Ironman 70.3 Florida- The start....

Swimming to Biking....

Biking to Running....

The Big Finish!

Quest complete

8 Months ago I was inspired to take myself from an Over 220 lb couch potato to a finisher of an Ironman 70.3 race. I have accomplish my goal. Today I finished the Ironman Florida 70.3.

My Swim time was slower than expected at 50 minutes, but I was unsure how hard to swim with so many more mile ahead of me so I took it rather easy. The bike was exactly what I predicted at 2:58. Many hills and a little wind out there. The bad part was the run. I ran the 13.1 miles in 2:51. That is a very slow pace for me. I did not keep up my nutrition properly and battled thru some pretty severe stomach cramping. 

I am exhausted! I feel as if I could fall asleep right now!  Its 6:30pm. My after race meal was two sushi rolls, a helping of sweet and sour chicken and a helping of beef fried rice. I am getting ready to down another Chocolate milk. 

I thought that my next goal would be to run a Ironman 140.6. However, after today I feel like I would need to master the 70.3 course first. I do not see the 140.6 in my near future. 

Steve, my friend who originally inspired me to get into shape and start running tri's did great today. He beat me by 12 minutes! We could have crossed the finish line together if we were in the same wave starts. He started about a half hour after I started swimming.  

I wanted to thank everyone who has supported me during my training and also encouraged me to continue thru the injuries and other life challenges. You are all true and good friends to me. But most of all I want to thank God for putting these people in my life and also for giving me the strength to finish. My Wife has been a rock for me. She continually pushes me and keeps me focused on my training. It was great to see her and Kaeli along with a great friend of mine, John, standing on the sidelines rooting and cheering me on. My Mom prayed continuously during the race and I am sure my Dad also prayed. Steve's Family was also great cheering for me as I ran by. You all are great! Ones mentioned and not mentioned.

I am logging off before I pass out! 

Last post until Ironman 70.3

I was forced to see a specialist today for my leg. She believed it to be a torn meniscus. I will have an MRI on Tuesday and she will determine if I need surgery to repair it. I was told that I can run the Ironman on Sunday. I plan on backing off of my normal pace for the race as not to injure myself further. My new goal is to just make it to the finish line. 

What a weird time in my life. I have been training for this race for 8 months, only to injure myself two weeks prior to the event. Perseverance is one of my strong points, Deb would say I am just stubborn. 

We will be packing next week to move. Hopefully I will have the energy for it. We have some serious decisions to make. I am doing some real soul searching to find what I am meant to become. For twenty years I have been involved with some part of the construction industry.I have  studied architecture and building construction. Deb and I both love the industry but it has been frustrating over the last few years. We may be facing a huge life change. 

With God's help I will finish the race.

Live the dream, one day at a time.

One Week Left....

Just finishing up an entire week of no workouts and I feel out of shape now. However, my leg feels much better. I will start testing it this week with small workouts. I will start off Monday with a 30 minute swim, Tuesday a 18-20 mile bike ride and Wednesday a 3-4 mile run.

Hopefully the legs will be strong. They need to carry me thru the 6 hours of Ironman. I am staying positive and will enjoy this experience.

Stay thirsty my friends.

Good Old Fashion Beat Down? Not for Me!

I refuse to give up.... I was trying to not only finish the Ironman, but also finish with a good time. Sub 6 hours would have been my goal. Now with my leg injury, My new goal is to cross the finish line!!! NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!!!

I have been waffling between Sadness AND Excitement. After 5 years working for a national homebuilder, yesterday my position within the company was eliminated. I am leaving behind some amazing people as I start a new journey. I will take a month to enjoy my family, travel a little and try to clear my head. 

Objective number one: what do I want to be when I grow up? While in High School, I thought that I would be a fighter pilot in the Navy. I grew up on Navy bases as my father worked on F-14 Tomcats (coolest plane on the planet). Well, as we all know, that didn't happen. Through a series of twists and turns, I found myself working as a Purchasing manager studying spreadsheets and negotiating contracts. Not what I had imagined doing, but none the less, I enjoyed it. That chapter may be closed and now and I need to start a new one. 

With just over a week until the Ironman- All I have to say is "BRING IT ON!" 

Adios my Friends!

2 weeks to go and Injured!

Last weekend I had an epic weekend of training. 1-1/4 Miles in the pool, 50 miles on the bike and a 10 mile run. I guess my body pushed back. This week I noticed some soreness in my hamstring. It didn't allow me to be my best while training this week. 

Yesterday I went out for another 50 mile bike ride and 30 miles into it my hammy lit up on fire. I saw my parents and actually thought for a moment to stop them and ask em for a ride back to my truck (20 miles away from where I was). I decided to suck it up... bad move.... so now I am limping. 

Very frustrating with only two weeks left until the Ironman. I have been preparing for this event since October. I have seen ups and downs thru the entire training process. This is just one more hurdle for me to overcome. I need to remain positive and allow sufficient time for the injury to heal. 

This will be a very tough week for me...... Not only training, but in other areas. More posting to come on that. I know that I can still swim, so I will focus on that. Will not try to run or cycle at all this week and then I will test it the week of the event. Hopefully TWO weeks is enough time for healing.

4 Weeks to go!

Hit a Brick workout today. Felt strong... but it was only a small portion of what I wil be doing on May 17th.

Thursday I ran the IOA 5K. Last year my time was 27:30. This year I ran the race in 23:01. Next year, I want to run a 5k in under 20 minutes. 

I have 4 weeks of training left. That means three solid training weeks and then one week of tapering. I have my work cut out. 

Did a Lake swim last week. I will repeat this coming week and try to do the full 1.2 miles that I will be swimming in the Ironman.  I don't think that I will go 56 Miles on the bike or run 13 for training. I'm sticking to 50 miles for my long bike ride and stay at 10 miles on my long runs. Hopefully my tactics get me to the finish line! 

Well, I hit 182 lbs today. I have not weighed that since High School. My Goal was to be 185 for the race. I think that I may be in the 170's by then! 

Off to get some needed sleep. Monday is just a nap away.

AFN!

Countdown- 6 Weeks till IRONMAN

I am down to 186 lbs and feeling strong, but not sure if I am ready for 70.3 miles of punishment. I am progressing well on the Bike but still feel slow on my runs. I ran 8 miles last week for my long run and did a 5 mile tempo at 8:15ish per mile.  I am still confident in my swimming, but that's in the pool. I am unsure of what 2000 swimmers all thrashing in the water will do to me mentally. I am planning on not panicking in the water as I did on my Olympic TRI. 

I am having small bouts of anxiety that quickly go away since I am 6 weeks away from the event. That's 5 weeks of training and 1 week of tapering ( gradually decreasing my workload to prepare for that weeks race).

Ready for my next workout. Some Bike time.

AFN everyone!

Countdown- 8 Weeks till Ironman.

I have 8 weeks of training left until I compete in the Ironman Florida 70.3. Goal will be to just finish the race. I have up'd my training this week to try and prepare myself for the grueling distances of this race. This week I will hit 7.5 miles on the long run and advance that every week by one mile. My long ride this week will be at a distance of 40 miles and advance that by 3-5 miles every week until the race. Swimming will also be a series of drills and long swims. I am going to start lake swimming with a couple triathletes from a local club.
Not as nervous about this race now that I have one under my belt. One stress point is the fact that there will be 2500+ competitors swimming at the same time. Hopefully I can do better in this swim than I did in the Wildman Triathlon.
AFN!

Official Times for Wildman Triathlon

Swim (0.9 mile): 28 minutes

Bike (25 miles):  1 Hour 7 Minutes

Run (5.5 miles): 48 Minutes

Total Time: 2:29

By the way, I did beat my goal of 2:30 by 22 seconds! Glad I didn't stop for that pee break!

Wildman Swim Start

Race Day PICS

Race Day!

Well, I couldn't sleep at all last night. I don't think I was anxious about the race, but I guess my body was telling me that I was. Woke up at 4:45 and didn't know what to do first. We were some of the first people to arrive. Got parked, and strolled over to the transition area to load my bike and gear for the event.

After getting my numbers scribed on me (I was #141) and got my timing chip (wear it on your ankle and the computer keeps your time) I again didn't know what to do next. I felt as if I forgot something.... of course I didn't cuz I'm anal! Kaeli and Debbie were there with me and Steve showed up a little later. I strapped my wetsuit on and headed to the water at 7:30. Did a few warm-up strokes, took a deep breath and before I knew it the race was on. I have never seen so many flailing arms and legs. Hard to take in air with everyone so bunched up. I finally got out to the edge of the crowd and was able to find a good rhythm. When I stepped out of the water after swimming almost a mile, my legs were like jelly! I wobbled a little and pulled the top of my wetsuit down and headed for transition with Kaeli yelling "go Daddy go!". It was awesome.

Pulled out on my bike and I felt strong. I guess I passed 30 people or so during the bike leg. After 25 mile of pretty boring cycling I headed to transition with Kaeli and Deb cheering me on! 

Racked the bike and strapped on the shoes and headed out for the run. It was a crushed shell road. Not the ultimate running surface. I struggled here. There were no mile markers so I couldn't get calculate my pace. Felt like I was doing 10 minutes per mile....SLOW!!! (after the race Steve calc'd me doing 8:30 per mile... ) I wanted to walk so bad during the run... I just kept saying "pain is only temporary, quitting is forever". That's a Lance Armstrong quote by the way. It kept me going. 

Finally I could hear the music at the finish line. SWEET! I turned down the woods and there it was I gave her all she had and headed to the finish. The clock showed 2:26. Unadjusted Time. I will post my official time as they get posted to the website.

I will post some pics here in a minute! I am not quite sure I am ready for an IRONMAN....

"Go-Fast" Haircut

Well, I wanted to shave it down some more, but Ashley, the gal that cuts my hair, didn't want Debbie to kill her. Haa haa! Cut it short so that I at least look like I mean business. I used it as mental preparation. I will probably go shorter for my IRONMAN.

AFN- adios for now!

Today REST, Tomorrow RACE!

It's the day before the my first triathlon and I am unnaturally calm. I feel good about my training, but have had several setbacks with minor injuries. Today, knees wont make up their mind if they want to hurt or feel good. 

I am planning on giving it all I've got tomorrow during the race. However, today is all about rest and carb-loading (packing my body full of energy for the race).... I walked the transition zone yesterday, viewed the lake I will be swimming and drove the bike course to memorize the turns. I hope it pays off. There are around 300 in the race, but only 10-12 in my age group (40-45).  

If anyone wants to, the link to watch the live feeds (video and timing) is www.buttar.com/events . This website will start streaming at 7:30 tomorrow morning and the race begins at 8 am. 

Some pics from Tucson

Back in Town and Counting Down....

Just returned from Tucson and Trifest. Was a nice three day trip to Arizona to be a part of the triathlon Expo held over the weekend. Met Dave Scott, 6-time Ironman world champion and had my Pic taken with him. Steve and I also met Sam McGlone (who was on the cover of my first Triathlete magazine)- 70.3 Ironman World Champion. Good Times!

Well, Sunday is my first triathlon! counting down and ready to Hurl! I am very nervous about my first event. This is a small triathlon (.9 mi swim, 24 mi bike and 5.2 mile run) compared to the Ironman I will be running in May. I am tapering my workouts this week and loading up on carbs!

I will keep ya'll posted!

Saddened

After my last weak post about the pressure work is putting on me, I find out that four of my co-workers are losing their jobs tomorrow. I am disappointed in myself for not giving God the thanks he deserves for protecting my job and allowing me to provide for my family. He has always looked out for me and sometimes I don't feel as if I deserve his blessings. I should in fact be more thankful that I am able to fulfill my one true desire in life- providing for my family and keeping them safe.

I pray for the four people that are losing their jobs and the many more that are currently looking for employment.  I am saddened by the turn in the economy and pray that our new administration can somehow turnaround our ailing financial nation. 

God Bless.

Draining on training

Work is really getting in the way of my training. I think I may have to become self sufficiently rich in order to pursue my real life. 

Ok, until that happens, I will need to deal with it. 

First race is March 15th. How did that get here so fast? Self-doubt is creeping in. Hopefully I am ready.

A day on the bike. Only hit 30 miles today. Still testing my legs. Felt strong and my favorite girls stopped by to snap a few photos of me. It was beautiful, about 68 degrees and skies were blue. 

Ironman now?

Probably not, but still working on it. This is me today prior to my bike ride. 190 lbs and dropping. Hopefully I will be 185 for the Ironman in May. 

My father said to me today that he could run but he would need a sports bra. I can relate. See before photo (aka Man-Boob photo).

Stay tuned.... more to come.

Ironman???? uh, No.

This is how I started the Quest. Me at 225 lbs- Little more round than your typical Triathlete. OK, a lot more round. But I have been working hard and shed over 30 lbs.

I will post my pre-race 190 lb pics soon.
Training has resumed. I am trying to take it easy as my calf is still giving me some trouble. Tomorrow- 30+ miles on the bike and Sunday- 6 miles running.

A.F.N. Adios for Now.

Damaged

I have been training very hard and I am getting close to my first Tri. Go to http://www.buttar.com/events/triathlon/WildmanTri/index.htm to take a look at the venue. 

Unfortunately, I have been pushing myself too hard and have injured my right calve and possibly knee. I decided to take a week to recover after my rest week. I built 2 weeks of recovery time for illness or injury into my so called 16 week training plan. So far I used one of them as I felt that pushing myself forward would have done more damage than good. 

I restart tomorrow and will try to hold myself back from pushing so hard. I am having withdrawals and want to get back to training. I tried to substitute weight training for biking and running, but that does not provide the endorphins I have become used to.

Ready to start a REVOLUTION- hint of things to come!

Feel'N Fat, not PHAT

Had a great week of training and then Cheesecake Factory'd it away. I was feeling pretty fat after a weekend of no worries.  So tonight I stepped on the scale and ouch..... 199.  I weighed in last wek at 193. Pretty serious swing. 

Well, I signed up for my Olympic distance TRI. Its the Wildman Festival over near Lake Nona in March. Very excited about my first Tri. Tried ordering a wetsuit offline and its out of stock. I need to find one soon as the water will still be cold in March.

This is my Rest week... cut back on my workout intensities to let my body heal up. Hope I can get those cheesecake pounds off soon!

A.F.N.- ADIOS for Now!

New Year- New Plan

Weighed in at 196 this week. I was surprised to see that number. I was sick twice during a months time. I decided to completely stop training and rest to recover from the head cold.

First week in January I began a 16 week training plan for the 70.3. I can see now it will not be a simple task. 

Steve and I have decided to travel to Tucson for the Tri-Fest in March. Its a Triathlon training camp and expo. Should be a fun weekend. We have been looking for some triathlons to run prior to our Iron-Man. Looks like there is one during the month of February in Claremont, FL. Looks like a winner. 

Steve did throw down today, He told me that I could not beat him in the run portion. I think it sounded like a challenge or maybe a little smack talk. He just finished a half marathon this weekend and is doing very well. I have not yet ran farther than 5 miles during my training. We shall see.....