focused I'll get it back that lost speed as quick, if not quicker than I had lost it. If your competing in the Clydesdale Open Division be afraid, very very afraid.
Now that being said I must say God puts things in our laps for reasons we may never understand. God suddenly put the love of triathlon in David McDonalds heart. He then put David in contact with me. It's my love for Christ and my desire to follow Gods words when he says to love my fellow man like I love myself that had me send every piece of triathlon info and resource I have to David who is my 2nd most dangerous competition in my division. Everything from articles, my USAT coaching certification books & paperwork, Joe Friels "the triathlon training bible", offered to take him with me to any out of town races I go to, told him which is the best race in the series for clydes to get a 10 point finish for the series, & have even offered to let him use my race wheels at a few multisport races. I must say, it sounds like I'm a good person doesn't it. I'm not. It's God who's good, He changes my heart & convinces me to show the fruit on my tree. As always I must give ALL the glory to God, because I am a wretch of a man who has been shown the light and the goodness of Gods ways.
This restructuring of my schedule gives me longer to build a bigger peak to really crush my A race and all competitors. By not travelling to AZ later this month it also helps my wife & I recover a bit in the pocket book. Which at this point is badly needed.
I'm really excited about my Multisport season this year. I've always enjoyed sprint distances most. I'm not only much faster the shorter the race is, but there's something exhilarating to me about going out & moving really fast, pushing as hard as possible for as long as the race is, not allowing myself to slow no matter how much my legs & lungs burn. Why would I want to monitor my heart rate and pace myself when I could hear a woosh-woosh as I pass stationary objects on the side of the road or pass other triathletes like they are a stationary objects!!!!!!!!
Another reason I'm excited is because I have more & stronger competition in my division (Clydesdale Open also called the Clydesdale 39 & under) this year than I have ever faced. I call these guys the big 3.
In 4 years I've never had a Clydesdale 39 & under beat me on the run portion of a Multisport race. Now there are 2 Clydes who can out run me George Ferland & David McDonald (he's a fellow follower of Christ! Praise the Lord!). There is also the big bad cyclist Jason McClure. He's the most dominant cyclist in the Clydesdale open division. In December Jason McClure beat me by 8 minutes in a sprint race! 8 minutes! Ouch. I have my work cut out for me this year, & I wouldn't have it any other way. This is awakening my competitive side. Not only has this week been my best week of training since Sept, but I've not gone into an emotional eating frenzy since the last week of 2008!!! That's 5 weeks people!!! The last time I had a streak last this long ended in May of last year!!!! If I continue to lose weight at this rate I'll be down to my dream racing weight of 200 by mid April. That will give me a couple weeks leeway for the Atomicman duathlon April 26th! I may of lost 8 minutes on my 5k this winter, but now that I'm this focused I'll get it back that lost speed as quick, if not quicker than I had lost it. If your competing in the Clydesdale Open Division be afraid, very very afraid.
Now that being said I must say God puts things in our laps for reasons we may never understand. God suddenly put the love of triathlon in David McDonalds heart. He then put David in contact with me. It's my love for Christ and my desire to follow Gods words when he says to love my fellow man like I love myself that had me send every piece of triathlon info and resource I have to David who is my 2nd most dangerous competition in my division. Everything from articles, my USAT coaching certification books & paperwork, Joe Friels "the triathlon training bible", offered to take him with me to any out of town races I go to, told him which is the best race in the series for clydes to get a 10 point finish for the series, & have even offered to let him use my race wheels at a few multisport races. I must say, it sounds like I'm a good person doesn't it. I'm not. It's God who's good, He changes my heart & convinces me to show the fruit on my tree. As always I must give ALL the glory to God, because I am a wretch of a man who has been shown the light and the goodness of Gods ways.
January 31, 2009
This weeks triathlon training is a rest & test week for me. Next week I'll be in a mini taper for the Feb 7th WSMR duathlon which will be a B race. Today was the first test of 4 for the week. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Today I completed a 1 mile Time Trial. I did this same test on the same track in Sept & pumped out a 6 minute 15 sec mile. I assumed I'd be faster today since I've been training for sprint races since November, as apposed to Ironman distances for the previous 5 years. Boy was my expectation off. I completed today's 1 miler in 7 minutes 35 minutes. Today I did a 5k TT & was 8 minutes slower. 8 minutes!!!!!!!! There's only one time in the last 4 years I was this slow. That was when I hit 256 pounds in November of 07. I'm only 220 right now, so I have no idea why I'm so slow. With my B race only 8 days away I need to be making some serious gains relatively quickly if I'm going to be competitive at all in the Clydesdale division of the South West Challenge Series. Right now there are 3 guys in my division that I know of who are much much faster than me. That's not including the dark horses or unknowns who show up each year. The 3 faster Clydes I know of right now are-
1) Jason McClure
2)David McDonald
3)George Ferland
Unfortunately I'm not talking a little faster either. McDonald & Ferland are both superior runners, which is the first time even one person in the SW Clydesdale Open division has been faster. Jason McClure is the fastest Clydesdale cyclist in the South West. He's a bad-mamm-jama on the bike. Even on one of my good days he can make up a 2 minute deficit in a sprint race on the bike easily. But then if you add the fact that for some reason I'm one minute thirteen seconds slower per mile on my usual 1 mile run & 8minutes slower on my 5 k.....I think I'm in deep doo doo. Hopefully I'll be able to pack on some serious speed the 2nd half of the season & make up some points for the series. For now I'll just show up & try & hold on for dear life!
Everyday I leave for work & my wife, daughter, & son stand at the window facing the street to wave & blow kisses to me as I peddle away on my commuter bike. It makes leaving my family more tolerable. That's one of the precious images I'll have stored in my mind until the day I die.My daughter who turns 3 years 4 months old today helps my wife pack my lunch each day. Occasionally when I get to work I'll find my daughter has snuck something special into my lunch box. The things she's put in my lunch box have ranged from Barbie dolls (some fully dressed, some without any clothes at all), stuffed animals, her favorite children's books, her cherished swim goggles, & last night she put in a baggie of plastic food she had prepared for me from her plastic children's kitchen. I think some people would be slightly embarrassed to show up to work with small girls toys in their lunch box. Especially a work place with as much machismo (machismo n. A strong or exaggerated sense of masculinity stressing attributes such as physical courage & virility) as the New Mexico super max prison. But not me. I find these things in my lunch, pull them out & show these things off to my fellow co-workers filled with pride & a heart full with the warmth that only the unconditional & innocent love from a child could bring. I pull these things out of my lunch box in front of my entire shift & say look what my baby girl packed into my lunch box today. The first few times I did this I got the expected teasing & whistles. But after awhile all the people on my shift just smiled. I can see the envy on some of their faces. The fact that my daughter would be willing to give up her favorite toys, even if only for a night touches me like very few things in my life ever has. I cherish these moments. My daughter got her Mom's heart & giving nature. I thank God daily for them. I also thank God for having my daughter take the majority of her traits from my wife;) That's a good thing because my wife is the best person I've ever met. I can be a challenge to say the least.
My daughter finished her month long swim lessons. She was the youngest in her class. This was the first step of progressive swim courses. She was one of only 4 children who was given the ok to join the next level. The next step is the Level 1 swim course. It's suggested that a child be 5 years to get into this class, or pass the pre-course. I was told that often times children as young as my daughter have to attend the pre-course a few times before testing up. But my daughter who isn't even 3 & a half yet passed on her first time. She was the youngest in the pre-course. Now she will be the youngest in the level 1 by years! Yes, I am a proud Dad today indeed!!!
Speaking of being a proud parent, my son who is 1 year 5 months old started walking on Jan 25th. He simply refused to walk for the longest time & got a late start. I wasn't worried at all. I knew he was progressing just fine in all areas, he just preferred to crawl. On the 25th he woke up & started walking all over like he'd been doing it forever. No stumbling or falling. One day he wouldn't walk at all, the next he was walking as well as my daughter. No in between. I think my son takes after me. We are both an all or nothing kind of a person. No in-between for us. We are perpetually in the stop or run mode. No in-between for the 2 of us.Thanks for tuning in, I'm out.
1) Jason McClure
2)David McDonald
3)George Ferland
Unfortunately I'm not talking a little faster either. McDonald & Ferland are both superior runners, which is the first time even one person in the SW Clydesdale Open division has been faster. Jason McClure is the fastest Clydesdale cyclist in the South West. He's a bad-mamm-jama on the bike. Even on one of my good days he can make up a 2 minute deficit in a sprint race on the bike easily. But then if you add the fact that for some reason I'm one minute thirteen seconds slower per mile on my usual 1 mile run & 8minutes slower on my 5 k.....I think I'm in deep doo doo. Hopefully I'll be able to pack on some serious speed the 2nd half of the season & make up some points for the series. For now I'll just show up & try & hold on for dear life!
Everyday I leave for work & my wife, daughter, & son stand at the window facing the street to wave & blow kisses to me as I peddle away on my commuter bike. It makes leaving my family more tolerable. That's one of the precious images I'll have stored in my mind until the day I die.My daughter who turns 3 years 4 months old today helps my wife pack my lunch each day. Occasionally when I get to work I'll find my daughter has snuck something special into my lunch box. The things she's put in my lunch box have ranged from Barbie dolls (some fully dressed, some without any clothes at all), stuffed animals, her favorite children's books, her cherished swim goggles, & last night she put in a baggie of plastic food she had prepared for me from her plastic children's kitchen. I think some people would be slightly embarrassed to show up to work with small girls toys in their lunch box. Especially a work place with as much machismo (machismo n. A strong or exaggerated sense of masculinity stressing attributes such as physical courage & virility) as the New Mexico super max prison. But not me. I find these things in my lunch, pull them out & show these things off to my fellow co-workers filled with pride & a heart full with the warmth that only the unconditional & innocent love from a child could bring. I pull these things out of my lunch box in front of my entire shift & say look what my baby girl packed into my lunch box today. The first few times I did this I got the expected teasing & whistles. But after awhile all the people on my shift just smiled. I can see the envy on some of their faces. The fact that my daughter would be willing to give up her favorite toys, even if only for a night touches me like very few things in my life ever has. I cherish these moments. My daughter got her Mom's heart & giving nature. I thank God daily for them. I also thank God for having my daughter take the majority of her traits from my wife;) That's a good thing because my wife is the best person I've ever met. I can be a challenge to say the least.
My daughter finished her month long swim lessons. She was the youngest in her class. This was the first step of progressive swim courses. She was one of only 4 children who was given the ok to join the next level. The next step is the Level 1 swim course. It's suggested that a child be 5 years to get into this class, or pass the pre-course. I was told that often times children as young as my daughter have to attend the pre-course a few times before testing up. But my daughter who isn't even 3 & a half yet passed on her first time. She was the youngest in the pre-course. Now she will be the youngest in the level 1 by years! Yes, I am a proud Dad today indeed!!!
Speaking of being a proud parent, my son who is 1 year 5 months old started walking on Jan 25th. He simply refused to walk for the longest time & got a late start. I wasn't worried at all. I knew he was progressing just fine in all areas, he just preferred to crawl. On the 25th he woke up & started walking all over like he'd been doing it forever. No stumbling or falling. One day he wouldn't walk at all, the next he was walking as well as my daughter. No in between. I think my son takes after me. We are both an all or nothing kind of a person. No in-between for us. We are perpetually in the stop or run mode. No in-between for the 2 of us.Thanks for tuning in, I'm out.
January 30, 2009
which anniversary poem?
Sunday is my wife & my anniversary. I found these 2 poems & was wondering which one you peeps thought I should put on the card?
Every Year
Every year that I'm with you
Is been better than before;
It's hard for me to imagine
How I could love you more.
Every year you've graced my life
Has been full of happiness;
I love your caring face,
your voice,Your tender, sweet caress.
Every year when this day comes,
I'm filled with love and pleasure;
Happy Anniversary, Cindy,
My joy, my delight, my treasure.
Perfect pairing
Dear Cindy, for me we are the perfect pairing;
Every thought of you is filled with all my caring.
You're the real live answer to my fondest dreaming,A perfect partner for a perfect teaming.
Each year I realize that it's all true;
I have the one I searched for, and it's you.
I'm lucky that I have you as my mate;
It's our anniversary; time to celebrate!
Every Year
Every year that I'm with you
Is been better than before;
It's hard for me to imagine
How I could love you more.
Every year you've graced my life
Has been full of happiness;
I love your caring face,
your voice,Your tender, sweet caress.
Every year when this day comes,
I'm filled with love and pleasure;
Happy Anniversary, Cindy,
My joy, my delight, my treasure.
Perfect pairing
Dear Cindy, for me we are the perfect pairing;
Every thought of you is filled with all my caring.
You're the real live answer to my fondest dreaming,A perfect partner for a perfect teaming.
Each year I realize that it's all true;
I have the one I searched for, and it's you.
I'm lucky that I have you as my mate;
It's our anniversary; time to celebrate!
January 23, 2009
more weight loss & my family
This has been a great week! My training is still doing fabulous. & I've been perfect on my diet for the last 3 weeks. 3 weeks in a row. It was July since I was in this kind of control of my eating. When I'm more in control of my diet that's an indicator of how I feel emotionally. & things are great right now.
I was down to 219 pounds this morning! One of my goals for the year was to race my 3 A races under 220 pounds. Well, I'm under 220 for the first time in a long time, & as of yesterday I have exactly 1 month until my first A race of the year. Things are looking up.
Up until this week I was down to one pair of work pants that fit me. I got into my X-L work pants today for the first time in many months. I feel so much better on my runs now than I have since October. Like I've said time & time again "skinny isn't a body type, it's a tactical necessity." & "light isn't weight, it's speed!" I'm well on my way to living those 2 sayings again! I love it when a plan comes together.
On another subject. My wife started going back to school, so on Mon's & Wed's I have my babies all day to myself. I have been SO happy! That probably has a lot to do with me controlling my eating. There's nothing better for a persons happiness level than quality time with your children.
My son is going through a major Daddy stage right now. I love it. As long as I'm around he'll cry unless I'm holding him. Makes me all warm inside to be loved so much by someone I love so much. My wife's not so happy about that though. I've won over her Momma's boy;) My son is afraid to walk. It's not that he can't. He's just afraid of falling. So unless he's on a soft surface like a bed or wrestling mats he simply won't do it. I know when I'm trying to walk on soft surfaces, it's much more difficult to walk on than a regular surface, which proves my point. He could walk if he wanted to. It's ironic. He is afraid of falling 6 inches, which is about how far it is from his butt to the floor, but a couple weeks ago I taught him to climb a 55 foot ladder & he'll do it without hesitation or any help. But he's afraid of the short distance to the floor when standing. LOL. He's just like his old man. I'm not afraid of walking into a prison on a daily basis where I've been beaten up, almost shanked, & had my life threatened more times than I could count. But I fall apart, quake in my boots if I'm in a public place & my back is to an open room or a door. Funny, I love him even more because of his quirks than I do from his perfect qualities.
I take my daughter & son to Albuquerque jumps on the 2 days a week I have them. That's always been a highlight for me & my lil ones. All 3 of us play hard with each other until we are so exhausted we can barely move. In the last couple months my daughter who is now 3 years 4 months old has started to only want to play with the other kids while there. I've spent the last few times at Albuquerque jumps following my daughter around watching her play with kids her age & hoping the kids & their parents would go away so that she'd play with me. LOL. She's growing up. I really miss the days when she'd only want to play her Daddy, pretty much ignoring all the other people around her.
No one told me watching my children grow up would be the most rewarding & painful thing I'd ever feel all at the same time;) God is with me, & He is good. Very good indeed. He blesses me on a daily basis with much much more than I deserve. & that is the truth. May God be with you to.
I was down to 219 pounds this morning! One of my goals for the year was to race my 3 A races under 220 pounds. Well, I'm under 220 for the first time in a long time, & as of yesterday I have exactly 1 month until my first A race of the year. Things are looking up.
Up until this week I was down to one pair of work pants that fit me. I got into my X-L work pants today for the first time in many months. I feel so much better on my runs now than I have since October. Like I've said time & time again "skinny isn't a body type, it's a tactical necessity." & "light isn't weight, it's speed!" I'm well on my way to living those 2 sayings again! I love it when a plan comes together.
On another subject. My wife started going back to school, so on Mon's & Wed's I have my babies all day to myself. I have been SO happy! That probably has a lot to do with me controlling my eating. There's nothing better for a persons happiness level than quality time with your children.
My son is going through a major Daddy stage right now. I love it. As long as I'm around he'll cry unless I'm holding him. Makes me all warm inside to be loved so much by someone I love so much. My wife's not so happy about that though. I've won over her Momma's boy;) My son is afraid to walk. It's not that he can't. He's just afraid of falling. So unless he's on a soft surface like a bed or wrestling mats he simply won't do it. I know when I'm trying to walk on soft surfaces, it's much more difficult to walk on than a regular surface, which proves my point. He could walk if he wanted to. It's ironic. He is afraid of falling 6 inches, which is about how far it is from his butt to the floor, but a couple weeks ago I taught him to climb a 55 foot ladder & he'll do it without hesitation or any help. But he's afraid of the short distance to the floor when standing. LOL. He's just like his old man. I'm not afraid of walking into a prison on a daily basis where I've been beaten up, almost shanked, & had my life threatened more times than I could count. But I fall apart, quake in my boots if I'm in a public place & my back is to an open room or a door. Funny, I love him even more because of his quirks than I do from his perfect qualities.
I take my daughter & son to Albuquerque jumps on the 2 days a week I have them. That's always been a highlight for me & my lil ones. All 3 of us play hard with each other until we are so exhausted we can barely move. In the last couple months my daughter who is now 3 years 4 months old has started to only want to play with the other kids while there. I've spent the last few times at Albuquerque jumps following my daughter around watching her play with kids her age & hoping the kids & their parents would go away so that she'd play with me. LOL. She's growing up. I really miss the days when she'd only want to play her Daddy, pretty much ignoring all the other people around her.No one told me watching my children grow up would be the most rewarding & painful thing I'd ever feel all at the same time;) God is with me, & He is good. Very good indeed. He blesses me on a daily basis with much much more than I deserve. & that is the truth. May God be with you to.
January 16, 2009
my run on sentance 2 paragraph post
This year so far has started off great. I can't remember a year starting off
this well for me before. I'm back on the diet wagon. At the end of 2008 I was
236 pounds & still gaining like the world was running out of food. I'm down to 223 now. I've only missed one run & that was because my wife had to take a placement test & register for collage. Which is another wonderful thing for the new year. My wife has decided to take the extra time she has at home & take some collage courses with the hopes of getting into Dental Hygiene school in 2 years. During the 2 days a week she's in class I'll take that time to do something special with my babies. One on on time with my 2 little ones has been rare this last year. I'm very excited about the special time I'll have with my babies.
All in all things are great, I'm out of my workout & diet slump. I didn't get back on the wagon in time to be light enough to crush the 2 duathlon in Feb like I had planned. Even if I stay hard core with no cheating by the Desert Classic Duathlon on February 22nd I'll only be down to 210-215. The race on the 22nd is a qualifier for the National Duathlon championships. At 200-205 I think I had a chance to take a top 3 Clydesdale & qualify. Not at my current weight that's for dang sure. But the most important thing is that I've stopped the momentum of gaining weight & missing workouts. I'm back on track to crush my 2 most important A races of the year which is & the Jay Benson triathlon in Albuquerque May 10th & the Dog House sprint in Lubbock TX May 17. I'm very pumped up about being a sprint specialist & having some blazing speed this year. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can get to that 200 pound mark to be as light as possible while still being able to keep my Clydesdale status.
Thanks for tuning in, I'm out!
this well for me before. I'm back on the diet wagon. At the end of 2008 I was
236 pounds & still gaining like the world was running out of food. I'm down to 223 now. I've only missed one run & that was because my wife had to take a placement test & register for collage. Which is another wonderful thing for the new year. My wife has decided to take the extra time she has at home & take some collage courses with the hopes of getting into Dental Hygiene school in 2 years. During the 2 days a week she's in class I'll take that time to do something special with my babies. One on on time with my 2 little ones has been rare this last year. I'm very excited about the special time I'll have with my babies.
All in all things are great, I'm out of my workout & diet slump. I didn't get back on the wagon in time to be light enough to crush the 2 duathlon in Feb like I had planned. Even if I stay hard core with no cheating by the Desert Classic Duathlon on February 22nd I'll only be down to 210-215. The race on the 22nd is a qualifier for the National Duathlon championships. At 200-205 I think I had a chance to take a top 3 Clydesdale & qualify. Not at my current weight that's for dang sure. But the most important thing is that I've stopped the momentum of gaining weight & missing workouts. I'm back on track to crush my 2 most important A races of the year which is & the Jay Benson triathlon in Albuquerque May 10th & the Dog House sprint in Lubbock TX May 17. I'm very pumped up about being a sprint specialist & having some blazing speed this year. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can get to that 200 pound mark to be as light as possible while still being able to keep my Clydesdale status.
Thanks for tuning in, I'm out!
January 07, 2009
Does God really care about triathlons?
I had a Sgt. at work last night say to me "I heard you do triathlons?" I told him with much excitement & pride about the Ironman I just completed in November in 14 hrs 36 minutes. He promptly said you don't look like someone who could do an Ironman.
I'd be insulted if it wasn't true. Fact is I'm a big fat triathlete. I complete numerous triathlons every year in spite of having a gut that hangs over my belt & have what my buddies call a "ghetto booty". I mean, I'm only 5'11 and weight 236!!!
Almost 6 years ago I weighed 300 pounds & couldn't run more than 20 yards at a time. Even in high school when I was reasonably fit I was a horrid runner. I was in the slow runners group in the military too. All that changed when I got down on my knees & prayed for God to help me. He threw triathlon in my lap almost immediately. Through Him I've found a healthy lifestyle that assists me in keeping some of my weight off. I've become a good swimmer & cyclist. But most surprising I've become a great runner. In May I ran in a triathlon that I kept up a 6 minute 15second run pace for 5 Kilometers. I then topped it off by keeping a 23.3 mph pace on the 20 Kilometer bike & an 8:30 400 meter swim. That's not me I can promise you. That's a higher power working there.
When my wife & I first got married we tried to conceive. After almost 2 years we were at whit's end. We had tried everything to have a baby. Nothing had worked. One particularly hard day after my wife & I broke down & cried my wife & I got down on our knees & prayed. We continued to put it in God's hands from that point on. A little over 2 months later we found out we were pregnant. Not coincidental timing I assure you. I ask you what is impossible through God? Miracles don't need to be a rare thing. They are possible to anyone who does what Jesus asks of us. I told my Sgt. these things & he asked & I quote "Do you really think God cares about triathlons & who races in them? I mean come on He's got bigger things in the world to be concerned about!"
I don't want to win if my only goal is to win. Even 1st place trophies eventually collects dust & are forgotten. God put me here for Him. To honor Him Jesus said the most important thing is to love God with everything we are & to love others like we love ourselves. So if I win every race & miss that then I've accomplished nothing. I think triathlon is just another way to honor God. God cares about my faith. He cares where my heart is. If I can carry my faith into triathlon then yes He cares about triathlon because He cares about me. He sent His only son to die for me so that I could live for Him. It's not just on the triathlon course I need to honor him. I need to honor Him in my relationships, in my respect for authority, at work, & when I'm at home surfing the inter-net. I'd like God to bless me so much in triathlon that people talk about what He did through me. But that means I have to give Him my best in every area of my life. If I win I'll praise Him, if I lose I'll praise Him. Either way I'll try to honor Him in my actions & my attitudes. Our attitude is the aroma of the heart. If our attitude stinks then our hearts not right. I have resolved to give God everything I've got. Then I'll leave the results to Him.
Cody Hanson
I'd be insulted if it wasn't true. Fact is I'm a big fat triathlete. I complete numerous triathlons every year in spite of having a gut that hangs over my belt & have what my buddies call a "ghetto booty". I mean, I'm only 5'11 and weight 236!!!
Almost 6 years ago I weighed 300 pounds & couldn't run more than 20 yards at a time. Even in high school when I was reasonably fit I was a horrid runner. I was in the slow runners group in the military too. All that changed when I got down on my knees & prayed for God to help me. He threw triathlon in my lap almost immediately. Through Him I've found a healthy lifestyle that assists me in keeping some of my weight off. I've become a good swimmer & cyclist. But most surprising I've become a great runner. In May I ran in a triathlon that I kept up a 6 minute 15second run pace for 5 Kilometers. I then topped it off by keeping a 23.3 mph pace on the 20 Kilometer bike & an 8:30 400 meter swim. That's not me I can promise you. That's a higher power working there.
When my wife & I first got married we tried to conceive. After almost 2 years we were at whit's end. We had tried everything to have a baby. Nothing had worked. One particularly hard day after my wife & I broke down & cried my wife & I got down on our knees & prayed. We continued to put it in God's hands from that point on. A little over 2 months later we found out we were pregnant. Not coincidental timing I assure you. I ask you what is impossible through God? Miracles don't need to be a rare thing. They are possible to anyone who does what Jesus asks of us. I told my Sgt. these things & he asked & I quote "Do you really think God cares about triathlons & who races in them? I mean come on He's got bigger things in the world to be concerned about!"
I don't want to win if my only goal is to win. Even 1st place trophies eventually collects dust & are forgotten. God put me here for Him. To honor Him Jesus said the most important thing is to love God with everything we are & to love others like we love ourselves. So if I win every race & miss that then I've accomplished nothing. I think triathlon is just another way to honor God. God cares about my faith. He cares where my heart is. If I can carry my faith into triathlon then yes He cares about triathlon because He cares about me. He sent His only son to die for me so that I could live for Him. It's not just on the triathlon course I need to honor him. I need to honor Him in my relationships, in my respect for authority, at work, & when I'm at home surfing the inter-net. I'd like God to bless me so much in triathlon that people talk about what He did through me. But that means I have to give Him my best in every area of my life. If I win I'll praise Him, if I lose I'll praise Him. Either way I'll try to honor Him in my actions & my attitudes. Our attitude is the aroma of the heart. If our attitude stinks then our hearts not right. I have resolved to give God everything I've got. Then I'll leave the results to Him.
Cody Hanson
January 05, 2009
swim lessons & stuff
My daughter starts her first swim lesson tomorrow. I'll be taking her every Monday. My wife will be taking her every Wednesday since I work on those nights. While she's getting her lesson her baby brother will be able to partake in some fun in the water too! All of us are very excited about this. Should be a ton of fun.
In May my most important race for the year is the Jay Benson Triathlon. After the adult race they put on a children triathlons. If my daughter can swim 25 meters by then she'll be attempting her first triathlon race at 3 years 8 months old;) That's 4 months away & she's already asking her Mom & I when her race is, if I will clap for her, & a few other questions that only a 3 year old could make so dang cute.
The day after Christians my daughter and I built our first snow man together. We had a blast. Ended up being a very sentimental thing for me for some reason. But then again, what doesn't get sentimental when your doing a first anything with your child. Here's the pictures.
In May my most important race for the year is the Jay Benson Triathlon. After the adult race they put on a children triathlons. If my daughter can swim 25 meters by then she'll be attempting her first triathlon race at 3 years 8 months old;) That's 4 months away & she's already asking her Mom & I when her race is, if I will clap for her, & a few other questions that only a 3 year old could make so dang cute.
The day after Christians my daughter and I built our first snow man together. We had a blast. Ended up being a very sentimental thing for me for some reason. But then again, what doesn't get sentimental when your doing a first anything with your child. Here's the pictures.
These holidays were the most fun I've ever had. By far the best Holiday of my life. Unfortunately it wasn't very good for my waist line. I'm up to 236 pounds. I've only got one pair of work pants that still fit & my wedding band doesn't fit any longer. This week I missed 3 workouts, the first time I've ever done that. This morning I felt like I had hit rock bottom. I've felt like that 2 other times. The first was right before I decided to start training for triathlons to control my weight which had gotten up to 292 pounds. The other time was last Nov when I got up to 256 & failed to finish the Silverman.
Anytime I had got to that low point I ended up kicking the diet & workouts into gear & got great results. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Getting motivated couldn't happen any sooner because my B race is the WSMR duathlon on February 7th. Only 4 weeks away. I'm to the point of do or die with that race right now.
I'll keep you updated on how the training goes for my daughter & I;) Gosh I'm excited about her lessons.
December 29, 2008
The holidays
My little girl understood Christmas for the first time this year. She was looking forward to Santa Clause coming. She understood about the presents. Most importantly she understood that it was Jesus B-day. She sang the happy B-day song to Jesus almost everyday. Very sweet.
My son watched my daughter open a couple gifts & figured out exactly what to do. He got on a roll with the present opening to say the least. He squealed every time he opened a new gift & saw what it was. His favorite present was a Pooh teddy bear;)
2 days after Christmas I had annual leave from work so we could watch UFC 92. A guy training out of Albuquerque won the light heavy weight championship belt, first NM'er in MMA to win a championship.
My 2 best buds Jimmy & Brandy came over to watch it with my family & I. Jimmy brought his bike & indoor trainer over & we pumped out a Chris Carmichael sprinting DVD before the fight. Great workout, great company.
On Friday my son woke up from his nap & yelled Mommy for the first time. Then On Saturday he woke up from a nap & yelled Daddy. I was very touched. I must admit I got very teary eyed. This was the best Holiday season I've ever had, by far. God really has blessed me.
Last Sunday I rode my bike to church which is a 40 mile ride one way. The temp was 20 degrees when I started. My feet, hands, & torso were very cold by the time I got to church.
This Sunday it was even colder on my ride to church, 13 degrees, so I tried a couple things differently. I tried a new pair of gloves, a pair of Pearl Izumi Lobster claw gloves to see if it would help fight off the cold better. They did. So much for my $70 Gore-Tex cold weather cycling gloves. Those were no good. Which surprised me because the Pearl Izumi gloves were cheaper but much more affective. I wore 3 water wicking base layer shirts & a wind breaker on top that fellow Clydesdale Jason McClure gave me a couple weeks ago. It was the perfect combination. The 3 layers of clothing pulled all the sweat from my skin & pushed it up against my wind breaker like they was supposed to. It was so cold that once the sweat reached the windbreaker the sweat froze. Check out the pick I took when I took off the wind breaker. That's sweat, not snow.
So no problems fighting the cold on my hands or torso at all. My feet were still cold the last hour of my ride. I'm really hoping Performance bikes sends me my new cold weather cycling boots soon.
My water bottles froze 30 minutes into the ride so I was unable to drink any fluids on the ride. I think dehydration was the reason both of my hamstrings were cramping going up Heart Break Hill. I think if I start keeping my bottles in my cycling jersey underneath the wind breaker my body temperature will keep the fluid from freezing. I'll try it next Sunday & let you know how it works. All in all I am really enjoying my Sunday long rides. It's a great challenge & the conditions have broken up the monotony of the usual same old rides.
I am looking at my last couple weeks, heck, my whole life in general & have realized how lucky I really am. Everything is going better than I could ever hope for. Well, everything except my battle with my weight. I've been trying to lose weight. In the last 2 weeks instead of losing I've jumped up from 226 to 232. Pretty much no way to reach my goal weight of 195 by my next race on Feb 7th like I had hoped. At best I'll make my 195 goal weight by April sometime. Which means I've decided to race the entire season as a Clydesdale. No shame in that at all. It's one of the most competitive divisions in the South West. There are two people racing in the Clydesdale division that have beaten the heck out of me in races this year already. Jason McClure & George Ferland. Should be a fun & challenging season. I'll keep you informed on how the season progresses.
Thanks for tuning in & remember to give all glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.
My son watched my daughter open a couple gifts & figured out exactly what to do. He got on a roll with the present opening to say the least. He squealed every time he opened a new gift & saw what it was. His favorite present was a Pooh teddy bear;)
2 days after Christmas I had annual leave from work so we could watch UFC 92. A guy training out of Albuquerque won the light heavy weight championship belt, first NM'er in MMA to win a championship.
My 2 best buds Jimmy & Brandy came over to watch it with my family & I. Jimmy brought his bike & indoor trainer over & we pumped out a Chris Carmichael sprinting DVD before the fight. Great workout, great company.
On Friday my son woke up from his nap & yelled Mommy for the first time. Then On Saturday he woke up from a nap & yelled Daddy. I was very touched. I must admit I got very teary eyed. This was the best Holiday season I've ever had, by far. God really has blessed me.Last Sunday I rode my bike to church which is a 40 mile ride one way. The temp was 20 degrees when I started. My feet, hands, & torso were very cold by the time I got to church.
This Sunday it was even colder on my ride to church, 13 degrees, so I tried a couple things differently. I tried a new pair of gloves, a pair of Pearl Izumi Lobster claw gloves to see if it would help fight off the cold better. They did. So much for my $70 Gore-Tex cold weather cycling gloves. Those were no good. Which surprised me because the Pearl Izumi gloves were cheaper but much more affective. I wore 3 water wicking base layer shirts & a wind breaker on top that fellow Clydesdale Jason McClure gave me a couple weeks ago. It was the perfect combination. The 3 layers of clothing pulled all the sweat from my skin & pushed it up against my wind breaker like they was supposed to. It was so cold that once the sweat reached the windbreaker the sweat froze. Check out the pick I took when I took off the wind breaker. That's sweat, not snow.
So no problems fighting the cold on my hands or torso at all. My feet were still cold the last hour of my ride. I'm really hoping Performance bikes sends me my new cold weather cycling boots soon.My water bottles froze 30 minutes into the ride so I was unable to drink any fluids on the ride. I think dehydration was the reason both of my hamstrings were cramping going up Heart Break Hill. I think if I start keeping my bottles in my cycling jersey underneath the wind breaker my body temperature will keep the fluid from freezing. I'll try it next Sunday & let you know how it works. All in all I am really enjoying my Sunday long rides. It's a great challenge & the conditions have broken up the monotony of the usual same old rides.
I am looking at my last couple weeks, heck, my whole life in general & have realized how lucky I really am. Everything is going better than I could ever hope for. Well, everything except my battle with my weight. I've been trying to lose weight. In the last 2 weeks instead of losing I've jumped up from 226 to 232. Pretty much no way to reach my goal weight of 195 by my next race on Feb 7th like I had hoped. At best I'll make my 195 goal weight by April sometime. Which means I've decided to race the entire season as a Clydesdale. No shame in that at all. It's one of the most competitive divisions in the South West. There are two people racing in the Clydesdale division that have beaten the heck out of me in races this year already. Jason McClure & George Ferland. Should be a fun & challenging season. I'll keep you informed on how the season progresses.
Thanks for tuning in & remember to give all glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.
December 22, 2008
plan to survive
Saturday night I was going in to work. I work at night. Before I left for work I pulled my road bike in the house & prepared it for my ride to church in the morning. I had to get my bike prepped before I left for work because by the time I get home at 6:15 am I only have 15 minutes to get on the road . If I get on the road any later than 6:30 am I'd be late to church.
Sunday morning as soon as I got home I threw on my cold weather riding gear, filled up the tires with air & went on my way. The temp at the start of my ride was 20 degrees. I had on my Gore-Tex cycling gloves, which unfortunately does not keep my hands warm in temps under 30 degrees like they claimed. So I put a thick pair of wool socks on top of the gloves. My hands were still very cold on the ride. But hey, if I don't mind it don't matter.
On my feet I had on a pair of socks, a grocery bag on top of the socks, my cycling shoes, another grocery bag, & lastly a pair of cold weather booties (my cold weather boots were to small so I returned them to Performance bike). My feet felt great the first 2 hrs of the ride, but since the grocery bags don't allow the sweat from my feet to escape, after 2 hrs my socks were soaked which made for feet that felt like blocks of ice. Made for a miserable last 1hr 20 minutes.
As I had said, I pumped up my tires in doors & my bike had been indoors all night. This created a problem. The temps in my house was just shy of 70 degrees, the temp outside was 20 degrees. Its common knowledge that air expands when it warms, & the opposite happens when the air gets cold. When the air in my tires went from the 70 degree temps & 120 psi, to the 20 degree temps outside the air pressure gradually decreased. It decreased a lot! So much so that the rolling resistance went up dramatically! Within an hour of riding I was struggling to keep up a speed of 11 miles per hour on the flats where I'd normally keep up over a 16 mph speed rather easily.
The other part of the ride that I struggled with was staying hydrated. My water bottles froze. Kind of hard to drink Gatorade when it is in the solid form. I know, sounds horrible. & although my decreased speeds & thirst were frustrating, I had a blast! This ride was very uncomfortable, perhaps even dangerous. But not my worst days training condition by far. My most uncomfortable day of training was 2 years ago when I went for a 45 minute run in 4 degree temps with the wind-chill it was negative 11 degrees. When I got back from my run my stomach & the top of my head were a purple-blue & completely numb to the touch. I was in beginning stages of frost bite.
Why train in such harsh conditions? Simply put I want to live. I have the will to survive. The will to fight through situations others wouldn't even think of being in. The drive to not give up when most people would curl up into a ball & hope for mercy is not accidental. It is a mindset. The will to fight is not something people are born with. It's something that has to be harvested. It takes conscious mental training. After 13.5 years of working at the penitentiary I have learned what it takes to live. It takes mindset to survive no matter what the conditions are.
There was a case in California where a teenage kid was shot in the bicep by the cops. It was just a grazing shot. Not at all life threatening. The police told the kid out of spite, knowing it to be untrue, "I don't think your going to make it kid." The teenager died right there. The kid wasn't mentally prepared to fight for life. He heard something he wasn't expecting. He gave up.
There's been numerous times where I've seen inmates stabbed. But they rarely die. I've seen first hand where inmates were stabbed 20-30 times, & they lived. One time in particular an inmate was stabbed over 45 times with a rusted nail in the the face, eyes, neck, & chest. In less than a week he was out of the hospital & back in his cell. Why can they live getting stabbed numerous times, but an average Joe on the streets dies from one or 2 minor stab wounds? Mindset, inmates expect it to happen & are mentally prepared to fight & survive. Most people hope bad things don't happen. When something traumatic happens they go into shock. Shock is more than a physical condition. It has to do with a persons mindset. Along with the physical trauma, shock is determined also by how prepared you are mentally when your put into a position to fight or give up.
How often do you hear of a person curling up in a ball when they start getting beat up. Why did they curl into a ball, stop fighting & hope their attackers compassion saves them? Mindset. They should know they're going to take punishment once they go down to the ground. The attacker will start kicking & stomping them, regardless of whether they curl into a ball or if they roll onto their back & try to kick the aggressors knee caps through the back of their legs. So why roll into a submissive position & give up all hope? Mindset.
Giving up is more than just becoming submissive. Giving up effects the body in ways the average guy could never know. Why does one person fight through & beat a cancer that Dr.'s gave a slim chance of beating & a person who is healthy dies shortly after their spouse passes away? Mindset. You are either prepared to survive or willing to die. There's no in-between.
I have learned to constantly imagine myself in certain situations & think how I will respond. If an inmate jumps me & I'm suddenly in a fight for my life that I was not expecting to be in what will I do? I constantly go through that situation in my head. What will I do if he has a knife? If I get stabbed? If someone comes after me in front of my family on the streets? What will I do? I mentally train myself to fight with every ounce of strength I have in me until I win. No other option. Until I win. There's no surrender or submission. There's no shock, only attack back. Fight! I will use my fear, my strength, aggression, my love, or my anger at being in that situation. I'll strike with my fists, swing my radio like a ball & chain, I'll stab with my pen, gouge eyes, break knees, crush wind pipes, what ever it takes to come out that situation the victor. I train myself mentally to be prepared to win by ANY MEANS. & I've prepared myself to keep fighting no matter what kind of damage I sustain. I'll make them realize they are no longer the hunter. That person WILL think to themselves & very quickly, "oh crap, what have I gotten myself into. I don't think this was a good idea." I train myself to continue the fight for life even after the conflict is over. The fight for life doesn't end with the conflict. The fight continues all the way until I'm completely healed from whatever damage I sustained.
I never allow myself to think, "I'll react this way- but I hope it never happens." I have learned to expect it WILL happen. & when it does I will respond with overwhelming force & determination. & there's no situation I haven't already thought of & put myself through in my head over & over again
Before I married my wife I took freezing cold showers before work to put myself in an uncomfortable situation. To start a certain mindset. Daily I cultivated a mental toughness & will power to over come & expect uncomfortable situations. Now, I take warn showers, just in case your wondering.
A few years ago I went to go on a bike ride & it ended up getting very cold very unexpectedly. It was a miserable ride. I got home & sat in the bath tub filled with warm water trying to stop shaking & attempting to regain the feeling in my hands & feet. It hit me then that I could use triathlon training as a tool to build even more of my will to fight & survive. The will to fight through situations where most people wouldn't even have attempted. Winter is the best time to combine triathlon & building mental toughness. From here on out as long as the roads are dry, I will continue to ride the 40 miles one way to church on my bike this winter. But from now on I will remember to leave my bike outside in the shed & in the cold. I'll also pump up the tires outdoors in the cold. I'm training my mind to be tough yes, but not at the expense of speed!
Thanks for tuning in. I'm out.
Sunday morning as soon as I got home I threw on my cold weather riding gear, filled up the tires with air & went on my way. The temp at the start of my ride was 20 degrees. I had on my Gore-Tex cycling gloves, which unfortunately does not keep my hands warm in temps under 30 degrees like they claimed. So I put a thick pair of wool socks on top of the gloves. My hands were still very cold on the ride. But hey, if I don't mind it don't matter.
On my feet I had on a pair of socks, a grocery bag on top of the socks, my cycling shoes, another grocery bag, & lastly a pair of cold weather booties (my cold weather boots were to small so I returned them to Performance bike). My feet felt great the first 2 hrs of the ride, but since the grocery bags don't allow the sweat from my feet to escape, after 2 hrs my socks were soaked which made for feet that felt like blocks of ice. Made for a miserable last 1hr 20 minutes.
As I had said, I pumped up my tires in doors & my bike had been indoors all night. This created a problem. The temps in my house was just shy of 70 degrees, the temp outside was 20 degrees. Its common knowledge that air expands when it warms, & the opposite happens when the air gets cold. When the air in my tires went from the 70 degree temps & 120 psi, to the 20 degree temps outside the air pressure gradually decreased. It decreased a lot! So much so that the rolling resistance went up dramatically! Within an hour of riding I was struggling to keep up a speed of 11 miles per hour on the flats where I'd normally keep up over a 16 mph speed rather easily.
The other part of the ride that I struggled with was staying hydrated. My water bottles froze. Kind of hard to drink Gatorade when it is in the solid form. I know, sounds horrible. & although my decreased speeds & thirst were frustrating, I had a blast! This ride was very uncomfortable, perhaps even dangerous. But not my worst days training condition by far. My most uncomfortable day of training was 2 years ago when I went for a 45 minute run in 4 degree temps with the wind-chill it was negative 11 degrees. When I got back from my run my stomach & the top of my head were a purple-blue & completely numb to the touch. I was in beginning stages of frost bite.
Why train in such harsh conditions? Simply put I want to live. I have the will to survive. The will to fight through situations others wouldn't even think of being in. The drive to not give up when most people would curl up into a ball & hope for mercy is not accidental. It is a mindset. The will to fight is not something people are born with. It's something that has to be harvested. It takes conscious mental training. After 13.5 years of working at the penitentiary I have learned what it takes to live. It takes mindset to survive no matter what the conditions are.
There was a case in California where a teenage kid was shot in the bicep by the cops. It was just a grazing shot. Not at all life threatening. The police told the kid out of spite, knowing it to be untrue, "I don't think your going to make it kid." The teenager died right there. The kid wasn't mentally prepared to fight for life. He heard something he wasn't expecting. He gave up.
There's been numerous times where I've seen inmates stabbed. But they rarely die. I've seen first hand where inmates were stabbed 20-30 times, & they lived. One time in particular an inmate was stabbed over 45 times with a rusted nail in the the face, eyes, neck, & chest. In less than a week he was out of the hospital & back in his cell. Why can they live getting stabbed numerous times, but an average Joe on the streets dies from one or 2 minor stab wounds? Mindset, inmates expect it to happen & are mentally prepared to fight & survive. Most people hope bad things don't happen. When something traumatic happens they go into shock. Shock is more than a physical condition. It has to do with a persons mindset. Along with the physical trauma, shock is determined also by how prepared you are mentally when your put into a position to fight or give up.
How often do you hear of a person curling up in a ball when they start getting beat up. Why did they curl into a ball, stop fighting & hope their attackers compassion saves them? Mindset. They should know they're going to take punishment once they go down to the ground. The attacker will start kicking & stomping them, regardless of whether they curl into a ball or if they roll onto their back & try to kick the aggressors knee caps through the back of their legs. So why roll into a submissive position & give up all hope? Mindset.
Giving up is more than just becoming submissive. Giving up effects the body in ways the average guy could never know. Why does one person fight through & beat a cancer that Dr.'s gave a slim chance of beating & a person who is healthy dies shortly after their spouse passes away? Mindset. You are either prepared to survive or willing to die. There's no in-between.
I have learned to constantly imagine myself in certain situations & think how I will respond. If an inmate jumps me & I'm suddenly in a fight for my life that I was not expecting to be in what will I do? I constantly go through that situation in my head. What will I do if he has a knife? If I get stabbed? If someone comes after me in front of my family on the streets? What will I do? I mentally train myself to fight with every ounce of strength I have in me until I win. No other option. Until I win. There's no surrender or submission. There's no shock, only attack back. Fight! I will use my fear, my strength, aggression, my love, or my anger at being in that situation. I'll strike with my fists, swing my radio like a ball & chain, I'll stab with my pen, gouge eyes, break knees, crush wind pipes, what ever it takes to come out that situation the victor. I train myself mentally to be prepared to win by ANY MEANS. & I've prepared myself to keep fighting no matter what kind of damage I sustain. I'll make them realize they are no longer the hunter. That person WILL think to themselves & very quickly, "oh crap, what have I gotten myself into. I don't think this was a good idea." I train myself to continue the fight for life even after the conflict is over. The fight for life doesn't end with the conflict. The fight continues all the way until I'm completely healed from whatever damage I sustained.
I never allow myself to think, "I'll react this way- but I hope it never happens." I have learned to expect it WILL happen. & when it does I will respond with overwhelming force & determination. & there's no situation I haven't already thought of & put myself through in my head over & over again
Before I married my wife I took freezing cold showers before work to put myself in an uncomfortable situation. To start a certain mindset. Daily I cultivated a mental toughness & will power to over come & expect uncomfortable situations. Now, I take warn showers, just in case your wondering.
A few years ago I went to go on a bike ride & it ended up getting very cold very unexpectedly. It was a miserable ride. I got home & sat in the bath tub filled with warm water trying to stop shaking & attempting to regain the feeling in my hands & feet. It hit me then that I could use triathlon training as a tool to build even more of my will to fight & survive. The will to fight through situations where most people wouldn't even have attempted. Winter is the best time to combine triathlon & building mental toughness. From here on out as long as the roads are dry, I will continue to ride the 40 miles one way to church on my bike this winter. But from now on I will remember to leave my bike outside in the shed & in the cold. I'll also pump up the tires outdoors in the cold. I'm training my mind to be tough yes, but not at the expense of speed!
Thanks for tuning in. I'm out.
December 13, 2008
Polar Bear triathlon & the SW Challenge series
This Saturday Dec 13th was the Polar Bear tri in White Sands Missile Range. It ended up being a5 k run/40k bike/ 400m swim. I had a really poor race. I'm sure the reason is because I just completed Ironman Arizona 20 days before the Polar Bear. Right off the bat I was struggling. I had a really slow run. I just couldn't seem to get up to the run speeds I have done all year. Normally my run is my strength. But today my run was flat.
My biggest competition for the series, Jason McClure, had a great run. What I normally have to do to finish ahead of him is lay a smack down on the run because he's such a superior cyclist. Then I have to try & keep his lead to 1-1.5 minutes on the bike. I can make up a 1-1.5 minutes in the water.
Today he was able to stay with me on the run & beat me silly on the bike There were at least 4 people who could easily qualify as Clydes who passed me on the bike or run & whom I was never able to repass.
I put maximum effort into the bike, but was again flat & had no ability to pick up the speeds. The bike was a 40k. About 3/4 into it I bonked pretty hard. Considering how I felt, I was happy with how I was able to dig deep & overcome the pain.
I got into the water hoping to catch some of the Clydes who had dominated me today. I was able to catch & pass 5 or 6 people, but all of them were either little guys who were obviously not anywhere near the Clyd weight or they were girls. But hey, I'm not picky. At least I was able to pass someone during this race.
Even though I finished with a poor time I had a lot of fun! I was able to hang out with fellow triathletes who are always a lot of fun & supportive The other good news is that this race is only 20 days after IMAZ & I was able to finish with no injuries. God really blessed me with pretty much a bullet proof body. I've never got hurt from racing or training (excluding 1 bike wreck or mistakenly running 800 miles on one pair of shoes).
Unfortunately the race started at 8am & at 11am at the awards ceremony the RD said the results won't be available until 3pm. Hhhmmm. I could figure out the results with a pen & paper in a couple hours. Consequently I was late getting to the South West Challenge Series awards ceremony. But, I was able to get my first place 30-34 age group champion award. All in all a great day!
I found out today that the South west Challenge series no longer gives a quarter point after our 8th race. it's just the person who has the most points up to 8 races. No extra points.
I think the series should give extra points for extra races because it encourages athletes to attend more races. There should be incentives for doing more local races. Why should there be a cap? If I hit 8 ten point races I'm unlikely to sneak in many more, if any. I mean, I'd be maxed out with points anyway. Where as if there are other people in my division who may do more than 8 races I'd be forced to do more to stay competitive. If the series only allows the best 8, after I get 8 great races in I'll just train & avoid the extra costs of gas, hotel, & entry fees. Shouldn't there be rewards for supporting more local races, not less?
Just curious if I'm the only one who thinks that way. Don't get me wrong, I'm very gratefull for the SW series. Best thing since sliced bread. But it could be better by bringing back the bonus points.
Thanks for tuning in.
My biggest competition for the series, Jason McClure, had a great run. What I normally have to do to finish ahead of him is lay a smack down on the run because he's such a superior cyclist. Then I have to try & keep his lead to 1-1.5 minutes on the bike. I can make up a 1-1.5 minutes in the water.
Today he was able to stay with me on the run & beat me silly on the bike There were at least 4 people who could easily qualify as Clydes who passed me on the bike or run & whom I was never able to repass.
I put maximum effort into the bike, but was again flat & had no ability to pick up the speeds. The bike was a 40k. About 3/4 into it I bonked pretty hard. Considering how I felt, I was happy with how I was able to dig deep & overcome the pain.
I got into the water hoping to catch some of the Clydes who had dominated me today. I was able to catch & pass 5 or 6 people, but all of them were either little guys who were obviously not anywhere near the Clyd weight or they were girls. But hey, I'm not picky. At least I was able to pass someone during this race.
Even though I finished with a poor time I had a lot of fun! I was able to hang out with fellow triathletes who are always a lot of fun & supportive The other good news is that this race is only 20 days after IMAZ & I was able to finish with no injuries. God really blessed me with pretty much a bullet proof body. I've never got hurt from racing or training (excluding 1 bike wreck or mistakenly running 800 miles on one pair of shoes).
Unfortunately the race started at 8am & at 11am at the awards ceremony the RD said the results won't be available until 3pm. Hhhmmm. I could figure out the results with a pen & paper in a couple hours. Consequently I was late getting to the South West Challenge Series awards ceremony. But, I was able to get my first place 30-34 age group champion award. All in all a great day!
I found out today that the South west Challenge series no longer gives a quarter point after our 8th race. it's just the person who has the most points up to 8 races. No extra points.
I think the series should give extra points for extra races because it encourages athletes to attend more races. There should be incentives for doing more local races. Why should there be a cap? If I hit 8 ten point races I'm unlikely to sneak in many more, if any. I mean, I'd be maxed out with points anyway. Where as if there are other people in my division who may do more than 8 races I'd be forced to do more to stay competitive. If the series only allows the best 8, after I get 8 great races in I'll just train & avoid the extra costs of gas, hotel, & entry fees. Shouldn't there be rewards for supporting more local races, not less?
Just curious if I'm the only one who thinks that way. Don't get me wrong, I'm very gratefull for the SW series. Best thing since sliced bread. But it could be better by bringing back the bonus points.
Thanks for tuning in.
December 02, 2008
stupid M-dot tattoo & my weekly weight
On to other not so good news. I got an Ironman tattoo on the back of my calf the day after IMAZ. A few days later it had scabbed up well, & I went on a swim. I was in the water long enough that the scab became very soft from being water logged. After I got out of the water I squatted down to pick up my swim gear from the pool deck. Apparently a water logged scab from a tattoo is very fragile. When I squatted down my swim suit rubbed the scab & a good portion of the skin below off. It didn't hurt at all & I keep my tattoo's hygienic, so it's not like there was pain or a serious risk of infection Now that a few days has passed I see somehow ripping off the scab had taken most of the color from my tat. So instead of a red M-dot, it's now a pink one. I called my tattoo guy & he said I couldn't get it recolored until it was fully healed. That would be approximately 5 weeks. Most winters that wouldn't be a problem because I would not be wearing shorts. But on Dec 13th I have the Polar Bear which I'll be wearing a one piece tri suit & my new pink Ironman tattoo will be clearly visible to all 300 fellow competitors & their families, race support crews etc. Uugg. I can't believe this. Make bad to worse people will assume bad things because I live in Santa Fe. Oh man. The things that happen to me. I'd laugh if I wasn't horrified.
I weighed in at 221 this morning. 26 pounds until my goal weight. No problem. Last year I had 61 pounds to lose to get to that same weight. I learned much about my body last year. It should be pretty easy to get to 195 by my next A race, The Trisport.com dessert classic duathlon in Phoenix Az on Feb 22nd 2009.
An Ironman is a major accomplishment for any athlete. But I saw something at Ironman Arizona that straight blew my mind. There was a guy there who did the entire bike leg on a BMX single speed! He was #417. He finished the bike leg in 8:28 minutes & the entire race in 16:27 minutes. I felt that guy needed props.
November 29, 2008
Time off & a new season
Well, it's now post race. In other words it's rest & recovery time. This is always the hardest time of the year for me. By far the hardest. Last November rather than R&R I rode my bike from Santa Fe NM to Hobbs NM. A 3 day 330 mile ride. I really hate not being able to go out for a good workout. I have become a workout junky. I feel like I'm going through hard core drug withdrawals. The only reason I didn't go out for a ride today was because my wife threatened to call my coach & rat me out.
It's only been 5 days since Ironman Arizona. 5 days of total rest & I'm dying! Today was the last day of my vacation & my wife told me she's looking foreword to me going back to work because all the pacing I'm doing is making her nervous. I think part of the reason behind my difficulty to R&R this time is that all 5.5 years of triathlon training I've put in has been for the goal of becoming an Ironman. Each year one thing or another happened to prevent me from becoming an Ironman. Now this year I have a new and exciting goal.
As I've said before, ultra endurance isn't what my body is built for. Even though all I've trained for my entire triathlon career is ultra endurance triathlons, I don't finish well comparatively to the others in my division. I train long, yet I finish the highest in my division the shorter the race. So now after all these years, instead of training to overcome my weaknesses I'm going to train to build my strengths!!! & hot dog am I excited!!! My first A race this year is going to be an Olympic distance duathlon in Feb in Phoenix Arizona. It's a qualifier for the duathlon world championships. I really think I have the potential to be scary fast now that I'm going to be concentrating on short, fast, intense, & in my opinion FUN races! Man, I don't think I can express how pumped up I am. Obviously my training will be designed to be speed specific. That alone will increase my short course ability. On top of that I've set 3 other goals to help me accomplish the goal for break neck speeds.
1) get to 195 pounds. I started my diet yesterday. I learned a lot about dieting last year & plan on using that info to help me this year.
2) take my HR every morning without fail. There were a couple times I went pretty deep into over training last year. Those bouts of over training really set my training back. That could of been avoided if I'd of simply been better about taking my resting HR.
I have a tendency to gain a lot of weight during my taper. Part of it is the decreased training. But the majority of my weight gain came from me stressing about my upcoming event. I was slow in recognizing that. But now that I figured that out I think I'll be able to minimize it more this next year. Plus the stress of another possible Iron failure won't be hanging over my head all year. So goal #3) Not get above 215 pounds during my next taper. The lightest I've ever been for an A race was 236. & that was this weekend at IMAZ. If I could keep below 215, I would be very fast indeed. Ah, the excitement builds!!!! Now if my 2 weeks of time off could just end so I could start training for this beautiful new season! I've already signed up for my first race of the 2009 season. It's the Polar Bear Triathlon December 13th. I won't be at my best because I'll still be healing from my Iron, & I will have just started training again. I've taken a look at my competition I'll be up against next year for the SW series. I'll need each & every point I can get. The 30-34 AG has some bloody fast racers, the only reason I won it last year was because no one finished a full 8 races. This year I plan on winning regardless of how many races my competition finish! Wish me luck!
It's only been 5 days since Ironman Arizona. 5 days of total rest & I'm dying! Today was the last day of my vacation & my wife told me she's looking foreword to me going back to work because all the pacing I'm doing is making her nervous. I think part of the reason behind my difficulty to R&R this time is that all 5.5 years of triathlon training I've put in has been for the goal of becoming an Ironman. Each year one thing or another happened to prevent me from becoming an Ironman. Now this year I have a new and exciting goal.
As I've said before, ultra endurance isn't what my body is built for. Even though all I've trained for my entire triathlon career is ultra endurance triathlons, I don't finish well comparatively to the others in my division. I train long, yet I finish the highest in my division the shorter the race. So now after all these years, instead of training to overcome my weaknesses I'm going to train to build my strengths!!! & hot dog am I excited!!! My first A race this year is going to be an Olympic distance duathlon in Feb in Phoenix Arizona. It's a qualifier for the duathlon world championships. I really think I have the potential to be scary fast now that I'm going to be concentrating on short, fast, intense, & in my opinion FUN races! Man, I don't think I can express how pumped up I am. Obviously my training will be designed to be speed specific. That alone will increase my short course ability. On top of that I've set 3 other goals to help me accomplish the goal for break neck speeds.
1) get to 195 pounds. I started my diet yesterday. I learned a lot about dieting last year & plan on using that info to help me this year.
2) take my HR every morning without fail. There were a couple times I went pretty deep into over training last year. Those bouts of over training really set my training back. That could of been avoided if I'd of simply been better about taking my resting HR.
I have a tendency to gain a lot of weight during my taper. Part of it is the decreased training. But the majority of my weight gain came from me stressing about my upcoming event. I was slow in recognizing that. But now that I figured that out I think I'll be able to minimize it more this next year. Plus the stress of another possible Iron failure won't be hanging over my head all year. So goal #3) Not get above 215 pounds during my next taper. The lightest I've ever been for an A race was 236. & that was this weekend at IMAZ. If I could keep below 215, I would be very fast indeed. Ah, the excitement builds!!!! Now if my 2 weeks of time off could just end so I could start training for this beautiful new season! I've already signed up for my first race of the 2009 season. It's the Polar Bear Triathlon December 13th. I won't be at my best because I'll still be healing from my Iron, & I will have just started training again. I've taken a look at my competition I'll be up against next year for the SW series. I'll need each & every point I can get. The 30-34 AG has some bloody fast racers, the only reason I won it last year was because no one finished a full 8 races. This year I plan on winning regardless of how many races my competition finish! Wish me luck!
November 28, 2008
Ironman arizona post race report
Front row: Brandy, me, my wife, my daughter, my triathlon Coach Pete who flew all the way from Co. to watch my first Iron. In the back there is one of the greatest people I've ever met: Couch Potatoe to Ironman.
My new Ironman tatooNov 23rd 2008 I attempted Ironman Arizona in Tempe AZ. Ironman is not an easy
race to complete even in the most gifted & talented of triathletes. I do not have the genes for ultra endurance events. I trained for 5.5 years. & on November 23rd I finally accomplished one of my biggest all time goals. I am now an Ironman!
The 2.4 mile swim was in the Tempe town lake. The water was a little chilly @ 58 degrees. The lake was smooth with no waves or turbulence. I couldn't feel much of a current. I did well on the swim leg. I was expecting to finish between 1hr 30 min to 1 hr 40 minutes. I did it in 1hr 27 minutes. What I was surprised about was how good I felt getting out of the water. Virtually no fatigue at all. Shortly after I started my bike leg I saw my wife, Brandy, & my 2 children holding
signs they'd made, waving, & screaming my name. Most of the triathletes who saw thier family waved & continued peddling on their way. I couldn't help it. I got off my bike & gave hugs & kisses to all those who had come all that way to show their support & love for me in this big day. My daughter was holding a sign that said "#447 we love you stinky!" Stinky is the nick name my daughter & I have been calling eachother since she was an infant.
As I was peddling away & waving my 3 year old daughter yelled "Daddy you are my hero!" I must confess, when she said that I lost it. I cried for the first ten minutes of my 112 mile bike ride. The first of the 3 laps I was having a hard time controlling my heart rate. After that things went perfectly. I ended the bike in 6hrs 58 minutes. I was guestimating a bike time of 7-75 hrs. A little faster than planned again.
On the 26.2 mile run I started off feeling great! I was averaging 9.5 minute miles which is the pace I had found I could keep for that distance. At mile 4 I tried to eat a gel, but when I tried to swallow it I had issues doing just that. For the next mile or so I was fighting off the urge to puke. Apparently I should not have tried to force that last one down because from that point on I had
excruciating abdominal pain & cramping. I was reduced to a very slow jog or fast walk the remaining 21 miles & unable to keep any Gatorade gels or bars down. The marathon took me 5hrs 56 minutes. Couch potatoe to Ironman was there at the finish to scream & yell with me like a couple crazy guys. Perfect ending to a great race! By the way, next year it's your turn Couch potatoe to Ironman. You can bet I'll be there to sopport you just like you did for me this year.
I finished in a total time of 14 hrs & 39 minutes which was one hr earlier than what I guessed I'd accomplish, & half an hour better than what I had hoped for. All in all I'm very excited about the day. Finally after all this time, I am an Ironman. After the race I asked my wife why she tolerated & supported me training so much & spending so much money on training & equipment. She said "because your dreams are my dreams". That was the 2nd time that day I cried. I have the best wife any man could ever dream of.
race to complete even in the most gifted & talented of triathletes. I do not have the genes for ultra endurance events. I trained for 5.5 years. & on November 23rd I finally accomplished one of my biggest all time goals. I am now an Ironman!
The 2.4 mile swim was in the Tempe town lake. The water was a little chilly @ 58 degrees. The lake was smooth with no waves or turbulence. I couldn't feel much of a current. I did well on the swim leg. I was expecting to finish between 1hr 30 min to 1 hr 40 minutes. I did it in 1hr 27 minutes. What I was surprised about was how good I felt getting out of the water. Virtually no fatigue at all. Shortly after I started my bike leg I saw my wife, Brandy, & my 2 children holding
signs they'd made, waving, & screaming my name. Most of the triathletes who saw thier family waved & continued peddling on their way. I couldn't help it. I got off my bike & gave hugs & kisses to all those who had come all that way to show their support & love for me in this big day. My daughter was holding a sign that said "#447 we love you stinky!" Stinky is the nick name my daughter & I have been calling eachother since she was an infant.
As I was peddling away & waving my 3 year old daughter yelled "Daddy you are my hero!" I must confess, when she said that I lost it. I cried for the first ten minutes of my 112 mile bike ride. The first of the 3 laps I was having a hard time controlling my heart rate. After that things went perfectly. I ended the bike in 6hrs 58 minutes. I was guestimating a bike time of 7-75 hrs. A little faster than planned again.
On the 26.2 mile run I started off feeling great! I was averaging 9.5 minute miles which is the pace I had found I could keep for that distance. At mile 4 I tried to eat a gel, but when I tried to swallow it I had issues doing just that. For the next mile or so I was fighting off the urge to puke. Apparently I should not have tried to force that last one down because from that point on I had
excruciating abdominal pain & cramping. I was reduced to a very slow jog or fast walk the remaining 21 miles & unable to keep any Gatorade gels or bars down. The marathon took me 5hrs 56 minutes. Couch potatoe to Ironman was there at the finish to scream & yell with me like a couple crazy guys. Perfect ending to a great race! By the way, next year it's your turn Couch potatoe to Ironman. You can bet I'll be there to sopport you just like you did for me this year.
I finished in a total time of 14 hrs & 39 minutes which was one hr earlier than what I guessed I'd accomplish, & half an hour better than what I had hoped for. All in all I'm very excited about the day. Finally after all this time, I am an Ironman. After the race I asked my wife why she tolerated & supported me training so much & spending so much money on training & equipment. She said "because your dreams are my dreams". That was the 2nd time that day I cried. I have the best wife any man could ever dream of.
November 17, 2008
6 days until Ironman Arizona & cold weather training
Well, 6 days until Ironman Arizona. By Sunday night I will be an Ironman. I feel strong & confident. My training regiment has been spectacular. I'm weighing at 220 right now. Not as low as I'd like, but more than low enough to race well. My family & I will be leaving for Tempe AZ on Thursday morning. Friday I'll get my race packet. Saturday is equipment drop off & the mandatory pre-race meeting. Sunday morning is the day I've been training for 5.5 years. God willing I will conquer this distance.
Race stats 7am Az time Sunday morning. If you'd like to track my progress get onto http://www.ironmanlive.com/ & type in my name, Cody Hanson. That sight will keep you updated on where I am on the course. It will give you my splits, time, average pace, etc.
Last week a small cold front had come through northern New Mexico. I'm weighing 35 pounds less than what I was last winter. Weighing less sure makes a person cold easier! It was about 51 degrees out. Last year I'd of been fine going on a bike ride in my usual attire of sweat pants & cotton T-shirt- yes I train in sweat pants & cotton T-shirts. Sweat pants only cost $7 at Wal-Mart & I get a cotton T-shirt @ every race I do (I usually average 12-16 races a year, that's a lot of free shirts). Cycling pants are around $60. Cycling shirts are $50. I'm much to cheap to train in a $150 outfit when for $7 I can ride/run in sweats & a free shirt. Every year I train all year long. Even on the coldest of days I still swim, bike, & run. Running in the cold is no problem. I just wear multiple layers & as I run & warm up I take layers off. I took a 45 minute run last winter in -9 degree with the wind chill. Not comfortable, but doable non-the-less.
Now, cycling in extreme weather is a little more difficult. As long as there is no snow or ice on the road I'll still go out & complete my scheduled rides. Up until this year I'd wear a Baklava, 1 or 2 pairs of gloves, multiple pairs of sweat pants and sweat shirts, & a conglomeration of stuff on my feet. For my feet I'd start off putting on a pair of cycling socks, then I'd put a plastic Wal-Mart bag over the socks, then I'd put on a pair of white cotton socks, then my cycling shoes, then if needed another Wal-Mart bag on top of the shoes, & lastly I'd put on a pair of cycling booties. This worked great in temps as low as 30 degrees. But anything colder than that & my feet would still get cold. Very cold. If my ride was long, by the time I got back my feet would often times be so cold they were completely & totally numb. When I got back from my bike ride & started my run I'd frequently stumble. It's not easy running when you can't feel your feet. I even fell a few times. Funny looking back, but sure wasn't funny at the time.
This year I've decided to spoil myself. I bought myself a pair of Lake CXZ302 Winter Road Shoe's, $250. Expensive, but these bad boys are good in temps as low as 10 degrees! I'm also going to buy a pair a clod weather gloves. I'm still unsure what pair to buy. I'd hate to spend the $ on a pair of cold weather cycling gloves only to find out the pair I bought doesn't work well. I was thinking of buying a pair of GORE-Tex BIKE WEAR Cross Gloves. Any suggestions on gloves that work well in freezing weather please share the info.
On a side note here, I took my 2 children in to get their hair cut on Monday at Jungle Cuts in Albuquerque. As my daughter was getting her hair cut I asked her jokingly if she wanted a hair cut like mine? She responded in her sweet little 3 year old voice "no Daddy, you have no hair on your head. It's all on your back." The 2 girls who worked in the shop laughed so hard they were crying. I was SO embarrassed. It's true, kids say the darndest things;)
Race stats 7am Az time Sunday morning. If you'd like to track my progress get onto http://www.ironmanlive.com/ & type in my name, Cody Hanson. That sight will keep you updated on where I am on the course. It will give you my splits, time, average pace, etc.
Last week a small cold front had come through northern New Mexico. I'm weighing 35 pounds less than what I was last winter. Weighing less sure makes a person cold easier! It was about 51 degrees out. Last year I'd of been fine going on a bike ride in my usual attire of sweat pants & cotton T-shirt- yes I train in sweat pants & cotton T-shirts. Sweat pants only cost $7 at Wal-Mart & I get a cotton T-shirt @ every race I do (I usually average 12-16 races a year, that's a lot of free shirts). Cycling pants are around $60. Cycling shirts are $50. I'm much to cheap to train in a $150 outfit when for $7 I can ride/run in sweats & a free shirt. Every year I train all year long. Even on the coldest of days I still swim, bike, & run. Running in the cold is no problem. I just wear multiple layers & as I run & warm up I take layers off. I took a 45 minute run last winter in -9 degree with the wind chill. Not comfortable, but doable non-the-less.
Now, cycling in extreme weather is a little more difficult. As long as there is no snow or ice on the road I'll still go out & complete my scheduled rides. Up until this year I'd wear a Baklava, 1 or 2 pairs of gloves, multiple pairs of sweat pants and sweat shirts, & a conglomeration of stuff on my feet. For my feet I'd start off putting on a pair of cycling socks, then I'd put a plastic Wal-Mart bag over the socks, then I'd put on a pair of white cotton socks, then my cycling shoes, then if needed another Wal-Mart bag on top of the shoes, & lastly I'd put on a pair of cycling booties. This worked great in temps as low as 30 degrees. But anything colder than that & my feet would still get cold. Very cold. If my ride was long, by the time I got back my feet would often times be so cold they were completely & totally numb. When I got back from my bike ride & started my run I'd frequently stumble. It's not easy running when you can't feel your feet. I even fell a few times. Funny looking back, but sure wasn't funny at the time.
This year I've decided to spoil myself. I bought myself a pair of Lake CXZ302 Winter Road Shoe's, $250. Expensive, but these bad boys are good in temps as low as 10 degrees! I'm also going to buy a pair a clod weather gloves. I'm still unsure what pair to buy. I'd hate to spend the $ on a pair of cold weather cycling gloves only to find out the pair I bought doesn't work well. I was thinking of buying a pair of GORE-Tex BIKE WEAR Cross Gloves. Any suggestions on gloves that work well in freezing weather please share the info.
On a side note here, I took my 2 children in to get their hair cut on Monday at Jungle Cuts in Albuquerque. As my daughter was getting her hair cut I asked her jokingly if she wanted a hair cut like mine? She responded in her sweet little 3 year old voice "no Daddy, you have no hair on your head. It's all on your back." The 2 girls who worked in the shop laughed so hard they were crying. I was SO embarrassed. It's true, kids say the darndest things;)
November 12, 2008
Diet motivation & work update
At church on Sunday a great sermon was preached by an elder while our Pastor is hunting with his eldest children. It was an outstanding sermon. I really love my church.
That Sunday was what I call "a bad day". I was out of control with my eating. I had a McDonald's breakfast, nothing good ever comes from the golden arches. During the sermon I was thinking about what I was going to eat before I went to sleep (I work nights, sleep at day). My food fantasies was interrupted by a fellow church member coming up to me & sharing with me that she hadn't had any candy in over a week! This same fellow Christian told me a couple weeks ago that she had found my blog & had felt my pain about dieting. She said she too has been struggling with her weight & that she found occasional motivation & support from reading my blog. I was speechless and touched. For someone to tell me my blog was helping them in their life even a little bit felt great. When I blog I do it as a way to express myself, as a stress relief, & sometimes even to brag a little;) To find out that my blog helped another was wonderful. To wonderful to put into words.
But back to how this time she helped me. As I'd said, I was having a bad diet day. My bad diet days are not what a person without an eating disorder could really understand. Overeating only partially explains what is happening to someone with my problem. The eating is only part of the problem. It's an addiction. Even when I'm full & couldn't eat another bite I'm only thinking of what other kind of a fix I could get, where, & how quickly. What would hit the spot, or fulfill my craving. No matter what I put in my mouth I don't feel the satisfaction most people get. Obsessed is the only word I can think of that can explain the deep rooted desire. I get truly obsessed about what I will eat, what would taste great right now, how much I'll have of each food, in what combinations, and so forth. Once I get into my overeating mode it's very very hard to get out of it. It would be humiliating to have someone see what I an doing so when I become enthralled in my food lusts I isolate myself from everyone. I'll sneak food into the bathroom or somewhere I can eat without being embarrassed or, even worse interrupted or made to slow down. I'll tell my wife or whomever I'm around I'm going to do some chores & I'll hit multiple places to eat. I'll get my favorite foods from each place I stop or drive through. I tried to explain this to my best buddy one time & he told me next time that I want to do that just stop! If I could stop during one of my episodes, I would because I really despise myself when I'm stuck in a binge. There's rarely anything that can stop or slow down one of my episodes. But that morning my fellow church member did just that. I'd be lying to say I stopped it all together. But she inadvertently was able to get me to minimize it quite a bit. Still had a lot of calories. But it was a FRACTION of what I would of done if it wasn't for her sharing with me her accomplishment & the high five she gave me. God helped me through her that day.
I put in for Sergeant at work like I had said I was going to. I don't really want the promotion because I love the position I'm in right now, & to be honest I'm secretly hoping I won't get it. I'm hoping there will be more highly qualified people putting in for it. The list of people putting in for the position is good for 12 months. So any Sergeant spots that open up here at the State Penitentiary for 1 year will be filled with the highest scoring person left on the list. The last 2 times this position was opened the list was completely exhausted. The most recent time, if I would have put in for Sergeant I would of been #2 in seniority. The good news is this time there are 5 people with more seniority than me! The bad news is there are already 8 Sergeant positions available. Immediately after the first round of Sergeant promotions the Penitentiary will be promoting any Sergeants who qualify for the Lieutenant spot, which opens up even more Sergeant positions. There are also quite a few Sergeants & Lieutenants who will be retiring in the next 12 months, which you guessed it, opens up even more spots!I know it sounds ridiculous that I'm putting in for a promotion & hoping I wont get it. It boils down to there being a lot more reasons to get the higher rank than to stay where I am. There's only one reason to stay where I am right now. 2 if you include complacency. The other is simply that I like my current post & position. The reasons to take the promotion is longer. I'll just list the major ones to make it easier reading.
1) If I make Sergeant I'll be back in the cell blocks & will have more opportunities to share Gods word with some people in much need of it.
2) I'll have to work less overtime to make the same amount of pay, so I'll have more time at home with my children
3) I only have 8 years left at the State Penitentiary before I can retire. But I'll have a higher pay grade in retirement for the rest of my life if I take the promotion.
Well, the written & oral board will be conducted in January or February. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck, or bad luck. I'd be happy to have either one;)
One thing I have learned from today's post, even after 13 years I still can't spell Penitentiary. Thank goodness for spell check;)
That Sunday was what I call "a bad day". I was out of control with my eating. I had a McDonald's breakfast, nothing good ever comes from the golden arches. During the sermon I was thinking about what I was going to eat before I went to sleep (I work nights, sleep at day). My food fantasies was interrupted by a fellow church member coming up to me & sharing with me that she hadn't had any candy in over a week! This same fellow Christian told me a couple weeks ago that she had found my blog & had felt my pain about dieting. She said she too has been struggling with her weight & that she found occasional motivation & support from reading my blog. I was speechless and touched. For someone to tell me my blog was helping them in their life even a little bit felt great. When I blog I do it as a way to express myself, as a stress relief, & sometimes even to brag a little;) To find out that my blog helped another was wonderful. To wonderful to put into words.
But back to how this time she helped me. As I'd said, I was having a bad diet day. My bad diet days are not what a person without an eating disorder could really understand. Overeating only partially explains what is happening to someone with my problem. The eating is only part of the problem. It's an addiction. Even when I'm full & couldn't eat another bite I'm only thinking of what other kind of a fix I could get, where, & how quickly. What would hit the spot, or fulfill my craving. No matter what I put in my mouth I don't feel the satisfaction most people get. Obsessed is the only word I can think of that can explain the deep rooted desire. I get truly obsessed about what I will eat, what would taste great right now, how much I'll have of each food, in what combinations, and so forth. Once I get into my overeating mode it's very very hard to get out of it. It would be humiliating to have someone see what I an doing so when I become enthralled in my food lusts I isolate myself from everyone. I'll sneak food into the bathroom or somewhere I can eat without being embarrassed or, even worse interrupted or made to slow down. I'll tell my wife or whomever I'm around I'm going to do some chores & I'll hit multiple places to eat. I'll get my favorite foods from each place I stop or drive through. I tried to explain this to my best buddy one time & he told me next time that I want to do that just stop! If I could stop during one of my episodes, I would because I really despise myself when I'm stuck in a binge. There's rarely anything that can stop or slow down one of my episodes. But that morning my fellow church member did just that. I'd be lying to say I stopped it all together. But she inadvertently was able to get me to minimize it quite a bit. Still had a lot of calories. But it was a FRACTION of what I would of done if it wasn't for her sharing with me her accomplishment & the high five she gave me. God helped me through her that day.
I put in for Sergeant at work like I had said I was going to. I don't really want the promotion because I love the position I'm in right now, & to be honest I'm secretly hoping I won't get it. I'm hoping there will be more highly qualified people putting in for it. The list of people putting in for the position is good for 12 months. So any Sergeant spots that open up here at the State Penitentiary for 1 year will be filled with the highest scoring person left on the list. The last 2 times this position was opened the list was completely exhausted. The most recent time, if I would have put in for Sergeant I would of been #2 in seniority. The good news is this time there are 5 people with more seniority than me! The bad news is there are already 8 Sergeant positions available. Immediately after the first round of Sergeant promotions the Penitentiary will be promoting any Sergeants who qualify for the Lieutenant spot, which opens up even more Sergeant positions. There are also quite a few Sergeants & Lieutenants who will be retiring in the next 12 months, which you guessed it, opens up even more spots!I know it sounds ridiculous that I'm putting in for a promotion & hoping I wont get it. It boils down to there being a lot more reasons to get the higher rank than to stay where I am. There's only one reason to stay where I am right now. 2 if you include complacency. The other is simply that I like my current post & position. The reasons to take the promotion is longer. I'll just list the major ones to make it easier reading.
1) If I make Sergeant I'll be back in the cell blocks & will have more opportunities to share Gods word with some people in much need of it.
2) I'll have to work less overtime to make the same amount of pay, so I'll have more time at home with my children
3) I only have 8 years left at the State Penitentiary before I can retire. But I'll have a higher pay grade in retirement for the rest of my life if I take the promotion.
Well, the written & oral board will be conducted in January or February. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck, or bad luck. I'd be happy to have either one;)
One thing I have learned from today's post, even after 13 years I still can't spell Penitentiary. Thank goodness for spell check;)
November 11, 2008
Tapering for IMAZ & a little advise
First thing, thank you to any veteran out there. My family & I are very grateful for the service you provided or are providing America. Boots Wiggins, a blog I follow regularly just got deployed to Bahrain with the Navy. He had to leave his wife & 2 small children here in the states. Since it's Veteran's day today, & if you have the time, hop on his blog & thank him for his service. I know it would mean the world to him. Again, thank you Veterans.
12 days until my Ironman. Ironman Arizona. I feel fast, by far the fastest I've ever felt tapering for an Iron, this being my 3rd time. My endurance is great. I have a new fast bike, a Cannondale Carbon Slice. I have a super fast set of HED 3 tubular wheels. This month I slowed WAY down on working overtime at work so I'll be rested going into race day. I'm 42 pounds lighter than last years DNF at the Silverman. All things seem to be pointing to a successful race, & I'm excited. Very excited.
The only thing I'm not so excited about right now is this dang taper. I don't do well with tapers. Before a big race an endurance athlete should never cut calories. Add that with the decreased training & that is rough on my waist line. But then I add the fact that I'm dealing with an eating disorder, then a taper turns into a nightmare. When I get overly emotional about things I turn to food for comfort. I'm REALLY excited about the race, & a little apprehensive, as any triathlete would be about an upcoming Ironman. I'm a little stressed about possibly making Sergeant at work. I'm also an all or nothing kind of a guy. I'm either hard core about my diet, or I'm off the wagon & eating out of control. Not usually any in between there. I'm amazed I'm only weighing 215 because I've been eating like a pregnant rhino (I assume they eat a lot when with child-er- rhino baby- whatever). But I'm also very optimistic. November 24th, the day after my Iron I'm going to be able to start dieting again. After eating so much for the last month I'm ready for some disciplined eating. & hey, I'm only at 215. Even now that I'm a little out of control with the eating I'm still lighter than any other year of adulthood;)
In July this year I got down to the lowest I'd ever weighed as an adult. 188 pounds. I promptly shot back up to 215 in about a month. This year I have to choose whether to race as a Clydesdale (200 pound or above) or as an age grouper (my age group this next year, if I am able to stay under 200 pounds will be 30-34). This year I raced the whole year as an AG 30-34 (won that age group in the South West too!), but was actually only under 200 pounds for about 1 month. I have no idea if I could stay below 200 pounds for the entire 2009 year, but I have to decide which division to race in by December 13th. Dec 13th is the Polar Bear Triathlon, which is the first race I'll be competing in for the 2009 season. To make a long story short, the reason I have to decide right away which division to race in is because I compete in the South West Challenge Series. Its a Multisport series that has 24 plus races in which a triathlete gets points for every race he/she completes in a year. The better a person does in a race the more points a person gets. If I do part of my races as an AG, & part as a Clydesdale then there's no way at all I could be competitive in either division. If I decide to race as a Clyde then realize part way into the season that I could get below 200, but don't so I can keep my Clydesdale status I'd be limiting my speed potential. Simply put, in biking & running, light is fast. If I race as an AG 30-34, but am unable to get below 200 pounds than I'd be racing in a highly competitive division at a severe disadvantage. Any advise or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
12 days until my Ironman. Ironman Arizona. I feel fast, by far the fastest I've ever felt tapering for an Iron, this being my 3rd time. My endurance is great. I have a new fast bike, a Cannondale Carbon Slice. I have a super fast set of HED 3 tubular wheels. This month I slowed WAY down on working overtime at work so I'll be rested going into race day. I'm 42 pounds lighter than last years DNF at the Silverman. All things seem to be pointing to a successful race, & I'm excited. Very excited.
The only thing I'm not so excited about right now is this dang taper. I don't do well with tapers. Before a big race an endurance athlete should never cut calories. Add that with the decreased training & that is rough on my waist line. But then I add the fact that I'm dealing with an eating disorder, then a taper turns into a nightmare. When I get overly emotional about things I turn to food for comfort. I'm REALLY excited about the race, & a little apprehensive, as any triathlete would be about an upcoming Ironman. I'm a little stressed about possibly making Sergeant at work. I'm also an all or nothing kind of a guy. I'm either hard core about my diet, or I'm off the wagon & eating out of control. Not usually any in between there. I'm amazed I'm only weighing 215 because I've been eating like a pregnant rhino (I assume they eat a lot when with child-er- rhino baby- whatever). But I'm also very optimistic. November 24th, the day after my Iron I'm going to be able to start dieting again. After eating so much for the last month I'm ready for some disciplined eating. & hey, I'm only at 215. Even now that I'm a little out of control with the eating I'm still lighter than any other year of adulthood;)
In July this year I got down to the lowest I'd ever weighed as an adult. 188 pounds. I promptly shot back up to 215 in about a month. This year I have to choose whether to race as a Clydesdale (200 pound or above) or as an age grouper (my age group this next year, if I am able to stay under 200 pounds will be 30-34). This year I raced the whole year as an AG 30-34 (won that age group in the South West too!), but was actually only under 200 pounds for about 1 month. I have no idea if I could stay below 200 pounds for the entire 2009 year, but I have to decide which division to race in by December 13th. Dec 13th is the Polar Bear Triathlon, which is the first race I'll be competing in for the 2009 season. To make a long story short, the reason I have to decide right away which division to race in is because I compete in the South West Challenge Series. Its a Multisport series that has 24 plus races in which a triathlete gets points for every race he/she completes in a year. The better a person does in a race the more points a person gets. If I do part of my races as an AG, & part as a Clydesdale then there's no way at all I could be competitive in either division. If I decide to race as a Clyde then realize part way into the season that I could get below 200, but don't so I can keep my Clydesdale status I'd be limiting my speed potential. Simply put, in biking & running, light is fast. If I race as an AG 30-34, but am unable to get below 200 pounds than I'd be racing in a highly competitive division at a severe disadvantage. Any advise or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
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