What I've been doing.

To be perfectly honest...nothing.  I'm ashamed of what I haven't done.  I'm ashamed of what I have lost and what I have gained.  I lost serious focus friends.  I lost the kind of focus that changes a persons life.  I lost focus in a way that I thought I would never lose focus again.

See I thought I had changed my life.  I thought that after 14 months of intense life changing rehabilitation that inside I wasn't really a fat person anymore.  I was wrong.  I still have those cravings and I still subconsciously struggle with getting up every morning and making an active choice to NOT be Lazy.

Its so easy to allow your self a little slack in your routine.  If you aren't very careful that slack will gain more and more of your rope until your slack is on the wrong end and your days are spent thinking of how much pie you can eat and how to make excuses to avoid running 10k in 28 degrees F.

I made those Excuses...Lots of them. I've been slacking for 3 full months. But I really let it go in the last month and a half. I convinced myself that it was pointless to watch my intake over the holiday and in turn there really wasn't a reason to keep exercising as it was just a a waste since I was going to eat badly.   Last year I went through the holiday and ate and exercised and I think I gained 1 lb. the only reason that happened is because I kept exercising and I was aware of my eating.  I lost my focus and stopped caring.

I realized that I can't do that.  I have told 100's of people this was a lifestyle change for me.  This wasn't a diet.  I let that slip away for a moment.  I realize the mistakes I've made.  I realize what I have gained and lost and I want back what I had 3 months ago.

So its confession time.
I started slacking after my race.  I managed to maintain no more then a 5lbs gain and the last time I weighed in was mid November.   I haven't exercised consistently in well over 6 weeks.

Yesterday I weighed in and I had gained 15 lbs.  You aren't perfect and the daily struggle is forever.  Never forget how you got there and how hard it was to get where you are.

Its not worth it!

Peregrine Charities 2011 Triathlon - Race Report

Sorry it took me so long to get this up here.  

Peregrine Triathlon photo album

Registration, Transition Setup, & Course Talks

Sat Afternoon I packed up all my "race junk", that's how my wife and I refer to the equipment I have spent all of our money on.   I loaded it all into the van broke the bike down and took out the back seat.  Not in that order.  We packed an overnight bag and all the stuff for a new baby and took off.  Despite speeding all the way up the drive took a lot longer then I thought it should, and in hindsight I cant explain why cause the drive home didn't take nearly as long.

We arrived at the lake at about 5 pm.  Lots of people milling about but I found my way to the registration table and got my race packet picked up.   Unpacked my gear and got my bike tagged and headed over to transition.  Transition area looked 1/2 filled with bikes.  I found a nearly empty rack and picked and outside edge.  I then realized they were going to shove 7 bikes on each rack.  these racks were not big enough to do that. Uggh!  I knew in the morning my bike was going to be crammed in hard.   I did what I could and put a garbage bag on my seat and handle bars and taped 2x GU packs to my repair kit bag I was not going to risk not having a GU pack because of clumsy hands or improperly secured nutrition again.  Stepped back and surveyed what was sure to be a mess in the morning.   I walked to the boat ramp and looked out across the lake.   I smiled to myself and in my head I thought "Tomorrow I would be a triathlete".  Then I looked at the posted water temp 63*.  "Well maybe next year I can be a triathlete."

Wife and I talked with Amber the race director for a few minutes.  She was getting ready to give a course talk which I was not sticking around for and she gave me a quick run down.  Nothing special I didn't miss anything.   We hopped back in the car and then went and drove the bike course.   It was going to be a good day tomorrow.  Nice bike course.

We headed over to the hotel and checked in then I made a crazy decision to eat pizza hut.  Ya Ya Ya I know not necessarily the best idea.  But man it was good I ate a half large Pan supreme with Jalapenos  It was divine!  I haven't had greasy pizza in a long time.  I know it was really stupid It could have ruined my race, but I didn't! :)

Back at the Hotel I prepped all my gear for the morning.  Fell asleep to the sound of my son crying.

Race Day

OMGIC - OMG Its Cold!  Wake up and WIN!   I showered ate apples and peanut butter and drank crappy coffee.

Got dressed and loaded my cheering section into the car.  I felt bleh! not great just OK.  I was getting race butterflies big time.  Im always astonished at pre-race traffic.  Its was still dark and 100's of athletes are making there way to the same place while others dream about pancakes and sleeping in another hour.   Ok I too was dreaming the same things.  No place to park...Im going to end up walking a half mile to transition.  I hope this doesn't count against my time.  I grabbed all my stuff and started trekking to transition.  

Really glad I covered my seat and handle bars.  Super Dewy!   There was an extra bike on our rack.  Already crowded with 7 bikes somehow we got lucky and some awesome racer decided they could fit there bike on too.  I set up my area and decided I needed a second shirt which I didn't bring.  I ran back to the vehicle and grabbed the long sleeve technical shirt that came with my packet.  Glad for that I needed it.  I ran over and grabbed my timing chip and barely made it back into transition before it closed.  I through my wet suit on and got ready for the waves to start.   

Swim 

Standing at the boat ramp a few of us ask about waves and no one really knows we keep getting told someone will tell us.  No one told us and All AG Men and Clydes took off at the same wave.  which is Ok but no one knew that so there was alot of confusion at the whistle  people standing on the boat ramp as half the swimmers took off.  Already nervous, blind, and not disorganized my swim start sucked!

As I waded out and dove in I literally felt my chest implode from the cold.  I immediately begin to have problems.  The water was so cold I couldn't keep my face down.  Every time I tried it would take my breath away.   It was horrible.  For all the swimming I did It seemed to not help at all I shudder to think how I may have reacted with less practice.  I was 200 yards out and began to panic... a combination of not being able to see not being able to breath and the cold caused me to freeze up and forget what I was doing.  I almost lost it.  I managed to get control and breath and I told myself.  "IF you stop you will sink and you will drown."  It was really the only thing that kept me going.  I felt so heavy and so slow.  People were passing me like crazy.   I just kept stroking knowing that I would eventually hit the shore again.  I was 100 yards from shore and I looked over and saw a kayak and thought momentarily about swimming over to it to rest but realized it was 50 yards to the kayak and only 100 to shore.  What a waste...so I kept going.  I'm glad I did I was only wimping out.   I hit the boat ramp and really felt like crap as I took my first 4-5 steps out of the water.  Then I kind of cleared my head and ran into transition.  I'm glad that's over.

Official time: 16:07.7

T1

I knew my swim time was slow but there were other green caps in transition with me and there were at least a handful of green caps coming out of the water still so I wasnt last.  I shucked off my suit and got my cycling gear on.  I knew my transitions was slow and I was really still trying to get my head clear from the swim.  I didnt realize how slow until later.  Wow time was standing still.  Oh...I forgot to put on my Chest Strap for My HRM.

Official time: 5:01.2

Bike



Running out to the mount line and I am off.  Its a little chilly and the wind is not strong but makes the temperature feel worse then it is.  I felt really good on my bike until about 6.5 miles.  I took my GU and instantly became acutely aware that my right foot felt weird.   Annoyingly weird.  I could not get it out of my head.  I couldn't figure it out.  was it numb from my posture? Or Just really cold?  I wasn't sure.  As I was mentally wrapped up in this I lost concentration during a small hill climb and geared my bike to far and Derailed my freaking chain.   I was really making good time too.   I stepped off my bike and my right foot hit the ground and I couldn't tell I was standing on it.  I think I was stopped for more then 2 minutes.  I could not get the chain unjammed from the derailleur.  I did finally manage to get it back on and then carefully pedaled up the remainder of the hill in a gear far to low.  I crest the hill and there is the turn around at halfway.  I try and make up time but my foot is jacked up.  Im convinced its the cold now as no other parts of my body feel numb or anything.  I must have gotten my sock wet.  As far as performance goes I dont feel im doing too bad.  I feel much better then Hickory Grove at halfway.  I come out of the rolling hills and only have a few small hills  left and all flat I decide to really crank and try and make up some lost time.  The wind is not quite at my back but it is helping me a little.  I pass few of the people who gained on me from the chain issue.  I know Im still down.  I make a turn as I'm approaching the intersections before heading back into the park and Im hit by a wall of wind.  I'm only 2 miles from the finish and I approach this poor girl completely in arrow wearing almost nothing.  A sports bra and some short Spandex Boy Shorts.   As I passed her I told her I felt for her cause I know she was way cold.   You could see how cold she was in her eyes.  I later found out she swam in the same outfit no wetsuit.    I hit the no pedal zone and preform a Perfect running dismount !!!

Official time: 52:45.2

T2
What do I do in transition?  Seriously  I have no clue how I managed to burn almost 2 minutes in T2.  I did have to move my Garmin from my bike to my wrist and I switched gloves and I grabbed a 2nd GU that I had to dig through my pack for OK I see BUT...I didn't have to switch shoes Or any clothes other then putting on a hat and gloves.

Official Time: 1:58.8

Run


Do you know how hard it is to run with only one foot?  Wow...My foot is jacked up! I was actually gimping along.  Im really struggling to get my pace down while my foot doesnt seem to exist.  The almost naked girls passes me.  I realize the stupid feeling in my foot is all in my head and push it out and just focus on being smooth, light, and easy.  I check my pace and breathing and try to get loose and stay focused.  Finding my groove actually came pretty quickly.  I felt however that I was struggling to maintain my pace.  My foot was warming up and feeling was starting to come back.    It was nice to see the groups along the way cheering people on and despite it only being 5K it seemed much shorter.   I managed to keep my pace at 10 Min or faster the whole way which was a feat all its own.  I have never until 4 days prior to this race ever done a sub 30 min 5K and it appeared as long as I could hold this pace I was going to pull this off in competition.  My goal was to just keep pace and finish.   I had put 2+ miles under my belt on the run when I began to realize my really was irritated.  If it hadn't been cloudy and zero sun all day I would have guessed my neck was sunburned.   Some girl had put a Lei around my neck and I thought Oh crap its causing the irritation so I pulled it off even though I only had it on for a few minutes.  I just focused on hittign my pace and pushing out to the end.
As I come around the curve I see the crowd, and the cheering is louder, the finish line is right there and try and give it a really good speed boost but just dont have a lot left and only manage a real minor surge.

Official time: 29:49.8

Race Summary and Results

Well there you have it my first Official Triathlon completed. 1:45:40.7
Im somewhat confused to my finish time because when I actually crossed the line the time above the finish read like 1:41 or 1:42 or something similar.  I was in the first wave of swimmers so Im not really sure how the time got off.  I know I wasn't penalized.  Meh whatever.

This graphic shows the comparison to the other guys in my AG  Its pretty obvious where my weak issues are.

Things for next year
Lots of swim training
Improve my 5k time to as close to 25 min as possible
Pedals & Shoes
Potentially a Gearing upgrade
Lose 15-20 more pounds by spring

An accomplishment a long time coming

Friday morning I ran 5k in Madison WI. inspired by all the collegiate cross country kids in my hotel. Friday night I did 2 miles of sprint intervals and felt pretty good about myself.  My whole body was sore with DOMS by Sat afternoon from the effort I put into the sprints.  

Sunday I decided that I would run long.  My goal was to do 10k which I have never done.  I mostly run 5k and have been focusing on speed.  So my runs are generally 3-3.6 miles always in that range and always in a 28-33 min time frame.

Lately I have felt like I haven't really been pushing myself to my absolute limit and I feel like I'm cheating myself by not making progress.  Why or how I got into this rut I don't know but I'm set on getting out of it.  The sprints were one way and me pushing to do faster and faster miles and faster 5K times is another.  Sunday I got this crazy Idea that I had the ability to do 10K so I did.

I felt pretty good starting out a little sluggish mostly from poor diet.  After the first mile I had settled into a pretty good rhythm and was keeping a careful eye on my pace to make sure I wasn't trying to go to fast my first time.

I did start out a little fast but managed to get things slowed back down to my "safe speed".  I brought a water bottle with me and was glad I had.  Running 5Ks without water is fine but I didn't want to run twice the distance without anything.

At the halfway I was feeling awesome which was good but I figured by mile 4.5 or 5 is where I would feel the hammer.    I just kept spinning my legs with keeping my head up and tried to focus on my form so I didnt get tired from running inefficiently.   Mile 4 came and went without even a twinge of fatigue.  As Mile 5 ticked by I felt invigorated by the distance and the thought that I was actually going to get this done.  I did catch my pace slowing but I think it was more from not being "aware" of my slow down more then anything else.


As mile 6 clicked by I was beaming.  My smile must have freaked people out who were driving.  I felt awesome and actually considered continuing just to see how far my body would let me go but decided since I normally only go half that distance I didnt want to strain anything. 

I ran a total of 6.4 miles in 1:10:08  Actual 10K time was 1:08:01

Reflection on Old photos

I found this old photo of me tonight and it reminded me of how bad things had gotten.  I think this maybe the worst photo of me ever.  Even worse then my semi-naked ones I took before I started losing weight.

I cant believe this is me.  I cant ever go back her EVER.

Race Reports

I owe you a race report for my triathlon...Ugghh Uber busy.  Lots of stuff at work goign on Ill get to it soon. I promise

Just exactly when I needed it.

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours. - John Galt

Sept 17th, 2011 Jacob Krumm - 2011 Off the Beaten Path Trail Run

Jacob Krumm - Off the Beaten Path - News article about the winners

Sept 17th, 2011

I decided to do the 3K race even though I know the 6K would have been a breeze for me. I had my Triathlon the following weekend the so I didn't want to risk stressing my knee or my hip. So I stuck with the 3k ya short distance but I really wanted to see how much I improved from last year anyway.

I alos convinced my sweet daughter to run it with me. By "convinced" I mean forced. She whined about it the whole time..."Its so cold" It was a little cold.

We got her registered and then I took her out on the trail to show her the hill. She seemed unimpressed and cold. We wandered around mingling and talking to other racers a bit waiting for the race to start. I found there were about 3 other guys in my age group that would definitely give me some competition.

The race was getting ready to start so I grabbed a quick drink of water and got to the start line with my daughter.

Ready, Set, Go!

We start of carefully pacing and I watch my pace closely on my Garmin because going out to fast before the big hill ruins you. I had planned for us to be near the front but not in the front. So we were out in front with the majority of the crowd behind us. On our way up the hill we maintained a good steady pace and I had one of my direct competitors right beside my daughter and I. Man that hill just goes forever. We get to the top of the hill and I keep my pace the same and recover from the hill for about 100 meters before I increase my pace to a full min/mile faster. My Daughter pick right up with me like I didn't even make a change. We drop several people as we move out in front there really is only 1 or 2 guys in front of me as we merge with the 6K runners the path becomes filled with other runners we get passed and pass some others One Old man smokes my daughter and I man he was booking for a 6K pace. 7min/ mile maybe?

We are on the back side of the lake now and the rolling hills start short steep inclines one after the other. Nice run completely secluded by trees. I pick the pace up more and we settle in for the back half. I feel real good and My daughter is rocking it good too. I think she is hanging back with her Dad so she can run with him. We approach the last big hill and I slow down a little. My quads are burning Last year this is where I stopped and walked. Not this time!!! I did slow down though and I told my daughter not to wait on me Go ahead and push hard to the end. I told her to bring the speed now you have less than a 1K. She took off and left me in the dust. As I crested the Hill I see her making her way across the dam with only a few people ahead of her. She is moving pretty quick and looks good. I get up on the Dam and realize this is it. Its time to push hard I increase my pace to full speed, just as I see her cross the finish. I really power through the last 100 meters and finish hard. Coming in at a about a 6 min/mile pace. I cross the finish line and look at my Garmin...Im very happy.

As I wait for results I talk with my wife and daughter and the few other racers who have finished. Its a good sign when there arent many people at the finish line yet.


Results start getting posted.

Official time 16:49 w00t!!! 5Min and 10Sec improvement from last year.
My daughters official time 16:15

I took 2nd place in my AG and 3rd OA Male

My Awesome daughter took 1st in her AG and 1st OA Female

Male and Female OA Winners

So you wanna be a triathlete

So you wanna be a triathlete? 

Fact: you will not become efficient at swimming, biking or running over night. Sorry to burst your bubble. This is NOT an easy sport. 

Check your ego at the door because chances are someone fifty pounds heavier than you will lap you in the pool. Not to mention she will be ten or fifteen years older than you. 

You will be passed on the bike many times and you will never be the fastest runner in your town. 
You will have early morning workouts. Really early. 
You will plan your weekends around your swim, bike and run. 
You are up while others are sleeping. 
You are training while others are sitting. 
You will discover others who also follow this blood, sweat and tears cult. 
You will eventually get a flat tire... and have to change it all by yourself. 
No matter what you hear, triathlon is NOT an inexpensive sport. 
Warning, it is extremely addictive, hence the impulse spending on wetsuits, bikes, running shoes, aero bars, aero helmets, speed suits, power meters, GPS heart-rate monitors and many other ‘gotta have items.’ 
You will hate swimming more times than you like it for the first year. 
You will suffer through road trips with whiny fellow triathletes. 
You will suffer set backs. 
You may experience an injury. 
You will develop a love/hate relationship with a foam roller and ice baths. 
You will at some point realize you need a coach. 
You will hate swimming for the first year. 
You will wear tight clothing. 
You will not like how this tight clothing fits or looks.
Your age will take on a whole new meaning. 
You will discover a whole new meaning for tan lines.
Food will become an extremely important part of your life. 
You will learn new words such as GU, cadence and brick. 
You will hate swimming for the first year. 
You will spend more time on your bike than on your couch. 
You may lose a friend or two because you spend too much time swimming, biking and running, and they could careless about your heart rate training, foam rolling pain or 20 mile bike ride. 
You will learn patience. 
You will be humbled. 
You will start to realize you are paying money to put yourself through pain and suffering, but for some odd reason, you LOVE it. 

This sport called Triathlon, becomes a part of you. You start to plan your entire year around sprint, international, half-iron or full-iron distance races. Your vacations become racing, and you start to realize that this sport called triathlon could become a life-long adventure. 
Many people settle for things in life. They settle for a crappy job, marriage, friends, food, place to live and overall fitness and health. 

Those who desire more or those who want more out of life than a drive-thru window and boring sitcom, will choose triathlon or an activity that makes them happy. An activity that will change their life. Triathlon will change your outlook on life, your career, your marriage, your goals, your friends and many other things you thought you had figured out. It’s not just crossing a finish line or a boring finisher medal. It’s the countless hours that got you to that point. A moment in time that you will NEVER forget. A moment that you will discuss with your family and friends for hours if not days after the event. These discussions will most likely be about how you could have done better. At what point could you have swam faster, biked harder or ran more efficient? This is what will go through your head everyday until you get the opportunity to suffer again. 

So you wanna be a Triathlete? Enjoy the ride and train hard! 

Body Weight Simulator

Body Weight Simulator

This is a cool little utility from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)


Play with it.

Onederland Baby!!!

Thats right...this morning!  I finally got back down under 200.  I feel it this time Im going to stay under this time.  I have momentum now.  Im going into this weekend motivated and and excited.  Weight is finally starting to come off again.  Just glad to finally see the scale moving.

Todays weight 198.8  Check my ticker for total weight lost --->

LifeFlight Photo shoot

Taking off

As you know when my son was born they took him by life flight to Blank Childrens hospital where he was admitted to the NICU.  I got to fly with him that night which I was so thankful that I had lost the weight I had because I might not have been able to fly that night.

So Monday evening they flew back to our local hospital and asked us to bring Thomas and our other kids and they did a small interview and took a whole bunch of photos of Thomas and I and the flight crew that night. The kids got to sit in the helicopter (me too) It was really fun.
Its going to be put in a calendar and some promotional story will be written locally.  When I get come more pictures back Ill post them

Cool Story from My Hickory grove Tri

Nothing stops Alexandra

This young girl road 14 of the 15.5 mile ride on a flat tire!  Read about how she placed!

Hickory Grove 2011 Race Report

Race Day
Sunday Aug 28th  4:30 am
*ALARM*
I slept good I feel rested.  Its time to put something in my stomach. I prepped some John McCann's Steel Cut Irish oats last night so they would be ready to heat & eat.   Because I am OCD about forgetting crap I had gone through my gear bag a dozen times last night and laid out the stuff I would be putting on in the morning.   I do my morning routine and eat some awesome oatmeal with some brown sugar.

I load the car up with all my gear and then pack all the cheerleaders in for the trip.

We are off!  WAIT!

One quick stop at Perkins for some of that delicious Super Dark Blend coffee.

Ok now we are off...

======~48 min later~======

We arrive. There are already alot of athletes milling about moving gear and bikes warming up etc...  I find a place to park just on the back side of transition and run off to find  where I need to check in to pick up my timing chip.  On my way to check in I bump into my friend LittleRachet from over at "Tri-ing to be a triathlete" Much of this craziness that I'm involved in is her fault. since this is my first Tri she is checking on me making sure im ready asking me questions.   I have no clue my head is spinning from the excitement!   I get directed to the proper tent to pick up my chip.
After chipping myself I go unload all my gear and find a spot for my bike and bag in transition.  I dont know alot about transition strategy but here was mine.  "Be able to find where I left all my stuff while Im out of breath and freaking out about why my legs have suddenly stopped listening to my brain."   I decide that a spot on the end of a rack is best and find one next to a large oak tree.  The 3rd tree in from the run exit.  I place all my gear and check my tire pressure and my gearing.  Then I tuck a Mocha Gu pack into my bike tool bag strap so I have it on the first leg of the bike. (<--this is important)

I have about 15 min before transition closes and the pre-race meeting begins.  I eat a bag of Jelly Belly Sport Beans and talk with Little Rachet and my Wife for a few minutes before I run to the Port-o-John.  LONG LINES but they are moving fast.   I get done just as the pre-race meeting starts.

Race Meeting: Blah blah blah
Because the swim was cancelled they split the run and I will now be racing 1 mile run/15.5 mile bike/ 2.1 mile run
The Race

First run
Im racing as a Clydesdale (fat guy) so Im in the 5th wave of runners.  My group is called up and I put myself about the middle of the pack.  Im a short fat guy so standing in the middle of this Clyde pack was like being surrounded by sequoias.  Im really getting wound up my heart rate is elevated Im way more nervouse then any 5k Ive ever run.  I mentally try to calm myself as I know being this worked up will make me pace faster then I want too.
I honestly dont remember if there was a horn, or a shot, or just a "Go".  I just started running when everyone else did.  It seemed like everyone was pacing really fast and 100yards into the run I started rethinking my run strategy.  This was only a mile run I can recover quickly from a mile run especially in the 2-3 transitioning from run to bike and gettign going on the bike.  I up my pace a bit and and just stay with it to the end.  finishing hard accross the line.  In looking at my Garmin It was under 9 minutes  I could have gone harder and wish I had after the fact.  This race was a different dynamic.

T1
Running into transition I easily find my way to my spot either because I just remembered or because the prep of locating the big tree actually worked I dont know.  I get to my bike put my helmet on and my gloves and unrack.  I begin running through transition to the bike exit.  The bike exit sits ono top of what is essentially a 4 foot vertical wall.   Well its a road and transition is in the ditch so there is a 4 foot incline to get to the the roadway.  I thought as I was leaving that incline was really steep and sucked.  Little did I know!   Once I get on the road I fumble gettign mounted and get going I must practice the mount a bit better.  Things to work on.    It was nice to hear Little Rachet tell me to calm down and just get going.  Its strange I didnt see anyone but through all the commotion I hear this voice.  Thanks!

Bike
I get going and I feel good legs feel strong and I feel like a slender reed slicing through the air.  As I exit the Park there is a big Downhill grade somethign that will get me well over 30 MPH quickly.  I get up to speed and immeditaley at the bottom of the hill I have to slow to make a corner. I stay very solid through the first Hill and once I get back on the main road to the out and back I feel great Im staying strong and passing a few people.  I am of course gettign passed by the disk wheel/sperm helmet crowd but I expected that.  There are alot of different levels of people on this ride.  I hit the turn around and start powering back.   The plan was to take my GU pack at the turn around.  The turn around is followed by a hill back up.  So I wait to take my gu pack till I get back to the flat.  Wehn I crest the hill I situate to get back into a groove and go for my Gu pack just as I move my hand to grab it from the strap It slips from the strap and falls to the side of the road as I cruise on by.  I say good bye to the only nutrition I brought with me on the bike.  Im upset.  I let it get to me.  I know that Ive done bike rides this long before without nutrition boosts but for somereason my plan got disrupted and I let it get to me.  A mile later I kick myself in the ass and tell myself to quit sulking about it and just SPIN on.  Nothing I can do about it now.  I settle back in and realize Ive lost some momentum and begin to try and make it up.  I do a little.  As Im finishing my last lap I begin to feel the effects of being worn out.  Whats wrong.  then I realize I havent been drinking much.  Its a nice day out and not hot and I felt good and I drank a little but not much. I begin to drink water a nd then relaize What Im doing I have less then a lap left and 3/4 of a bottle of Nuun.  I start drinking every few minutes  By the time I reach the turn around I know Im almost done but Im seriously slowing down only averaging about 15-17 mph  and slow on the hills.  I pound the last of my nuun hoping its not to late to get the hydration back in my system.   Drink more water as I come back round to the park entrance.  I take the left to renter the park and push hard to the end.   Again I hear Little Rachet..."How was that?"  Louder then the rest of the crowd  *Cowbell Clanging*  I yell back,  "It was Awesome!"  and I dismount flawlessly.  Within 3 strides I realize that my legs arent holding me up its my mind forcing my body to levitate as my legs pretend to work.  Thats when the Steep incline heading back into Transition suddenly becomes the most difficult obstacle in the world.    I dont know how I manged to make my legs do what they did but They held me up and I ran my bike down that hill and into T2.

T2
This seemed faster then T1 to me.  But it wasnt!  I racked and stripped my gloves and helmet. grabbing my hat I turn to go then I rmember I have other Gu packs in my bag.  I shove my hand in and grab one and rip into it on the way out.   Squeezing it into my mouth as I trudge out of T2 and down the long trail out to the course.  I realize that the reason they tell you to take those things with water is because if you dont your mouth becomes a gooey things that makes you freak out.  I pass my awesome family cheering me on the sidelines my little girls and my wife.   It was so great to actually see someone.   Man I could use some water to wash this Gu pack down.  And then the cramps start!


Second Run
My calves are cramping into tennis balls I breath and try to relax but continue to run.  I slow my pace a little and allow my body to adjust.  The hard cramping goes away but I still feel the tension and know if I push hard they will come back.  Arrghh! Its because I didnt drink sooner on the bike.  I know it is hydration.  I hope that the late ingestion of Nuun hits me pretty soon.   This run is all trail, grass and dirt.  As I approach the first hill the tension in my calves ease and I begin to feel better.  I settle in and begin to just run finding a rhythm and just going.  I increase my pace a bit trying to make up a little time from the cramping. I know its only a short ways but my head keeps screwing with me tell me the finish is a long ways off.   I just keep pushing forward the calves are just sore from the cramping and I think im clear.   I see a water table up ahead and volunteers handing out gatorade and water...  I Should have taken the gatorade instead of the water.   I  see a girl really struggling and give her an encouraging word as I pass by.   I keep trudging and I have less then a mile left.   I feel tired. Im angry that I didnt drink more on the bike.  Oh well lessons learned as I hit the short hill coming across the lake dam muscles just inside my knee on the bottom of my quads start to cramp and with each downward foot plant It seems to get worse.  I eas my speed back again and try and minimize the cramping.   Some little girl is directing traffic  near one of the turns and I dont know what happened but she is telling us to stay to the left and the runners headed oout are being told stay to the Right and we are criss crossing each other and its very confusing.   I can see the end and hear the crowd and I get that boost of knowing im almost done.  Rachet is yelling at me to go and Im expecting some cowbell but I got nothing!!   So I forget about the cowbell and push to the end .

Someone hands me a bottle of water and takes off my timing chip.

WOW Im done what an incredible experience.  I wish it had been the real deal but Im still glad I did it and I learned some valuable lessons.

Things I learned


1 mile isnt very far push harder (only appropriate for shortened duathlons)
Secure nutrition to my bike better
Take more then what I need in case other accidents happen
Drink Drink Drink!
Practice Mounting while running.
More Bricks
More hill trianing (both running and cycling)
Seek out some guidance on gearing

Almost a Triathlete

"Almost" you say? Yes, almost.
On Friday the race organizers notified the entrants that the lake had high ecoli levels and to beware and to avoid swallowing water if possible.

On Saturday they emailed back and cancelled the swim.  Then later Saturday they emailed again with a further explanation.  See the excerpt below

For those of you who still wanted to swim I want to share some numbers with you so you might understand our decision a little better.

The DNR requires signs warning the public of ecoli levels in two situations.  One if the 30 day average rises above 126 ecoli colonies per 100ml of water.  Two if any single reading rises above 235 ecoli colonies per 100ml of water. The latest water test for Hickory Grove is 790 ecoli colonies per 100ml of water.  That is over three times the level consider safe by the Iowa DNR.  We hope this helps give you some understanding of our decision. In past years Hickory Grove has had readings around 20 colonies give or take.  We will be working with park staff to resolve this issue and return the water quality the park has enjoyed for several years. Thanks for your understanding. Alex and Steve

 Disappointed but understandable and glad I didn't swim in something that could have made me incredibly ill.

So they converted my first Triathlon into a duathlon ... 1mile run, 15.5 mile bike, 2.1 mile run.

Sat afternoon I drove up to pick up my race packet and then drove over to drive the bicycle course.  When I got there there were about 6 people swimming in the lake.  No signs posted anywhere.

Race Report Coming up next

Im going to puke on my desk

This race is just a few days a way and I feel so unprepared with everything that has gone on in my life over the last week.  2 mediocre workouts in 7 days and non ideal nutrition.  Im freaking out.

New widget - Skip the Pie

On the right hand side just below the Myfitnesspal.com weight loss  badge I added a new widget from http://skipthepie.org/

Now you can just search for any food item and pull up the nutritional info.  Very neat!

Boy do I have a story for you

Im a new Daddy! Yay!

Thomas Joe
7lbs. 6.4 oz
21"
Born 4:03 PM Aug. 16th

So... Baby was scheduled to be born via C-Section on Aug 29th at 8 AM.   I left for Kansas City for a conference on Sunday the 14th.  I was supposed to come back on the 16th at 3 pm.  My wife said, "Im going to have this baby while your gone."  She said that for 2 months leading up to my trip.  Sure enough she went in for an appointment on the morning of the 16th and she was dilated to 2 cm.  so they decided to keep her for observation.  She called me at 9:30 am and warned me what was going on and that I may need to start driving back.  The morning progressed and at around 11:10 am she called again and said the doctors were going to go ahead and do the c-section that day and they would hold off as long as they could with the plan to go in at 3:00 pm.   I packed and left the Hotel at 11:30 drove like a mad man stopped for gas and food once just outside of KC.  I actually arrived at the hospital at 2:55 and was changed and ready to go to the Operating room at 2:58pm.

As I mentioned above baby Thomas was born at 4:03 pm.  Mom was sent to recovery and I went with baby up to the birthing suite where mom and baby would remain for the next 2 days.  Baby was all cleaned up and stats taken and all the other little things nurses do to new babies just after they are born.  Thomas was doing great I got to hold him and he is AWESOME.  About an hour later mom came up from recovery and she got to spend time with Thomas and feed him.

This is where things get scary.   I came in to see how mom and baby were doing after feeding.  He wasn't really hungry they said and the nurse was gogin to take him and do a vitals check.  That's when they started telling us that he wasn't breathing good and his blood oxygen levels were low.  He wasn't maintaining his body temp very good either.  The nurse suggested they might need to transfer him to a bigger hospital,with with a special Childrens wing, about 30 miles away.  About 20 min later they told us they were definitely transferring him.   My wife is still stuck in her room and I'm hovering around the incubator he is in just hanging out and being with the little guy.  We are very concerned and no one can really tell us why this is happening.  The nurse gets off the phone with the doc and she tells me that They are going to send him by Life Flight Helicopter and that it is on its way and will be here in a few minutes.

At the NICU Day 1

The Life flight crew gets there and they have brought a nurse form the neonatal unit with them and they start working on him and end up putting a tube down his throat to force oxygen into his lungs.  This is probably the scariest thing I have ever been through.  I'm just glad my wife didn't have to see any of this.  It was so horrible to see him laying there so completely helpless and unable to even breath on his own.  At this point they are starting to get him stabilized and they move him to the helicopter transport incubator.  They are preparing to leave and they wheel him in to say goodbye to mom before taking off.  The nurses are talking to mom and letting her reach in and touch his hand.  I get handed some paper work that says I agree to let them work on my son and fly him off to the other facility.  Then one of the Life Flight nurses asks me if I want to ride along.

YES!! Of course I do.  They never let you ride with them! I couldn't believe it.  She says, "how much do you weigh?"  I tell her I'm "right around 200lbs" and she says "I think that will be fine but we will check with the pilot before take off".   Im so glad I lost all this weight. they wouldn't have even asked me before.  I was way to heavy.

I'm excited and worried and scared all at the same time.  The nurses have assured me that Thomas is going to be fine we just need to get him up to the hospital so he can be cared for by specialists.
We head out to the HeliPad and I get the break down and instructions on what I should and shouldn't do.  The pilot comes out and says "we are way good to fly".  *Thumbs Up*

They load Thomas in the back and then set me up with a headset and show me how to work it.  Next thing I know we are in the air.
the Helicopter ride was surreal and amazing.  I was so worried for my son but by the time we were almost there I was looking around and checking things out.  We flew over the fairgrounds and the rides were all lit up and shining and going.  fireworks were going off and the view of our capitol building was amazing.  The ride was just minutes Id say more then 10 but less then 15min from lift off to landing.  It was crazy cool and something awesome I got to share with my son.  Ill have to tell him about the hot Life Flight nurses who thought he was so cute when he is older.


They get him admitted into the NICU and start hooking him up to all kinds of machines and I'm just sitting there watching all these nurses and doctors work on my son.  Time is nonexistent and is only a theory.  I knew at one point what time we got there and remember looking at the clock as things settled down and one of the nurses told me I should lay down and try to sleep at 2:35 am.

The next day the doctors gave me a more elaborate explanation of why we were there and what had happened.  During the C-Section as he was being delivered he took his first breath of air and inhaled blood into his lungs this is referred to as blood aspirated pneumonitis.

How long will we be in here?  7 days minimum until antibiotics have finished.

Look Ma' No Oxygen

I spend the next 36 hours alone in the hospital with my new son before my wife is able to be released from her location and we spend the next few days together all day in the room waiting for things to change watching the monitors and oxygen meter parying for things to get better.

Tuesday the 23rd is his last day of Antibiotics But he isnt allowed to leave because his oxygen levels are still to low.  So our stay is extended.




Thursday morning we get the OK!  We are going home!!!

Swim, eat, swim, sleep, swim...

     Oh my gosh!  I have been swimming a lot.  I think my hair has gotten lighter.  I've really been hitting the pool hard More swimming then I have done in the past even when I was training before.  I guess part of it is that I know the swim is my weak spot and I know I can do the bike and run.  This week though I have come to a really cool revelation.  This week while training I realized that I can do this.  Not just complete.  I've known that I could complete, with the proper amount of training, but more importantly that I can progress and be successful at this.
     My swimming has really come a long way since February when I hurt my knee.  Funny thing is I haven't had more then 12 days of swimming practice.  I have progressed so much since February.  I was swimming 500m in about 17-19 min and barely making any progress.  I was struggling to breathe and just felt like I was flailing around while trying with everything I had to move my body from one end of the pool to the other.  Something has changed.  I dont know if its the push/drive because the race is 16 days away or if I just finally have got it tuned up to when I'm seeing results and I feel confident in my ability.  
     This week I did 2 things I had never done.  I swam my fastest 500m ever; 11 min 48 sec.   Woot!!  AND... I swam my furthest distance ever while training.  1600m   The best part about this is I really feel like I can make  more progress in the next 16 days I think I might be able to get close to a 10 min time on my swim.  I know where my flaws in my stroke are and I work on them everyday.  

No turning back now

I have lost my mind.  Since February, and my knee injury, I have been plagued with gettign back into a full swing of running.  I have struggled as you have seen on the pages of this blog.  But in the last 2 weeks I have had several good runs including 2 different 5+ milers that were further then my previous distances.  So I felt as if I was ready to actually do a race.  So this morning in a fit of idiocy I signed up for Hickory Grove Triathlon on August 28th.  

That's 24 days!!

I must be a fool.  I mean I know I have the ability to do this and I know I can finish that's no problem.  I just feel overwhelmed with incredible emotions of fear and failure.   Freaked out!  

On top of that I have verbally committed to doing the Des Moines IMT Half Marathon Oct. 16th.  Strangely I feel much more confident about the half marathon then I do about the Tri.  I have no idea why.  the furthest distance I have ever traveled a half marathon distance on foot was probably at the state fair while sucking down a corn dog over 8 hours.

I intend to work on my distance over the next 40 days leading up to the marathon and my swimming over the next 24.   

I felt I needed to pull the trigger on some races before I allowed a season to slip away.  The injusry set me back and has kept me from really making forward progress and I believe a hard date with no backing out will do that for me.   Plus I promised myself I would do the Tri this year.  The Half marathon is just a bonus!

I cant wait!

Uhh, did I just do that?

PR/NSV ....Earlier this afternoon I made a major breakthrough.  

Ive run lots of 5K distances since graduating C25k but When I injured my knee back in February the longest run I had ever done was 4.3 miles on Valentines day just before my injury.   Up until about 3-4 weeks ago I hadn't run at all since that day in Feb.  
Today despite my quads still being sore from Sat 30 mile Bike ride and the 3 miles I ran on Friday.  I decided to run again.   Im so glad I did!   I hit the 3 miles and I was like I can keep going 5 min...  I just kept saying that.   32 min turned into 58 min and I was feeling great I hit 5 miles in 58 min and the only reason I even stopped was because I was running out of time to workout.   I felt great.  After the 3 mile mark I kept bumping my pace a little and I think I finished running a 9:20 pace.  I think my avg pace was 11:20 or something which isnt fast but Im so excited and so happy.  My knee feels great and I just ran further then I ever have before.

5 miles, 58 min,  and no walking!

Finding what I had forgotten

More then a year ago my wife and I were sitting in a class full of overweight and out of shape people learning about the basics of health and fitness as well as group exercise.   This was the beginning of my journey and what got me started.  Definitely a humbling experience to have let yourself go to a point where you have to reeducate yourself because you just dont know anymore.

We were 8-10 weeks into a 12 week program and I had lost about 17 or 18 pounds.  I was very dedicated and very driven and my commitment level was through the roof .   We were in class having a group discussion about how the previous week had gone, and all these people are talking about "their personal struggle" how they had not lost or not lost much at all some had even gained weight.  This discussion went on and the truth began to come out.  I heard people say they drank a 12 pack of mountain dew in a single day and another would go out of their way to buy a  2lb bag of M&M's and then proceed to eat them.  Many things like this.

It boggled my mind!  I could not understand why if they wanted something this bad, why they would do that.

I distinctly remember saying to my wife... "How can these people do these things and then complain about not losing weight or even gaining weight?  They sabotage themselves deliberately and then cry about not being able to make progress."


At that moment I began to see the difference between where I was and where they were.  They were tired of being fat but they didn't want to lose weight.  They didn't really want to get thinner.  They were either defeated because they had failed so many times in the past that they were convinced that they could not succeed or They didn't truly deeply want it.

I WANTED IT!
I wanted it more then anything else in the world.  At that moment I was willing to kill myself trying to achieve my goals.  So I did everything I could to reach them I sacrificed time money and self satisfaction to reach my goals. 11 months from that Day I weighed less then 200 lbs and I had lost 99.6 lbs.  I broke through a min goal I had which was getting below 200 and having my weight start with a 1 for the first time since I was a teenager.
As a reward I took a few weeks off.  I didn't go overboard but I relaxed my habits.  I lost my drive and I lost my level of commitment.

I forgot!

Its so easy to forget where you came from and how committed you really were and how committed you need to be after doing it for so long.  I found myself doing exactly what I had been so critical of those other people doing.  I found myself eating great through the day and then binging on half a dozen cookies and other such treats in the evening.  I become complacent and unwilling to go back. I had come a long way!  I deserved a chance to relax. So I spent the next month maintaining at right around the 200 lbs mark.

Then I hurt my knee.  Trying to maintain poor eating habits and do the cardio that was necessary to do that became impossible.  I could only do upper body strength training and I had to start watching my diet.  I was able to continue to maintain but now that my knee is mostly healed I'm having a difficult time staying within my caloric allowance and not eating those things that I shouldn't.  Giving into those cravings has become a habit.

I'm guilty now of becoming exactly what I couldn't understand.  Its been 6 months since I lost any weight.  I'm hovering around the 200lb mark This morning I weighed 206 which I know is due to water retention from the creating I've been taking. I'm not going to log that weight as I know its inaccurate.  But I'm making a commitment to stop the binging.  Yesterday I ate some things I shouldn't but I ate them in controlled quantities and I stayed within my caloric allowance.  So, I'm happy with that but I want more.  I want that resolve and willpower that I had 8-10 months ago.  I have recognized my problem and Im willing to take responsibility for  the lack of success I have experienced.  But its time now...Now that I know

I will find it and I will regain the momentum I have lost.

Over the holiday and through the woods

On July 3rd I ran 3.2 miles without stopping.  That's the first time Ive hit that mileage since my knee problem started in February.  I ran on the treadmill @ a 10:09 pace which I didn't think was too bad considering when I quit running in February I was just under 9 min.

The run went really well.  No pain or discomfort while running.  I did feel like I was really pushing myself to get to the end; however I know I ran a negative split as I was upping the pace about every 1000 meters.  I finished and felt really good.  I was really stoked about actually getting a 5k completed.  felt good later in the day and into the next day.

I took the 4th off and only did some light activity like walking, playing catch and a vigorous game of kick ball. :)

Tuesday I took the afternoon and drove over to a lake and ran the lake trail.  I really enjoy running trails.  I might note my knee felt just Ok so I backed it down to 2 miles.  Also the Canadian geese were none to happy with me.  It seems that when you only have 3 feet of trail around the lake the geese feel its their right to hang out in the middle.  Did you know that Canadian geese do not like humans moving toward them at a high rate of speed.   They make a weird hissing noise.   After I  got chased by the first batch I learned that when they start hissing you better slow up and back off moving cautiously forward until they have time to move out of the way.

More running soon I hope

Tap it twice!

A quick post...

I ran.

Ok a little more. I ran this morning and only had slight discomfort early on as I ran it got better. I normally would have had pain all afternoon so I think my knee is definitely getting better Im hopeful that it continues to get better. I so miss the running these short 2 mile runs Im doing just tease me and make me wish I was back to 4 and 5+ miles.

lol I just tapped my space bar twice to end the last sentence with a period.

Have a great weekend Folks

New Shoes!

I got me some new runners on Sat. I'm glad I'm back to Asics. Why I strayed ill never know. I like the shoes and Ive run in them one time. I want to let my knee rest a little before I start back in hard. I did run Sunday for about a mile and I will say tha tI ran hard I did a 4 repetitions of 30 sec bursts at a 6:15 pace. Trying to stress my knee a little bit. I know that during the run I had no pain and after I had nothing. I'm not sure if its Physical therapy or if its the shoes but something is working. I plan to continue Physical therapy until I can run like I used to. Back in Feb I was up to 4.5 miles without trouble. I really want to get to that again and I have this urge to go further. Im Know if my knee could take it that I could run 10k no problem and Im pretty certain that I could do ok at 15k and I know for a fact that I could finish a half marathon No doubt in my mind at all.

So assuming the shoes and the therapy kick in and fix me, I have big plans. I think my fitness goal eyes maybe bigger then my fitness level... LOL I guess that's what makes some people great athletes. Always pushing for that next level that's just out of reach

Physical Therapy and My Knee

2 weeks of therapy. I might be seeing some improvement. But Im going out to buy a new pair of shoes today. I'm beginning to think maybe that might be part of the problem. If its the shoes it will be the most expensive pair of shoes ever. Ill be so mad. I hope its not and to be honest I don't think shoes are the sole reason. Besides I know my knee is weak and Im sure the physical therapy is helping with that.

Life gets busy but always makes time for PT.

I know I owe a race report from the Summer Daze Tri team I participated in and I promise I will get to it this week. I have just had a huge amount of work to take care of and life has just been throwing more at me then Im normally accustomed to handling.

This morning I had my first Physical therapy session to rehabilitate my knee. It just is not getting better with 100% rest for 7 weeks. There has to be something else wrong. So we will see how this goes. hopefully I can make quick progress and get through this. I hope that I can recover and get back on track soon I feel my running suffering each day that passes. I think Im going to pick swimming back up and really focus hard on it in the mean time. Upper body strength training, swimming, and cycling...plus my physical therapy exercises.

Race day tomorrow

Im nervous already. How can I be nervous about this? I guess this is the first time I have raced my bike. Trying to play through how the mornign will go pre -race

Looks like rain

I ride my bike to and from the softball fields for meetings and games and whatever. Its 3.5-4 miles one way depending on the route and just gives me a few more miles on the bike. Wednesday night I had a meeting and rode my bike over. As the meeting ended I could see a storm rolling in. People kept asking me if I wanted a ride. No Im to good for that. As I took off I rode from the bike trail to the street and I was confronted with this...


Hmmmm what to do...Everyone else is gone. Im 4 miles from home. Its not bad right now..It just looks ominous. In fact its very still and quiet. LETS RIDE!

http://runkeeper.com/user/mcope/activity/35168125

Do you ever make a decision and realize almost immediately that it may have been the wrong one but there isnt much you can do to stop it? I rode 50 yards from that picture and the wind picked up to near tornado levels and a mile into the ride I rode directly beneath a hole in the clouds that was swirling like a whirlpool. Debris blowing in my face 40-50mph winds It was all I could do to stay on. Light rain but I still was soaked by the time I got home. :)

Full race loop

Full Race Loop map from Runkeeper

My last post was very quickly written and not very informative really just a mental journal entry. Also it wasn't really a legitimate course run so I rode it again 2 days ago on Sat. This time I threw my bike in the van and drove over to the start of the course. I really wanted to get the best true idea of what race day was going to be like. I had 2 bottles of hydration. 1 straight water and the other Lime Nuun. Last time I felt like I wasn't getting enough hydration so I planned on squashing that problem. I put on all my gear and checked my lights just in case I didn't get back before sunset.

I was off.

I felt pretty good and I sure do love my bike its so light and quick. I love when I really put all my power into it and it responds. After the first 4.5 miles I realize I need more hill work and make a mental note to start pushing myself harder on hills. There is a little wind but nothing like Thursday. I hit the halfway and felt pretty good. I drank water on the first half and planned on using the Nuun on the way back to help recovery. I think that worked out pretty nice. I felt good all the way back and was 3.5 miles from the finish when I got passed by a car of kids that thought it would be fun to toss out a cup with pop in it. Luckily I avoided being hit. I did a have a few choice words for them and told them so in universal sign language. Seriously! What makes you think throwing something at a cyclist is a good idea? Did your mother teach you that?

I made it the remainder of the ride without incident and even broke the 30 mph mark cool.

Very excited about it. finished in 1:06 and know I can get it under :59 . I plan to ride this at least 3 more times before Race day.

16 miles out of 20 not bad

Last nights ride and Runkeeper map

This was my first real ride outside on highway that was greater then 10 miles. I did almost 20 miles last night. I know now what my tri is going to be like in 2 weeks. Im hoping for NO WIND! LOL the hills coming back last night were brutal with the wind. I need to get something to eat halfway through as I was starving. Plus I think I needed to drink more then I did. I was trying to time my ride so I didn't run out of daylight. I got very cold near the end. The road I was riding is not the safest road. Lots of curves and some blind hills. Traffic is always a little higher speed then what it should be. Started to cramp at the half way point. I stopped to get a drink and walked for a bout 20 sec and it eased up. Im hoping to ride the full course this weekend.

My iPhone battery died at the 16 mile mark and so runkeeper stopped recording my activity. Still i finished my ride and it was 19.7 I felt pretty good too.

Rain Rain Go Away....

I hate the rain and Im not wanting to ride in it very much. Blech!!

QOTD: If you can make your heart and nerve and sinew serve your turn long after they are done, and so hold on when there is nothing in you, except the will that says to them 'hold on.' Rudyard Kipling

Weekend Rides

This weekend I managed to get out on my new bike for not one but TWO bike rides. I have not gotten properly fitted yet so I I have tweaked the seat adjustment both days.

I am a little disappointed but I guess I have been unable to ride for more then 30 days. I was really hoping to be faster then what I ended up with. I know part of it is the knee and just making sure not to go to hard.

Saturdays Ride

Kind of cold and I felt sluggish and heavy

Sundays Ride
I felt better and faster. Kept getting slowed down by traffic and poor roads. I need to get out on a old highway

Testosterone Filled Tidings of Joy

I felt like I needed to put this out here because it means so much to me. Im a Father of 4 beautiful daughters. They are all my precious little angels and I love them so very much. On New Years Eve my wife and I found out she expecting unexpectedly. Yay!

So you got to learn to accept all the wonderful things God gives you. A few weeks ago I found out our little baby is a Little baby BOY! Im so excited to finally have a son. I dont know how to explain it so Im not going to try.

Cant wait to share all kinds of man stuff with my son!

You did what...?

So yesterday I decided that I wasn't going to take my bike in and have someone else cut my bike seat down. Let me back up. My new bike...the seat post is carbon fiber and needs cut down a few inches because Im short and the seat post is too long. So because it was expensive and I didnt want to ruin my bike seat I decided that I needed to have it professionally done. Then I started thinking and started Googling and then Tubing and I found that its not quite as dangerous as I thought it might be.

So I measured a bunch of times and marked it carefully. Giant requires 4 1/8" of post minimally inserted. I clamped it down and used a super fine toothed hack saw blade along a straightedge to to cut off 3.5". It went very well and the cut looks very nice. Its smooth and very even with out any fiber splintering at all.


It wasnt at all as difficult as one would believe. Also Im tagging this as weightloss. :)

A tiny taste of Tri

Well I have committed to a friend to participate as the Cycling Team member of a Sprint Tri. She will be doing the swim portion and I volunteered to do the bike portion. Im not sure how I got stuck with the longest part of this but I did. Its a sprint distance 300m/30k/5k. I guess I better get back to biking regularly. Its been more than a month since I cycled that distance. I know Im out of shape. Its crazy how quickly you lose ground.

Newton YMCA Summer Daze Triathlon

*Update*
Its official We registered as a team last night. Im doing this. I kind of wish I had done it solo but I think this was a good thing for me.

Negative talk reinforces negative feelings

6 Unhealthy things you should stop saying now

Someone had reposted this on MFP earlier today and I quickly glanced through it and can confirm many of these things really do bring you down. This article is written towards women...Im not sure why because guys do this too. Ive said lots of these things and still struggle with a few of them.

I frequently have a problem with #4 and really need to try and stop doing that. I'm sorry self implies so many negative things to others and your own self image.

Here are few others that I have noticed in my own daily interactions.

"I'm bored" I hear this a lot from kids and young adults. Really are you really bored? This says I'm a follower and I'm boring. Do you want others to think your boring...Well you are boring if you say this. Get up and do something. Ughhh I hate this when I hear it.

"Im so tired" This is very negative if your really tired go take a nap...Or adjust your schedule to eliminate the lack of sleep. I know sometimes we cant help but miss some sleep do to a deadline or an intense training schedule but remember this. Do you want to be around someone who is always tired? I dont. I'm more awake and alive then I have ever been I dont want someone else bringing me down.

Dont let your own negative talk bring you or others down

Go Be Fit!

Say hello to my "Little" friend.

Just a huge shout out to my friend Rachet. She is truly an inspring and driving force in my journey. On sunday she finished the Lone star 70.3 Half Ironman in Galveston, TX. She's just practicing really, because she is already a Full Ironman finisher. Check her out HERE Im sure she will post a race report in a few days and some great pictures.

Thanks Rachet for your inspiration and take care of that sunburn!

The Law

1. Resistance builds muscle.
2. Cardio builds fitness and inner health.
3. Nutrition controls weight.

See Dick. See Dick Run?

Thats right, I ran yesterday!

first run in about a month. Oh my it felt so good. Very short but so good. My knee felt really good during the run and after. 3-4 hours after running I had some very minor discomfort in my knee. I took some Vitamin I before bed and I have no pain or discomfort this monring! :)

I only ran 1.5 miles @10min/mile. But I wanted to take it easy and not go to hard. Im going to keep My weight training as my primary goals right now and wait 3-4 days before I run again.

I have to say...I had been missing running. But I didnt realize how much until I was done. The feeling of it is so awesome. That little run was like an appetizer I wanted so bad to run today!!!

There is this feeling of exhilaration. An oneness with yourself. A freedom of being able to run. I never thought a year an a half ago that I would love running like I do now. I never thought I would miss the feeling of my lungs filling with oxygen and my quads burning. (Hey, :( a month is a long time they did hurt a little)

I know i would have never thought I would crave this like I am. It has become something I cant live without. I need to run!