Off-Season Training Program

In my research and constant looking to stay up with what's going on in the training world, I put this off-season training schedule together for Troy and myself. I figured I'd share this with the blogosphere to let you see what we're going to be up to while training.

I just sent this over to Troy and haven't yet received his word on what he thinks of the schedule. I think he'll be okay with it, or he better anyway. He doesn't have much choice in that he hasn't been doing a whole lot training-wise. I'm hoping he gets going and jumps back in as diligently has he has in the past. I know it's a bit hard for Troy because we've not yet set a date as to when we're targeting our next triathlon. He works off of clear and set goals as do I. Therefore, we really need to get together and find what we're going to shoot for.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy looking at what we've got scheduled for the next 16 weeks.

Lance Armstrong Interview at Web 2.0 Summit

Very interesting and educational interview. The most open and laid back interview that I've ever seen Lance give. I'm greatly anticipating his comeback to pro racing. I believe it'll be great for the sport.

Pursuit of Truth

Nothing much to add today due to a number of reasons. If you are reading this, count your blessings daily. Make a conscious effort to choose the right path. Pursue truth or it will ultimately find you.

God is a wonderful, merciful, and restoring god. And as my sweet mother will say: "If you have to time to pray to God, God has time to listen." He will hear you and answer your prayers. You just have to wait on Him. That, to me, is the tough part.

Many blessings.

The Shine From A Different Light

Tonight I spoke to a very close friend who's been following our progress on this blog for some time now. She had some very insightful things to say about what we're doing here. After much thought and contemplation, I think she has some valid points in many respects. You see, this thing has grown to be bigger than Troy or I had ever intended or anticipated. That's not to say that we have tons of viewers; we don't. But we do have more viewers and participants than just our extended family. Therefore, what my friend had to say somehow rang true after my initial offense wore off. You see, with me doing the majority of typing entries and being "on camera," I could see how that could come across a being a bit narcissistic, which is how it has come across to some people. That is certainly not mine nor Troy's intent.

This was all brought to my attention in a very positive way. Not to degrade or demean what I'm doing, but to let us know that we have built a nice platform that could be used for so much more potential. Instead of us always tracking our training program (which is all fine - especially the progress Troy's making with his weight), we could incorporate some educational aspects, some things that involved some socially conscious organizations, maybe some nutritional information, etc. Just some things that could ultimately help people instead of everything being about us! When I think about it, it IS about us and it shouldn't be. We are called to be facilitators of helps to people. We should be giving rather than taking. We could be educating rather than nebulous journaling.

How do we do all of this? I'm not real sure yet, but with Troy's keen brain and my technical abilities, I'm sure we can come up with something. If there's any ideas out there, please write to us in the comment section and let us know. We want to do some good with what we've built here and maybe help others along the way.

Monday Junk Food

Okay, I'm going to fess up and admit that I'm in a slight slump. Am I as excited as I normally am to get out of the house and train? NO! Have I been really stringent on watching what I've been eating? Not even a little bit! Today I ate TONS of Halloween candy that was brought in by different people at the office. However, the one saving grace that I did have is the fact that I got a good workout in this morning. I swam for an intense 35 minutes then worked out on some strength training in the weight room while the twins finished up their practice. It was a good session, but I feel like I've negated everything by "comfort eating" the chocolate and candy.

Today was a bit stressful in that I had a meeting with my financial guy and as those things go, I've never known one to go well. I felt like the sky was falling in due to me not being able to afford to keep my house. I desperately need to sell it or I'm about to be foreclosed on. That is hugely stressful and the market is not letting up in the slightest. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm now looking into what's called a short sell on my home. I don't really know what that is, but I'm trying to find out if that may be the best way to go to salvage my credit rating and get rid of the house at the same time. I just don't know, but I'm trying not to let that completely over take and rule me. God is in control and I have to keep reminding myself that on a daily basis. I feel as if I'm getting a bit stronger by the day and that things are looking up, but it's situations like these that remind me that I'm still not out of the hole just yet.

A Message To A Mother

Mom, this one is for you! This is specifically to show you that Troy and I are fine. . . even though we didn't post anything yesterday!

Yesterday was a "chill" day. Troy nor I did anything active yesterday because we're still in the rest period. I find that I get extremely antsy when I haven't done any sort of workout during the day. Does that mean I'm addicted to the training? I don't think so, but I DO get a wonderful feeling out of the training process and I've trained my body over the last many months to respond quite favorably. However, getting to that point has been a very long journey. Troy has gotten (and continues to get) to that same place physically. His weight continues to stay down and he continues to steadily drop weight slowly - which is the best and most healthy way to do it. I feel like this time, after all of the "dieting" that he's done, the hard work will continue to pay off and he'll keep his weight down once and for all. I'm so proud of that guy! He's truly a trooper on so many levels!

Now it's time to go for a long 45 mile ride. We're slowly easing into our off-season training regimen. I'm ready and about to start honing in on our next race. Watch for the count down over to the right.

Post-ride update:

Went on a leisurely 33 mile ride in perfect weather. This was our first ride since the triathlon.

Thursday Morning Swim

This morning was another early wake up in order to get the girls to their swim practice. I too got in another workout, but this time it wasn't a swim AND some weight training. I just swam for about 35 minutes and made a conscious effort not to swim too hard. I had a good workout, took a shower, and got ready by the time the girls were finished. I took them to school and now my day has truly begun. I must say, I'm very tired from being up late last night and could really use a nap.

Troy and I start some light workouts next week to ease into some off-season core and strength building work. Lots of time spent indoors. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I'll take it over the alternative.

A Bit Antsy!

Okay, so I'm a bit antsy. I told Troy and myself I would take a week off to rest before off-season training began. Well, I guess I lied. This morning, I had to take Shelby to swim practice at 5:00 a.m. That meant we had to wake up at 4:30 to get going. I figured that I had to be there anyway to take her to school afterward, so why not get in a workout. It felt quite good to get back into it after a few days of recovery. The workout was deliberately not very intense. Just a nice "get back into the swing of things" type of deal. I swam for 40 minutes then got out and had a light upper body weight workout. It was nice.

Training in the off-season will be more geared toward building strength through weights rather than an in-season type of endurance regimen. Troy and I will do a lot of weight training, treadmill running and sprints, recumbent bike, and some other cross-training types of things. Just a lot of different stuff to keep us interested and motivated and keep the winter fat at bay. Troy's still steadily dropping weight and I want to make sure that we stay diligent in our fitness routine especially through the holidays. That's where you can lose it the quickest!

Still looking for that first triathlon to put on the schedule so we have something to shoot for. We haven't decided yet. However, the countdown will begin soon!

Resting

It's Tuesday and Troy and I are still in "rest" mode. Troy hasn't been feeling too well and and I believe that it's because his body takes a bit longer to recuperate from such a taxing event. We had our culinary "cheat" day and are back on our nutrition plan of healthy eating, but we've decided to take a physical rest period of about a week before we move into our off-season training program. Off-season will consist of a lot of weight training, treadmills, and stationary bikes - along with some swimming mixed in. We're going to be spending a lot of time inside but won't necessarily have to go to the extreme intensity that we've had to go before to get ready for a race.

                                                                

It's a mentality and a lifestyle and one that we enjoy for our physical and mental health. Now on to next season!

The attached picture is of Troy and I just before the Suncoast race. The water was cold, thus the wet suits. We look like a couple of cut-rate, back alley, ghetto-fabulous super heros!

The Journey Home

Okay, so as of current posting time, I wasn't able to get this up for yesterday. It's Monday morning and Troy and I are home safely and have had a full night's sleep. It's nice to be home and comfortable in your own space. However, this trip will go down with tons of special meaning. Quality family time, exercise, competition, Florida weather, the coastal environment, and (most of all) time well spend with our Grandmother whom we rarely get to see anymore. We had a wonderful time with her and a great period of "bonding" time with her in her old age. This trip has really solidified how much my support system and family mean to me. I (or we, I should say) couldn't have done this without the "behind the scenes" support of our family. It's a strengthening and confidence builder. Troy and I now feel that we can go out and conquer anything that we truly put our minds to. We know we have the focus and the drive and it's that support system that we can fall back on when we are feeling weak. That's a wonderful gift that I've truly realized in the past few years from being so selfish. Thank you, triathlon, for being a part of helping me realize my strengths, my weaknesses, my faults, and my iniquities. As Troy and I have often realized, the sport of triathlon is a metaphor to life. It's a long journey that you continue to learn from and better yourself from your mistakes. As I get older, maybe that is why I'm so attracted to the sport. All I know is, it's making me a better overall man - even though I still have a long way to go.

Now it's time for some rest for a few days then on to our off-season workout routine. We'll keep you posted.

Suncoast Triathlon '08

Today was "dooms day"! This is the event that Troy and I have been training for over the last 8 weeks. So, this morning we awoke at 4:45 a.m. and was greeted with some scrambled eggs made by our Dad. That was chased with some Red Bull and our daily GXL supplements. We packed the car with all of our prepared gear and headed to the race site with excitement. Upon our arrival, we immediately jumped into action. Checking in, organizing, and arranging was in full effect from the start until we had to make our way to the starting line on the beach. To top things off, we had to deal with adverse weather consisting of rain and lots of wind. It was not an ideal start of a race. However, the race proceeded as planned and by the end, the conditions ended up being perfect.

Going in, I had a goal in mind. Even though the course was longer than our last tri, I made it my goal to finish in less time than my previous race. My last race time was 01:13:22. I was shooting for a 01:10:00 even with the extra 200 meters in the swim. During the race, I felt good and kept my focus on who I was doing this for and the small benchmarks I had made for myself during the race. Come race end, I was not only able to meet my goal, but better still, to exceed my goal. My official time ended up being 01:07:28 so I'm quite satisfied with my performance and my fitness level and I'm more than ready to find, train, and tackle our next outing.

Meanwhile, (this is Troy writing now) I threw up all over my shirt (that I was actually wearing) when it was over and I passed out in the car on the way home. Nice one, huh? No kidding. This is not exactly the same glowing report that Todd was just able to personally provide, but looking back, I really don't have any regrets at all. My time was 1:24 the last time I did this one. Today it was 1:30. Considering that we had 200 extra yards to cover on the swim than the last time we did this course, I'm actually not very disappointed. My goal coming in was to match my time last time, and with my being a heavier guy and still a "work in progress," I knew it would more than likely take ideal weather conditions to pull it off because my goal was difficult from the outset - just like Todd's was. This is a reflection of 2 things in retrospect upon examining each of our results: 1. That the weather proved to NOT be the ideal conditions that I knew I would need to get this done, but much more impressively, 2. How amazing Todd's preparation and eventual results proved to be. I tip my hat to him. He dropped 6 minutes from last time, while I added 6 minutes - on the SAME course, at the SAME time, and in the SAME conditions. Todd said that the run wouldn't get him this time like it did last time. He was right. I would think that 11th place out of the 65 men in his division would verify that. I close with this comment on a personal note. While Todd placed 11th, and he earned every bit of that ranking, I'm proud to report that I came in 20th place in the "Clydesdale" division. For those of you who are unfamiliar, that's the group of men that you have to be over 200 pounds to be in, which (believe it or not), I actually qualify for. :)

Check back on the blog soon. Our next order of buisness is to identify our next target, set the blog countdown timer, and get going! Yes, you know it, we're going to do it again! (and again, and again, and AGAIN!)

The Day Before Suncoast

As I sit here entering this blog, I find myself in a very peaceful place. I'm with family whom I love and I know who loves me. My sweet Grandmother is here with us and I rarely get to see her. She's 81 years old and my Mom & Dad are currently taking care of her as she slowly succumbs to the years that continue to pass her by. She's a wonderful old lady that still is as feisty as ever. We love her dearly.

I'm at peace with everything right now. I'm ready to go tomorrow and I really want to do well. Maybe even to my own detriment. At any rate, the last half of the day today was spent in preparation for tomorrow morning's race. Troy and I went to get our registration packets, we picked up a new wet suit for the cold water swim, and we have set out all of our gear in order for the transitions. If we're not ready now, we're not ever going to be ready. It's go time! It's time to put up and shut up! It's time to ultimately have fun! Here we go!

The Journey Down

Today was a travel day so we wanted to make a concerted effort to get to Florida early enough to get plenty of rest before Saturday morning's tri. It's an exciting time right now. We're here and we are in anxious anticipation to try and conquer this thing. Troy seems in very good spirits and seems ready. I'm certainly ready and wanting to kick the crap out of this course! I admit, I've put some undue pressure on myself, but that's the way I like it and that's what drives my competitive juices.

Troy and I have decided to document the whole weekend and post it here. Hopefully, it'll be something worthwhile to document.

Tomorrow is our serious rest day and we have to pick up our race packet with our numbers and race info inside. Bill Jackson's here we come, and the excitement continues to build!

Gettin' Ready

Oddly enough, I'm still not used to waking up at 4:30 a.m. every morning. I'm, by nature, a night person and the early morning rises are certainly not a badge of honor. It is however a labor of love for my sweet little girls that are not so little anymore. I find myself drawing strength from them and how strong it seems that God has made them. I do this training stuff, and to better myself mentally and spiritually, for them. This weekend will be for them and with them in mind. I draw a ton of strength from knowing they rely on their daddy and that will be the impetus behind what pushes me. Not because I want them to know that I competed in a triathlon, but because I want them to see that I want to be a better daddy in every way. This weekend's event is just the beginning of the long journey.

Today's workout was a swim, weight training, and a morning run. I'm tapering for the event so the workouts are becoming less intense. Troy and I leave on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday and Friday will be total off days dedicated to rest for Saturday's event. I'm pumped, a little anxious, a little nervous, but definitely excited. I've put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. Now it's time to deliver!

One Last Brick

It's Sunday and there's not a cloud in the sky. An absolute perfect day for training (other than a bit on the chilly side). It was 73 degrees at 2:00, so I decided to make this day the final day for a brick session before the weekend triathlon. It is now officially crunch time! Today was a 20 mile bike ride followed immediately by a 2 mile run. This was done specifically to get my legs and back used to the drastic transition. Ultimately, I felt pretty good with an 8:30 pace on the 2 mile run. Not bad for me immediately after a 20 mile ride that averaged just under 20 mph. I think I'm ready. In fact, I know I'm ready! I'm anxious and I've done a lot of visualizing of the upcoming race in bettering my previous time - even though it's a slightly longer course. I'm fitter, I'm stronger, and most importantly, my endurance levels are much better than they were this past July. I'm ready to finish the season strong, take a short rest period, then start the off-season program. Next season starts in April and I'm anxious to see how we do over the course of a full season (which we have yet to experience).

I'm ready, Troy's ready, and we're both ready to get going down to Florida on Wednesday. It's going to be fun, but Troy and I are going with a specific purpose in mind - to focus and get better. It's a constant refining process! Let's get it!

My personal goal is to come close or beat a 1:13:22. The course is exactly the same as the one that we did this past July except the swim is 260 yards longer. I'm gunning for under 1:10:00. I hope and pray I make it. Okay, there it is! I've thrown it out there. Now I have to deliver!