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.