One Final Swim Before. . .

Well, the anticipation has fully set in! The culmination of a lot of hard work that started back on April 28th has led to this - getting to the point where we face our ultimate goal head on. There's no turning back, and even if there were, Troy and I would dare not even think about it. This has been more than a physical tweaking and transformation. More than a minor goal to achieve. This has, for me personally, been a life changing experience. I have learned so much about myself in the last 3 months. This training and going for this specific goal has taught me about pain and how to deal with it. Not just on a physical pain level, but on an emotional level as well. I feel God has truly used this experience to change me in many ways and used my brother Troy as his mouthpiece. This is only the beginning of many of these small goals that I will set out to push myself, my body, my spirit, and my mind to achieve. I'm much different than I was three months ago and I'm much healthier and better because of it.

Getting Down to the End

Today was a shitty day! I'm just going to say it for what it was! I apologize if that was offensive, but there was just no other way to put it, in my mind. I'll just say that life threw me somewhat of a quite sensitive curve ball and I didn't do a very good job of hitting it. I'll leave it at that.

I've still yet to have done my training for the day and neither has Troy, but we're waiting for the temperature to drop a bit before we brave the elements. Today is a 30 minute bike and a 30 minute run. Troy and I both are going to do them back to back in order to get our legs accustomed to the transition on Saturday. It's what the triathlon community refers to as a brick. So in essence, we're about to do our brick! Oh the joy!

A Physical & Spiritual Workout

I must admit, today was a crappy day to say the least. It started out okay and worked its way downward as the day grew older. It was one of those days where you have everything planned out the way it should go in the most efficient way and then everything gets up-ended and completely thrown for a loop. That was my day. As a result, it turned out to be very unproductive on the working side but very productive on the training side. I got my run in and then tonight I knocked out the weight training portion with Troy. Here's where the day ended on an extreme high note. After Troy's and my workout, we had a men's bible study that Troy has started with four of our close friends. The guys consisted of: Jeff W., Aaron B., Scott B., Mark S., Troy, and myself. We had an amazing time and it was at this bible study that I realized that the Lord was trying to tell me something in the events of today. It was; lean solely on Him and allow Him to do his work. You see, I feel that God places no expectations on His children. All He wants from us is intimacy and fellowship with Him. That's a lesson, in my controlling nature, that I had to learn the hard way. And in the Lord's soverignty, he gently allowed my day to end on a high note in fellowship with Him. Thank you Lord for your never-ending grace!

An Hour Monday Heat Run!

Today was a brutal run in the heat but it proved to be a good test to see where I was in my fitness level on a 5k run. As you see in the video, I ran the 5k in about 28 minutes. I'm really trying to get focused in on tweaking what needs to be tweaked this last week before the triathlon. I'm getting excited and nervous at the same time. I hear that the first one is always the worst one because you never really know what to expect. That definitely holds true for me.

Troy and I have a weight lifting session tonight right before our men's bible study. I'm looking forward to the physical and spiritual exercise all in the same night!

22 Miles: 17.5 mph!

Today, Troy and I didn't wake up at our normal early Saturday hour because we were both very tired from the previous day. Our schedule called for only a 60 minute run, but we both decided to do our 22 mile Harpeth ride late in the afternoon. In addition to the ride, I felt compelled to get a run in as well, so I went out and put in a 20 minute run. I felt pretty good overall today and both Troy and I are really getting excited about the race next weekend. I'm starting to feel the pressure that I've seemed to put upon myself, but it's something that I welcome and it drives me.

Tomorrow we have a 30 minute swim and a 60 minute run and I'm supposed to meet Troy early in the morning (Sunday) to get our swim out of the way. HOWEVER, as you can tell by the time of this entry, it's extremely late and I'm sitting here doing this because I'm having one of those nights that I can't go to sleep even though I'm extremely tired from the days training activities. These are those frustrating nights that I seem to get about once a month. Hopefully, Troy will give me some grace and allow me meet him later in the day to swim. I don't think I'll make it.

Troy's really doing extremely well with his training especially the bike. He's truly a natural on the bike and once he gets his weight down to where he wants it, he will be unbelievable as a cyclist. He's already to the point where he can push me on a ride and he's only getting better. We averaged 17.5 on our 22 mile ride and that, for him, is another personal best!

We're coming down the home stretch!

Aquaman (re) Cometh!

Our swim day consisted of us going to the aquatic center in Brentwood to kind of switch things up a bit. It was quite nice and we had a great swim workout that was followed by a 30 minute run. We're getting things really tweaked up for the competition for next weekend. It's getting exciting!

Big Bear Joins In!

I've decided to help my friend and colleague Carl Herrgessel get into shape and implement a healthy lifestyle change through fitness and nutrition. He's wonderfully talented, a great guy and a great friend. Yesterday, he bought a bunch of cycling gear because he's decided to make a healthy change. I respect that. Therefore, I've committed to him to help him and train him and whip him into shape.

Troy and I took Carl out for his first official ride with us. We took him into downtown Franklin and back and we were both impressed at how well he did for his first ride. Needless to say, Carl seems hooked! That's the whole idea. It's cool to see and somewhat influence others into making a healthy change for themselves and, more importantly, their families. I get a great feeling out of having a direct effect on helping people better themselves and their long term future. It's starting to become my "calling".

Shout outs to: Big E, Mdoub, Brooklyn and Dr. Linder.

A New Mafia Member

Today consisted of just 30 minutes of sprint intervals on the bike. It was okay, but I would've preferred to have run the allotted 45 minutes that we were supposed to do from our schedule. Oh well, that's the nature of training and sports. You have to contend with injuries and set backs.

Troy and I have successfully reeled in another cycling newbie. His name is Carl and he's now officially a part of the cycle mafia. Once you're in, you can't get out! It'll be fun pushing him and watching him progress. We'll keep you posted.

Monday Men's Session

It's Monday and that means that we have a very light and inviting weight day. That's all. It's a welcome activity after pressing hard this past weekend. Tomorrow brings a 45 minute run, which for me, will be a bike ride and/or a swim. I haven't decided yet. Plus, I'm not sure of my schedule tomorrow so I'm playing it by ear.

Troy's really feeling it of late and is "killing" it! I find that I'm getting pushed by him as much as I feel I'm pushing him. It's encouraging for me to see him so diligent about fitting in his fitness. As a result, he's caused we men around him and in his life to be spiritually encouraged and filled from the fruit that he produces from his life. It's a wonderful thing to see and experience. He's an amazing and inspiring man!

A Sunday Surprise!

Today Troy and I decided to go for a training swim after church. That went about status quo and we both felt pretty good. Troy's noticeably a much better swimmer because his rest intervals have become much shorter. However, that was not the most impressive part of the day. After the day was almost done, we decided to go for a short but intense training ride at around 7:00. Here's where it gets really interesting. About half way through the ride, I looked down at my speed meter and realized that we were averaging 18.7 mph with Troy doing the pacing. On our rides, I always allow Troy to set the pace in order for him to stay comfortable during the ride. Once I realized that he was setting a personal best, I wanted to see just what he had in him for the rest of the nearly 10 mile ride. Suffice to say, we ended the ride averaging 19.3 miles per hour. That, until this point, is unheard of for the "Big Man"! I found him pushing my limits today and struggling to stay on his wheel. I'm still in shock at how much he's found within himself on the bike. Troy has truly found himself on his machine and once he's drop more weight, there's no telling how good he could be due to his natural strength. I'm in the middle of witnessing him as a test lab rat as he transforms his body and health. What a cool thing to see!

Now from Troy's perspective:

Ok, for the 3 or 4 of you out there that are following along, I wanted to interject a direct work from me to you (at the urging of my brother). Today was a GREAT day. I can really feel my body adjusting to the demands of what will be called upon in two weekends for the “big day.” Let’s not kid ourselves about Todd. He’s BEEN ready! This is more about transforming my XL carcass into some semblance of condition for a triathlon. Today we swam for 30 minutes at the Rec Center. It was a little bit tough at first, but half way through it, I felt my adrenaline kick in and I felt I could have gone on and on for a while. Suffice to say that after a bit of a swimming layoff, Aqua Man is BACK! From there, we spent time with friends out by the pool at the Brickell’s house. All of our kids just LOVE that place, and rightfully so. Truly, our friends are a gift from God in every way. When we left the Brickell’s, we went to our respective homes and prepared for a sprint ride into town. We did our normal route, but something was different today. Today, I felt “froggy” as Todd would say (meaning feeling a little bit extra in the tank for any random reason), so we decided early in the ride to push it! It was AWESOME! T drafted off of my for the first half of the ride and then as I became weaker due to the pace, I drafted off him on the back half. When we crossed over the finish line, we had done about 9 miles at 19.3 mph – more than 2 mph over my personal best. If you don’t know biking, it’s like shaving 30 or 45 seconds off your personal best on a mile run all at once. It kind of came out of the blue. I’m super pumped about it. It only motivates me that much more. I feel myself getting happier and more confident by the day, but most importantly, I feel my relationship with God increasing in closeness, and I feel like Todd is sharing in that feeling as well.

PS. I tried on my “goal clothes” tonight for the first time. I was VERY fearful of it, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought. I’m only one inch away in the pants for both suits to be able to wear them. In truth, probably 1.5 to 2 inches away from a nice and proper fit (in the waist). I’m still carrying a good bit of my gut, but even at that, I WAS able to button all three buttons on both suit jackets. Mind you, there’s no way on God’s green earth that I’d wear them that tight outside of my bedroom, BUT, they did button without having to push it too hard. I think in a month or so, I’ll officially be formal attire eligible. :)

Saturday Through Heaven's Pass

This morning was the perfect time to ride. It was clear with very little wind and right at 70 degrees. Perfect conditions! As a result, Troy and I rode out Saturday 22 mile ride on the Harpeth trail. I have to say that I was most impressed by Troy's performance. We ended the ride averaging 17.0 miles per hour. Troy's best performance by far! It's great to see how much he has progressed in his fitness level and weight. And it's times like these rides that I can see tangible improvement. That HAS to be encouraging to him as well. At any rate, this morning was monumental for me to see. I get great joy out of seeing how I've been a small part of Troy's continued improvement.

Tomorrow is a ride and a swim. Something that Troy hasn't been able to do of late due to his schedule. I'm looking forward to it and I'm looking forward to the triathlon. The closer it gets, the more focused I'm getting.

The above video has a portion of what Troy and I have affectionately named "Heaven's Pass". This is because being in the middle of a long ride and you come to Heaven's Pass, it's a welcome reception due to it being slightly down hill and completely covered by trees. Therefore, it's cool and breezy. It's almost as if we're passing through a little slice of Heaven. Thus the name. This video doesn't do it justice.

Not Feelin' It!

The title explains it all. I feel like I'm being so covered over that I'm falling into a slump or not being very motivated. Hopefully with Troy being back in town for a while, I'll be more motivated to train and train hard. We'll see.

Enough said.

Talking With God

I'll just say that a lot is going on in my life right now that's not necessarily a good. God is definitely allowing me to be put to the test in many areas and He's continuing to speak to me through this training journey that I'm on. I've never actually experienced something like this where I find myself having a spiritual experience through physical exertion, but this has consistently been the case. And the more I train, the more God reveals himself to me in different ways.

He's certainly speaking to me in my life right now, particularly through my various family members - my brother being the main one. This is a trying time and the Lord has chosen to really get my attention through my training. It's my personal "special" time with Him and we talk openly. Sometimes good. . . sometimes bad, but always honestly.

I've learned through training for triathlon that it is as much mental and spiritual as it is physical. Maybe more so.

Tuesday Run

With the Top Gun Triathlon in St. Pete being so close, I find that I'm getting frustrated with certain little "knick-knack" set backs. For one, the blister on my foot is taking a lot longer to heal than I want. Plus, yesterday my stomach was upset all day and I ended up not doing anything toward my training. Therefore, I feel I have to double up on some things today which I don't really want to do. At any rate, it is what it is and I have to keep moving forward.

Troy gets back from Orlando tomorrow from being away on business so we should fall back in to the swing of things training-wise. I find that I do better when I feel accountable to him knowing that he'll be there to train with me.

We're only two weeks away from our event and I'm anxious to see how we'll do.

The Saturday Ride

This morning was the beginning of (hopefully) our weekly Saturday ritual. We're targeting every Saturday morning to ride the Harpeth 22 mile ride and then do the 42 miler one a month. We'll see how that goes.

Troy did well this morning, especially considering the fact that he had an injured hamstring. We did the 22 mile ride in 01:18:00 and averaged almost 17.0 mph. Not bad! Troy continues to get better at every discipline and continues to get more fit and lose weight. He's doing great!

Editor's Update: It IS July 12th Troy!

Short Fast Ride

With Troy struggling with his hamstring and yesterday's cardio training being cut short, we decided to go on a short training ride today even though it's supposed to be our rest day. Much to my surprise, Troy's speed on the bike was faster than it's been in a long time. . . maybe ever! I can tell he's gotten much more fit by the way he's riding, running, swimming, and in his mentality. If he holds this line, he'll be able to do whatever he wants fitness-wise and he'll look as good as he wants to!

Tomorrow is a big training day and I'm motivated to do a lot of riding since I've been watching the Tour de France. It's incredibly fascinating to me.

The Hammy

During Troy's and my workout, we ran into somewhat of a hurdle. We were running sprint intervals, everything was going good, then Troy pulls up with a hamstring pull. That's an injury that he's never had in all of his years in athletics. Oddly enough, he's struggling with it right now because it's very uncomfortable for him and he bummed because it's so close to our triathlon. However, as long as he ices it and is diligent about not doing too much on it, he will heal quickly. I feel for him though because it's highly frustrating. But that goes with the territory when you are training for an even like we are.

Tomorrow is our scheduled rest day, but we've decided to take a bike ride early in the morning since we had to cut short our run. Plus, Troy is leaving town on business and is wanting to get in as much training as he possibly can. He's truly in to this! We had a good weight training session today and he still feels like he didn't get anything done because there was very little cardio work. It's funny to me because I can now see the tangible change in Troy's outlook on his health. It's about time!

Rainy Days

Today is one of those days that you just want to sleep all day. It's currently raining and has been raining all day long, so that's going to make for a tough day in training. With the weather and working in the studio, it's going to be tough for me to get my training in today. However, Troy and I both are committed to getting it done. We'll see where it goes from here.

Today calls for 45 minutes of running and 15 minutes of swim.

The Bros. & the Big E

It's late and I'm just now getting up our update for the day. This morning was a 45 minute ride and a 15 minute run. Troy and I got our ride in this morning as you'll see above and I ran right after in the searing heat! It was really tough. Troy got his running in tonight by playing basketball in our league game.

Tomorrow is a tough running day and I don't know how I'm going to get it in with it being so hot. However, I'm going to suffer through it and do what I can tomorrow. We also have to swim for 15-20 minutes which is no big deal.

Big thanks to our boy Big E who has seemingly caught the cycling bug. Hopefully, he'll continue to send us updates.

Looking forward to seeing Mike McGlaflin tomorrow. He's in from LA.

Our Own Private Gym

As with every Monday, our schedule calls for just weight training. However, because I didn't get my full workout in yesterday, I decided to do extra by knocking out a 30 minute swim. It felt good, but I have to admit that I was a bit fatigued in the swim because of just finishing with the weights. Speaking of weights, Troy and I decided to take our workout to a guy that I personally train named Scott Brickell. He's been a long time close friend of both of us and was even in Troy's wedding. Anyway, he's built a pimped-out work out area in his house basement and literally is like going to your own private gym. It pretty much has everything that you can do at any regular public fitness club. Check out his website and what he is in to. It's quite unique and interesting. There's a whole other culture out there! It's called Brick's 4x4 Farm.

Troy and I are at Scott's personal gym when I filmed the above video update.

Sunday's Training

Today, Troy and I both ran for about 30 minutes in spite of the fact that our training called for 60 minutes of running and 30 minutes of swimming. We're going to have to catch up on the training stuff tomorrow. We're scheduled for weight training only, but I'm planning to get my swim and bike in tomorrow in order to catch up from today.

It was quite a nice and relaxing Sunday afternoon.

The 42 Miler

This morning Troy and I woke up early to tackle a 42 mile bike trek that was plotted out during the recent ride that we took during the Harpeth River Ride. Not much to report other than we made it and even Troy did pretty well considering he hadn't ridden his bike in over a week and a half. He was definitely struggling at times, but he made it nonetheless at an average speed of 15.2 mph. Not bad considering we had to conquer some tough hills and deal with the heat.

I was proud of big Troy. He's hanging in there and he certainly didn't want to quit on the ride. He was obviously determined to not only finish, but also to eclipse (by a long shot) his longest ride he's ever done.

It wasn't at all tough for me, but it was quite enjoyable going at a moderate pace and getting to chat with someone while riding the beautiful country roads of Williamson County. I'm looking forward to doing that ride again and possibly going on my own to see how hard I can push it. Maybe next weekend.

On the Bike

Still can't really comfortably run yet due to mostly a huge blister on my foot and my calf still being sore. It's much better than it's been though. I'll be back on the pavement soon.

Troy just got back home from North Carolina and we've got a scheduled swim at the Williamson County Indoor Swim Complex in the early morning. I'm actually looking forward to that because Troy keeps me accountable to our training and I found it easy to be able to slack off when he wasn't here. I'm glad he's back to keep me motivated and on top of my training.

5:30 comes real early tomorrow morning! Gotta get some rest!

The M-Doub

It's Tuesday and today called for a 45 minute run. Well, between my slight calf injury and a massive blister on my foot, I decided to go on a bike ride for an hour. I averaged just under 19 mph which is not bad considering I was alone on the ride with no one to draft off of. At any rate, it was a gorgeous day and the temperature was around the mid 80's at 5:30.

I haven't spoken to Troy in the past couple of days so I don't know where he is on his training. I have to admit, I haven't felt very motivated to train for the last 2 days. However, I somehow made it through and forced myself to get a workout in. I've felt better for doing so, but even still, I really haven't wanted to train. Maybe it's due to knowing that Troy's been out of town and I know that I don't have anyone pushing me. . . or it could be other extenuating circumstances.

Whatever the case, the training must continue! Life is a competition and I really want to win. Right Mike?