Get Ready, 2011 - Here I Come!

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live now. -- Joan Baez

Well, it is the last day of the year, and I sit here and look at my training log with my jaw dropping. I don't think I have EVER run 70 miles in a month, much less in multiple years combined! Yet here I sit with only 3.25 miles left to reach that. Of course, I also recognize that my bike mileage is almost nil, and the swimming is minimal.

But I accept that as being part of the plan to get ready for the 3M half-marathon in a month. I knew I had to focus on this aspect of the training. In the back of my mind, I am also pondering Galveston in April, wondering if I can make any significant progress in cutting my time for a 70.3 event. Right now, I would be happy if it is 6 hours and some change, or maybe even under 6 and a half... that would be an hour less than last year! I know I can shave some time off the ride and the run both, and transitions will definitely be faster.

Front of the jersey

Back of the shirts

On another note, I am excited that I finally got my shirts and jerseys!  There is no doubt who it is coming up next to you (or when you are passing me, more likely!) when I am wearing these babies!

Happy New Year, everybody!

Wow! What a Year!

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. -- Seneca

In a moment of reflection of this past year, I am amazed at the things I have managed to get through... I say it that way for a reason. I do not consider myself a competitive person, to be compared with others. I know I am a slower, untrained swimmer, I do a decent job on the bike, and I am by no means a successful runner... and I am happy with that. I compete with myself. I am very happy to consider myself a "participant" rather than a "competitor". To have the opportunity in life to participate in a small 5K run, or a century ride, or a full-Iron distance triathlon, is satisfaction enough. Don't get me wrong - I will always try to do better next time that I did the last. 
My 2010 list:
     My first Cap 10K, a spur-of-the-moment decision and a surprisingly enjoyable run;
     My first triathlon, and my second, and my third, and finally a fourth -- two small ones sandwiched between two big ones, oddly enough:
          the LoneStar 70.3, which wasn't originally the plan
          the Rookie Tri (go figure, it wasn't the first one after all)
          the Lake Pflugerville Tri
          the Redman Half-Iron, another 70.3
     The gorgeous, scenic Triple Bypass Ride in Colorado - my longest bike ride ever, in time and distance... I am still very grateful 3 great friends jumped into this with me without hesitation over two years ago -- thanks, guys!
     Running more miles in a single month than I think I ever ran in a year (yeah, I still cannot believe somebody managed to get a picture of me actually smiling when I was running!);
     5 5K runs from Thanksgiving to Christmas;
     Convincing Dr. V to let me sign up for a full-distance Ironman triathlon (really? are you NUTS? - not an unheard question, and even a personal thought on more than one occasion, which will likely be repeated over the next 11 months).

And then there are the other things -- 
     being able to watch Briana complete her first Ironman (not likely her last, either...just saying);
     meeting a bunch of wonderful new friends in the triathlon world. These people are so giving of  themselves, so many lessons to learn from what they have experienced.
     talking friends into riding long bike rides, or getting them into triathlon -- and still being considered their friend!

So it has been very eventful these past 12 months, without even talking about personal things. I feel truly blessed with all the support I have received from family and friends this year. Bear with me, folks -- 2011 is going to be just as busy, and I hope just as fulfilling!

Happy New Year, all!

2010 "Racing" Season comes to an end

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -- Jim Rohn

OK, the last 5K of my year is in the books... does that sound as odd to you as it does to me? A year ago, I would NEVER have thought I would be saying something like that. Heck, after our Tahoe ride in June 2009, I joked with Gary Holliday and Briana about how crazy the notion was of me even running. We were talking about the Team In Training's Triple Crown, where you complete a century ride, a run event and a triathlon event... I said blatantly "Not me - no way, no how!" Friends, NEVER say "never"!
So, after all that being said, I ran my 5th 5K run in 32 days. The Zilker Tree 5K is apparently the replacement for the Trail of Lights run, which obviously ended when the city of Austin canceled the Trail of Lights. There are a couple of hills in the park run, which I decided I would walk rather than attempt to run up. But even with that I managed a 32:03 for a 10:10-per-mile average, so I was very happy with that. Not a bad effort for a post-Christmas-eating run.
Another opportunity to continue the validation of the recovery drinking of the Athletes HoneyMilk, since they were a run sponsor this time around. This stuff is really working for me as a post-run recovery. I rotate through the 4 flavors as a test after the run workouts, and I don't have the day-after pain as I did before. I think the HoneyMilk is going to be my post-run salvation for the next 11 months. Since I do most of my workouts after work at night, on the shorter runs I have used the drink as a meal substitution, and it helps that I don't have a lot of food in my stomach all night. So I am excited that I have this part of the nutrition figured out.

So, it is on to next year - lots of running, biking and swimming! Yippee! - I think...

A Season for training, for family, for sharing...

You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it's a little thing, do something for others - something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it. - Albert Schweitzer

The running continues... on the 13th, I ran 7 miles on the treadmill; on the 20th, an 8-mile "adventure"; last night was 3.4 miles out on the streets in the neighborhood. I am definitely slower on the road than on the treadmill. The next few days will include another short run through the 'hood, the Zilker 5K the day after Christmas, and hopefully some bike time. The city parks/rec folks sent out an email about a tri-prep swim class on Wednesday nights that I am going to check into. 

I still have some nutrition stuff to figure out... since the Project Overflow 5K, I have been using the Athlete's HoneyMilk as a post-workout recovery drink, and I think it is helping quite a bit. In previous training, I would drink chocolate milk (or Coke; or both) but the HoneyMilk has a load of carbs AND protein in it. I haven't felt the post-event soreness I used to, so I think I have THAT component going right. Next is the Infinit for the ride, and I will get that ordered next week to try that out.
Last Friday, we celebrated our now-kind-of-an-Aggie's first semester of grad school, and in that discussion the decision was made to make the return trip to the Triple Bypass ride in 2013. So already the future is being laid out before me. It is funny to me though that I can actually plan something that far out. 
Another bit of information in that talk over beers (carb-loading, coach... carb-loading) was that one of my charities will likely be not supported by the city, so I am pretty well just going to commit to the American Heart Association at this point. If the focus changes to a different cardiac-related charity, I will make that adjustment later.

After serving dinner at the children's hospital last week, I get to help serve at a cafe in Georgetown on Christmas morning. And the lady in my work office that coordinated our adopted Christmas family reported back that the mother and daughters were so super-excited about Christmas with the stuff we provided. So - a good Christmas season, and what a great privilege to be part of those smiles... 
Merry Christmas, everybody! Remember - it is all for the love of One.

It isn't ALWAYS about you!

Our friends should be companions who inspire us, who help us rise to our best.   -- Joseph B. Wirthlin 

Saturday was the Project Overflow 5K. This is a first-time event put on by a great lady who I have come to know through another friendship. Cortney attends the same church as Briana, and she has taken up a more active lifestyle to get into a more healthy lifestyle. Cortney is also a force to be reckoned with, in that she is ALWAYS involved. She is active as a leader in her church, is a leader and positive role model to the youth, is committed to her exercise ethic, is focused on her service working for a national charity, and gives continually of her time to any number of beneficiaries. This run was conceived to help Cortney's youth group raise funds to pay for the drilling of a fresh-water well in Africa, to supply drinking water to thousands.

The run was held in Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. The run itself was mostly over turf, though some was along a paved path and other spots were loose gravel. I am definitely not a fan of this kind of running surface (which is funny in itself that I can even say that!) My concern is that I not slip or twist an ankle, so I was probably over-cautious throughout the run. Another issue for me was that at about 2 miles into the run, a volunteer pointed a number of us in the wrong direction. I admit I got a bit frustrated with that when a second volunteer caught up with us on his bicycle and turned us around. Once that happened, I decided that whenever I came up on more loose turf or gravel, I was walking.

So, the time of the run was nothing to write home about. And the course was actually less than a 5K. But Cortney and her crew made a good effort, and about 100 people were registered. One of the family photographers actually got a decent picture of me, so I finally have a running pic where I don't look wasted. And another benefit: I had talked to the Athletes HoneyMilk folks about some sponsorship. HoneyMilk is a recovery drink. They had sent me 2 12-packs to try out and give them some feedback. Cortney had managed to get some of this stuff provided in the runner packets and had some at the finish line, so I was able to try it out without cutting into my own supply. I drank a chocolate (they have vanilla, honey and coffee as well), and it was really smooth, no grit or chalky taste like a lot of others. It will be good to try after longer runs, so I am looking forward to the test. I want to see what the difference is if it is cold, too.

Well, on to the next 5K, the day after Christmas. But lots of training miles before then. 

See ya, and Merry Christmas!

Forest Gump, I am NOT!

To me, if life boils down to one thing, it's movement. To live is to keep moving. -- Jerry Seinfeld

I have already run more than 23 miles this month, and the month is only a third gone... I think I will have run this month more than I have in any single year! I have registered for 4 5K runs, and have completed 2 of them at this point. Tomorrow will be the third, the last the day after Christmas. But the training runs are getting longer. I managed a 6-miler non-stop yesterday on the treadmill. This weekend I need to do a 7 mile run, next week an 8, etc.

After Christmas, I will be putting more time in on the bike and in the pool, but the emphasis is still on the running so that I can do the 3M Half-Marathon the end of January. And I don't know what other people are doing for strength conditioning, but I have been hauling bundles of shingles up the ladder to the roof the last couple of weeks. Those things get heavy when you are going almost straight up carrying one of them! While the weight workouts are great, I will be happy to complete this task and go back to normal-people workouts.

Another commitment in the books... I sent in my registration for the LoneStar 70.3 in Galveston. I want to be able to knock off at least 30 minutes from my time from last year.

Looking forward to receiving the shipment from the Athlete's HoneyMilk folks. Their drinks are supposed to be a good post-workout recovery tool, and they offered to ship me some to try out. I am excited about this, because it could lead to some sponsorship in the future, and it would be great to get some of the nutrition stuff ironed out.

This running thing is getting to me!

It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly.
-- Mabel Newcomber

...but in a good way! I signed up for the Turkey Trot in Austin, which is a 5-mile run downtown on the morning of Thanksgiving day. Nothing like getting out and sweating with 17,000 of your closest friends and attempting to run 5 miles, which turned out to be only 4.57 because of a planning error. But the run was fun, even with a lot of lateral weaving in and out of groups of people. I managed a 50:50, which is just over 11 minutes per mile, so I will take that. Nothing to scream and holler about, but the runs are getting better slowly.

So like a crazed lunatic, I have signed up for a number of charity runs... this Friday I will run the Ronald McDonald House Lights of Love 5K, Sunday I will run the Reindeer Run 5K, on the 11th I have the Project Overflow 5K and on the day after Christmas, I have another 5K, the Zilker Holiday 5K. After December, the training gets more serious... I have the 3M half-marathon at the end of January, and will be back in the pool and on the bike. I am also registered to run the Capitol 10K in March.

Over this past weekend, I didn't get a lot of training in the books. I worked on a friend's house and managed to earn enough to pay for my registration for the LoneStar 70.3 in Galveston in April. It is always nice to not have to take race monies out of the regular budget. But it will be nice to get back on the treadmill tonight (geez, did I just say that??)

I don't have to win - I just have to finish!

I can honestly say that I was never affected by the question of the success of an undertaking. If I felt it was the right thing to do, I was for it regardless of the possible outcome.  -- Golda Meir

Did I mention I am not a big fan of running? Well, I am not – but I also know I have a lot of work to do in that component of the triathlon before next November. Ever since we got back from Florida, I have been trying to get in some run time. I have managed some 30-60 minutes sessions at the gym on the treadmill.

It was a busy training weekend. But what a great way to celebrate another year of being alive!

Started off appropriately by carb-loading Friday evening. Jeff and Mary took me out for birthday dinner at Macaroni Grill. What a surprise I got while I sat there waiting for Jeff and Mary. I looked up to see Briana (Ms. Ironman Florida 2010) and her family walk in. Jeff had contacted her about coming out for the dinner. It was great to visit with all these friends…Madison and Dalton are great kids, and I could see them as inspirational examples of children not becoming “couch potatoes”. Overall, a great way to start off the birthday weekend.

Saturday morning, I picked Jeff up at the hotel and we were off for the Half Calf ride. A charity ride to support the Vista Ridge FFA, this allowed 25, 50 or 75 mile ride options, from the high school up to Andice and over to Florence. We originally talked about doing the 75, but at the Andice store (the 50 mile turnaround) Jeff decided he would have plenty of saddle time on the tri bike doing the 50. I handed him the truck keys and said “see ya later – I am going to ride the 75.” So it worked out well for both of us; I needed a longer ride. So – 4:15 in the saddle and 76 miles later, I was finished.

Sunday, I slept in a little, then went out for breakfast. Did some work around the house and then went up to the gym. Got in a 6.03-mile run on the treadmill in 65 minutes.

I signed up for the Turkey Trot 5-mile run which is on Thanksgiving Day, and the Zilker Holiday Tree 5K on December 26^th. So in a month’s time, I will have done a 5-miler and 2 5K runs, all working toward the 3M half-marathon the end of January.

I will get there – it just might take me a while to do so.

Oh, my gosh! What am I about to do?

You've got to follow your passion. You've got to figure out what it is you love--who you really are. And have the courage to do that. I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams. -- Oprah Winfrey

This past week was exciting, fulfilling, and scary all at the same time... 

I have watched all year the training my now-Ironman friend has gone through. Swimming, biking and running like a fanatic. But it all has paid off. I volunteered at the Ironman Florida finish line, so that I could register early for the IMFL 2011. I picked a specific time window to be there, so that I could be there when I thought Briana would finish. I cannot tell you how satisfying, how exhilarating it feels to catch somebody you know as they finish their first Ironman. The thrill of seeing them cross that last timing mat, after watching them have an awesome swim, followed by a grueling, windy ride, and then having an excellent run to top it all off… what a great day! Another enjoyable thing I was able to do was take Briana’s son and daughter out on the motorcycle on the bike course so they could see mom racing like a pro. Both kids were thrilled.

I was also able to see a number of new friends finish their race. Members of the Beginner Triathlete forum online now have faces and real names. Seriously, if you ever want to volunteer for an event such as this, the finish line is definitely the place to be. Very exciting, yet very humbling as well.

Having said that, we got up early Sunday morning, Briana to get in line for the expo store so she could get the “finisher” garb, and me to register for 2011. The store opened at 7, so she was finished before our line even started. I was excited to be able to register for the event next year, but at the same time, you get that “Oh geez, what have I gotten myself into?” kind of feeling. But having watched Briana all year, and meeting all these new friends and getting their insight, I feel like I know what it will take to get there. I will read all their race reports, and pay attention to their notes. I doubt seriously my time will be anything close to Briana’s, but for me just finishing on time will be enough.

So it is now official – Briana is now an Ironman, and I am now on the path to IMFL 2011. Let’s get this show on the road!

We won't always know whose lives we touched and made better for our having cared, because actions can sometimes have unforeseen ramifications. What's important is that you do care and you act. -- Charlotte Lunsford

I have spent the last couple of weeks trying to figure out the best way to get some sponsors for this adventure. Not so much for me, but to get somebody to make some commitments to my charities. I have written a number of letters and sent as many emails, and some are fairly quick to respond - the we-really-appreciate-your-effort-but-can't-help kind of responses, darn it. But this elephant plods on... hopefully, somebody will step up.

I am still on the bike, swimming when I can, and running like the runner I am not. I participated in the Livestrong 5K run this past Saturday, and for 3.2 miles managed 34:47, just under 12-minute miles. I realize that this is insignificant to most of you runner types, but to see the 11 on the front of that made me very happy. Sunday we started with the 65-milers for the Livestrong Ride, but there were so many people riding who clearly demonstrated a lack of riding knowledge or etiquette that we decided at the 20-mile mark it was time to go home. This was after some knuckleheads got up on the back wheels so close but yet weaved from side to side, and after having to walk through a water crossing watching folks slip around. So we went home, and I did another ride up Parmer later that afternoon.

Monday, I got on the treadmill and tried the 4min run/1min walk routine, and managed a 3 mile run at 33 and some change. So the run is slowly coming to shape... 

Next Tuesday, we leave for Panama City Beach and IM Florida. I am going to swim a bit of the course, and then ride the bike course Friday in advance of volunteering Saturday. Sunday morning early, I am in line for registration for 2011 !! And the fun starts here!

According to the laws of aerodynamics, the bumblebee can’t fly either, but the bumblebee doesn’t know anything about the laws of aerodynamics, so it goes ahead and flies anyway. -- Igor Sikorsky 

So, the plodding elephant continues to roll on. This past Saturday, I rode the Round Rock Outlaw 100, a century ride through the back roads in central Texas. This is the third time I have participated in this ride. The first time was actually my very first 100-mile ride, and the longest... seems like so very long ago, even though it has only been three years.

It wasn't the best ride I have had... there was even a section about a mile long of gravel. Seriously - the ride should have been re-routed around this mess. You run a great risk trying to propel a bicycle between rocks that are bigger across than your tires. We even considered getting off the bikes at one point, just to be safe. The winds picked up midway through the ride. But as a prep ride for Ironman Florida, it is a good ride, other than the gravel.

So, now it is time to work on the running. I need to be ready for the 3M Half-Marathon in January... wish me luck.

Better than the first, but not as good as I wanted to do…

"Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement." -- Brian Tracy

So – the second Half-Iron distance triathlon is in the books. I participated in the Redman Half-Iron distance event this past weekend.

Swim –    46:17

T1     -      3:44

Bike   - 3:07:00

T2     -      4:20

Run   -  3:16:00

Total –  7:17:00

I will say the race as a full-distance event was well-supported, even though it isn’t Ironman-branded. They offered full and half triathlons and aquabike events. A number of people apparently use this event as a warm-up for Ironman Florida. I was just happy to finish.

But lots of lessons learned…

1. First, and maybe the most important, I realized how much heavier my bike is than others. The obvious bike of choice is the Cervelo, and a LOT of the competitors also had race wheels. I am not sure if the weight factor on my bike is because of the metal bars, but it does feel very front-heavy. I hefted a couple of bikes nearby my rack position just in conversation with other folks and you could really feel the difference… of course, the riders were also a LOT smaller than me weight-wise. And I have never used race wheels, but the aerodynamics on them has got to be so much better than standard wheels. These are questions I will have to discuss with the Austin Tri-cyclist guys. They will probably look at this plodding elephant and just laugh. I don’t expect to ever be in contention for a race position (though I would have placed 2^nd in my age group for the aquabike half, had I participated in that event), but I would at least like to improve my own performance, and the bike is one component I can improve.
2. Do a better job of scoping out the swim course. I did not realize until the first wave went off that people could/would actually walk part of the swim. The outbound leg of the swim followed the lake shore and it was actually close enough that people were walking rather than swimming. Maybe that is a good thing if you practice aqua-jogging in the pool beforehand, but swimming into somebody’s backside as they stand up is not a good thing. I improved my swim time by about 3 minutes, but it could have been even better had I thought to navigate around differently.
3. I need to get into the wetsuit more often. It felt like the shoulders were straining against the wetsuit and I wasn’t getting full strokes. I will have to work on this some more… hopefully it isn’t a matter of the wetsuit being too small.
4. My transition times were better, though I didn’t feel as organized as I should have been.
5. I don’t know why I did it, but coming out of T1 on the bike, there is an aid station and a volunteer holding out a Gatorade bottle. I grabbed it, thinking it would be good to have a drink or two to get started and then chunk it at the trash can at the far end of the aid station… wrong! There was NO trash can. In the pre-race meeting the day before they had harped strongly on the fact that there would be a lot of USAT race officials out there and penalties would come for abandonment on the course, so I didn’t just want to chunk it to the side of the road and risk penalty. So I stuck it in my jersey pocket. Well, it fell out in the middle of the no-passing zone, when a race official was on a motorcycle right next to me! And yes, I know there is some discretion about “unintentional” drops, but I didn’t want to risk somebody interpreting that differently than I did, so I stopped and picked it up. Note to self: DON’T grab a bottle unless you have someplace to put it securely. Even more importantly, why take it in the first place?
6. The ride itself was fairly uneventful… the road was in bad shape. We drove the bike course the day before, so we knew what we were in for. But that didn’t make it any easier. Very rough, lots of road damage. I felt like I was drinking enough and eating a gel every 45 minutes, and didn’t have to make any stops. With the new aero bottle for water, I carried all mixed drinks in the other 3 bottles. Being able to grab water bottles at the aid station and push the water into the aero bottle really makes the ride a lot easier. One thing maybe I should have done would be to take some Advil in transition before the ride.
7. T2 went okay. With the size of this event, it wasn’t too crowded to get around in transition. The full tri and full aquabike competitors were still out on the bike route. I could have been out a little sooner but some of my stuff had been pushed around by people around me. I don’t know that there is any way I could have controlled that.
8. The run… well, it’s the run. Actually, the first of the 2 laps went pretty well. I was hoping to do the run in 3 hours, and my first loop was at 1:33:00 – just a few minutes off my goal. But when I started the second lap, my hips started to tighten up on me. So I ended up walking more than I had hoped.

Overall, I managed to cut about 12 minutes from my previous half-Iron distance tri time. I had hoped to cut it by 30 minutes, and get it under 7 hours. Not anything near trophy-winning performances, but I am proud of a number of my TNT alumni friends, who DID take home some hardware… congratulations to all of them. And I did get to meet a number of TNT competitors along the way.

"The question is not whether we will live, but how we will live." - Joan Borysenko

It has been almost a month since my last post, but it has been a busy month. The swimming and biking have cranked up quite a bit, and the running is coming along, although for a week or so the impact of hitting the ground with each step was bothering some muscles up through the right side of my body. I am basically clueless when it comes to naming the muscles affected - I know where it hurts and when it hurts; I will let the medical types tell me the names of things.
The month's activities were not just the training. I went in for my annual stress test with the cardiologist. The technician doing the work this time was the same one who was there when we ended up going from the stress test to the triple bypass surgery in 2008, and her first statement was "I really hope we don't end up the same way as last time." You and me both, sister!! That was an understatement! Unneeded worries - the test went extremely well. Dr. V looked at the digital images and the charts and said all was good, just keep doing what I am doing. So I hit him with "well, actually, doc, I do have a question..." (yeah, i know -- sounds like that Viagra commercial, doesn't it?) and first ackowledged he had told me before that my heart could not clear the oxidants in the blood fast enough if I was going to attempt a marathon, then with the caveat "I won't run all of it" I told him I wanted to do a full IronMan -- the third segment of which is in fact a full marathon. After further discussion, and acknowledgement from Dr. V that I managed the exertion for the Half-Iron in April and the Triple Bypass ride in July, he approved the full IronMan.  Woohoo!!
Then my next thought was like everybody else when they start this adventure: "What the heck am I getting myself into?" But I already know the answer to that, because a good friend of mine is doing exactly that. I have watched her progress, I have ridden with her, I swim with her on occasion, and I listen to her stories about her training. I will acknowledge right here and now that there is no way I will in 2011 be even close to her finish time in 2010...
So the first thing I did after the stress test was sign up for another Half-Iron distance triathlon. I know a lot of the training plans for IronMan start a year out, and this is more like 14 months, but it will be a good baseline to start from.
I set up a new website for this adventure, and hope to do fundraising to benefit organizations serving those with cardiovascular issues and limitations... check it out at CardiacIronman.com
So - here we go !!

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash. -- George S. Patton


Yes, two relevant quotes... I have been thinking about this for some time... almost a year, really. My good friend and training partner signed up last year to compete in the IronMan Florida in November 2010. You have to make the decision a year in advance, because registration for a full IronMan for the next year starts the day after the event completes, and the registration for the next year's IronMan events close almost as fast as they open.

"There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either IN or you're OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between." - Pat Riley

Finally started running again... I have been on the treadmill at the gym, since it is so freaking hot - and humid - outside. I feel like I need to get the distance up first, before I worry about speed. I know I can finish the events; it just won't be fast.
After a few days off after the Triple Bypass ride, riding the Katy Flatland Century felt pretty good. I am working on consistently doing the longer rides on the weekends, and getting swim and run time in during the week.
So I think the plan is now: half-iron this September, half-iron in spring 2011, another in the fall, all part of getting to the point where I can do a full iron-distance event. Starting the full iron-distance training plan the first of the year, in preparation to do the IMFL in November 2011... guess this is all dependent on what the cardiologist says later this month. But I intend to also work in the century rides as I go along, probably doing Tahoe with the Team In Training group again next June.
I know I am not the sprint-distance kind of triathlete... I have used the term "plodding elephant" in the past. But I feel comfortable doing the half-iron distances, particularly once I get the running segment figured out. So for me the next challenge is getting ready for the big one.
Another thought pattern has creeped into the discussion as well. Now that we have done the Triple Bypass ride, one more thing is checked off the bucket list. But just like most everybody else, I seem to keep adding things to my list at the same time. I have a TnT teammate that rides the RAGBRAI just about every year... but nobody talks about riding across Texas. For some reason, the idea of riding across my own state is more appealing -- but it is about 850 miles, whether you ride east-west or north-south, compared to the 450 for Iowa. Looking at the map, I can envision a route either horizontally or vertically. I have drafted routes going both directions, but I think I would rather do a north-to-south crossing. Starting at the Texas-Oklahoma border at the top of the Panhandle and finishing up at South Padre Island. The route will continue to evolve, and may be another opportunity to fundraise and fight cancer at the same time -- we will see how the planning goes for this, but the earliest I would want to do this ride is spring 2012. Already I get the question of "when?" followed by "Well, yeah, I am in!" -- stay tuned.
Yeah, looks like there is always room for another challenge...

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. -- Harold B. Melchart
So it has been a week since we completed the Triple Bypass ride. What an awesome adventure! 120 miles, 3 mountain passes (technically 4, but who's counting?) and 10,400-plus feet of elevation climbing. 3 great friends and support from home that was just unbelievable.

So then what? Decided to go ahead and ride the Katy Flatland Century, on the tri bike. Not a bad ride, and good basis for ramping up the training for the Redman Half-Iron distance in September. Got back in the pool last week for an easy swim, mostly to work out some stiffness left over from the Colorado ride.

Now it is time for more running... did I mention I don't like running? Oh well, I have a goal of beating my time in Galveston.

Wish me luck. If you pass by me on the road, just make sure I am still at least face-up. It is easier to breathe that way. :-)

Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly. -- Stephen R. Covey


Well, we are now only 19 days away from the Triple Bypass ride... wow! I am starting to get a bit excited, to say the least. Not because I don't think I am ready for it, but because to date, this will be my longest ride. Throw in a trio of mountain passes and a few substantial climbs, and we should have a really good time.
Yesterday was the last triathlon before the Big Ride, and I knew going into it I wasn't going to be breaking any speed records. I had decided a couple of weeks ago that my intent with this one was to go the Nike route - "just do it" - and not risk any injuries. I got through the swim without much of a push. My focus was to see what kind of "time trial" I could manage on the bike, and pretty well walk quite a bit of the run - have I said how much I hate running? on gravel? yuk! Anyway, for the 14 miles, I managed a 19.5 average on the bike without feeling like I wore myself out. I still think I need to work on my pre-race nutrition, because I still haven't managed to get breakfast nailed down. My stomach was a little on the rumbly side when we got into the water. But that's a goal for another day.
I watched a number of friends run past me on the trip around the lake. I think if I can learn to run between now and the next triathlon, things will be quite a bit different. I plan on taking the advice of my coach after the Bypass, and working on bricks -- ride, then run right afterward. Yesterday, I felt like my hips wanted to lock up on the run, so I need to work through the physical bike-to-run transition a lot.
First things first, though - 3499 of my closest friends on 120 miles of Colorado roads - yippee!

Keep your fears to yourself, but share your inspiration with others. Robert Louis Stevenson  

It hit me a few days ago... yes, I completed a Half-IronMan... yes, I can swim a mile... yes, I can ride 100 miles... so what? What does that do for anybody? Oh, don't get me wrong - I am very proud of those accomplishments. But they are not important for really any reason other than I accomplished them, or to anybody other than myself.
And then my best friend tells me she is volunteering as a Swim Angel for the Danskin Women's Triathlon. This woman is training hard for an IronMan event this fall, yet it is still important to her to help some beginner athlete friends get through an event.
I am sure there are many people like her who volunteer, who give back to the sport. And I realized how important it is to me that I not only accomplish my goals, but that I give back as well. This friend, and many others, provide the emotional support I need to ride those ugly, windy, hilly miles or swim against those salty waves. I have ridden with Team In Training for a few seasons now, and my goal for the 2009 Tahoe ride was not just to finish the ride myself, but to support those riders who were with us. My friend and I spent the entire season supporting a specific individual, a cancer survivor, to help him succeed in his cycling adventure - and he completed not one but two century rides! It felt pretty good to watch him cross under the finish line banner.
So, I volunteered to be a kayak supporter on the swim portion of the Danskin. And I will support many events in the future. If just one person I encounter in each event supports others in the future, it is worth it... not for my benefit, but for those who follow.

Happy Mother's Day weekend

Don't be so humble; you're not that great. - Golda Meir

No, I readily admit I am not a great athlete --- have I mentioned I hate running?

This weekend was a good workout, and an enjoyable Mother's Day. Saturday, a number of our Team In Training alumni rode the Armadillo Hill Country ride. While the ride offers a 105-mile route, I wasn't sure until we met up in the morning which distance we were going to do. Turned out that nobody was planning on doing the full century other than the two crazies, Shelly and John. But I was happy enough with the 78-mile route (which turned out to be 81.4) given all the wind, and the fact that I was also participating in the Rookie Triathlon the next day. I told the rest of the crew to not wait on me because I wasn't planning on a hard push Saturday. Good thing - there were some turns where the wind was pretty tough. But we managed a mediocre 15.5 mph average.
Sunday was even better. The drive down to New Braunfels was broken up by a few intermittent showers. From the first drops on the windshield, all I could think was "oh, boy, another triathlon messed up by weather!" Fortunately, we only had a few sprinkles while we were setting up transition (really? could you put us old farts any further away from the exit/entry points? And cram us in as an afterthought while you are at it!) So we waited for the start and it felt like it was getting colder, making me re-think the fact that I decided to forgo the wetsuit. But once our wave got into the water, it wasn't too bad. Note to self - don't try to always sight on the buoys, cuz they aren't necessarily the most direct point to the swim finish.
Transition was definitely faster than LoneStar. Come out of the bike start directly into the first climb, down to a sharp right, and then off through the trees. Around the back of the loop there are a number of long rollers -- and a number of "occasional" riders (moms and their kids, mountain bikes that were getting walked up the hills, etc). I might have been able to manage a better ride time, but the course is so short (only 11 miles) and there are 1000 participants so bike traffic and the number of people who don't understand bike etiquette that there were some passes I had to wait on. But the final downhill was pretty awesome - I was hitting 35-36 passing a number of bikes.
The run? Yeah well, did I mention I hate running? I could still feel the 81 miles from the day before. But I waddled through it. I know if I am going to continue the triathlons, I will need lots of run practice. But until after the Triple Bypass ride, that isn't too much of a priority.
A good weekend overall, training-wise. And topped it off by taking the Resurrection over to the previous owners and taking them for a ride on his old motorcycle that had been sitting in his garage for 26 years. What a great feeling to watch their faces light up when I rolled into the driveway. Then it was off to dinner with MY mom.
Happy Mother's Day!

Another busy week

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. - Joshua J. Marine

This past week has been an interesting week post-Half IronMan... still got in a couple of decent swims, including another open-water in the wetsuit at a local lake. Did a couple of short runs. Saturday was bike day, in that I rode approx 45 miles in the morning with the team on the road bike, and then another 29 on the tri bike in the afternoon. More wind in the afternoon, and a bit hotter.
Jeff and I rode the motorcycles down to New Braunfels so we could check out the bike route for the Rookie Tri next Sunday. There are a few rollers in it but nothing big. We stepped into the Ski Ranch to see what the swim looked like and our wonderful hostess gave us the guided tour.
I also have the Armadillo Hill Country Ride, a century, on Saturday. I am trying to decide whether I want to ride the entire 105 or just do the 75 in preparation for Sunday... that is the challenge right now.
Train on, brother, train on!

LoneStar 70.3 - Yeah, you read that right!

Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.    -George S. Patton

I had registered for the LoneStar IronMan Sprint distance as my first ever triathlon, and I felt like I was ready... I had been swimming in the pool 2000-3000 meters a couple times a week. The bike was only 13 miles so that was a non-issue. And even I could manage a 3-mile run. I was really looking forward to the event.
Since I was "racing" (I prefer to call it "participating") on Saturday, and then spectating on Sunday to see a few of my friends compete in the Half-IronMan distance, I went down to Galveston early because I had seen on the BT forum that somebody had set up a practice swim at a private lake. I met a number of new faces from the forum. I figured a short 300-500 meter swim would be good to keep me loose. Little did I know.
Friday night we had terrible, strong winds... they announced 75-mph winds overnight while we Sprinters were in transition setting up. A lot of the signage, tents and general infrastructure had been blown over during the night. The winds while we Sprinters were setting up in transition were still 25-30 mph. Even the water on the bay side of the island was kicking up some decent wave action.
Once I got the bike racked and everything set up like I had practiced, I walked down to the swim start area, which is a dock on the other end of the beach in front of Moody Gardens Hotel. Even during the walk to the start we could feel the winds. As we stood around for the next hour, it seemed like the winds persisted, maybe even got a little stronger. They announced a 15 minute delay, and then canceled the swim entirely. I was pretty bummed out about that. My first tri had just become a du, and I wasn't particularly excited about a measly 13 mile ride - never mind the run I didn't care for anyway. So I decided this event was over for me. I was not going to risk getting hurt in this kind of effort and mess up the Triple Bypass ride. Initially the race crew said it would be a time trial start for the bike, but it looked more like a shotgun blast than anything else. With the cross winds and what a number of us perceived as a golden opportunity to risk getting hurt, I was even more convinced I had made the right decision when we saw at least two ambulances roll in, just while we were walking the bike back to the truck. So I said Thanks, but no thanks and turned in my timing chip unused.
So I headed back toward the other end of the island to unload my bike, pretty disappointed. Somewhere along the way, a momentary loss of sanity struck, and I questioned aloud whether they might have any slots open for the Half-Iron on Sunday. At first my friends thought I had really lost the whole cerebral content, but when we actually talked about it, I had already been swimming the distance in the pool, just not all at once and not in open water; the bike was a given in that it was only 56 miles; and as Briana and Maggie confirmed Sunday morning, the thought was that if I needed to, I could walk the entire 13.1 mile run.
So - after l had emptied the truck and a short nap, we went back to the Gardens. I grabbed the checkbook and walked into the registration/check-in tent and asked my questions. Not only did they have slots, but they were willing to credit my entire Sprint registration fee toward the HIM registration - at the cheap (early) price! With one more look at my friends to see whether they were laughing behind my back, I handed over the money. I even bought a 70.3 cycling jersey, knowing that if I didn't finish, I would never wear it.
After that, it was off for a lunch with the BT folks. Because of my questionable decision to register, we were a little late. We got our food and sat down to eat. A little bit into the meal, Kathy, one of the well-known discussion thread posters that I had talked to along with her husband Friday at the swim, asked who all was in the Half-Iron. When I raised my hand, she looked at me with BIG eyes and said "YOU registered for the Half?" -- yeah, I found it hard to believe too. But after I explained how it all went, it was pretty awesome to get a round of applause for attempting the HIM as my first tri.
Yeah, I know - a lot of buildup... I was in the last men's swim wave, and expected (hoped) to finish the swim in about 1:30. Suffice it to say I was very surprised when I looked at my watch in transition after the swim and saw I was in the water for only 50 minutes! I was passed by some of the speedy women, but I also passed a few men in the wave before me, and at least one in the wave before that! I was feeling pretty good about that.
Onto the bike... I was pretty slow and deliberate getting shoes, helmet, gloves, etc so I could get moving on the bike. You wind out of the park for a half mile or so and then up to the Seawall for a 55-mile out and back. Only then did I realize I had forgotten to put my computer on the bike that morning! I had no clue how fast I was moving. So I put it in a comfortable gear and kept the cranks turning. Passed a number of riders, got passed by still more women. I saw a couple of my friends on the loop, so that was nice. Only after the results were posted did I know I averaged about 17.3 mph. In hindsight, I think I could have gone a little harder without beating myself up but I didn't know what the run would be like... remember my goals - finish, and don't finish last. 3:14 total on the bike.
Back to transition, changing into the running shoes, it was on to the final leg. I did walk quite a bit of it, but I knew I would. Once again, because of the way the run was laid out in a 4-loop arrangement, I saw friends multiple times - mostly as they passed me. What little advantage I had on the swim and bike I gave back quickly on the run, but I didn't care. Lots of Gatorade and water along the way, and lots of inspirational people encouraging you the whole distance. There were even some early finishers up near the finish line cheering on us late arrivals. Almost an identical time on the run and the bike at 3:14 and some change.
So -- 7:29:16 later, I was indeed a very proud, very satisfied Half-Iron finisher. A friend even snapped a pic of me at the finish line. I had asked my friends to not say anything about my participating until I had finished, so she then posted the pic to Facebook... quite a few comments, thank you very much.
It makes you wonder sometimes how things manage to work out, doesn't it? If they had not canceled our swim, I would never have attempted this, but I am VERY happy I did. I will never forget all the positive support, during the race from my racing friends and people I don't even know, and afterward from my cycling family. Thank you all !!

Rough Ride, But A Good One

Today, we rode the San Antonio Fiesta Wildflower century ride - 100 miles of almost continuous rolling hills and wind, and LOTS of chip seal. LLS raised almost 60 thousand dollars for the fight against blood cancers, so that was pretty awesome in and of itself.
This was my first century of the season and 10th overall since I started the cycling in 2007. 6 hours and 46 minutes worth of effort on the tri bike, to get ready for the first triathlon next weekend. This was a tough ride, ranks right up there with the top 2 or 3 most difficult I have ridden. And somebody lied when they said this was fairly flat... I drove the first 50 miles of it in the truck yesterday because the elevation map made it look pretty difficult, but there wasn't enough time to drive the whole thing, so I didn't see all the hills that WERE in the second half.
But we managed to get through the whole 100 miles. And last week, two good nights at the pool and a transition practice at the lake followed by a 3 mile run. Tomorrow night a short swim, Tuesday a Splash and Dash (750 meters in the water followed by a 2 mile run), Wednesday maybe a short swim or hill repeats on the bike, and then sometime Thursday off to Galveston. I am looking forward to seeing my friends and a number of professional triathletes doing the Half-Iron on Sunday.
Should be a fun-filled weekend.

What an awesome day! What a great past few weeks !!

I realized today it has been a long time since my last post, and with today's activity -- actually, the activity of this last week or so -- it seemed like a good time to correct that.
For the last few weeks, I have been in the pool at least twice a week. When I started this little adventure, I was lucky to stay afloat, much less swim a decent distance. When I took the swim class with a couple of our Team In Training coaches, I was lucky to make it the length of the pool without stopping to catch my breath. And never mind managing the breathing. A bit of progression in that regard... I have managed to go from swimming a length or two to doing 3000 yards with a pool buoy to managing 1200-1500 yards mostly nonstop and all without the pool buoy. I have also succeeded in teaching myself, or forcing myself maybe, to be able to breathe on both sides. So the water work has been fairly good.
The biking? I think I am okay in this regard. I admit my cycling time dropped off after my string of 5 century rides last year, but I am getting in at least one good ride on the weekends, and hills or training videos at least once in the week.  One of our scheduled pay rides got cancelled because of thunderstorms, but I did get in the Rosedale Ride the week after. That ride supports the Rosedale School for challenged individuals. Lots of wind that day. A number of weekends I have been riding with the Bypass team. Additionally, I have been trying to do a 15-20 mile sprint on the tri bike at least once a week combined with a run afterward. Trying to balance the training for 3 triathlons with training for the Triple Bypass ride gets complicated sometimes, but I think a lot of that has been because I was so unsure about the running and swimming. Things are coming together though. Yesterday I rode a training ride on the north side of town with some TNT alumni, and ended up riding a metric century distance loaded with LOTS of climbs and bunches of wind... the return half was brutal!
And the running... oh, boy, the running. I considered myself fortunate if I could manage a mile, and then feeling totally exhausted. Today, after a very late last-minute decision last night, I ran the Capitol 10K, 6.2 miles, without stopping and without walking. Granted it took me 1:15:00 to do it, but a slow plodding elephant is better than nothing. I don't think I have run more than 6 miles at one time in 30-40 years. But you runners, and for that matter you cyclists, too, know what it is like to be crossing that finish line for the first time in any kind of event. Not fast, not pretty, but finished. I didn't run in the timed portion of the run, but I did check my finish with the timed folks - I would have finished 260th out of 296th in my age group, so that would have accomplished my goals this year - finish, and don't finish last. I am happy with that.
By the way, I am so very proud of my teammates and my inspiration -- they ran an awesome run, and posted great times!
I realized 10 days ago that in the next 100 days I would have to finish 3 metric century rides, 3 full centuries, and 3 triathlons including the Triple Bypass -- before there was any thought of throwing a 10K run into the mix.
Next week, the first century ride, in San Antonio. I am thinking I will do this one on the tri bike since my first triathlon is the week after. I think it is going to be a busy few weeks!
Thanks to my coach for everything she does for me... I know I wouldn't be doing this well without her.

Life's Ups and Downs

The last couple of weeks have been pretty good, as far as the training is concerned... with a few curves thrown in.
The swimming is getting better these last couple of weeks, in that I am getting more comfortable with the bilateral breathing. Yeah, that might sound like no big deal, but when you hardly knew how to really swim to begin with, and having limited rotation in one shoulder, it was really easy to just breathe to one side. But my training coach had told me that the two-sided breathing would help me with lining up the swim lane, so I figured I had better at least try and see if I could manage it. And she makes it look so easy! It just felt like it was more work breathing to both sides, so my distance ability regressed, but I do recognize the benefit. So we are consistently swimming twice a week, and the distances are getting longer (for both of us) and the stamina and endurance are getting better.
Today, I went out to Lake Pflugerville with a friend's family. We both wanted to try out our new wetsuits (she is an experienced wetsuit swimmer - I have never been in one). I managed to get into the water, but it was so cold my hands were almost numb. So we decided we would wait another few weeks to actually do a swim out there. I am looking forward to that swim... once I do that, I will feel more comfortable about the swim needs.
Our Triple Bypass cycling team has been riding together on Saturdays to get in our longer rides, and riding the bikes on the trainer with Carmichael's Climbing Series in the middle of the week.  But I was going to be out at Hilltop Lakes at my former boss' house this past weekend, so Friday I loaded the tri bike and my cycling gear into the truck, in addition to the tools I was needing for the weekend. Hilltop Lakes is on a winding Farm-to-Market road with no shoulders, so Saturday morning, I drove back out the 8 miles to Marquez and rode to Franklin. Hwy 79 has really great, wide, clean shoulders all the way, so even with a little bit of traffic, the ride went well. 79 also has some slow, longer rollers in this section of road. It was really awesome when the tractor-trailers driving in my direction would move over into the other traffic lane to keep from blowing me off the road... thanks, guys! It was a good 49-mile ride.
Today, the Team In Training group was riding Parmer, and one of the TB team is a TNT captain this season, so we will ride a number of our rides with them. Left from Cool River to ride north, and pretty much left most of the team behind. 6 of us started out, with 2 riding a tandem. More focused on saddle time than speed this ride, I managed to get in just over 50 miles. The tri bike feels pretty good - I can see how people get hooked on riding this way.
The running has not progressed as well as I had hoped, mostly because I have had some late nights at work the past 2 weeks. But I will get out there tomorrow and run, before it starts raining again.
Last week we actually had snow in Austin - yeah, enough to make everything white. And this after a LOT of rain the last couple of months. We didn't think about it right away, but the water at the lake today was probably colder as a result of the snow. All this weather has also limited the amount of time I could spend on the road bikes and running.
Oh yeah, the curves... the long work days I already mentioned, the weather I already talked about, my mom took a spill and fell, and I lost my baby colt within only a couple of hours of its birth, so that was a real disappointment. Then a late night tire change on my mom's car. Hopefully, things will smooth out somewhat soon.
Life is full of surprises, some good and some not so good. How we respond is what makes us who we are. Once again, I have come to the realization that there are two certainties -- we need to live our lives as if we won't get all the days we think we have or all the chances we want to second-guess our decisions; and, there are things you just cannot control, so it will do you no good to expend the energy thinking you can.
Love you, too.