Recast In Iron

Uhh yeah...the swim

2010-03-03T08:51:00.002-05:00

Well got in the pool for the first time in a couple of months. Wow. Yeah, it has been a while. My arms feel like lead weights. I really felt the burn. Put in about a mile or so and it took some effort. I'll probably head back on Friday.

I was a bit surprised at the number of people there. I walked in and every lane had at least two people in it. Some had three. I then learned that it was a master's swim class that meets every weekday from 5:30am to 7:00am. That would have been nice to know before I showed up. Anyway, it looks like I'm joining that group whether I want to or not. I usually don't like to train with other people, but maybe this'll be good for me.

As an aside, I think I've learned something universal. Every gym has old men who can't keep their junk to themselves. Once again, this place has a group of men who really like prancing around naked. I'm sure I'll keep you up to date on their comings and goings. Ugh.

4 mile run tmw. Then swim again on Friday. Steph and I then race with two of our friends at the Van Metre five miler.

Woot!!

Ironman 101

2010-03-01T08:22:00.002-05:00

Today is my first day of Ironman training. Whew!!! I've been waiting for this day for a while. I'm about 10 pounds over race weight thanks to the holidays and general lack of structured exercise. I did this purposefully. I was really burned out after last season and figured I needed to give myself some time off. From everything. Blogging, structured exercising, everything. I was mentally burned out as well. It was a struggle to get out and run.

But, now that's changed. I'm back :)

This week is really a prep week. Well this week and next. I run 4 today. Assuming I can get the gym membership worked out, I'm going to start swimming this week as well.

A slight problem is keeping me from doing any cycling this week. My bike is in WV and I am here in VA. When we moved we didn't pack any of the bikes. And, I still need a trainer for my bike. So probably no cycling this week, unless I get a spinning class in or two.

So, here's to 6 months of hard, intense training.

As always, I am raising money for a cause. This year's cause is the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The link is here. Consider donating. Thanks.

HTFU!!

2009 Ironman 70.3 Augusta Race Report

2009-10-03T22:21:00.005-04:00

Have I mentioned before how much I love triathlons?

Yeah, I probably have. But, since you read my blog, guess what? You get to hear it again :)

On Sunday September 27, 2009, I completed the Inaugural Ironman 70.3 Augusta race. According to the Ironman people, this was the largest half-Ironman event ever. There were 3400 registrations and about 3000 athletes competed. I was number 1455 with a finish time of 5:57:11. It was a blast!!!

After arriving in Augusta and spending some time enjoying the city on Friday and Saturday, Steph and I buckled down late Saturday night and planned for my race on Sunday.

We got up around 4:45am on Sunday and began the trek to the transition area, which was about a mile away. We decided to drive to the transition area early, then drive to a parking lot near the finish, and then take a shuttle bus to the swim start. I'm glad we did. The logistics of getting to the swim start were a nightmare for those folks who didn't take a shuttle bus.

After arriving at the transition area, I paused a bit and took in the sight. There were 3000 bikes. I quickly figured the math that if we average each bike at around $3000, that is $9 million dollars in the transition area in bike hardware. Whoah!!! Anyway, I got things set up and we headed to the start.

At the start, I saw something I've never seen. I've been to races before where there were disabled athletes, but I've never seen so many at one race. It was awe-inspiring. I saw multiple athletes missing legs and more than a few blind athletes. It was a humbling experience.

After getting my wetsuit on and kissing my wife, I entered my heat and waited for my turn to hit the water. There were about 150 men in my heat (35-39). There were three heats in my age group, which means there were a lot of 35-39 year olds in this race.

The start was in-water, so I jumped in and grabbed ahold of the dock to await the start horn. About 30 seconds later, it blew. We were off. The swim was wonderful, except for the debris in the water. There was tons of algae and flora. We had a huge thunderstorm the evening before and I think it stirred up the water pretty well. Anyway, 1.2 miles later, I emerged from the water with a swim time of 29:34.

I quickly ran up the boat entry to the transition area. Just prior to entering transition, there were wetsuit strippers waiting to help us out of our wetsuits. I dropped to the ground and in less than 3-4 seconds they had removed my suit and I was up running to my bike.

5:38 minutes later, I was on my bike. My T1 time is slow. I need to work on that. Anyway, I was out on the course and loving it. The weather up to this point was cool and overcast. It was perfect. The bike course had a few rolling hills but nothing compared to WV. The wind was a bit of a bear, but overall I really liked the bike portion. My bike itself did wonderfully. The old girl held her own against some of those fancy, shmancy TT bikes. My nutrition on the bike was perfect. After my experience with the Morgantown half-IM, I backed off a bit and eliminated one Hammer Gel from my intake. It worked great. I pulled into transition in 3:11:32.

T2 was 2:59. Again a bit slow.

Then, the run. The weather had become sunny and clear by this time, but the temp stayed pretty reasonable. I think the high was 82 or 83. Anyway, nothing really eventful happened on the run other than the fact that the course is ideal for spectators. I must have seen Steph like 5-6 times. It was wonderful!!

I was a bit slow on the run, but felt very happy with my time: 2:07:29. I crossed the line, saw Steph, got my medal and headed to the finish festival. I finished 1455 out of 2532 (500 or so people did not finish). 251 out of 370 in my age group and 1136 out of 1815 in my gender. Total finish time was 5:57:11.

Overall, I had a wonderful time and would do this race again. With the exception of the initial logistical problems before the race, this race was managed well. I was impressed. The volunteers were great too and the citizens of Augusta were wonderful. Thy treated us well and cheered us on the entire way.

Of course, Steph was there every step of the way. I cannot overemphasize what it means to have her there with me. It means more than I can describe. She wrote a few messages on my bike to keep me motivated and diligently helped me plan, pack, set up, and document this race. She is wonderful and I fall more in love with her every day.

Random thoughts:

The water conditions were fine with the exception of the flora in the water. Yuck. I mean really yuck. I came out of the water with plant life all over me.
Sponges are wonderful!! The race volunteers had bunches and bunches of water-soaked sponges we could grab along the run route. They helped tremendously.
My comments on drafting: In most triathlons, drafting is illegal. I tend to agree with this. Did that stop anyone from drafting? No. I saw more than a few pelotons which frustrated the hell out of me. I would be cycling along by myself then suddenly be passed by like 10-15 people drafting. It sucked. Look, I follow the rules. You should too.
My nutrition was perfect. I had no GI problems and no bloated feelings. I was hungry at the end but that was expected.
The finish festival was great...we had free pizza, cookies, bagels, fruit out the ying-yang, just about anything you could want, EXCEPT for Coke. I need Coke people!!!!
Again, $9 million dollars in bikes. Wow!!

My next event is the Richmond Half-Marathon on November 14th.

Woot!

The Secret

2009-09-14T12:30:00.006-04:00

I can be a jerk. I know this. There is not a day that goes by, and rarely an hour, where I am not critisizing someone for something. My wife thinks I am a crotchety old man. My extended family even has a nickname for me. I'm known as the "jackass". My sister-in-law went so far as to buy me pajama bottoms that say jackass on them.

The way I see it is either you live in the world truely or you are deceiving yourself. When I was fat and out of shape, I knew I was fat and out of shape. I didn't claim that I liked it (big is beautiful) nor did I blame some other thing for my problem. I knew where the problem began and ended. It was me and my appetite.

So, when I see things in the world that are purposely deceptive, I tend to get angry. And, when I get angry, I can be a jackass.

Over this past weekend, Steph and I spent some time in Ocean City, MD. While we were there, I saw someone walking around with that book called The Secret. I remember when this book came out a few years ago as some of my friends and family read this thing and then claimed to know the secret to success and happiness.

On the road trip back home yesterday, I began to think about that book and what it stands for.

According to Wikipedia, proponents of the Law of Attraction (as described in the book) believe that:

"thoughts have an energy which attracts whatever it is the person is thinking of. Thinking of what one does not have, they say, manifests itself in not having, while if one abides by these principles, and avoids "negative" thoughts, the universe will manifest a person's desire."

Really? Thoughts have energy? Anyone read a physics book? The universe will manifest our desire if we simply have positive thoughts? Give me a freakin' break.

I remember someone close to me actually writing a check to her future self for a million bucks because if she believed that she would have the money to cover the check, the money would magically appear and allow her to cash the check.

No. That doesn't happen. It never has happened. People are successful (however they define that term), because they take action. They don't believe. They do. I'll concede that having a vision or goal of where you want to be is important. Vitally so. But it means nothing if you don't do anything to realize it. The universe gives a rat's ass for you. It doesn't care about what you're thinking and will not manifest your desires. Your thoughts do not attract anything.

I would not be an endurance athlete if I only thought I could be one. If I didn't get out and swim, bike, and run it wouldn't happen. Again, I believe wholly in setting goals. But, just setting them, does nothing. In fact, setting goals and then repeatedly not reaching them is probably more unhealthy for you than not setting them to begin with.

So, how do you become successful?

Like Aristotle said, 'We are what we repeatedly do.'

Want be a runner? Go be one. Walk out your door and run. You will feel like crap and it'll hurt, but you are moving towards your goal. Want to be swimmer? Go swim. Want to make a million bucks. Go make a million bucks.

Each of us has talent. Each of us is blessed to be good at something (I am killer at WoW). Whatever it is that you want to do well, go do it. Stop thinking about it. Stop telling yourself that some externality (like energized thoughts) will enable you to be successful. There is only one thing that can make you a success: You!

Woot!

Triathlon and family

2009-08-27T14:30:00.002-04:00

I never thought that Steph would want to do a triathlon. After completing my first marathon, I desperately tried to convince her to run a full marathon. She has always claimed that she never had time to train for a full. She's probably right. She has a yeoman's career and really doesn't have the time; however, she has run multiple half-marathons.

Equally as impressive, she has supported me. In fact, I would say that I complete every race I enter because Steph has been there for every step I've taken, every mile I've biked. A couple of weeks ago, she cheered me on for 6 hours straight. At the end of September, she'll do the same. People always compliment me on lasting in a race. Going the full length. Surviving. But, I'll let you in on a secret. It has nothing to do with me. It has to do with my wife. I don't want to fail her.

So, when she told me she wanted to do the Sprint, Splash, and Spin Triathlon, I was bowled over. AWESOME!!! Steph wants to be a triathlete. Woohoo!!!

For the last 4-5 months, she has diligently been training: swimming, running, biking. Many times she forces me to go out when I don't want to because she wants to get her workout in. And all her complaints about time? She gets up most days at 5:15am to get out for a run before she heads to work. Then she comes home and either bikes or swims. She's an animal and I love her for it.

This Saturday she will become a triathlete. She will swim, bike, and run. And she will finish. She will once again remind me of why I love her so much and her example will inspire me to keep going.

Woot!

PS. Video and pics of her race to come shortly after she finishes.

Video of my Half-IM on Sunday

2009-08-13T21:05:00.001-04:00

2009 SOM Half-Ironman Race Report

2009-08-10T08:58:00.009-04:00

Yesterday, I completed the 2009 Spirit of Morgantown (SOM) Half-Ironman triathlon. What a great race!!

Two weeks ago, I did the Cinci Olympic tri and felt pretty good about my finish. So I was ready for this race. The day started early. We arrived at the race about 6:10am Sunday morning. The place was packed. I think there were around 500 competitors. There was also a sprint and olympic distance at the SOM, so many of the athletes were competing in those races. I'm not sure how many people competed in the half-IM. The results haven't been posted yet.

The course began with a 1.2 mile in the Monongahela River, followed by a 2-loop 56 mile bike ride to Mt. Morris, PA and back to Morgantown. Lastly, we ran a half-marathon (13.1 miles) along the banks of the river. All of this we did on the hottest day of the year. It was around 91 degrees....ugh.

Anyway, I unpacked my gear, set up my bike, and then headed to the swim start. The sprint and olympic athletes started first. Each group was then broken up in waves. So the swim start began with the sprint elite and 20-29 athletes. Then 30-39, etc. You get the idea. The olympic athletes then started the same way, as did we. So, although the race started officially at 7:30am, I didn't hit the water until 7:57am.

Swim:

The water was cold so we were allowed to wear our wetsuits. After getting to the swim start, I quickly put my suit on and walked down to the dock where we entered the water. The swim entry was a "jump" off a boat dock; we literally jumped feet first into the Monongahela and then began swimming. It was kind of weird. You had to get out of the way pretty quickly to avoid getting jumped on by the people behind you. I tried to hold my swim goggles on as I hit the water, but I ended up getting water in my right swim goggle. So, for the rest of the swim, I pretty much swam with my right eye closed...hehe.

I didn't have too much bumping with the other competitors and quickly got into my swim rhythm. The swim course was a big rectangle ending back up at the boat dock where we began. The swim was pretty uneventful with the sole exception of some current towards the end. As I was rounding the next-to-last swim bouy, the current picked up dramatically. I'm not sure why the current became rough, but I heard rumor that some swimmers were actually injured by the current throwing them against the bouy. I made it through, but it was definitely surprising.

I rounded the last buoy and headed towards the end. To exit the swim, we had to pull ourselves back up onto the dock, like doing a push-up. That was probably the hardest part of the swim...hehe. I looked like an idiot. Anyway, I made it up and ran towards the transition area to prepare for the bike. Although I don't know my official swim time, I think I did pretty good. Steph caught me on video starting the swim at 7:57am and exiting at 8:38....so that's about 40 minutes for 1.2 miles.

Bike:

The bike was a two-loop route, 28 miles each, for a total of 56 miles. It was out and back to Mt. Morris, PA. There were two decent hills but overall, I felt it was a great route. It would have been much better if the roads were in better shape. The potholes were unbelievable!!! I saw two people with flats.

I felt really good about the bike. The way the course was laid out, we had a aid station every 14 miles, which was great. I decided earlier, that during the bike that I would go through two bottles of Perpetuem. I think that was a mistake as when I got to the run, I was having stomach problems from too much protein I think.

The course consisted of rolling hills with two major climbs. The first was on Route 19 coming back from Mt. Morris. The reward for that climb is the awesome downhill afterwards. I got close to 40mph on the way down. Towards the end of each loop there is the second craptacular hill. I was in my lowest gear and still had trouble making it to the top both times. The reward for making it through this hill, is that it's only 3 or so more miles until the end.

I rolled into the transition area feeling great about the bike and ready for the run. I finished the bike around 3.5 hours.

Run:

And this is where things went bad. I blew up on the run. All of that protein I took in on the bike really gave me problems on the run. Almost immediately I was having stomach problems. Not to mention, the heat was unbelievable. This was the hottest day of the year for us. And, I haven't done any training in the heat. So, the heat was a major factor. In fact, the race organizer said at the end, that everyone, including the pros, were significantly slower than usual.

The run was a two-loop out and back, 6.55 miles each loop for a total of 13.1 miles. The run was along the river which was great as much of the run was shaded. I have no idea what pace I was at, but it had to have been 12-13 minute miles. I usually run 8-8.5 minute miles. It was crazy. Between the heat and the stomach problems, I was in a world of hurt. Thankfully, I saw a number of folks who were there to cheer me on and that helped a great deal. Moreover, the race volunteers were wonderful and kept us fully hydrated. I never thought I would say this, but I can't tell you how happy I was to have a flat Coca-Cola at one of the aid stations. It tasted sooooo good.

Finally, I reached the last corner and headed towards the end. I heard someone yell my name (turns out it was a friend of ours) and could see the finish line. I saw Steph with her video camera, and crossed the finish line around 6 hours and 49 minutes. I quickly grabbed another coke and spent some time with friends who came out.

Randomness:

People said that a half-IM is about as hard on you as a marathon. Recovery time, etc, is about the same. Although, this race was hard, I think a marathon is harder. Well, at least the two that I have run have been harder on me. Maybe because I'm a better athlete now. I don't know. But, it felt easier than a marathon.
I can't say enough about the volunteers. They were great!!! They were spot on with everything from getting us hydration to telling us where to go and what to do. They were wonderful.
Next time, I will pay more attention to my nutrition, particularly my protein intake. I never want to go through that stomach thing again.
Thanks again to everyone who supported me through this. I'd like to thank Jamie and his family for coming out as well as Chad. Jamie was there the entire time I was out on the course. Besides Steph, he was the only one there the whole time for me. Thanks Jamie. It means more than you know.
Lastly, I can't thank enough my wife and her dad. Both have been behind me 100%. Joe is always checking in on me to make sure my training is going ok and that I'm doing well. He always calls after each race and asks how it went. He's the greatest. Steph is my manager. She is there to tell me what I need to do and when I need to do it. She helps me with everything, from getting set up to cheering me on to helping me pack up and clean my gear. She is there. Always. I love you.

The next event is Steph's first triathlon on August 29th. She's doing the Sprint, Splash, and Spin. Woohoo!! After that, I get to do another half-IM in Augusta, GA on September 27th.

I'll have a video up soon of this race.

Woot!!

Update: Results--6:41:01. 96 out of 146. 44 minute swim (this is misleading as the swim time didn't get logged until you ran like a 1/4 mile from the exit). 3:20:02 bike (16.8 mph). Awesome!!!!! 2:31:01 run (11:32 pace). Very slow for me.

I am.

2009-08-03T12:59:00.010-04:00

A while ago, someone told me that completing a Half-Ironman is equivalent to completing a marathon in terms of the stress put on your body. If that is true, then the next two months are going to be one of the greatest physical and mental challenges I've faced in my life. This coming Sunday (August 9), I will complete my first Half-Ironman, the Spirit of Morgantown. On September 27, I'll complete my second Half-Ironman, Ironman 70.3 Augusta.

In effect, over the next two months, I will put my body through more physical hardship than it has ever experienced. Not only will both races be a challenge, but my training volume and frequency won't let off until after the second race. More importantly, these two months are nothing compared to next year's full Ironman.

Am I ready?

Bill Bryson, in a great book entitled A Short History of Nearly Everything, describes the precariousness of human life:

"Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn't easy, I know. In fact, I suspect that it was a little tougher than you realize. To begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and intriguingly obliging manner to create you.

The bad news is that atoms are fickle and their time of devotion is fleeting--fleeting indeed. Even a long life adds up to only about 650,000 hours. And when that modest milestone flashes past, for reasons unknown your atoms will shut you down, silently disassemble, and go off to be other things. And that's it for you.

To be here now, alive in the 21st century and smart enough to know it, you also had to be the beneficiary of biological good fortune. Of the billions and billions of species of living thing that have existed since the dawn of time, most--99.99 percent--are no longer around.

Not only have you been lucky enough to be attached since time immemorial to a favored evolutionary line, but you have also been extremely--make that miraculously--fortunate in your personal history. Consider the fact that for 3.8 billion years, a period of time older than the Earth's mountains and rivers and oceans, everyone of your forebears on both sides has been attractive enough to find a mate, healthy enough to reproduce, and sufficiently blessed by fate and circumstances to live long enough to do so. Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result--eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly--in you."

Fleeting. That is what we are. Fleeting. We have few opportunities in life to make a difference, in our lives and others. Life can be easy and futile or it can be hard and exciting. We can either mundanely survive our way through each day or we can savor and value all that is around us. We either accept life as it comes or we challenge ourselves to change it.

Am I ready?

Yes. My 650,000 hours will be spent pushing myself intellectually, physically, and emotionally.

I will find truth in the suffering. And my atoms will know, when they disperse to become some subsequent wonderful example of life, that I wore them out.

If you live in Morgantown or are in town on August 9, please come out and cheer me on. I'll be on the course 6-7 hours.

Woot!

2009 Cincinnati One World Tri Race Report

2009-07-27T21:27:00.006-04:00

Well, count this race in the books. Steph and I usually try to run the Cincy Flying Pig half-marathon every year as her sister lives there. Well, earlier this year, when we were at the race expo for the Flying Pig, I saw the advertisement for this triathlon. Knowing what my plan was for the year, I registered for it.

Fast forward to this weekend. On Friday, Steph and I hopped in the car and drove to her sister's house. After arriving and grabbing some Indian food for dinner, we quickly hit the sack as we were both beat.

On Saturday, we got up and went for a run (I know, I ran the day before my race...I'm an idiot). I got in 5 miles. Steph and my brother-in-law ran around 6. After our run, we headed out to the race course to scope it out and pick up my registration packet. We also wanted to attend one of the info sessions for the race.

Unlike running races, triathlon's tend to have race meetings prior to the race as triathlons are a bit more technical than running races and its good to know what the transition area looks like, where it's exits are, etc. So we picked up my packet and then waited around for the meeting. Uhmm, I'm not really sure how to say this, but the race director for this race is an idiot. I was more confused after the race meeting than before. I felt certain that on race day, I would royally screw something up because this guy was just abysmal at explaining the race details. Anyway, we headed home for a big pasta dinner and I hit the hay around 10pm.

On Sunday, we got to the course around 6:10am. I got everything set up and then we headed to the swim entry. We swam in the Ohio River. The swim distance was .85 miles. I felt pretty confident for the swim. Most triathlete's get a little nervous about the swim, but I've been swimming so much this summer, I felt this would be relatively painless. Thankfully, I was pretty close to being right. I completed the swim in 21 minutes, which is wicked fast for me. I think the current in the river had a lot to do with my speed, but hey, who cares? I ROCKED that swim!!!

I crawled out of the river and ran to the transition area for what's known as T1 (Transition 1). I quickly changed into my cycling gear and took off for the bike portion. The bike was 25 miles. It was a two loop route and was equally as fun as the swim. There were really only two tough portions on the bike course and they were insane hills. But, I got through it great. I passed a guy who clearly had bonked on the swim and also a woman who was having a really tough time. I offered a few words of encouragement to both and headed on. One guy and me must have passed each other like 20 times. He clearly was a speedster, which I am not. I'm more of a hill guy. So, he would pass me on the straightaways and I would pass him on the hills. It was actually pretty funny. We did that for the entire cycling portion. I was just happy to stay with him as he had a killer bike. It was way nicer than mine. Anyway, finished the bike in 1:24 and headed to T2 (Transition 2).

After changing into my running gear, I had 6.2 running miles ahead of me. The run course was through the park that runs along the Ohio river. It sucked. The course I mean. It really was a bad course. You run through the park and then run across the Purple People Bridge and then back through the park. Then you get to do it again on the second lap. Nonetheless, I felt good about the run and pulled into the finish line in 2:44hrs. I ran my 6.2 miles a bit slower than I usually do (54 minutes I think). Anyway, I came in 5th in my age group and 40th overall. I am really, really happy with my top 5 finish.

Thankfully, the volunteers for the race had clearly marked the course for all three legs and the race director's confusing directions didn't factor into anything on race day.

I don't think I'll do this tri next year. It was ok, but I felt things were disorganized. Also, some of the volunteers clearly didn't want to be there (I passed two guys who were laying down and asleep and two girls who were laying down). Anyway, it was a good time, but next year I'll find something a bit more friendly.

Ohhh, and guess what???? I get to do a Half-Ironman in two weeks. Woohoo!!!!

See below for a video that Steph took and I edited of the race this weekend.

Tomorrow is bike and swim.

Woot!!

And so it begins...

2009-07-22T15:38:00.004-04:00

On Sunday July 26th 2009, I'm officially starting my triathlon season and the training for my Ironman. Up to this point, I've been working on my base for the two half-ironman events this year and the full Ironman next year. I know it seems like I've been doing a bunch of running, swimming, and biking, but it is nowhere near where I'll be next year. My goal this year is to prep and warmup for the full Ironman next year.

On the 26th, I'll be in Cincinnati competing in the One World Triathlon. I'll be racing the

Olympic distance which is 1.3k swim (.84 miles) 40k bike (25 miles), and 10k run (6 miles). I'm a little nervous as it looks like the high for Sunday is going to be 78 degrees which means the water is going to be a little cold. So, I'll be wearing the new wetsuit I bought. I've never competed in a wetsuit. I'm going to get in an open water swim today and hopefully tomorrow in my wetsuit. I didn't really intend to use it this year as I thought the weather would have been warmer. Thankfully, I didn't buy the full wetsuit. I got a sleeveless version (you can see it over there on the right). It should be an interesting swim to say the least.

More importantly, this race is a training race. I'm doing it to get the details down for my Half-Ironman in Morgantown on August 9th. I'm pretty psyched for the race. I figure I'll finish in a little under 3 hours. The bike looks fun and the run should be a breeze. My nutrition is down. I'm ready. Now it needs to hurry up and get here.

BTW, in case you don't know, a Half Ironman is 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run (in one day). And the full Ironman is 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run (in one day).

6 miles run down. Swim this afternoon. Long bike and swim tomorrow.

Woot!

Tour De France

2009-07-14T12:27:00.005-04:00

I can't tell you how excited I get when it is Tour time. I love to watch it. It is amazing what the competitors put themselves through. 2200 miles in 26 days. It is humbling to see the effort and focus these guys put into racing.

But, this year, it has been a nightmare for me to tune it in. We don't have Versus on our cable package. Versus is the only television broadcaster of the Tour. And, I don't think there is any other way to watch. I can pay to watch it online, but 25 bucks? Nope.

So, I am left to look at the standings and watch the videos put up after the stages. It sucks.

However, I am happy at the standings. Contador is 2nd; Lance is 3rd. Team Astana holds 4 of the top 5 spots after 10 stages. I couldn't be happier. Most people either love or hate Lance. I love him. I think anyone who goes through what he's gone through gets to be as arrogant as they want. Maybe I'm wrong, but what the hell? You get diagnosed with cancer. Have multiple surgeries, including brain surgery. Then you come back and win the most grueling endurance cycling event there is. 7 times. You freakin' rock in my book.

On top of that, he establishes a foundation that raises gobs of money to help fight cancer. How many of you wear yellow bracelets?

All of this leads me to my real point. I admire folks who push themselves through adversity. For some of us, that adversity is riding a bike 100 miles a day, running a marathon or a 10k or swimming a few laps in the pool. For others, it is simply the act of going out for a walk or turning down that dessert. The bottom line is that whatever your adversity is, you had better meet it head on. On your feet. No compromises. We get one chance at the life we lead on earth.

Are you going to be remembered as a quitter?

1 mile swim followed by 25 mile bike today. Tmw is 6 mile run and swim.

Woot!

Facebook, Blogger, and the solution to my woes

2009-07-13T21:15:00.004-04:00

Ok, so I had earlier decided to only update Facebook Notes with my blog postings, but it appears that I can import my blog postings from here (recastiniron.blogspot.com) to my Facebook profile. I was having some problems keeping both updated. Now, it appears I can do both at the same time. Back to frequent blogging!!!!

Today, I did a brick. I did a 25 mile bike followed immediately by a 6 mile run. If I had swam today, it would have been the exact race distance as I'm doing on the 26th of July: the One World Triathlon in Cincy. I'm doing the Olympic distance (1.35K swim, 40K bike, 10K run).

Anyway, about halfway through my bike today, I got stung by a bee. I was pedaling along at 20mph or so and felt something hit my leg right below my left knee. About a millisecond later, I felt the sting...Yowza!!!! I used to be allergic to bees, but apparently not anymore. I continued my bike and run. IT hurt the whole way, but tonight, I have no swelling or pain. More importantly, I didn't have any allergic reactions. Woohoo!!

Tomorrow is swim and bike. Steph and I will swim in the morning. She'll then run and I'll bike again.

Woot!!

2009 Flying Pig Half Marathon Race Report

2009-05-04T11:50:00.002-04:00

Steph and I ran the Flying Pig yesterday. What a race!! We so enjoyed it again this year. If you ever need a fun, well-organized half, this is it (as is the Richmond Half). So, to get the numbers out of the way:

1:55:09 was my final time. I was 1235 out of 8577 runners. 853 out of 3120 men. 131 out of 471 in my age group. And, I was almost four minutes faster than last year's race. The average finish time for the half was 2:31:11.

Steph's numbers are even more impressive. 2:12:32 was her finish time (with an injury mind you). 3318 out of 8577 runners. 1509 out of 5457 women 288 out of 889 in her age group. She didn't run it last year, so she ROCKED!!

We arrived around 5:15am and waited in the car as it was raining. Thankfully, it was just a drizzle and didn't last for too long. We took trash bags and wore them until right before the race. We took them off before the start and it worked out fine. The rain held off until after we were done with the race. My achilles is still giving me fits and I felt it on this race, but it didn't hamper my performance too much.

As you may know, this particular race is known for its hills. It has lots of them. Not so much in the beginning, but miles 6-10 are nothing but hills. I think the elevation rise is something like 500 feet over those 4 miles. It sucks!!!

Although I have to say, I prefer hills to going down them. The only sore part of my body are my quads. God, I hate downhills. The final 3 miles are almost all downhill. So, the reward for going up, is the damage coming down...hehe.

Steph and I orginally had wanted to run the Pittsburgh Half, but it filled up too quick. I think we'll probably stick witht he Cinci Half. We really like it and we get to spend time with family we have there.

Although I'll probably do a bunch of the local sprint Tri's around Motown, my next official race is in July and it's the Cinci Tri. I'm doing the Olympic (1350m swim, 40K bike, and 10K run). Steph I think is going to do the local half we have here (Decker's Creek). Then Half-IM in Motown, and then Half-IM in Augusta. No more running until the Richmond Half this fall.

BTW, I'd like to give a shout-out to a friend of mine who is running his first marathon this fall in Richmond. If you follow this blog at all, you know we have a bit of a tradition of inviting friends and family to run, walk, crawl, with us at the Richmond race. We do the race, then a family friend and his band plays a bluegrass show for us while we chow down on some good, filling food. It's sooooo much fun. Anyway, Jamie is running the marathon and hopefully he and his family will join us with our celebration.

Matter of fact, if anyone else is interested in joining us, please please let me know. We'd love to have you :)

Woot!!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

20 mile bike

2009-04-12T18:30:00.003-04:00

So, I took my new ride out for its inaugural 20 miler. Everything went great. Since I was in VA I was going to do a 40 miler in the flat hills of Central Virginia, but the weather was pretty bad so I just did 20. Nonetheless, it was a great ride. I only had one problem and that was the fact that I popped my chain once. I tried to crossover gears and I caused it to pop. I'm an idiot.

But, otherwise it was wonderful. At on point I was near 35mph on a nice little downhill. It was awesome!!!

I've begun to focus on time and not distance anymore for my training. I've been reading a bunch about long-distance tri training and most folks seem to recommend that for a number of reasons. So, tmw is 50 minute run. Tuesday is 50 minute run and 1 hour ride.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

And how much do I love my bike?

2009-04-08T20:34:00.003-04:00

Let me count the ways:

It's black. Black as night. I like my bikes like I like my...er....uhm...nevermind.
It weighs less than my dog. Our dog weighs 22 pounds. My bike weighs about 16. I can lift it over my head with one hand.
I literally feel like I'm running when I'm pedaling. It sounds weird, but it's true.
I got some really great shoes to go with it. Sidi if you are interested.
It's is all DA hardware. Rockin!!!
The wheels are ultegra, which I'm not entirely enthused about, but still pretty cool.
I am going to try and get professionally fit this weekend. I'm visiting VA as my dad is having surgery on Friday. I have a 40 miler planned and then a fitting (hopefully) the day after his surgery.
My first real ride was last Sunday. I got burnt to a crisp as the sun was really out and I didn't wear any sunscreen. It was totally worth it :)
I am so obsessed with it, that I haven't removed it from my Element in the event I can go for a ride whenever the mood strikes.
I love it!!!!

Tmw is 5 mile run and Sat. 40 mile bike.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

My New Bike!!!!

2009-04-03T16:18:00.003-04:00

Woohoo!!!

My new bike is an 2008 Cannondale Six13 1 with Dura-ace hardware. WOOT!!! The best part is I got a heck of a deal. I mean an HECK of a deal. My local bike shop, Pathfinder, is awesome!!

Here's a video. I post some pics later this weekend after I pick it up :)

______________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Ironman here I come

2009-04-01T14:50:00.004-04:00

Well, it's official. I have registered for my two half-Ironmans this year: Spirit of Morgantown (08/09/09) and Ironman 70.3 Augusta GA (09/27/09). If you live in or near those areas or are interested in coming out, please do so. I need all the cheering help I can get :)

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

NUUN is the shiznit!!!

2009-03-05T15:10:00.005-05:00

Over the last week or so, I've been testing out NUUN. NUUN describes itself as a portable, electrolyte, hydration drink. The cool thing about it is that it has no calories. So, for folks like me who control what they take in (like carbs and protein) while they're training, it's perfect. I get no additional calories from my drink (unless I want them). Also, it's not sweet. One of the problems I have with things like Powerade or Gatorade is that I have to cut them with water. Over a long run, the syrupiness of those drinks gets to be too much, especially if I'm taking in GUs as well.

The NUUN packaging is also pretty convenient. It comes in a tube and you simply drop a tablet in 16 ounces, give a minute or two, and you have your drink.

I took NUUN out for a long run last Saturday (and plan to do so again this Saturday). It worked great. It actually is a little fizzy. I know that sounds like it wouldn't work, but it really does. It comes in like 6 flavors I think. I have tried all but the Kona Cola flavor. The best ones are Orange/Ginger and Citrus Fruit. The others are a little too funny tasting for me. I also tried HammerGels this past week too. The taste of those are less overwhelming than GU, so I'm going to give it another shot this weekend as well. I'm digging the fact that I can tone down the sweetness of this stuff and still feel satisfied with the products.

Ran 4, swam 1 today. Nothing tmw, then 10 on Sat.

Woot!

Swim Clinic

2009-02-27T20:29:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, my local triathlon club held a swim clinic. Last year, we held one about this same time and I stunk....literally I could barely swim 25 yards. At this year's clinic, they video taped us. Here's mine:

Today, I swam a mile. That makes three miles in three days of swimming. Woohoo!!! Of course, before I get to confident, please feel free to comment on my technique. I'd love any pointers you can offer.

Oh, and watch the below....how can you not want to do an Ironman:

No Pain!!!

2009-02-23T10:31:00.002-05:00

F**k yeah!!!

No more pain in my foot!!! I can finally run with no pain. On Saturday, Steph and I did seven and eight respcetively. The only pain I had was a little tightness in my calf, but that was because I started out to fast, but other than that, it was great. This is first time in a while that I've run without any pain in my Achilles.

In other news, I've kicked up my swimming regimen. Tomorrow is a mile straight. I've been doing 300 meter repeats with 30 second breaks in between, but tomorrow I'm going for the full mile. I'm actually kind of excited to buy my first wetsuit and hop in our local river (or lake). I've never been swimming in a wetsuit before (other than SCUBA, but SCUBA isn't swimming). Once I get a little cash, I'll be buying a wetsuit....any suggestions?

Also, I just ordered some NUUN and some products from Hammer Nutrition. I can't tell you much I hear about NUUN. It's like all over the place. And, I'm tired of watering down my Powerade. So I'm going to give it a shot. I'll let you know how it goes. In terms of the Hammer stuff, I ordered a sampler. I am mainly interested in their recovery drinks and their vitamin supplements. With the all the activity I'll be doing this season, I thought it was about time to get serious about recovery, etc.

Tomorrow is just swimming.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

A roof is overrated

2009-02-13T11:22:00.003-05:00

Well on Wednesday night we nearly lost our roof. The storms that passed through our neck of the woods had winds upwards of 70 mph. It was lots of fun. Anyway, we now have a big pile of shingles that blew off and our flashing is sticking straight up in the air. Ugh!!!! Good thing our homeowner's insurance will take care of it.

Today is a rest. I swam three times this week...about a mile each time (I actually did 300 meter repeats instead of swimming the full mile at one time). Next week I'll go for the full mile all at once. My heel is feeling better...I go through times where it feels like crap and the other times when I hardly notice it....that usually means I'm healing, but we'll see.

Tomorrow is 6 miles.

Woot!

4 miler followed by 1 mile swim

2009-02-10T20:12:00.002-05:00

In may Steph and I are running the Pittsburgh half mary. So, I'll be kicking up the running to get in shape. Today, I ran 4 followed by a 1 mile swim. Everything went well, but I'm still having foot/heel problems. I don't get what it is. I've rested it, cut my running back, everything I could possibly do.....ugh. It actually felt better today, but my speed is not what it used to be and it's because of the pain.

I realized today in the pool that I need new shorts. I looked down and realized that the material has become almost see-through....oops.

Tomorrow is bike and swim.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Ok...really?

2009-02-09T14:07:00.002-05:00

And yet again, its been a while since I last blogged. My apologies. It's just hard to blog when you don't have anything really to say...winter training, just....kind of...is. No much to report. Although, I have seen another new thing at the gym that I've never seen.

Today, as I was heading out from the locker room to begin my workout, I had to visit the little boys room. It is in the locker room, not far from the entrance. Anyway, as I turned the corner, some idiot was in fron of the mirror in a robe.

A ROBE!!!!! What?!?!?!?

He was shaving. I've said this before, but stupid should hurt. Who the hell brings a robe to the gym?

I swear, one of these days, I'm going to walk in and there is going to be an all out orgy going on.

Tmw is swimming and running.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Finally back running

2009-01-15T13:26:00.002-05:00

So for the past two weeks, I've been running 4 times per week. My heel is still a bit sore, but it feels ok. Today was great. I actually kicked it up a notch or two in terms of speed. I think next week, I'm going to hit the swimming pretty hard. I'm in beautiful Monterey, CA for three days next week and what better place is there than to really hit the swimming.

I've booked most of my triathlons for this season. The first on is the CINCI One World Triathlon. I'm doing the Olympic distance, which is 1350m swim/40k bike/10k run. Right after that, I do the Spirit of Morgantown Half Ironman. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. then, in September I head to Augusta, GA for the Ironman 70.3 (same distances as the Morgantown race). Steph and I are also running the Pittsburgh half-mary this year in May.

I will probably do the Beach 2 Battleship Half IM as well, but we'll see how my body is feeling.

Ohh, one last thing.....winter training sucks.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

The Holiday Poundage

2008-12-29T10:15:00.002-05:00

Man is it hard to not put on weight during the holidays.

Steph made all kinds of great food this past week and I stuffed myself. I think the best thing she made was this Sweet Potato Casserole thing that was delicious. It had so much sugar in it, but it was sooooooo good.

I don't know if your spouses are good cooks, but my wife is a great cook. But, she likes to experiment and sometimes I don't like the experimentation. For example, I like my brownies with nothing on them. Steph, however, likes to put things like crushed up candy canes on the top of them. So, usually, every holiday I end up eating something that combines two things that I've never eaten before. This year, Steph made sauerbraten that had Ginger Snaps as part of the sauce. Mmmmm....mmmmmm......

I ran twice last week. 2 miles each run. Not much, but my achilles is starting to get better. I can't wait to get back to running. This week is lifting, swimming, and elliptical. I'll probably get a run or two in as well.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Thoughts on 2009

2008-12-24T09:37:00.004-05:00

As I write this, I'm watching Spike TV's Bondathon!!! Woohoo!!! That's how you know it is holiday time.....Bond is on 24 hours a day :)

I haven't been posting much this last part of the year because my work schedule has been a nightmare. But, thankfully, it looks like that is going to lighten up, so expect me to be back to my normal posting frequency :)

Also, rest assured, I have my podcast still to get out. I just haven't had the time to produce it. But, it's coming.

As most folks this time of year, I've been contemplating what my training goals are for next year. As you know, my plan is to really begin training for my first Half-Ironman. I plan on doing two, possibly three Half-IM events. Most exciting for me is the Augusta Half-Ironman, but I am also pretty psyched with my other two events.

This winter, my focus has been on getting over some injuries as well as increasing the strength of my core muscles. So far, things have gone well. I've stuck to the elliptical and stationary bike for most of my cardio. I think I may give running a go again next week. My heel feels better and I miss running.

Beginning in March, I plan on completing a couple of sprint triathlons around the area. I think the first one of the season here in WV is in the March/April timeframe. Then, from that point, it is simply staying uninjured and ready for the longer-distance triathlons.

I can't say how excited I am. At the end of 2009, I will be a half-Ironman. Next year, full Ironman baby!!!!

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Sagalicious!

2008-12-08T11:35:00.005-05:00

So, I've been keeping this post to myself for a while, but I figured its about time to comment on the behavior in men's locker rooms. Now, as my wife can attest, I am no prude. I can be just as messy and disgusting as the next guy, but I draw the line at weird, crazy behavior in locker rooms.

For the past year and a half, I've been going to the WVU Rec Center. It's a nice gym with all kinds of equipment and programs. I love it. It's convenient and clean.

The problem is all the old men who feel the need to prance around the locker room with nothing on. I think this is a generational thing. People my age and younger don't walk around with their junk hanging out. Most of us put a towel on. Not these guys. From the monute I get in the locker room, I see saggy, old man body parts. Ohh, and when I say saggy, I mean ssssssaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggyyyyyyyyyyyy. I bet there are more boobs in the men's locker room than the women's.

Earlier this year, I actually had a guy stand in front of me while I was sitting on a bench in the locker room. He decided he needed to talk to the guy standing behind me. And instead of going around, he talked to him, buck naked, in front of me. With his junk right in my face. I actually had to say something, kind of like, "Hey do you mind getting your penis out of my face?"

WTF? Do I live in bizarro world?

Elliptical and running today. Lifting as well. Elliptical and pool tomorrow.

Woot!!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

My new love is the Elliptical machine

2008-12-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

David gave me the idea of checking out the elliptical machine in one of his posts earlier this year. So, this week I spent some time on one at the gym. It's pretty cool. My heel has been giving me some problems with my running so I figured I would do the elliptical to give my feet a break. I'm glad I did.

Next week, I'll be in the pool and lifting with some more elliptical I think.

I've been lifting this week as well. In spite of Marci's comments, I've been hitting it pretty hard. Not like Arnold, but still...(yeah let it play, it's worth it)

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

And then there was no turkey...

2008-12-01T17:54:00.003-05:00

Whew!! Thanksgiving is over. Thank God. I thought I was going to burst with poultry goodness. Steph and I traveled to Virginia to spend the holiday with family last Wednesday and got back yesterday afternoon. We didn't get much running in (or anything else for that matter), but we did enjoy ourselves.

This week we get back on the workout train. Steph just got back from her run and I'll be back in the gym tomorrow. I think I'm going for a swim as well. Last week, the pool was closed the entire week for maintenance. I'll make up for it this week hopefully.

I REALLY need to get new shoes as well so maybe this weekend I'll grab a pair. I've got like 400+ miles on them.

BTW, Steph and I saw Australia this weekend (you know that sappy movie with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman). Unless you just want to gawk at them, it's really not worth it. Although, I have to say that Nicole Kidman is hawt in a weird, Cruella Deville kind of way!!

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

So I've been a really bad blogger

2008-11-24T14:01:00.005-05:00

Well folks, I haven't been blogging recently (as if you can't tell). These last three weeks have been a bear. But, things are finally getting back to normal.

I had to travel a bunch for work and just got from Dallas this Friday after having spent the week in San Diego. In between those trips I ran the Richmond Half-Mary (which I'll post about soon).

Today I hit the gym. No begins my winter training which will consist of lifting, swimming, and some spinning, along with a little running. I'm really burned out on running at the moment. I ran two miles todau and I was ready for it to be over. My right heel is hurting a bit too, so that probably adds to me not wanting to run much.

I am excited about weight training again though. Steph and I went to see the new James Bond movie yesterday and I have to say that I'm a little jealous of Daniel Craig.

I have a bit of a man-crush on him (as well as Christian Bale). Anyway, I need to harden up some, so I'm back in the weight room. This winter, however, I'm doing my lifting a little differently. I'm going to be concentrating more on my core muscle groups (abs, back, etc.).

That's about it for now. I'll probably swm tmw (with a short run) and then back in the gym for weights on Wed.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Blog apologies

2008-11-07T09:49:00.002-05:00

Sorry for taking so long to post. I've been mega-busy and tomorrow I leave for San Diego for 5 days. Unfortunately, it's work related. I got out and ran 3 miles on Monday but that's about it. My heel is hurting me for some reason. It feels like there is no cushion between my heel and the ground. I have no idea what it is. But, I can tell you it hurts like hell.

I still have to decide what I'm doing for the Richmond Half. I haven't completely ruled out running it, but if my heel doesn't get better, I may be on the sidelines cheering for everyone.

Next week I plan on starting my gym routine again. This winter I'll be focusing on my core. Lots of ab and back work. I'm actually kind of excited as I'm a little burned out with just running. I can't wait until I really start my Ironman training. I can't wait to liven things up a bit.

I've mentioned it before, but I'm getting a coach this winter. I guess I could figure out the training myself for the Ironman stuff, but I think I'd like to get a professional opinion on training.

Congrats to David on adding a new runner to his family!!

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Time for a rest

2008-10-31T11:09:00.003-04:00

This week has been very restful. I haven't run at all. In fact, I haven't done any physical activity and man it feels great!!

Next week, I'll probably get in a few short runs. Then I'll see how I feel. I've got the Richmond Half scheduled for Veteran's Day weekend and I'm so excited. I love the Richmond race.

In other news, my first podcast is on its way. I have an interview to do with Steph and then it'll be ready for your listening pleasure.

It is called The Endurance Show and should be available for download from here as well as Itunes next week :)

Woot!!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

2008 Marine Corps Marathon Race Report

2008-10-29T08:52:00.011-04:00

I've been contemplating how to write this race report over the past few days. This race was a mixture of emotions for me. There were things about it that were great and that I loved, but then there were other things that were frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I completed a marathon and am incredibly happy about it. But, the way the race was managed left me not wanting to run this particular marathon again.

To be cliche, I guess I'll begin at the beginning:

Steph and I arrived in Washington DC on Saturday. We drove in from WV and stayed at the Residence Inn Pentagon City. From our room we could see the Pentagon and the Washington Monument:

We walked around a bit and then grabbed some pasta for dinner. Once we got back from dinner, we hit the sack in anticipation of waking up the next day to run. I didn't get much sleep. I was so excited for the the race that I was awake most of the night.

We got up around 5:15am on race day and took the Metro to the station that let's you out closest to the start line. What the race director's don't tell you is that it is about a mile walk from the Metro station to the start. The marathon started at 8:00am. Steph ran the 10K and her race started at 8:20am. So, our plan was for her to see me off and then for her to book it down to her race. We got to the marathon start line about 7:40am after visiting the Runner's Village.

As I stood there waiting for the race to start, I looked around at all of the runners. There were something like 22,000 registered runners. I think 18,000 finished. I've never competed in a race this big. There were tons of people everywhere.

At 7:50am, the disabled racers began their race and at 8:00am, the cannon went off for us to start ours. Yeah, that's right. A cannon!!! How cool is that?

It was a bit cold at the beginning. I think the temp was around 40 degrees. By the end of the race, it was around 65 degrees. In terms of my gear, I wore my WVU t-shirt, black shorts, gloves, sunglasses, and hat. I cut the toes out of some athletic socks and rolled them up my arms to keep them warm. I figured that I could undress as I needed to as it got warmer. I ended up tossing my socks and gloves around 4-5 miles in.

Anyway, I ran my race for the first 19 miles or so. The only real issue is that I suffered stomach cramps almost from the start. I had taken 5 GU's with me with the plan to eat one every 4 miles until I ran out. But, from the moment I ate the first one, I had problems. I felt like I was going to puke. This went on for the entire race. So, I only ate 4 GU's.

In addition to the GU problem, I decided that in terms of hydration, I was going to carry a bottle with me and fill up from the stations when I needed to. The idea was that I wouldn't stop at every water stop. I would just run until I ran out and then I would stop at the next stop and fill up. That way, I figured, I would only have to stop 2-3 times for hydration. My hydration plan worked great and I only had to stop once for a potty break. The only thing is that I think I didn't get enough electrolytes in. At one stop, I ended up putting more water than powerade in my bottle and I think it may have impacted me later on.

Despite the stomach problems, I was on pace as I hoped and I felt great. Secretly, I hoped to have a sub-4 hour time. I haven't mentioned that on the blog as I didn't to jinx myself. But, I've had wonderful training runs building up to this race and I thought I firmly had a shot at a sub-4 time.

Everything was going decent until I got to mile 19. At least I think it was 19. It could have 17 or 20 for all I know, but I think it was 19. At 19, my left calf cramped up. Bad. I mean really bad. I stopped and streched it out. While stretching it out, I ended up straining my right hammie. Don't ask me how, but I did it. After a minute or so, I began to run again. Now with two problems, not including the stomach cramps.

For the next 7 miles, I alternated running and walking. It stunk. And, at about this point in the race, the crowd really picked up. I should say that this is one of the annoying things about this race that disappointed me. From mile 12-18 or so, it seemed that there were hardly any spectators on the course. And, when there were spectators, many of them didn't cheer. I ran through one section with tons of people where no one cheered at all. In fact, there was one woman sitting in a lawn chair reading a newspaper.

Anyway, as I got closer to the end, the crowd got much better. When I got to mile 25, I decided I was going to run the last mile. I wasn't going to walk at all.

Now, as you may know, I never, never look at the course map before race. I don't want to know what's coming. I'd prefer just to adjust as the race happens. Well, I think I should have looked at the course map for this race. The marathon ends on a hill. Not just any hill. A BIG hill. And the race kind of fools you. As you near the end, there are packed bleachers on both sides of the course. The crowd is going crazy. You feel like a rock star.

Then you turn a corner and you face a hill that goes almost straight up. Ugh!!!

Once you get past the hill, it's about 300 yards to the finish line. I crossed the line and then the real adventure began. My finish time was 4:23:14.

As you cross the line, you are provided with some water and powerade and then you enter a chute to get your medal. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes, I was awarded my medal by a Marine. Wooohooo!!! How cool. And, btw, the medal ROCKS!!!!!

Then you enter another line to get your goodie bag and a picture in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial. This didn't take to long and I was done quickly. Steph and I tracked each other down and she met me at the exit of the runner's area. She had finished her 10K with a time of 56 minutes and was waiting for me to finish my race. The crowd was enormous. We stood in line to get out of the finisher's area for like 15-20 minutes. Once out, we walked around a bit. We picked up my finisher's coin from USAA and then we decided to go back to the hotel.

We had originally planned to come back to the Finisher's Festival as they were having a concert. But, we decided not to because of the crowd. We waited in line for another hour to get back on the Metro. Finally we got back to the hotel. We both took our showers and then headed out to get something to eat.

So, why am I disappointed? First, I was hoping for a sub-4 hour time. I'm not too upset about this, but I really wanted that time.

Secondly, the race crowds were not as supportive as I was hoping. Maybe this was unique to me, but I thought the people weren't into it.

Lastly, the way the race was managed at the end tarnished the experience. I don't know about you, but once I finish a marathon, I want to keep walking for a bit. I need to keep moving. This race forced you to stand still, in line, for a long time. Then, you have to stand in line to get on the Metro to leave the race. I should mention that they didn't allow cabs into the area, so the only way to leave was either the Metro or a shuttle that was equally as packed.

I am extremely happy because we raised money for the cancer fund. And, I got about the coolest medal around. I'm also happy, because I completed another marathon. I'm proud of Steph for completing the 10K. Her medal is pretty cool too. It's in the shape of a dogtag.

You've seen me write this before, but no one runs alone. Everyone who has completed a marathon knows that everyone who supported them during the training, ran the race with them as well. So, thanks to everyone for the encouragement.

I'd also like to thank all those folks who have given money to the Steps for Solace fund. Thank you.

I'd like to especially thank my father-in-law. Like last year, he has been there the entire time this year. From mapping out routes to giving me advice, he has helped out. Although he couldn't come to this race, he was there. Thanks Joe.

Lastly, my wife is an amazing person. I always say that runners are unique people. My wife is not only a runner, but she is also a supporter of a runner. Which means she is wonderfully special. On top of that, she has to put up with me. Thanks Steph. I love you.

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

2008 Marine Corps Marathon Complete

2008-10-27T19:38:00.002-04:00

I'll do a much longer race report shortly, but in case you were wondering...

My 2008 Marine Corps Marathon Community Webpage

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Last run and post before the marathon

2008-10-24T10:07:00.006-04:00

I am starting a new project related to my endurance training at this marathon. I'm going to create a podcast. That's right, a podcast.

I'll capture the event not only from my perspective but also from the perspective of other runners at the event. I intend to interview a few people (including my wife), give you some info as I run the marathon (hopefully), capture the feeling of post-race, and then post it up on Itunes. We'll see how it goes. I may not be able to capture much audio while I'm running as I have a goal of a specific time, and if I have to make a choice, the time comes first :)

After the marathon, I intend to keep the podcast current. Probably once a week I'll create a new episode. The goal is to have a podcast that focuses on those things important to runners and triathletes: nutrition, training, gear, etc. It will involve a ton of interviews with experts, doctors, professional athletes, beginners....you name it. I've got a couple of interviews already lined up for the podcasts after the marathon. I'm so excited. I hope you'll listen :)

Now on to the important stuff:

I completed my last training run today. It was a brief two miles. Over the past 5 months, I have run 717 miles in preparation for the Marine Corp Marathon on Sunday. My legs are strong, my mind is set, my wife is with me...I am ready.

As always, when I do a long race, I think back on why I run. I contemplate the reasons for competing in long-distance events. I consider the pain and struggle that enable me to arrive at the start line. I reflect about my mother and her death. And, I imagine the frustration and annoyance those close to me experience because of my obsession.

No runner runs alone. We all carry with us the sacrifice of those around us, our families and friends who help us along the way. Every mile we endure is built on the adversity faced by those who came before us. Each step we take is done for a purpose, a reason, a mission. Occasionally, those reasons are selfish. Most times, the incentive to continue resonates within us as a belief in something bigger than ourselves.

On Sunday, I will run 26.2 miles in honor of those who suffer from cancer. Most of you who read this blog have seen the link below each one of my posts about the Carolyn Miller Steps for Solace Fund. That endowment is named after my mother who lost her battle to cancer two years ago this month. If you can, I would ask that you consider giving. If you can't give, a prayer or two for those people undergoing treatment would be especially helpful.

Thanks :)

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Bib #10552

2008-10-22T19:54:00.005-04:00

4 days and counting.
My bib number is 10552. I am 1 of 30 thousand.

If you are interested in tracking my progress as I run, you register it at this here link. I have to tell you that our experience with these things in the past hasn't been great. But, feel free to register. I registered so that I could get my splits via email. I'll probably log in shortly after finishing so I can see how I did :)

Today was 4 easy miles. My legs feel wonderful. It was also the first day that I broke out the compression pants. When I went for my run, it as 32 degrees outside.

I also have been stocking up on carbs. Ok, so this is probably just an excuse to eat more. Steph and I scoped out some Italian restuarants near the hotel we're staying at so we can get some pasta in the night before.

Anyway, I'm getting pretty excited. I'm a little concerned about weather though. I've seen different forecasts. Some say sun and high of 65, other say rain and high of 65.

Tomorrow is a rest day and Friday is 2. Then the big day :)

UPDATE: If you get Comcast Sportsnet, the marathon will be broadcast from 0730-0830 on the 26th. Later that evening, at 10:30pm there will be a special they will air on the marathon.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

3 easy miles

2008-10-21T17:24:00.003-04:00

This morning was dark and cold. I swear the sun didn;t rise until like 9am this morning. I hate the fact that we still have "fallen" back yet. We have to wait until the 1st Sunday in November before we move the clocks back and I see the sun once more when I run.

The run itself was great. Nice and easy. My legs felt strong and solid. I am soooo ready for the race. Of course, I'm having the phantom pains and anxiousness from not running as much. But, I'm also glad that I'm in the taper. These past few weeks have been a bear in terms of training. I was really bored and tired of the regimen. So this year, I'm much more happy to be in the taper because it means I don't have to run as much (until the race).

4 tomorrow and then 2 on Friday.

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Gallery: Ironman Triathlon Tests Limits of Human 2.0

2008-10-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

Great little article on disabled athletes. What an inspiration!!!

Gallery: Ironman Triathlon Tests Limits of Human 2.0

No miles today. 3 tomorrow.

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

7 days until the marathon

2008-10-19T11:15:00.007-04:00

So, yesterday was the last longish run of my training. Both Steph and I got in 8 miles. It was really, REALLY cold. I think when we started it was like 39 degrees. Brr!!!

This week is the final week before the marathon next Sunday. We're so excited. Steph is running the Marine Corps 10k. The mary starts at 8:00am and the 10k starts at 8:20am. So, Steph will be done with her race in time to see me finish mine. Both of us get to have our pictures taken in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial with our medals as a part of the event. It's sooooo cool.

And get this. If you wear Brooks equipment while you race, you get to use their super-duper bathroom. It has heat, AC, running water, all the niceties of your home bathroom. How cool is that? Steph wears Brooks shoes and running skirts so she'll get to use the super-toilet, while I get to suck it up with the rest of the idiots who wear other gear. Maybe I should borrow one of Steph's skirts :) Ugh!!

Next week is 3-4-2-->26.2.

Woot!!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

For your weekend viewing pleasure

2008-10-17T10:14:00.002-04:00

Ran across this at In Motion.

Hells yeah:

3 easy miles today. 8 tomorrow.

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

We never say someday

2008-10-16T08:18:00.005-04:00

As I was perusing the blogosphere the other day, I ran across a great post by Frayed Laces. In her "Letter to my (non-running) 20-something peers", she explains that runners are a unique breed of person. We train, eat right, train some more, run races, finish races, train, eat right, train....you get the idea. And, because we are so focused on doing those things, we tend to get odd comments from those around us. It seems that other non-running people just don't get why we run. And, since they don't understand it, they tend to mock or make fun.

Who of us hasn't heard someone tell us that we eat too little, or that we train too much? Who hasn't heard the comments about how we're all crazy for running in the rain or driving hundreds of miles to compete in a race?

The difference, as Frayed explains, is that we never say someday. We never say we'll run that marathon someday. We never say we'll do that triathlon someday. We never look at a challenge and then walk away. We face it head on. We choose to say that today is our day. Today, we'll run 26.2 miles. Today, we'll swim 2000 meters. Today, we'll complete that triathlon.

Today, we'll choose to do what we want to do, because we know that someday will never come for us. It is already here. Someday is now. And if we're ready for it, we can do amazing things.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.--T.E. Lawrence

In other news, I was tagged the other day by M*J*C. So now I have to list 6 random things about myself. Here goes:

I use special face wash cream made just for men. Yeah I know, I'm a girl.
I have never broken a bone. Ever. I've sprained things before and have had my cornea scratched up a bit, but I've never broken a bone. I also drink a lot of milk.....like enough for a newborn calf....maybe that has something to do with it.
I drive a burnt orange Honda Element and its name is "Donkey".
I don't like to wear white tech shirts while I'm racing. I have dark chest hair and it looks gross when I sweat. I look like a monkey. The ladies really like it. I'm pretty sure I'm going the shaved route once my triathlon training starts kicking in next season.
I've lost count how many times I've started and stopped writing my first novel (Steph probably doesn't even know this).
As a child, I used to melt my plastic army figures with a magnifying glass. I would pretend that it was a death ray. All those damn GI Joe's would be worth a fortune now.

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Last really long run and a question

2008-10-13T13:37:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, I ran 12 miles. That is really the last long run until the marathon. This coming Saturday, I run 8 as my long run (which is really a medium run for me). Steph ran 8. I'm so proud of her as she was really sick last week and she got out and ran her long run.

Woohoo for her!!!

I have to say that I'm really glad that the training is coming to an end. This year, the training has seemed more tedious. I know I was anxious for it to be over with last year, but man, this year feels more drawn out. Actually, I know for a fact that it is. I'm not sure of the numbers, but I know I ran a lot more this year than last. So, I'm really glad that it is winding down. Although, give me a few weeks after the mary and I'll want to be out again. that's why I went on and scheduled the Richmond Half. I knew I would want to be running again :)

On a different note, Steph and I had a conversation yesterday about what I've been reading lately. If you know me, then you know that I read voraciously. I read all the time. Really, all....the....time. And, when I'm not reading, I'm listening to podcasts. So, I'm all about information intake :)

So, anyway, Steph and were talking about my reading. Usually, I like to read nonfiction. Most times I just can't suspend my disbelief enough for fiction. I'm constantly poking holes in the plot of the story. However, there has been one notable exception this year and its a book that I'm currently reading. It's called I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb.

In terms of nonfiction, I really like to read stories of heroism, courage, challenge, adversity, that kind of stuff. I also like "life-changing" books. Given my background (and what I teach), you can see why I like that kind of stuff. In the nonfiction department, I'm currently reading Warriors by Max Hastings. It's a great little book that covers the biographies of men and women who have displayed courage in battle. Each chapter is a brief bio of each person. It's pretty good.

Have you read any books like what I've mentioned? Recommendations?

This week is 4-5-4-3-8 for a total of 24 miles. I got 4 in today with Steph. She had off because of the holiday. Tomorrow, I'll do 5.

Woot!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Running Man

2008-10-10T11:27:00.003-04:00

A few nights ago, The Running Man was on TV. I'm sure your remember that horrid piece of cinema starring California's current Governor. I almost forgot how cheesy some 80s movies really are. I know I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief and all that, but really I have an easier time believing that Bert and Ernie are real than I do believing that Awnolde is a contestant in some whacko futuristic gameshow.

Nonetheless, I sat through it. Why? Because it reminds me of my teenage years. And, it keeps my mind off the freakin' market. Ugh!!!!

Got 4 miles in today. 12 tomorrow.

Woot!!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Brrr....

2008-10-07T14:45:00.003-04:00

Man it was cold this morning. When I left the house for my run it was 39 degrees. I actually wore a stocking cap. I got in 6 miles.

Steph is sick...really sick. She actually had to call off of work. She is congested and has a horrible cough. We originally thought it was allergies, but it looks like it's the creeping crud. She hasn't gotten much running in do to her illness. I hope I don't get it. I would hate to run the mary with a horrible cold. Although, I would if I had to. No way would I do all of this training and not run :)

Tomorrow is 5 miles and then 4 on Friday.

You cannot fool the chicken!!!!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Last 20 miler

2008-10-05T19:14:00.002-04:00

On Saturday I ran the last 20-miler of my training....whew!!! It' all down hill from here until the marathon.

I ran the 20 in 2:55:30 for a 8:46/mile pace. The run was about as perfect as it gets. I had my hydration down perfect. I didn't have to stop for a potty break and ran the entire distance non-stop.

Steph usually meets me at Mile 18 for some hydration, but I was about 15 minutes ahead of schedule so I actually beat her.

The weather was also perfect. It started in the low 50s and ended in the high 60s. I wore a long sleeve shirt that worked out pretty well. It was a little warm towards the end, but worked out fine.

Steph got her 10 miles in and then drove to Morgantown to pick me up. I couldn't have asked for a better long run before the marathon. I'm really happy with the way everything has gone in the training (with the exception of the pain in my calf). I can say, without a doubt, that I am more than ready for this thing. I've run about 200-300 more miles this go round in preparation for this year's marathon. I can tell the difference it has made. I also think my weight training over the winter and the swimming and cycling have helped.

Now I just have to keep from becoming ancy until the race :)

Next week is 5-6-5-4-12.

Woot!!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Trinity A1--My new best friend

2008-10-03T13:46:00.014-04:00

I dropped by my local bike shop today. Ohhhhhh, man. I found the bike I think. One of my students who is a major bike aficionado and is the VP the WVU cycling team pointed me in the direction of the one I looked at today. It is a Tri bike that has a lot of standard Aero gear (including Aero bars) and it's not incredibly expensive. The decision is do I get a regular road bike now and then buy a Tri bike later, or just spend more and get the Tri bike now. I'm leaning towards getting the Tri bike now as my schedule has me doing 2-3 Half Ironmans next year.

Ok, so get ready for some boring cycling talk. If you're not interested, just skip to the end :)

The bike is a 2008 Giant Trinity A1. Here are two pictures I took at the shop (click on them for bigger pictures):

The listed price is $1799.00, but the guy I spoke with is a friend of a friend so he says $1,500-$1,600 is doable. Here are the specs. It has an aluminum/carbon blend frame and I can literally hold it over my head with one hand because it is so light. It has 42mm Aero rims with a full composite fork. Shimano 105 hardware with Shimano Ultegra Rear Derailleur and Shimano Dura-Ace Shifters.

I think I'm in love....sorry Steph.

Now on to the really cool part about this. So remember I wanted folks to give me cash instead of gifts this Christmas so that I can buy this bike? The idea was that I would then have 'everyone' with me on the course while I train and then eventually when I race. That is, since you bought it for me, you'll be with me when I ride it.

Well, Steph and I were talking yesterday and to make it even cooler, we decided that it would AWESOME if people who are helping me buy this would write their name or a message on the bike. You could draw a picture, whatever you want. The only caveat is that Steph gets the spot directly below my line of sight so that I can always see what she's written. Other than that, you can write/draw what you want. Anything :)

I didn't get a chance to ride it today, but will do so next week. The bike is sized for me (we figured this out today). Next week will be the determining factor, but it seems to line up pretty nice with my body so far.

Welcome to my new obsession!!!

5 down today, 20 tomorrow.

Woot!!!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

10 life lessons I learned from running

2008-10-02T10:38:00.004-04:00

Today's theme over at Runner's Lounge is "Life Lessons from Running". So, here are my 10 lessons I've learned from running:

Running forces you to admit that you are strong.
Running causes people to perceive you differently.
Running forces you to admit that you are weak.
Running causes your body and mind to change in ways you never thought possible.
Running makes non-running people around you change.
Running is pain.
Pain is good.
Running is a lifestyle.
I am a better husband and friend because I run.
I enjoy life more because I run.

5 miles tomorrow, then 20 on Saturday.

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

2:04 marathon...ok, really?

2008-09-29T14:23:00.002-04:00

This guy just ran a sub 2:04 marathon....I barely make it under 2 hours for a half marathon. Wow!!! Congratulations to him :)

Steph and I ran in Cinci this weekend. We were in town for her sister's wedding. We stayed in Newport, KY which is just over the river from Cinci so we actually ran in Kentucky. Anyway, we got 12 miles in. I don't know what the elevation change was, but I do know the six mile mark where we turned around is called Highland Heights. Yeah, no lie. Highland Heights. It is aptly named. It was a great run, we just reached the top of the hill(s) as the sun was rising. It was beautiful.

Here's the route we ran:

27 - Cold Spring
Find more Runs in Newport, Kentucky

After the run, Steph (who was the maid of honor--she doesn't like to be called matron-of-honor because it makes her feel old) and I went to the wedding and partied 'til late into the night. We then came back home yesterday.

My leg is feeling great!!! Although, this morning my left heel was rubbing against my shoe for some reason. I'll have to figure that out.

I got 5 miles in today and will do the same tomorrow. The schedule for this week is 5-5-5-8-20. Then the taper. Woohoo!!!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Weekend Road Trip

2008-09-26T08:37:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm off to see my sister-in-law tie the knot in Cinci.

I did 6 instead of 8 today. I'm following David's advice and cutting back my shorter runs. Tomorrow however, I will do 12 miles. No cutbacks.

I'll see you guys on Monday :)

Woot!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Planning for next season

2008-09-25T10:08:00.006-04:00

First, some housekeeping:

My leg is doing mucho better. It actually felt really good yesterday evening. I'll probably take David's advice and cut back on the shorter runs next week. We'll see. I didn't run today and I have 8 planned for tomorrow. 12 on Saturday.

Now on to the important stuff :)

After the marathon this fall, I'm getting myself a coach. He's a local guy who has a lot of endurance experience and is really, really, knowledgeable. My idea is to get a coach who can help me train more effectively. And, who will get me to the Ironman. Next year, my training will only be for triathlons, not running specifically.

However, if we decide that I'm capable, I may do some longer running races. But, I'll play that by ear. I know that I won't be doing any marathons next year; however, I can't imagine not doing the Richmond half again. And, I'll probably do some 5Ks and definitely the SEAL Challenge. I also am thinking about a summer biathlon (shooting and running)

Below are the three Half-Ironman triathlons that I will complete next year (the descriptions of each I snagged from their websites):

2009 Spirit of Morgantown Half-Ironman--The MedExpress Spirit of Morgantown Triathlon features both an Olympic distance and half distance race. The half distance includes a 1.2 mile swim in the Monongahela River, a challenging 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run in and around downtown Morgantown and West Virginia University.

2009 Ironman 70.3 Augusta--Ironman 70.3 Augusta will offer athletes the unique opportunity to race in two states, as the cycling portion of this event will take athletes into the great state of South Carolina. Prior to the bike portion, athletes will swim a 1.2 mile point-to-point course in the Savannah River exiting at the Augusta Rowing Club Complex and the Augusta public boat launch. Athletes will then cycle a single-loop 56 mile bike course through the beautiful countryside of South Carolina before returning to the Georgia side of the Savannah River and the city of Augusta, Ga. Finally, athletes will run a two-loop course consisting of 13.1 miles, through the downtown community of Augusta finishing near the Augusta Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

2009 Beach to Battleship Half-Ironman--The B2B 1.2 mile swim course will be staged at Wrightsville Beach and will feature a mass beach start. The swim takes place in a channel that is connected to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway; so it's a salt water swim but not in the ocean. The 56 mile(half) bike course takes competitors from Wrightsville Beach, through the northern section of Wilmington and then up towards White Lake - home of one of the more famous half iron distance events on the east coast. The one loop(half) run course will start and finish at the Battleship North Carolina.

They are spaced out in terms of time with about a month between each. The Spirit of Morgantown is end of June. Augusta is end of September. And, the Beach to Battleship is beginning of November. I think I'm also going to volunteer at the Ironman at Lake Placid in 2009. It's in July. Also, I'll be doing a bunch of sprint distance tris, to get the feel for racing. I may make the Spirit of Morgantown an Olympic distance instead of a Half. We'll just see how I feel.

I think Steph will continue with her half-marathons schedule for next year. I still can't convince her to do a full marathon.

And, just so everyone knows, I intend to complete in 2010 either Ironman Lake Placid or Ironman Louisville.

Whew!!! I'm tired just reading that post :)

If you need a boost, watch the vid below....grab some tissues first though ;)

HTFU!!!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Right leg pain

2008-09-24T08:13:00.002-04:00

I took today off of running. I've been having some pain in my right calf for a while now and I'm trying to make sure it doesn't give me too much of a problem for the Marine Corps. So, like two weeks ago, I took one of the 5 milers off of my schedule for this week. This will give me two rest days before my 8 miles on Friday and then the 12 on Saturday.

I've also been icing it twice a day and taking some ibuprofen. Lest you think its that bad, it really isn't. I'm just taking some precautionary measures as I want to get to the start line uninjured.

Woot!!

___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

All I want for Christmas is....

2008-09-23T13:01:00.006-04:00

Ok, so I know this is a bit early, but I wanted to let my family and friends know what I'm thinking about for Christmas.

Why now? Because I'm an impatient fool and as soon as I have an idea I can't help but talk about it. And, I wanted to let folks know what my plans are in the event that they were in the process of buying gifts now (don't laugh, my mom used to buy presents all year long...)

I was thinking that folks who are interested in giving me something for Christmas and my birthday (which is January 25th), could actually give me cash to so that I can buy a nice road bike.

I thought it would be pretty cool as I would then have 'everyone' with me when I race. I know it sounds corny, but it'll actually motivate me to train. Owning a bike that everyone bought for me means that you'll be with me on the course and every time I pedal, I'll know that everyone is cheering me on.

The other thing that Steph and I will be getting this Christmas is a video camera. I want to document my journey to Ironman on video. So, if you happen to be cheering me on at a race, be ready to get your face on video (along with any appropriate interviews).

Got 5 miles in today, 5 tomorrow, then 8 on Friday and 12 on Sat.

Woot!!
___________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Navy SEAL Challenge

2008-09-21T19:25:00.006-04:00

Steph and I traveled to our local running store as Steph needed some new shoes. She's been battling with an ugly black toenail. Turns out that her shoes were not fitting exactly as they should. She picked up a half size bigger today. Hopefully, that'll take care of the problem.

Also, I'm in the process of changing up my hydration routine. I don't plan on changing anything before the Marine Corps, but afterward, I intend to experiment a little. I've been hearing all kinds of good things about NUUN. And, as I enter long-distance triathlons, I need to figure out some new ways to get carbs (and a little protein) in my body as I compete. Although, NUUN doesn't provide either, it frees me up to control what carbs and proteins I get in and takes care of my electrolyte needs without having to drink a sports drink.

I can't tell you how much I hate sports drinks. I've been cutting them with water for about as long as I can remember. I just can't drink them after a while. They taste like crap. NUUN should help with that situation. Anyone ever used NUUN? Comments?

Lastly, I've figured out one more race for 2009. As long as it doesn't conflict with any of the Ironman events I'm planning for next year, I'll be participating in Rudy's SEAL Challenge on June 20, 2009.

From the website:

"The five mile course is an adventurous and challenging route which transverse thick woods, steep hills, rolling sand dunes, obstacles and physical challenges. Actual SEAL team instructors and Rudy Boesch of "Survivor" fame will be on hand to uh..."motivate" and um.... "encourage" participants to do their best."

Sounds pretty cool. I know you do push ups, pull ups, run through some water and do some sort of obstacle course.

Proceeds from the race benefit the Naval Special Warfare Foundation (NSWF).

Hooyah!!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

20 miles down

2008-09-20T12:02:00.002-04:00

Today's run was my first 20-miler in my marathon training. It felt soooooooo good. I haven't run 20 miles since this time last year. I loved every step of it. I ran from Fairmont, WV to Morgantown, WV.

Last year, I remember struggling through the 20 miles. This year, I'm 20 pounds lighter and in much better shape. It seems to have paid off. I ran the 20 in 3:06:48. Much better than last year.

Steph ran 10, then hopped in the car to pick me up in Morgantown. She then biked a couple of miles out to meet me with a bottle of water. She's so great about getting me through the training :)

Next week is a rest week, 5-5-5-8-12. We'll be in Cincy for my sister-in-law's wedding. So I'm going to run the 12 before the wedding. The following week I have another 20 miler and then the taper.

Lastly, I'd like to thank David for his shout-out. I didn't get a chance to post on Runner's Lounge Take it and Run Thursday this week. The topic was blogs that you like. David said some nice things, and I wanted to thank him. He and I have been blogging for about the same time and we've tracked each other's progress since early last year. Thanks David. Here's to another racing season for us :)

Woot!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Born To Run

2008-09-16T13:33:00.002-04:00

Great article....humans can outrun almost any animal over long distances :)

Born To Run

8 miles today. 5 tomorrow.

Woot!

Earphone Suckage

2008-09-15T13:41:00.003-04:00

Can you hear me now? No really, can you? You wouldn't if you had my freakin' earphones.

I'm prefacing this post by letting you know that about a month ago, I bought new earphones. They are over there on the right. they are called Nike Skylons. Before I got these, I had Nike earphones that were one version down. I liked those a lot. But I had to get new ones as I break them all the time. I go through headphones like crap through a goose.

So anyway, I bought these Skylons because Target didn't have the other kind. But, the Skylons have these over the ear things that keep the earphones in my ear (just like my old ones). I've gone through bunches of earphones to find the right ones that would stay in my ear. It seems that as I sweat, the earphones want to fall out.

So, about a month ago I get these things. I upack them, pull them out, and then notice that the idiots who packed these things in the hard-to-open, curse-at-god, packaging had wrapped the earphone wire around so tightly that it permanently bent the wire.

This is probably hard to imagine, but think of a copper wire you've wrapped around your finger. Take the wire off your finger without unwrapping it, and that's what my earphone wire looks like.

I thought, ok, I can live with this...over time the wire will unwravel itself. Nope. It didn't. The problem is that the damn things pull out of my ears because the "wrapped" earphone wire weighs so much that with every stride, it bounces and pulls the earphones out. ARGH!!!!!!!

To top it all off, guess what I paid for these crappy things?....wait for it.......wait for it.....

$50 bucks!!!!!!!! That's right, I paid $50 dollars for these pieces of crap.

So, if you are buying headphones, go past the Nike versions.

Got 5 miles in today. The weather was cool, but it was overcast. 8 tomorrow.

Woot!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

13 miles down

2008-09-13T11:08:00.002-04:00

Man it was humid this morning....way humid. I was dripping sweat. the run went well, but I was a little tired at the beginning. I think the humidity was giving me some problems. After a mile or two, I was back in the swing of things though.

Next week is 5-8-5-5-20. I have my first 20 miler in my training. I'll do the same thing I did last year for my 20-miler. I'll run from Fairmont to Morgantown. It is exactly 20 miles from Prickett's Fort to Oliverio's on the wharf. Steph will drop me off at the fort, then drive to Oliverio's and pick me up.

It should take me a little over three hours. I can't wait....I lurve the long distances :)

Thanks to a suggestion by Kiki, I mapped out radially 812.3 miles on a US map.....check it out below (click on the pic to make it bigger). That's how much I've biked, run, and swam since May of this year.

How cool is it that I've worked out enough to get to Orlando, Minneapolis, Kansas city, or Quebec?

Woot!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Cool Stats

2008-09-12T21:43:00.003-04:00

I'm not much of a stats guy, but over the past few months, I've been tracking my runs electronically. So, here are some cool numbers related to my running:

Since May 6, 2008, I've run 82 times for a total of 522.8 miles.
I run an average of 1 hour and 51 seconds every time I run.
The total time I spent running is 75 hours.
Over those 82 runs, I've burned 63,949 calories.
In all my workouts since May, including biking and swimming, I've traveled 812.3 miles and burned 82,131 calories.

Tomorrow is 13 miles.

Woohoo!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Taper Madness

2008-09-11T12:52:00.002-04:00

Today's theme at Runner's Lounge is "Taper Madness". How much of a taper is enough? How much is too much? How do you deal with the taper? Those kinds of things.

So, let's begin.

First, I don't like tapers. Never have. They're long and squiggly. In fact, they are quite gross. I know some scientists spend their lives studying them, but I think you have to be a little crazy to be so infatuated with a worm.

Second, tapers are a parasite. Normally, I'm up for a good parasite. I can dig mooching off of someone else. I do it all the time. But, tapers really mooch. They like dig in to your intestine and suck all the food out of your stomach. Which leads me to my next point....

Third, they are always hungry. I don't mean just anytime...they ALWAYS eat. I'm surprised there aren't support groups for overweight tapers. But, then again, I can't say I've ever seen an overweight taper.

Lastly, you can't pet a taper. Most animals you can pet. Not a taper. No way. He doesn't want to be touched. In fact, he hates to be touched so much, that he'll spend his entire life in your gut in an effort to avoid any human affection.

So, that's my thoughts on the taper........oh wait......I was thinking tape worm....not taper.....crap!!!!!!

Uhmm....so let me revise. The Taper stinks...it lasts too long, makes me want to shoot someone, and generally should be eliminated from all forms of running.

There....take that you freakin' parasite!!

Woot!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Wonderful Run!!

2008-09-10T10:58:00.004-04:00

The run today was great!! It felt like a fall run. Nice and cool. I actually put my long sleeve shirt on. It's funny because I complained like hell back in the spring about it being too cold in the mornings. Now I'm so happy when it is :) I'm such a complainer.

I had one of those cool moments today as well. I was bopping along, listening to my ipod, when a song came on that I hadn't heard in a long time. I won't tell you what it was because I have the musical tastes of a teenage girl. But, nonetheless, it rocked!! I love it when that kind of stuff happens.

In case you haven't heard, it looks like Lance Armstrong is making a comeback for next year's Tour. I dig Lance. I think you either like him or you hate him. I tend to fall in the like him category. In my book, if you've done what he has and gone through what he's gone through, you pretty much have a free ticket to do whatever the hell you want.

BTW, sometimes I feel like Lance in this video...I'm such an ass:

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Day Off

2008-09-09T13:39:00.001-04:00

Well, I finally did it. I took a day off from my training. I was supposed to run 5 miles today and I didn't. I got up this morning and it was thundering and lightning outside. It was also raining bigtime. So, I rolled back over and drifted off to sleep :) Actually, I was having a little bad pain in my right calf, so I thought it would be better to lay off for a day and see what's up tomorrow.

This week is a rest week anyway. I was scheduled for 5-5-5-8-13, but instead will be doing 5-5-8-13.

(Don't you like how I justified my lack of running?)

Woot!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

2008 Richmond Half-Marathon

2008-09-08T12:07:00.002-04:00

On November 15th, three weeks after I run the Marine Corps Marathon, Steph and I plan to run the Richmond Half. I couldn't be more excited. I ran the Richmond Marathon last year and it was great!! Our families and friends turned out in full force. Afterwards, we all had dinner at the County Seat Restaurant and took in the music of Borrowed Time, the band of one of our close family friends.

Well, this year we are doing the same thing. Except this time, the whole family is going to do the half. I think Steph and I are the only ones running, but the rest of the family will be walking it. Woohoo!!!

And, again, afterwards, we are going to dinner at the County Seat and will see Borrowed Time. By the way, our friend in the band will also be walking the half. Talk about a full day.

I love Richmond in the fall. If the temperature is cool and crisp, the run should be great. The leaves will have changed and it'll feel like home again. I moved away from Richmond ten years ago and thought I would never want to see it again. But, I was wrong. I really enjoyed our time last year and can't wait for this year.

Anyway, I know a lot of friends and family read this blog (even though you never comment). If you want to join us, please come out. We'd love to see you. If you'd like to walk in the race, drop me a line. If not, you are more than welcome to come out to dinner and to see Tom play.
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

88 miles in two weeks

2008-09-06T21:57:00.001-04:00

44 miles down for the week. 88 miles for the last two weeks. Woot!!!

I did 18 today. Steph did 8. Next week is a rest week, so I'm looking at 5-5-5-8-13. The following week my long run is 20 miles. I'll do one more 20 miler after that before the marathon. Although, I'm really happy with the mileage I've gotten in over the last two weeks, I am really tired. I'm glad next week is a bit of a breather.

I've gotten a few comments over the past week on my posting on pain.

Yeah, I know. Pain doesn't seem like something I should enjoy. I don't know that I 'enjoy' it. But I do know I relish the feeling of conquering the task set before me, regardless of the pain.

And, it seems to me that there are two types of pain: good pain and bad pain. Everyone, I think, knows the difference. Good pain is the pain you feel after a good workout. That sore feeling where you know you've laid everything out. You may not feel great at the end of the workout, but you know you gave it everything you had.

Bad pain is everything else. I think we have to blend with each. Sometimes we have to push through both. What we get from it is that satisfied feeling, that sensation of accomplishment. And, I intend to accomplish a lot.

Oh...and....hells yeah:

HTFU!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Stand up to Cancer

2008-09-05T20:25:00.001-04:00

Take it and Run Thursday

2008-09-04T09:00:00.005-04:00

This week's theme over at Runner's Lounge is "Your Favorite Run in Pictures". I guess my favorite run is my first marathon. I never knew how much running a marathon would affect me. It has altered my life in ways that I'm just beginning to understand.

My favorite repeated running route is the Fairmont Rail-Trail. I run it most days of the week. I love the trail. It is a former railroad track that has had the tracks pulled up and made into a trail. It runs along the Monongahela river and the scenery is phenomenal.

But, my favorite run ever has to be the marathon. Soooo, without further ado, here's a link to the original post (with lots o' pictures).

Woot!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Pain, Fear, and Truth

2008-09-02T14:00:00.017-04:00

I love the rawness of it. Truly, I do. I delight in the rough, chafed feeling. The sensation that I can do no more, that I can experience nothing else, that there is truth in my suffering, that all I am, all I can be, is wrapped up in my ability to endure.

Most times, when I submit to an endurance activity, I feel as though I have been flogged. My body absorbs the physical pain and anguish that such an experience brings, but oddly, it is my mind that creates the impression that leaves me exhausted. My body tells me that I am sore, tired, throbbing, tender. But, it is my mind that makes it so.

My intellect, my reasoning is the magician on stage. The illusion has failed, he says. The rabbit is gone from the hat. He announces that the show is over. It is time to go home. But, just as quickly, he pulls back the curtain to reveal that the illusion is real. It has not failed. The rabbit has returned to the hat. The trick, he declares, is not in the rabbit, nor the hat, nor the audience. The magic is in him, and what he believes. The magic is in the acceptance of the belief, not the performance of the trick.

I repeatedly feel fear and doubt throughout my training. I never know if I have it in me to complete a run, to finish a swim. But, I do. Somehow, I do. I experience pain. Lots of it. My body hurts. My muscles scream at me to stop. I get a dull aching feeling in my legs that cause me to question and doubt every step. And, I never know if I have the resolve to accept it and keep moving. But, I do.

I accept the fear, the doubt, the pain. And because I do, I am able to transcend it. I do not force the pain aside. Nor do I wish the fear and doubt away. I happily greet and embrace them like old friends. They are a part of who I am.

We all experience pain, whether we are endurance athletes or not. We all know suffering. Each of us has lost. Each of us has failed. But, not all of us realize the significance to the suffering. There is meaning to the misery. Our adaption and reaction to it defines us. Not only to ourselves, but to others. We become who we are by responding to and blending with it. Pain smiles at us all. All we can do is smile back.

More often, however, we rebel. We attempt to create an illusion that the pain is not there. We shift our focus and forcibly push it away. We reposition ourselves to avoid it, to cast its effects elsewhere. And that is the error. That is the illusion.

Why do this? Why confront so much adversity? Why endure? Because, in my view, it is the sole way in which to determine truth. It is the objective measure of who I am. My life is clarified and distilled by the experience of pain. It is the great equalizer. Stripped of everything except the pain and suffering of extreme endurance, I stand proud and defiant, knowing that the only thing keeping me from moving forward is myself, my illusion, the magic trick. I know who I am because I know pain.

We are, each of us, extraordinary beings. Given enough time and training, our bodies can withstand most any physical effort. It is our minds that convince us otherwise. Our minds tell us we are not capable. We convince ourselves that we cannot possibly endure. But, we can. Our intellect whispers that we aren't good enough. But, we are. Our minds warn us that we could fail. But, we don't. We succeed.

And we do so because we know that each time we push through, each time we accept the pain and suffering, each time we allow ourselves the freedom to be more than we ever thought we could be, we become ourselves.
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

44 miles this week

2008-08-30T13:32:00.004-04:00

I ran 18 miles today for a total of 44 for the week. 44 miles in one week is the most I've ever run. Woohoo!!! Steph did 8. As a family we did 61 miles this week. We rock!!!!

The run went well. Perhaps the most impressive thing I've seen all year happened about a mile and a half into it.

I saw a bald eagle in flight. I physically let out a gasp and covered my mouth with my hand. I know, I'm a girl. But, it was the coolest damn thing. I've never seen a bald eagle in the wild. Man, it was impressive.

I'm always amazed at the new experiences I encounter as I train. Count this one as a top 5.

This week I did 5-8-5-8-18. Next week is the same, 5-8-5-8-18. My training is all focused on running from now until the marathon. I will probably swim a time or two each week, but nothing too tough. After the marathon (and the half in Richmond), I intend to be back in the gym to do some more lifting. I am very happy with how much it helped this racing season.

PS. No offense to Notre Dame fans, but Lou Holtz has to be the dumbest man alive.

Woot!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Finally, I've settled on a theme :)

2008-08-29T21:01:00.003-04:00

So after much deliberation, I've settled on this theme for my blog. Look around, absorb the goodness :)

Tomorrow is 18 miles and then WVU vs. Villanova.

Go Mountaineers!!!!___________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Run, run, run

2008-08-27T14:53:00.002-04:00

So in the last two weeks, my computer has blown up and I lost a lot of formatting for this blog. Ugh!!!

I'm still trying to figure out a good theme. So, apologies up front if every time you visit, it's a different look. Sorry :)

In terms of running, I've done 5-8-5 so far this week. I have 5 to do on Friday and then 18 to do on Saturday. I'm really excited about Saturday for a couple of reasons:

1) I get to run 18 miles. 18 and 20 mile runs are the best!!!
2) The first football game of the season.

The Mountaineers take on Villanova. Let's Goooo Mountaineers!!!!!

Woohoo!!

To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

OK, how does this theme look?

2008-08-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was screwing around with the theme of my blog and I ended up losing all my formatting. I've been messing around with new themes and I kind of like this one, but I may end up chaging it again.

Stay tuned :)

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

My blog is all screwed up...bear with me

2008-08-25T15:03:00.000-04:00

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Two years....two long years.

2008-08-25T13:35:00.000-04:00

2008 Sprint, Splash, Spin Triathlon--Race Report

2008-08-24T07:10:00.005-04:00

Woohoo!!!

Again, I had another fun race. What a phenomenal day. The weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny, blue skies. It was a little warm, but nothing too bad. The organizers of the race were also wonderful. There were 291 individual competitors with like 10-15 teams. As you can imagine, it was kind of like organized chaos, but the folks who put the race on, including my local tri club, did an excellent job.

So on to the report:

The Sprint, Splash, and Spin is a 330 yard swim, a 10.5 mile bike ride, and a 5K. It was at Marilla Park in Morgantown, WV. I originally thought the bike ride was 11 miles, but turns out it's only 10.5. The race started in heats and I was in the 11th heat. My start time was 8:50am.

Steph and I got to the park about 7:30am. We walked my bike and other gear to the registration desk and checked in. Once we checked in, we visited a race coordinator and she wrote my race number in magic marker on my arm and leg. I think the coolest thing about doing a triathlon is the 'marking process'. You really feel like you going out to do battle. It's the coolest thing!!! Here's what it looks like:

Once I was marked up, Steph walked me to the transition area and I set up all my gear. No spectators are allowed in the transition area so Steph had to wait while I got all that done. When I finished up, Steph and I then went to the pool to watch some of the earlier heats while we waited for my start time.

SWIM
At 8:30am, my heat was called to the pool. We got our time chips at that point and then we waited to hop in the pool. Around 8:48 we hopped in the pool and were able to warm up a tad. We were in the first lane, so we had a wall on one side and a lane marker on the other. We had to swim two people to a lane as we had to get 10 people through a heat at one time and we only had 5 lanes at the pool. This becomes important for a couple of reasons. First, my lanemate and I switched up which side of the lane we were on. He wanted the lane marker side, which I happily let him have. This confused our lane monitor (a young girl who was required to count our laps). Secondly, since I now had the wall side of the lane I was a little concerned of hitting the wall with my hand.

Anyway, at exactly 8:50am we started. As you know from my previous posts, swimming is a little new to me. But, I did wonderful in this swim!!!! I finished in 6:46 I think. The reason I think that is my finish time is that the timing chip didn't capture my swim time nor my T1 time (the transition from swim to bike is called T1). So I actually don't have the official timing for either thing. But, there is a picture of me coming out of the pool at 8:56:46. Since we started at 8:50am, that means I did it in 6:46. I'm very happy with that time.

BIKE
I hopped out of the pool, ran to the transition area, grabbed my gear, put on my shoes, and snagged my bike. I had a bit of trouble finding my stall in the transition area as I was a little out of it after the swim. I had a bit of vertigo and the adrenaline was pumping big time.

I ran pretty quickly down to the "mount line", hopped on my bike and took off. I quickly saw Steph (and heard her) and then I headed down the trail.

The bike portion was the least crowded. Not counting the competitors returning, I saw only 3 people, one of which I passed. I was passed twice (but wait until the run, I come back like Rocky!!!). On the bike portion, one of my friends came out to cheer me on and I saw her twice, going out and coming back. It was great because she was positioned at just the right spot to keep me pumped. Thanks Jamie!! It took me 37:33, for an average of 17.6 mph.

Once back to the park, I quickly entered the transition area and began T2 (bike to run transition). This transition took me 59 seconds. Much quicker than T1. I grabbed my hat, racked my bike, got a quick drink, and began the 5K.

RUN
The 5K was great!!!! Running is my thing, and I felt like showing it :) There's not much to mention about the course. It was an 'out and back' route with little scenery. It had a bit of an incline at the midpoint, but no other hills. Again, nothing special.

My legs were a little wobbly from the bike portion, but I got over that fast. About a mile in, I passed the first guy who passed me on the bike (take that sucker!!!). At the midpoint, I grabbed some water and threw a bit down my head and back as it was getting hot. I then picked up my pace. I decided I was going to have a negative split on the 5K. So I ran. Fast.

And here's comes the absolutely best part of the entire race for me:

I had my eye on the second guy who passed me on the bike portion (this guy was also in my swim heat). He was about a 1/4 mile in front of me on the run and I decided that I would pass him before the finish. So I turned it on. A little over a minute later, I was right on his heels. As I passed him, he made a comment that will stick with me for the rest of my life as a competitor. He said, "I was wondering when you were going to show up". Now, in case you are missing the world-changing meaning of those words, let me enlighten you. He knew that I was going to catch him. He, at some point in his race, knew that he was going to see me again. That means that he sized me up for a good athlete and thought I would beat him. He thought that he could pass me on the bike and hopefully get enough of a lead that I wouldn't catch him. But, as it turns out, I did.

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. Someone else adjusted their race because of me. And the adjustment came because he thought I was a good athlete. How freakin' cool is that?

I finished the 5K in 24:42 with a pace of 7:58.

So some things I learned:

Swimming in one lane with two people stinks.
I suffer vertigo right out of the pool.
I NEED a new bike. My time was 37 minutes, I could knock 7 minutes off of that time if I had a decent bike. My bike is great, but it's not a road bike. My entire uppoer body sits straight up on my bike and I get a ton of wind resistance. I NEED a new bike.
I need to take my water bottle with me on the bike portion. I didn't do this during this race and I paid for it later.
I need to take a 5-gallon bucket to hold my gear in for the transition area. I noticed a bunch of folks doing this. Some had milk crates. The idea is you can transport your gear with it, but also use it as a seat so you can put your shoes on, etc. without sitting on the ground like I did.

So, that's my first triathlon. I am soooooo addicted :) I finished in 1:11:52. I placed 125 out of 291.

Thanks to Steph for doing all the great support things that have to get done in order for me to do this. She took tons of pictures (some of which are on this post), got me to the race, cheered me on, and high-fived me at the end. My wife is the absolute best.

Thanks to Gary, Jamie, Lora, Dick, and their families, for coming down and cheering me on.

HTFU!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Sprint, Splash, and Spin here I come

2008-08-20T09:37:00.006-04:00

This Saturday is the Sprint, Splash, and Spin Triathlon. It's a 330 yard swim, a 11 mile bike, and a 5K run. Should be pretty fun. I told them my estimated finish time will be 1:10. The way the race works is you start in heats. I am starting 112th out of 291 individual competitors. My start time is 8:50am.

I can't wait.

For those of you training for a marathon, I offer the below essay written by Dean Karnazes. If you've never run a marathon, but are thinking about it, this is what it's like.

HTFU!

THE MARATHON
The Marathon is not about running, it is about salvation. We spend so much of our lives doubting ourselves, thinking we’re not good enough, not strong enough, not made of the right stuff. The Marathon is an opportunity for redemption.

“Opportunity,” because the outcome is uncertain. “Opportunity,” because it is up to you, and only you, to make it happen. There is no luck involved in finishing a marathon, the ingredients required to tackle this formidable challenge are straightforward: commitment, sacrifice, grit, and raw determination. Plain and simple.

So you set about in your training to prepare your body for the rigors of running 26.2 miles. You train like crazy, dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to the challenge ahead, pouring everything you’ve got into it. But you know the Marathon will ask for more. In the dark recesses of your mind, a gloomy voice is saying, you can’t. You do your best to ignore this self-doubt, but the voice doesn’t go away.

The Marathon shakes you to the core. It deconstructs your very essence, stripping away all your protective barriers and exposing your inner soul. At a time when you are most vulnerable, the Marathon shows no pity. The Marathon tells you it will hurt you, that it will leave you demoralized and defeated in a lifeless heap on the roadside. The Marathon tells you that it can’t be done, not by you. “Ha!” it torments you, “In your dreams.”

You fight back, however, and stand courageously at that starting line, nervously awaiting the gun to go off. When it does, you put your head down and charge off into the abyss with the knowledge that you either paid your dues, or skimped along the way. There is no lying to yourself, the Marathon sees right through excuses, shortcuts and self-transgressions.

All goes well for the first half. But slowly, step by step, the pain mounts, while the intensity of the endeavor amplifies. You remain steadfast, knowing that you did not skimp, that you did not take shortcuts along the way, that every footstep was earned through months of diligent preparation. Still, with each wearing thrust forward, that little nagging inclination of self-doubt progressively advances toward the surface of your awareness.

Then, at mile twenty, the voice looms louder than ever. It hurts so bad you want to stop. You must stop. But you don’t stop. This time, you ignore the voice, you tune out the naysayers who tell you you’re not good enough, and you listen only to the passion in your heart. This burning desire tells you to keep moving forward. To continue putting one foot boldly in front of the other, and don’t stop. Courage comes in many forms, today you will have the courage to keep trying, to not give up, no matter how dire things become. And dire they do become. At the 26 mile mark, you can barley see the course any longer, your vision is faltering as you teeter on the edge of consciousness.

And then, suddenly before you, looms the finish line. Tears stream down your face as you cover those final few steps. Now you are finally able to answer back to that nagging, pervasive voice with a resounding: Oh yes I can!

You burst across that finish line and are liberated from the prison of self-doubt and limitations that have forever held you captive. You have learned more about yourself in the past 26.2 miles than you have known in a previous lifetime, now you are freed from the chains that bind. Even if you can’t move for a week, you have never been so free.

As you are being carried away from the finish line, wrapped in a flimsy mylar blanket, barely able to raise your head, you are at peace. That daunting adversary that, as a runner, has haunted you for an entire lifetime is now your liberator, your fondest ally. You have done what few will ever do—you have done what you thought you could never do—and it is the most glorious, unforgettable awakening ever. You are a Marathoner, and you will wear this distinction not on the lapel of your clothing, but in your heart, for the rest of your life.

36 Miles this week

2008-08-17T19:55:00.000-04:00

So I got 13 in on Saturday. Steph did 8. This week and next week are pretty much rest weeks. I built in some extra weeks for my training in the event that I had to alter it up a bit. Thank goodness I did as this weekend I do the Sprint, Splash, and Spin Triathlon. It is going to be on Saturday at 6am. If you are in Morgantown this weekend, you should come by. It begins and ends at Marilla Park. The run is only a 5K, so my long run this week, won't be much of a long run.

And...shhhhh......but this is my first triathlon :)

More importantly, this race raises money for Habitat for Humanity. Go Habitat!!!

In order to adjust to the tri, my running schedule will be 5-8-5-8-3 for a total of 29. Then I'll be back on schedule for the following week (5-8-5-8-18). After that, I can't alter my training much. The 2008 Marine Corps Marathon is coming up pretty quick and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

I am soooooo ready for another marathon. Last week, I ordered my first speed suit. I hope to have it in time to test it and wear it for the tri. Check it out here. I intend to wear it at the mary this fall as well.

God, I love gear!!!

HTFU
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Twitter

2008-08-14T12:19:00.005-04:00

So if you haven't noticed, there is a new feature to my blog. I've added Twitter. It's right there at the top.

Twitter is a Web 2.0 utility that allows me to update this site from anywhere, including my cell phone. Moreover, you can follow me. Which means that every time I update, you can be notified and read the update direct from anywhere, including your cell phone.

It also gives me an easy way to let you know about cool things I've found on the web or in the real world in real-time.

The only downside to me using this service is that you'll see some things on my feed that aren't related to this blog. That's because I'm using this same feed for another blog I've begun related to my professional interests. If you are intrigued, you can visit that blog here.

Whoa!!!! Welcome to the Interweb!!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Woohoo!!!

2008-08-13T12:34:00.004-04:00

So I made it on our local NBC affiliate today in relation to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace fund. The reporter came out late yesterday afternoon and interviewed me. You can find the story here. The video is in the upper right hand corner.

What's more interesting is that she wanted to film me running so I had to throw my workout clothes back on after wearing them earlier that morning.

Uhm, and yeah they stunk.....I mean really stunk. I hope I didn't offend her. I ran 5 and then hopped in the pool for a swim so it was a mixture of body funk and chlorine.....blech!!! She was very nice and said she couldn't smell anything, but I'm sure she could :)

Anyway, in the story there is a picture of me from my pre-running days. So if you are interested to see what I used to look like, take a peek.

Today, I ran 5. Tomorrow is swimming (and probably a bike ride), then 8 on Friday.

HTFU!!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

tsk, tsk France....tsk, tsk

2008-08-12T09:59:00.003-04:00

Woohoo!!!!! USA!!!! USA!!!!!

Man, I love the Olympics. This year so far has been great for sports watchers. We had a great US Open, Wimbledon, Tour de France, and now the Olympics. And, here in WV, the weather is such that I know college football is just around the bend. I can't wait.

Oh, have I mentioned how much I LOVE women's beach volleyball? Ahem....they are wonderful athletes.

So I ventured back into the pool today. Last week I did about 1000 yards and I did about the same today. After watching the great 4 X 100 Medley the other night, how could I not be in the pool this week? I mean, cmon.

I ran 5 before hopping the pool. Tomorrow, I'll do 5 again and then I'll be back in the pool on Thursday and possible Friday after I do 8. I also need to get a bike ride or two in there somewhere.

HTFU!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Uhm...Oh yeah

2008-08-09T20:32:00.000-04:00

41 miles this week

2008-08-09T19:11:00.002-04:00

I ran the most this week than I ever have before: 41 miles. The most I ran in preparation last year for the Richmond Marathon was 37 miles.

Today I did 17. I haven't run 17 miles since last year's training. And, I have to say, the 17 today was no where near as bad as I remember it. In fact, I feel pretty good. On top of that, I ran 8 miles yesterday. So over the past two days I've run 25 miles. How cool is that?

Steph did 6 today as well. She is at her sister's place, so she ran around Cincy. So, as a family, we did 23 miles today :)

After my run, I plopped down in front of the TV and watched the Olympics. Between events, I sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather today in North Central West Virginia. We had a high about 75 degrees with nothing but clear blue skies. My run this morning was great!!! Nice and cool.

Oh, I checked around with some TRI friends of mine and apparently there are only like 100 Modern Pentathletes in the country. And, you kind of have to have a horse, and a gun, and a sword, etc. So, they suggested I check out a Summer Biathlon instead.

A Summer Biathlon is running followed by shooting followed by running and then shooting again and then a little more running. The number of targets you miss determines how much you run :)

There is a club just north of here in Pennsylvania that held an event today. Since I was running, I couldn't go. But, I can say that next summer a biathlon is on my plate :) The PA club even provides a beginner's seminar and a gun for the event.

If you're interested in doing one these, let me know. I'd love to do one with you.

Next week is 5-5-5-8-13 for a total of 36. I'm also going to get some more swimming and cycling in for the tri in two weeks.

HTFU!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Modern Pentathlon here I come

2008-08-07T19:11:00.001-04:00

Have you guys seen this?

I was just checking out the Olympic schedule and ran across the Modern Pentathlon. Ok, so where do I sign up...this is like James Bond training.

If you don't know what the Modern Pentathlon is, here you go:

1. Shooting: Air pistol (20 shots)
2. Fencing: Epee (35 bouts)
3. Swimming: 200m freestyle
4. Equestrian: Show jumping (15 jumps)
5. Running: 3000m (1.82 miles) cross-country

All in a single day.

What? How have I not heard of this?
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Six Word Running Memoir (TIART Runner's Lounge)

2008-08-07T09:03:00.010-04:00

Today's theme over at Runner's Lounge is to write a six word memoir that describes running for you. Here's my go:

Running is pain. Bring it on!!!

Heehee!!

I've been planning a post for a while now on pain, endurance, uncertainty, and truth. Yeah, I know, a little heady for me (but for those of you who don't know, I actually am taking a degree in philosophy as we speak).

Anyway, look next week for it.

I swam 1000yds today. Tomorrow is 8 running and then Sat. is 17. I have taken a break from both swimming and cycling as I wanted to let my body adjust to the increase in running mileage. And, since right now, my training is focused primarily on the Marine Corps Marathon this fall, I haven't been as diligent with my swimming and cycling. I have a Sprint Tri at the end of this month, and then its all running until October.

Once that race is over, my training will then focus on completing a Half IM next year (with a lot of shorter tris thrown in).

HTFU!

(HT to Little Miss Runner Pants)
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

I'm tired

2008-08-05T11:14:00.002-04:00

So, my legs are tired. I really noticed it this morning in my run. I ran 4 yesterday and 8 today. I felt like I was soooo dragging. My time was decent, but I felt really tired towards the end.

I think some of the fatigue is from the fact that I haven't eaten too well over the last couple of days. We had pizza last night and chinese food the night before. So, my intake has been pretty much garbage. From here on out, I'm back to eating right......have I mentioned that my wife makes the best pumpkin bread ever? She puts dark chocolate chips in it...mmmmmm.

This week is 4-8-4-8-17 for a total of 41 miles. I'll be batching it this weekend as Steph is at her sister's once more for a bachelorette party...uhg!!!

HTFU!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

New Shoey Goodness

2008-08-01T19:18:00.010-04:00

Tomorrow, after our long run, Steph and I will be headed to our local running store (which isn't so local) to get a new pair of shoes for me. It's hard to believe that I've already put 300 miles on my current set. This next pair will be the ones I run the marathon in this fall. I always like going to our shoe store as I tend to buy more stuff than just shoes. Sometimes, I pick up some new gear, sometimes new clothes...it's like Christmas!!

Actually, I think I'm actually more excited by the fact that I get to lace up my new shoes with my new Yankz!!

If you're not familiar with Yankz, they are the shiznit. I got them as I'm moving into triathlons and any time you can save during transitions is good. These things allow you to slip your shoes on and simply pull the elastic cord to tighten the laces up. Therefore you can reduce your T2 times when you transition from the bike to the run just by adding these things to your shoes.

Tomorrow, I do 11. Steph will 6 or 8. Next week is 4-8-4-8-17.

Inch by inch man....inch by inch.

HTFU!!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

If you've ever thought of doing a marathon...

2008-07-29T09:05:00.013-04:00

It's time.

To do one.

Now.

Today, I ran with a colleague of mine. Usually, I train alone so this was a bit different. It was a great run. We did 5 miles and talked the entire time.

One more video. God, I love YouTube...

It's not bragging if you can back it up. --Muhammad Ali

Woot!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

73 miles in two weeks

2008-07-26T20:37:00.003-04:00

So I think I've reached a new high in terms of mileage. The training regime I am following is Hal Higdon's Intermediate I program. The training is really kind of cool in terms of its setup. The idea is you run 5 days a week. Each week either is a progressively longer mileage week or it is a shorter mileage week.

Last week I ran 36 miles, this week I ran 37. Next week, I'll drop back to 31. The following week, I'll run 41 miles.

The idea is to give your body a rest during the training and have some rest weeks built in where you don't increase the weekly mileage. Last year during my training, I think the max I ran in one week was 37. And that was like once. This time, I'll be in the 40's for a while with a max at 44.

My body is adjusting well. I have little soreness and generally feel great. Of course, I'm in much better shape than last year too. Also, the added biking and swimming are definitely helping.

Today I ran 15 miles. Steph didn't get her long run is as she is visiting her sister. Next week is 4-5-4-7-11.

Woot!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Long runs rock!!!

2008-07-20T21:38:00.003-04:00

So Steph and I went for our long runs yesterday. Steph did 8 and I did 14. Man, I love the long runs. I really do.

What's interesting is how I felt last year about this same time. I looked up my posts from last year and, wow, what a difference a year makes. I remember thinking then that I would never finish some of those long runs. Now, I am really digging them. I guess now that I know I can run them, they become more fun.

Whatever the reason, it felt great :)

This week is 4-7-4-7-15. I am traveling to College Park, Maryland for most of the week, so I'll be running around UMD's campus. I'm also going to try and sneak into their pool for a swim or two. I can pull off looking like a student, right?

Woot!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

The Connoisseur of Spider Webs

2008-07-18T08:56:00.003-04:00

I ran 7 miles this morning. I love early morning runs in good weather. It is so peaceful and calm. There is no one on the trail but me. It's great.

Today's run, however, was neither peaceful nor calm :)

Over the past few mornings, I've developed the habit of running into every spiderweb on the trail. And I don't mean just brushing by. I mean full-on, web-swallowing, spider-almost-biting-me, crashes. I don't know if you know this or not, but not all spiderwebs taste the same. In fact, I pick up some extra protein every once in a while. I mean, who needs breakfast. So long recovery drink. Spiderwebs provide all the nutrition I need in order to recover from those hard runs. Yeck!!!!!

Ohh, and as I recover from ingesting said webs, I tend to prance and jump around like an idiot. Because, I mean, who really likes to swallow spiders.

Which leads me to the next part of my story.......

As I was convulsing and high-stepping like a frightened little girl, I came upon some construction workers who decided this morning that they were going to pave a part of our trail. They thought I was out of my mind. In fact, I'm pretty sure they thought I was some deranged lunatic who happened to be dressed like a runner. You should have seen their faces. It was priceless. I waved and acted like nothing was wrong. Meanwhile, I could feel 8 tiny legs inching their way down the back of my throat. It's amazing what suffering a little embarrassment will make you do.

Tomorrow I run 14. I'm not sure how many Steph is doing. Next week is the same as this week except I up my long run to 15 miles (4-7-4-7-15) for a total of 37 miles.

Woot!!!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

I'm on the WVU Hompage

2008-07-17T15:26:00.002-04:00

Check out WVU's homepage. Click on Building Community near the top. Woohoo that's me!!!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Back to normal (except for the dead body)

2008-07-14T10:59:00.006-04:00

Ok.

So I'm back.

Sorry for the lack of posting. Things should be back to normal now.

After a cross-country trip to LA and back last week, I'm finally at home once again. Of the more interesting things that happened during my trip was the fact that I saw a dead body.

Uhmm...yeah.

A dead body.

During one of my runs.

Yikes!!!

I went out for a 5 mile run soon after I arrived at the hotel last week. I was expecting typical LA stuff: loud music, weird hair, low-riders, etc. I've been to LA before so I kind of knew what to expect. Going out, that's exactly what I saw. Actually, it was refreshing. As you can imagine, in West Virginia, I don't get to see too much "culture".

Anyway, I did my 2.5 out and then turned around to come back the same route. About a mile from the hotel, I saw a bunch of LAPD cars with uniformed and plain-clothes officers milling about them. I slowed down as I came up on them as I really didn't have a way to cross the street. I had to run right beside the cop cars. As I did, I turned to my left and peered through the crowd of officers to see a dead guy lying on the side of the road.

Now, if you haven't picked up on it yet, I didn't see the body during my run out. That means that either the guy died between the time I ran by the spot he was found, or he was dropped off by someone. How freakin' spooky is that?

Now, can you top that? What's the weirdest thing you've seen while running, biking, or swiming?

Last week I had a rest week. I did 3-5-3-6-9. I ran 4 today and the rest of the week looks like 7-4-7-14. I also swam about a half mile.

Woot!

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Trip after trip

2008-07-05T20:04:00.009-04:00

Whew!!

Got back from Indianapolis on Thursday and what a great trip!!

For my runs while I was there, I ran around a canal that meanders through downtown. It's a nice little run...about 3-4 miles round trip. I also ran around the capitol. It was great.

Before I went to Indy, I did a radio interview on our local AM Station, WAJR, regarding the Steps for Solace Fund. You can find the audio here. The first 15 seconds or so are missing as they forgot to turn my mike on.

Steph and I did our long runs today. She has taken it easy this week and only ran today and Monday. Today, she did 6 and I did 12. Total I ran 30 miles this week (3-6-3-6-12). Next week, I drop back a little and then the following week I pass 35 miles.

The program I'm following really believes in taking appropriate rest weeks where you don't stop running but reduce your weekly mileage. So, next week I'll do 3-5-3-6-9 for a total of 26. Then the following week I'll do 4-7-4-7-14 for a total of 36. I can't wait. I forgot how much I really enjoy the long runs.

Next week, I'm headed to Burbank California for three days, so expect a light blogging week again. Sorry :)

Also, be sure to check out the 2008 Tour De France this week. It started today.

Woot!!

PS. That's our dog Winnie :) She helped with my long run today.

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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Plan for the week

2008-06-29T18:53:00.003-04:00

Steph and I got our long run in on Saturday. I did 11 and she did 10. It was great. It's nice to be back running the longer training runs. It seems the long runs I've been doing lately have all been races. We both were happy with the run although Steph is suffering from some physical problems.

She's having some problems with her shoes. They aren't new and have been the same model she's always run in, but she's having black toenail problems and blistering on the top of a few of her toes. Anyone have any ideas why?

On Tuesday, I leave for a trip to Indianapolis. I'll be back on the 3rd, so my training schedule is a little screwy. This week I did 3-5-3-5-11 for my runs. Next week, I'll do 3-6-3-6-12 for a total of 30 miles for the week. I'll also bike 45 miles and swim a little over 1.5 miles. Hopefully, the travel won't interfere too much.

Woot!!
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To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Those who hear not the music think the dancer mad*

2008-06-28T12:12:00.018-04:00

On the last day of class at the end of every semester, I give my students a lecture that has nothing to do with the course I'm teaching. I call it the "Lucky" lecture. It goes something like this:

All of you are lucky.

By the mere fact that you are sitting in my classroom means that you are lucky. You somehow managed to get to a point in your life where you decided and had the means to attend college. Nearly 2 billion children live in the developing world. One in three never completes the fifth grade. Many of them will die today for the simple reason that they have nothing to eat.

So, you are lucky.

You woke up this morning and probably the hardest problem you had to face was what to wear and if you were coming to class or not. Young adults, like you, in other countries wonder if they will wake up in the morning. Will they be murdered in their sleep because someone doesn't agree with their religion, politics, or race? Will they face the impeding death of their mother or father from HIV/AIDS? Will they be corporally punished because they drove a car without a male relative, or didn't wear the appropriate clothing in the presence of men?

You are lucky.

I tend to focus on the fact that, as students, they have the whole world in front of them. And because they are lucky, they have an obligation to those people who aren't. They have a duty to make a difference for those who cannot make a difference for themselves.

And, most importantly, I tell my students that they can make a difference. All it takes is the desire and the correct application of that desire. In order to make a difference in the world, not only do you have to want to, but you also have to take some action to see it realized. You can't just talk about it. You have to do it.

You have to do it.

I get so tired of hearing about these self-help books (and Oprah) that talk about visualizing the things you want in your life. Somehow, by doing so without any action, they become a reality.

I think Gandhi got it right: Be the change you wish to see in the world.

You must act. The will to act is all that matters.

Every moment, there is a choice we all face. To either do nothing or to do something. It is very simple. We either have the will to act and make a difference in our lives and other's, or we do not.

What music do you hear?

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*HT to XT4 for the title.

To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Wow!!

2008-06-26T19:03:00.006-04:00

The below is long, but very, very worth it.....

I ended up biking 21 today.

Take it and run Thursday

2008-06-26T09:23:00.007-04:00

Today's theme over at Runner's Lounge is "13 words or less: "You are runner...Finish the thought in 13 words or less".

Here's my go:

You are a runner...when you say you are.

As a runner, I've found that a lot of folks get caught up in defining if they truly are a runner or not. I say that if you think you are a runner, then you are. For some folks, it means they have to complete a race. For some, it means that have to run a certain pace. For others, it may be just getting out and moving your feet faster than a walk.

For me, it took running a marathon before I could call myself a runner. But, I'm a bit crazy. Whatever works for you is what I say.

In terms of my training, today, I swam a little over a mile. I was planning on a 25 mile bike, but the weather has not been cooperating, so I'll probably skip it today. Tomorrow is 5 mile run and swimming again. On Saturday, I'll do an 11 miler.

Oh, I forgot to mention that while I was on vacation, I did my first open water swim in the Atlantic ocean.

Wow!!!

I wasn't really panicky, but it certainly was a new experience. I think my SCUBA training helped a lot. I've read that a lot of folks freak out when they swim in open water as they can't see the bottom. I'm not really worried about that and I think it's because, in SCUBA, sometimes you can't see anything around you. Especially when you SCUBA at night. The waves weren't that bad either. All in all, it was pretty fun.

Woot!

25 yards to 1 mile (in a month)

2008-06-25T11:00:00.008-04:00

Before Steph and I went on vacation last week, I went for a swim. Not just any swim, mind you. I was planning on swimming a mile. That's right. A MILE!!!

And, I did it!!!

I jumped in the pool and 33 minutes later, I hopped out having swam 1750 yards. Woooohooo!!!!! Officially, it took me 33:32.

A month ago, I was barely able to swim 25 yards. How cool is that? I've found that, with most things, persistence is the name of the game. And, because I was persistent, I now can swim.

Now comes time to concentrate on the next 1.4 :)

In Steps for Solace news, I was interviewed yesterday by our local CBS affiliate. You can find the clip here. Ignore the commercial. On Friday, I do a local radio show. Wish me luck :)

I ran 3 miles today.

Woot!!

Steps for Solace Fund

2008-06-24T11:45:00.006-04:00

Today, Steph and I are officially announcing The Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund. We are establishing this endowed fund in the memory of my mother who passed away two years ago from esophageal cancer and my father who passed away from melanoma when I was two. You can see the initial story here.

The fund will help make patient visits to the WVU Cancer Center Clinic as pleasant and personalized as possible. It will be used to provide beverages, newspapers, magazines, and assistance with such things as finding the perfect wig or scarf.

It takes 25k to endow it. And, I'm looking to raise that money by October when I run the Marine Corps Marathon. What!!!! How can I raise 25K by October?

Well, see that's where you come in.

Those of you who read my blog, please consider donating. If you can't donate, please spread the word. If you run or own a business, consider a gift. I'll happily wear your logo as I complete the marathon this fall. Everything helps.

If you'd like to get involved and run (either in real life or through the blog) with me as I train, let me know. I'd be happy to have you along. We can help each other prepare for the big race.

All donations are tax-deductible and you'll get a personal thank you from me :)

You can donate online at the WVU Cancer Center.

Today I biked 20, ran 5 and swam 800m.

Woot!!

Take it and run Thursday

2008-06-12T09:57:00.009-04:00

Today's theme over at Runner's Lounge is:

Finish this thought 'As you start your marathon (half-marathon) training, don't forget...'

So here's my advice. This is more for a marathon than a half.

Don't forget:

To not injure yourself. An injury will cost you the chance of starting the race. The goal is to get to the start line. Once there, if you followed the training, you'll finish.
Be flexible. If you don't allow yourself to mess with your training schedule a little (not a lot), you are not going to be mentally prepared for the race. Life comes up. You have to be willing to spend time not training. I speak from experience here. I have a hard time not going 100% full-tilt, to the detriment of my family and friends.
Enjoy the training. Especially the long runs. There is something magical about the longer runs. It's just you and the trail. It's incredible.
Do not run in the middle of the day. As the days get hotter, be sure to get your run in the morning or the evening.
The end goal. Race day is like nothing you've ever experienced. Enjoy it. If you're like me, you'll get hooked and want to do it again.

That's about it. Have fun running :)

In terms of my training, I swam again today. I swam 500 yards straight and then I lost count of the laps, so I just started swimming for time. I swam a 15 minute stretch and then another 10 minute stretch. With my cooldown, I swam about 2000 yards.

Tomorrow, I 'll be swimming again and then Steph and I head out on vacation. So no posts next week. See you when we return.

Woot!!

Rest

2008-06-11T20:53:00.004-04:00

Well, I decided to take a little rest this week. After the grueling race on Saturday, I decided that my legs need some rest. So, I ran on Tuesday and then decided I wouldn't run again until Saturday. My legs are still sore and my left heel is a little sore as well.

So, all I've done this week is swim. And, let me tell you, I am swimming well. I did 3 x 400 yard repeats today. I could have done more too. Woot!!!

Check out the TRI outfit below.....I wore it at the race Saturday....try to ignore the chest hair . Steph says I look like I belong in Starsky and Hutch. I say I need a gold chain.

Woot!!!

Swim caps are the shiznit!!

2008-06-09T15:11:00.005-04:00

I bought my first swim cap last week and finally got a chance to use it today. Wow. What a difference it makes. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, but it really helps. Not only does it keep me more aerodynamic through the water, but since it covers my ears, I don't get any water in them (not really anyway). I felt like I actually swam better today because of the cap.

All I did was swim today. I did 3 x 300 yards and then a few 100 yard repeats. I was very pleased to do the 300 yards repeats. I can swim 300 yards in about 6:30. I know, I know. Not fast. But, at least I can swim it.

I didn't do any biking or running today as my legs are very sore. I don't really know why, but they hurt like hell. I did finish Saturday's half 10 seconds faster than I finished the Cinci Half. And, I walked about a half mile on Saturday during the race. I guess I was pushing it pretty hard and my legs are telling me about it :)

Tomorrow I intend to work out some of the lactic acid. I have a day of biking 20 and running 5.

Woot!