Daily Trainings

I Brought it...to the dinner table!

2012-02-10T12:24:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, my wife and I had a nice getaway weekend together, then we had the Super Bowl, then I had some out of town meetings in Atlanta to attend. And I have to say this, I did not Bring it. Well, I did in fact Bring it to the dinner table though! I ate so bad and so much this past week, and being out of town, it really threw me off my scheduled workouts! Here is the list of my meals:

Saturday I had a modest lunch, then I had a 14 ounce center cut Ribeye steak, cooked perfectly with mac n cheese and fries, chased down by 2 cokes. I also had for dessert a cookie sandwich! (A cookie sandwich was 2 chocolate chip cookies with toffee chips serving as the bread and a delicious cream, piled about an inch high in the center) No workout on Sat of any kind either.

Sunday morning started out with a big fat cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee, followed by McDonald's for lunch and another steak for dinner. Sunday was also the Super Bowl so there were plenty o snacks out and about for me to munch on. Now I did get a trainer ride in on Sunday night, but it was forced.

Monday started out with a swim, then to the airport to fly to Atlanta. Nothing really for lunch, but I had a huge Mushroom/Swiss cheese burger for dinner and a Kit Kat in the privacy of my hotel room.

Tuesday started off with coffee for breakfast and a big BBQ sandwich for lunch, which was then followed by dinner at PapaDuex (sp?) (Cajun seafood place) in ATL. I tried to eat smarted at the restaurant and order the mixed seafood skewers plate, which had salmon, scallops, shrimp and other vegetables. Later, back at he hotel, I was able to get in a three mile run on the treadmill.

This treadmill was one of the treadmills that has a TV attached to it, so I tried watching the UK vs. Florida game, but with them running right and left and my head bobbing up and down, it really made me queasy and I just couldn't watch. I was very happy to get in the 3 miles, cause I really thought I was going to be the one person that puked on a treadmill!

So I said all that to say all this, this week has been bad for me training wise. I am looking to get through the week and comeback swinging Monday, and hopefully weighing less!

January Deep Dive & James Day!

2012-02-02T15:11:00.000-06:00

Since diving into my 2011 numbers at the end of last year and really seeing where I stood and what I did,it helped me realized that my workouts were not consistent. So, I figured that I am going to start really looking at what I am doing on a monthly basis. I want to know percentages, times and all that good stuff. So this might be one of the most boringest posts I have ever composed, but I am sure it will enlighten moi. So again, this is mostly for my benefit, but if you read this and see that I am way off with my thinking, then please let me know. (in a nice way)

I think first off I need to look at the overall totals. What did I actually do last month?

Swim 5:47:13      9.9 miles(17425 yds)
Bike 7:13:40      142.7 miles
Run: 6:33:35      43.46 miles

So looking at the pie chart, it appears that things lined up pretty much the way I wanted it too based on mileage. If I look at the percentage of time I spent training, the total amount of time I trained was 19:34. So if I break that down, it comes down to a 30/37/34 percent split, and that doesn't make me as happy. I would have preferred it to be more of a 20/50/30 split between the three disciplines, however; since I am measuring everything in miles according to the graph, I will stick with mileage.

Swimming:
In January, I swam 11 times with an average swim set of 1,584 yards per swim. I can live with that. Now remember, I also had a a recovery week in there, so I need to keep that in mind. My average 100 yd swim based off these numbers was 1:59 per 100 yards. Overall I am happy with where I am at currently in my swim. I was able to bust a 1:38 100 in January which is a new record for me!

Biking:
In January, I biked 8 times with an average bike of 17.8 miles per workout. I had an average speed of 19.7 mph. these miles were gauged by my bike computer being linked up to my back wheel and my bike being on the trainer. So these numbers will be a little misleading, but at least I have something measurable. I missed a few scheduled rides, so those numbers could have/should have been higher.

Running:
January had me running 10 times with an average run distance of 4.3 miles at a pace of 9:04. These numbers include two cross country trail races and a majority of the runs were treadmill runs. I guess I am OK with this, but I hoped my average pace would be better, so that gives me something to work on. February, I 'd like to see this under 9 minutes.

So that is my little deep dive analysis of January. I am wanting to continue this all year so I can really see what my progress is, and then you won;t have to listen to me whine in December about how I don't understand why I never got faster!!! I am preparing for higher numbers in February as my firs triathlon is not until May.

JAMES DAY!
Yes, tomorrow is James Day (or as others like to call it a personal holiday). James day was started last year when I took a surprise day off to do James Day festivities, like swim in the lake or go on a long run. By having a surprise James day, there are no honey do lists to be done or anything. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays!! I have a long run and bike planned! So please, enjoy James Day!!! I know I will.

Happy Anniversary!

2012-02-01T10:28:00.002-06:00

15 years ago today I was lucky enough to marry my wife! I love this woman and I am so blessed to have her in my life. It has been quite a journey that we have gone through and we are blessed with three beautiful healthy young men. I can only imagine what new adventures the next 30 years will hold for us, and I can't wait to see what is in our future together! Thank you and Happy Anniversary Emily!

I Got STANKY!

2012-01-30T16:40:00.000-06:00

I ran Stanky creek in Sunday. I ran a 5k trail run through woods as part of a winter cross country series put on by the Memphis Runner Track Club. This is one of the runs that I have a love/hate relationship with. I love the fact that it is a trail run and something different from the normal 5k's, but I hate that it is out on the woods. If I could find a climate controlled indoor 5k, then I'd be all in!

This is after the mud dried!

It was a beautiful day for this race. I ran the race last year and finished in 28:06, so I know I had to "Bring It" and beat last years time. Trail runs are tough to PR for me. In years past, I always have started towards the back of the starting line and hoped that would calm my nerves, I figure this way I can just pass alot of people and it will trick me into thinking I did well. Well, I took a new approach in 2012, The Year I Bring IT! (That will be a noticeable theme throughout my posts this year)

The temperatures were in the upper 40s, lower 50s for the race and the sun was shining. I never really know what to wear for these type of races, but I figured I would warm up once I got going, so it was shorts and t-shirt for me and an older pair of Brooks Glycerins. (next race if the weather is right, I am rocking my newest tri top). I got to the race site about 20 minutes prior to the start of the race and jogged a little bit and talked to my boy Mickey. We postitioned ourselves about 1/4 of the way back and before I knew it, we were off and running.

The first 200 yards or so were on pavement till we made the turn into the woods. I knew that the bottlenecking would happen soon, so I started out faster than I normally would. To me, it seems like trail runs are like intervals. You run, stop, then run faster to make up time and then stop again. So needless to say, there was a lot of stopping and waiting to cross the bridges and ditches. At one point, I stepped on a rock or something and twisted my ankle. I just knew that I had lost my season. I thought I had tore up my ankle, so I took my time and figured out that I was OK and could start running again, which was a huge relief. So then it was just a matter of planning my passes and trying to get around people, which is one of the toughest things about a trial race. I did not wear my Garmin, because I knew it would not give me good information once I was in the woods, so I went with the old stopwatch. The trail was in good shape for the most part, but there was a lot of mud that I went through.

The toughest part for me was avoiding the trees!

When running through the trail, I was more focused on the ground, looking for roots, rocks and mud. Several times I would look up just in time to zig out of the way of a tree that was in the middle of the path. It seemed like they were popping up like in a a shooting range or something, and I did not want to get taken out of the race because I ran into a tree!

I was really happy with my over effort on the race and just kept focusing on my pace. I passed people when I saw the opportunity and stayed upright. I was shooting for somewhere int he 26 minute range, but I finished in 27:32. This placed me 21st out of 42 in my Age Group and 163rd out of 650 overall. I finished with an 8:52 pace. That beat last years time! So far in 2012, I am 2 races into the season and I have 2 PR's already. I kinda like saying that!

Missed Workout, Science Fair, and "Sick " Moves

2012-01-27T15:09:00.000-06:00

One thing I was really wanting to complete this year was to stay on course with my training plan, which I basically mean, I did not want to miss any of the planned workouts. When I cross the finish line and I am celebrating my newest PR, I wanted to say "I trusted my plan and I hit every workout!" But that is not going to happen and I feel like crap about it.

I have to remember that this is a hobby for me and that I have other responsibilities I have to take care of, so there will be some days when I do not make a workout. Whether it is being in court all day or meetings that go long, sometimes it can;t be helped. Sometimes it is just a matter of running out of time. It happens and is going to happen so I might as well get over it.

I did however make up one of the workouts I was suppose to do yesterday, but it still bothers me. The reason for me missing was I got out of a meeting really late, and I had to coach my sons basketball team that night. So if I was going to hit the gym, then coach, I would not get home till after 8:30 PM and my wife does not like that, and neither do I. We have both had a tough week and it is all because of three of the most vile words ever known to parents:

SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS!!!

I hate science, much less science projects. My son worked on Galvanic cells for his project. I would explain more about this, but I do not even understand it. His first pick was that he wanted to clone cabbage! Cabbage? Out of everything in this world to clone, he picked cabbage???? We shot that down pretty quick. Last year we did the whole Mento in a 2 liter and watch the show project so the jump to Galvanic cells was ~~epic~~ major!

Which leads me to another topic. Jon, over at swicyclorun did a whole post on how the word epic "has jumped the sharktank" and should be retired. Not everything is "epic" and I agree with Jon. I would also like to add a word to be retired. The word sick being used as meaning "awesome". Do not say anything is sick unless they are actually sick. None of this ,"that run was sick" or the water was sick this morning on my swim". No more unless you are on the Jersey Shore. it really bugs me.

I hate cats, but it is all I could find, and my post gots to have pics!

I have a 5k trail run this Sunday. It will be my first run outside and not on a dreadmill in weeks, so we will see if all the dreadmill work has helped me in anyway. I am hoping to beat last years time and go 2 for 2 on PR'ing races this year! Wouldn't that be cool, to be able to say I PR'd everything??? It could happen...

Stuff Triathletes Say...

2012-01-25T15:17:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I shave either...

Monday Night Ramblings

2012-01-23T23:03:00.001-06:00

I had a whole post planned out for tonight, but I think I am going to slow it down a bit and just spout off whatever comes into my head. So sit back and enjoy the ride.

I am so sick of seeing the trailer for the movie "The Grey" with Liam Nelson. Usually if they hype a movie this much, it means the movie really sucks.
I want theme music, like the WWE guys have. As soon as I step outside, my music blares and fans go crazy.
I think 5th grade science projects are the hardest things in the world. Thank you Mrs. Hayes for not making me do one when I was in the 5th grade.
I am very pleased with how my training has gone these first few weeks.
Me and my boys (my kids, not my boyz) love watching Finding Bigfoot, which really makes me want to go on a Bigfoot hunt someday.
I did my first brick workout on Saturday, it sucked. I have a long way to go still.
I am thinking of getting a tri suit for my races this year. Not sure I am ready to wear a onesie though.
I have no idea what Pinterest is, and not sure I want to know either.
I have a new attitude towards recovery weeks this season, I am going hard, just shorter distance.
C'mon spring.

Don't Be a Phoebe

2012-01-20T23:36:00.000-06:00

This is how I feel. I want to feel like I am running like Crowie, robotic, focused, showing no emotion. Not cramped up, hobbling with a look of constipation on my face, or worse...walking. I want good form and I want to look like a runner because I am a runner. I have never really focused on any type of form or really anything about running except getting the miles in. Well this has all changed recently.

I have been doing alot of my runs on the treadmill lately. Now, before you start in about how much you hate the treadmill, believe me, I am there with you. I do not like the treadmill either, but I am starting to like it a little more then before. I know that treadmill runs and road runs will give you different times due to the road and weather conditions, and I know I run faster on the road than on the treadmill, but this is not the point of me using a treadmill. So what is the point? The point for me is a couple of things. I have been working on cadence, speed work and mental toughness and yes, form. All of this on a treadmill run. The weather has been up and down here, but I could have done alot of these runs outside, but I do not think I would get the same workout.

I have really been focusing on cadence lately. Taking a smaller stride. I have been trying to hit that elusive number of 90. I can;t say I have been successful, but I am currently hitting a cadence of about 88 with a heart rate around 155-160. This seems to work for me. Today I had a great run, 7 miles in 1:02:17, and I felt great afterwards, like I had more in the tank. I think next time I try and speed up the pace!

I have also been doing alot of speed work. 1/2 mile repeats and different speed intervals. On a treadmill, it is much easier for me to speed up the dreadmill to the pace I want and then run it out. Again, I understand that the treadmill speed can be misleading, so do not dwell on that point as much as the part about my pace being sped up. I honestly believe this has helped me a lot.

Mental toughness is something I have been struggling with for a few seasons. What better way to get tougher by staring at wall for an hour while running. I find it tougher to run a 7 miler on a dreadmill than a 7 miler outside.

Also my form has been getting better. I have been working on keeping my hands high (nips to hips). I tend to let my arms fall to my side and I know that hurts my form and my pacing. If I do not keep my hands high while on the treadmill, I ultimately will end up hitting the stop button, launching me forward and lookin like a fool!

I am going to get outside and run, do not worry about that, but I have enjoyed these treadmill runs lately and I think I will continue to get some in going forward. I may never look like Crowie running, or Macca, or any other professional triathlete and that's cool, but I never want to run like Phoebe!!

Time To Bring What I Brought...

2012-01-17T17:30:00.000-06:00

One of the things I hate about New Years is resolutions, which is precisely why I have not not made any. Resolutions to me are things that sound like good goals to say for the benefit of other people, but you really have no intentions of doing those things. So why bother even writing them down?

My only goal is to "Bring It" in my workouts. (previous post) I vowed to "Bring it" in every workout, so that it would be "bringable" on race day. And I have to say, I have been having some pretty strong workouts lately. I know it is early and I have only been in "Bringing it" mode for a week or two, but that dang post I wrote keeps popping up in my mind whenever I do not want to train. Those days when it is cold outside, or my schedule gets moved around, I still want to "bring it", because I said I would. It is sometimes a struggle to manage ~~work, life, family,~~ family, work and life and still try to be a well train, oiled machine. But they say, you make time for what is important to you. So, that means either early morning workouts, or late night workouts. I am still a husband and father first, and an age Grouper second.

So I think I have found a good schedule for me. It is an Olympic based training plan that has a balanced workout schedule, meaning I swim, bike and run three times a week. The 9th is a Monday.

Monday is a short swim, medium bike for me. The bike is usually a trainer ride right now due to it being dark early and all, but it works out for me.
Tuesday is a long swim. Mostly intervals, but always has a drill set in there (still loving the closed fist drill)
Wednesday Medium run, and this is a focus of mine, I have been adding repeats to this workout because I really want to get faster on the run portion.
Thursday is a medium swim and a short bike
Friday is my longest run.
Saturday is a long bike and short run
Sunday is rest day.

Some interesting things about this schedule:

I find it weird to call a 7 mile run, my long run after my marathon training.
I purposely decided to go run heavy on the back end of the week because I wanted to get used to running on tired legs.
I did not intend to swim three times a week, however; the extra fitness should have me coming out of the water in better shape and not grasping for air.
Once the weather gets nicer, the Saturday bike/run brick will benefit me alot.
My ~~resolve~~ attitude has been totally different this year than any year in the past.

I really want under 2:45 this year at MIM. My previous best was 2:57, which was two years ago. Is 12 minutes faster to much to shoot for? I have never been very good at setting time goals in races before, but I honestly think I can go sub 2:45, which would be great for me. So, yeah, that's my goal, my resolution, my time to bring what I have brought! OK that makes no sense, but I am looking for good things to happen at MIM this year.

Drills and Repeats

2012-01-11T16:39:00.000-06:00

So far, the first week of my training for Memphis in May Olympic Triathlon has gone really well. It felt good to get back on the bike again, I think the last time I rode was Ironman Branson 70.3! So it has been awhile. Also I have bee hitting the pool more, with a plan! I am not just swimming to get laps in anymore, I have a purpose, and same with my running. Before I had the mindset of running 5 miles because my plan said I should, now I am running the 5 miles with a goal set, meaning I want to get under a certain time. I have been doing alot of 1/2 mile repeats lately, and I am really liking them. I think they are actually kind of fun, and I expect to be a faster runner after doing these!

In the pool, I found a new drill! Well, it is not new, but it is something I have never done before. Swimming with a closed fist. Yes, I look very awkward as I try to make my way to the wall and back swimming this way, but on that second lap, when I can swim freestyle, I feel like I am flying through the water! I feel like I am pushing myself through the water like a submarine firing a torpedo! So this is something I will continue to do.

Another thing I have added to my swims are vertical kicks in the deep end. I usually do these on days that require me to use a kickboard. Once down int he deep end of the pool, I hold the kickboard above my head and kick, trying to keep my head above water for one minute! I am using fins during this, but it gets hard. I feel it in my core too!

I understand that one can get to wrapped up in doing drills, but I think a drill or two every other workout really breaks up a long swim, and I think I will see massive results from the closed fist drill. I have also been told to do golf while swimming (swim stroke + time equals score), but I hate golf, so forget that.

So here is the question? What are your favorite drills in the pool? I hate the fingertip drag drill! But do you have others drills you do

Great Way to Start 2012!

2012-01-08T22:59:00.001-06:00

Today I ran the first race in the Winter Cross Country Series presented by the Memphis Runners Track Club. The first race was a 3K trail run. Last year was the first time I did this series, so I had a time goal I wanted to beat. Last Year's time was my goal! Last year I finished it in 17:08, so I had a better idea of how to run this race.

At the start, we all ran into a problem because someone started up at the front of the group with their kid. The kid tripped or something and went down and the parent tried to grab/protect and almost got trampled. So, if you are reading this and want your kid to run with you, that's cool and all, but please, start in the back!

Anyways, I knew I could start off faster than I normally would because we ran through a big field for the first 1/4 mile or more before we hit the actual trail. Once in the woods, it was very difficult to pass people, I felt like I was in NASCAR picking my spots to pass. It got pretty bad in a couple of spots and we bottle necked and pretty much came to a stop. I knew this would happen, so it gave me some time to catch my breath after starting as fast as I did. It eventually opened up and we were able to get into a good pace.

I did not run with my Garmin or iPod. I wanted to really beat my time from last year and I did not want to be looking at my pace the whole time, so I was glad I left them at home and just went with the old stopwatch.

Anyways, here is the good news. I set a new PR on this race by 1:08. I finished in 16 minutes flat! (I really wished I had hit under 16) I was 17th out of 44 in my AG and 195th out of 750 Overall! So I can say I brought it! Nice way to start off the new year!

P.S. I really think the marathon has helped my running because after running a marathon, a 3k seems kind of silly and no reason that I should not push it!

Fear The Hat?? Wait, what?

2012-01-02T12:48:00.001-06:00

A motto, a creed, a mantra, a war cry. I know alot of us do not put a lot of ~~credance~~ ~~creditibility~~ value into these things. Just do it! Run like an Animal! No Pain No Gain! Those are some mottos that come to mind when I think about athletic activity. Sometimes they work for people and I know we all have things we say to ourselves to get us through that tough workout, Sometimes it can be as simple as letters (HTFU), and sometimes we yell or call ourselves names! We train alone, so sometimes all we have to motivate ourselves is ourselves. We have no pregame pep talks. I love a good pregame pep talk too, and I will never shy away from a pep talk before the big game (not the Ray Lewis kind though, those seem kind of stupid) especially one like this:

So I am coming up with my own motivator. Not really coming up with it per se, I guess you could say I am stealing it. In 2012, I am stealing the tagline of the most elctricifying man in sports entertainment. This guy is the the master of lip smackin motivation, of telling it like it is, So shut your mouth and know your role!

I am talking about none other than the jabroni beating, pie eating, trail blazing, eye brow raising, the best in the present, future and past, and if ya’ll don’t like me you can kiss the people’s ***!" The Rock and his motto of I Bring It! Which leads me back to the true purpose of this post! Fearing the Hat!

On Christmas morning, Jford woke up all sleepy and then Jford made it down stairs to Jford's Christmas tree and saw all the presents that Santa Claus had left for Jford and the family. Under that Christmas tree was package with Jford's name on it. Jford opened that package like only Jford can. Jford got an "I Bring It" hat from Santa Cluas. Now Santa Claus knew that Jford was going to have an epic 2012. Santa Claus knew that Jford was going to smash all Jford's old times from 2011. The fat man in the red suit knew...that Jford was going to be running harder than ever before, that Jford will be hitting the pool with a new attitude and that Jford's rides will be laying the smacketh down! Santa Claus knew that Jford was going to take all those old race times and take them down to Know Your Role Boulevard which is on the corner of Jabroni Drive and check them directly into the Smackdown Hotel!"

And why do you think this hat is going to springboard Jford's training? "It doesn;t matter what you think!" When Jford is wearing my new hat that Santa Claus brought me, I will not be thinking about how good I make this hat look. No. I won't be thinking about how many people are jealous that I have such cool hat! No, all I will be thinking is "AM BRINGING IT?" That's the mindset I will have in 2012. After every workout, after every race, I will be able to say "I BROUGHT IT" So Yeah, I'd fear the hat!

My Hat!

If you can Smell...what the Rock...is... Cookin!

Numbers Do Not Lie...

2011-12-30T13:53:00.000-06:00

After my last post, I got some really good advice from some of the comments, and that advice was to look at my logs and there I would find my answers as to why I was stalling in my ~~pursuit to podium~~ progress. For those of you that do not know, I utilize a site called beginnertriathlete.com to log all of my workouts. It lets me keep running monthly and yearly totals of my activity, it is a great site with a lot of good information also! So it was easy to go there and get my yearly totals for this analysis.

Anyways, a fellow blogger, Jeff, from Danglethecarrot.com, really helped me analyze my year and he helped me realize that I need to do a lot more work if I wanted to see the results I wanted. At first, I was taken back, I mean, I did s/b/r all those miles logged, and I had increased my running by a couple hundred miles over 2010, but the numbers do not lie. Here is what the analysis told me.

2011 Totals

Swim 27h 24m 34s - 83351.67 yards

Bike 56h 44m 35s - 959.31 miles

Run 94h 33m 11s - 543.09 miles

Not to shabby I always thought. But let's go one more step and break it down by the month!

Swim 6,945 yards per month

Bike 79.94 miles per month

Run 45.26 miles per month

14.83 hours training per month

OK, I like how the swim numbers are looking, the bike could use a little work! But, let's go deeper, let's break it down by the week!

Swim 1,602 yards per week

Bike 18.44 miles per week

Run 10.44 miles per week

3.42 hours training per week

Ouch, no wonder my gains were so little. It's weird, because it felt like I was always doing something! Now, I am not going to break it down by day, cause let's face it, those numbers would suck, but basically it was like under 30 minutes a day. I would have never believed this if I had not seen it broken down. Now understand, after September, I focused solely on running for the marathon, so that increased my running numbers and I did not bike or swim at all during Oct, Nov and most of Dec, but it is still an eye opener. So what do I do about this? Do I set some goals?

You bet I do!

But, I am not setting any specific race goals, but more like training volume goals, in other words, I am building a strong base for 2012, which will help me hit those better times that I want and expect to hit in races. So here are my yearly goals for 2012.

Swim 145,500 yds

Bike 2,215 miles

Run 870 miles

I could break this down monthly and weekly for you, but it breaks down roughly to 2,800 yds swimming, 42.59 miles biking and 16.73 miles running a week. That is doable because I want to do it. So lookout 2012, here I come! in 2012, you should definitely Fear the Hat! (more on that in a later post).

Thanks again to Jeff and Mike for helping me out!!! The new training page is up with January's workouts listed, take a look!

My Jerry McGuire Manifesto Post...

2011-12-28T16:17:00.000-06:00

I want to talk about something that comes up quite abit this time of year. You can find it is the topic of blogs across the Internet and it is something that I have a love/hate feeling about. I am speaking of setting goals for the upcoming year. What are my goals for 2012? What do I want to accomplish? What do I have to do to make me feel good about 2012? This is the question I am asking myself.

And I am not talking about life goals, (those are easy, and I will share those if you really want to know) but more specifically about race goals. See, I have found out that I am a much better trainer than I am a racer. I honestly do not think I hit a single race time goal in 2011. So I wonder if I just set to high of a goal for myself, or am I that blind to my abilities? I know that when I am running, I picture my self looking like Crowie running down the street all stoic and fierce, but in my race photos, it ain't even close. I look more like Sgt Pyle from Full Metal Jacket! So maybe I am delusional...

Now according to this statement I found on the Internet to the left, goal setting has to start out as a dream right? I mean, if I dream it, I can achieve it or some crap like that. Well, I am not sure this is Internet gold. I mean I have had some great dreams regarding my races, and I have taken actions only to have that goal explode in my face. So I think it takes more than just action. I do not really have dreams of being on the podium of the races I run, but I do want to say I bettered my time from last year. And that is something I have not been able to do in 2011. I honestly think I do not know how to realistically set a goal for a race. I tend to take a race and break it down something like this. I know I can run a 25 minute 5K, I biked 25 miles the other in 1:10 and I swam 1500 yards in 28 minutes, so my goal for this race is 2:03. Race time comes around and I am crossing the finish line in 2:15, which is way off. I know, I am simplifying things to much when it comes to making a race goal, but going into the race, why can't I finish in 2:03? Nothing is stopping me but myself. I tend to become a math major in the middle of the race and I start calculating just how far off pace I am to hit my goal and I want to just say screw it, just finish, and then comes the walking part. I hate the walking part!

So what is the answer? No clue actually. Maybe this year I set no goals when it comes to a race. Maybe I do not even wear a watch! (I know this sounds crazy because we all love the gadgets don't we?) Maybe I run the races just for the fun of it. Maybe I should be happy that the simple fact of the matter is I did finish my first marathon, maybe I should just be happy that I had zero flats at Ironman Branson 70.3 this year and I finished. Maybe I shouldn't worry about being embarrassed about a 6 hour marathon (which I am )...

I do not think I am wired the right way to say I am going to run these races for fun. I like to compete. I like to compete against myself. I have to be willing to push myself to the point of it hurting. I do not care where the other guys finish, but I have to care about me giving it 100% at the end of the race. I can't not let all the early morning swims and runs be for nothing. I want my wife and kids to talk proudly about me and how I tried my hardest and competed. I am no longer racing to complete, but I am there to compete. (Cue theme music). I am ready to make this year a great one. I am ready to run more than last year, ride more than last year and swim further than last year, but most important, I am ready to push it harder than I did last year. That's my goal for my 2012 race season. I will bring it!

Product Review Time!!!!

2011-12-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a great one here at my house. The kids and wife were happy and the little one wants to have Christmas everyday! I got Macca's book for Christmas and I am finding myself reading it with a very bad Australian accent! (In my head only, I don't go around reading books in funny accents for others) I also was able to unwrap my super-duper fast looking Brooks Glycerins that I am dying to take out for a spin!

PRODUCT REVIEW TIME!!!

Yes, that's right. Product review time. I love getting those emails saying they read my blog and want my opinion on a product! I admit, I am a free-product whore and love getting free stuff in the mail. I also tend to think that someone read my blog and thought I was "THE GUY" they had to have spread the word about their product, until I read other blogs and find out there are 50 different reviews on the same product currently. So here goes my review of Zipfizz.

I received in the mail a cool little bottle with six tubes of Zipfizz and the promise of my energy levels rising. I also received a jump drive full of information and product info I could add to the blog review. (see pictures to the left and below) I was asked to take the product and them give my opinion of the product.

The first thing I did was go through all the information on the jump drive. I read about the key benefits of Zipfizz, about how it is all natural, about how it gives you a revitalization of energy, focus and alertness within 15 minutes. I read about how it is a healthy alternative to coffee (it would be hard to ever replace coffee). Zipfizz has only 10 calories, 0 sugar and 30 times the electrolytes of leading sports drinks. All that sounds great to me, but the only thing that matters to me is taste. I have never been a fan of energy drinks because I think a majority of them taste like crap. So my main question was, does it taste well?

Benefits compared to other drinks

It was being compared to Red Bull, 5 HR energy and Gatorade in the ad above. Personally, I do not drink Red Bull (but I love LMFAO's music, I work outtttt) or 5hr energy, so I could only compare it to Gatorade. I tried several of the tubes and found out the taste was OK, but not great for me. It mixed up really easy, but it blew the top off my water bottle the first time due to the fizz and me not tightening it up enough, so that freaked me out a bit. This was not something I would drink if I was really thirsty, like the way I would down a Gatorade. It seemed something more that I would sip. It also gave me the burps, while that can be fun when hanging with my boys, it is not always a good end result.

So after about three days, I decided to give a tube to a pair of friends that drink energy drinks to see what they thought. Both of the guys really liked it and thought it tasted great. They liked the way it mixed easily (I warned them about the blast off potential). They also said they did not feel a real "boost" of energy (and neither did I), but they also did not feel a crash like other energy drinks.

I know I have read several blogs that reviewed Zipfizz and gave it high praise, but this is something that is not for me. Like I said earlier, I am not a big energy drink kind of guy, but I do appreciate them sending me a sample and letting me try it.

As always, Thanks for reading!

My Annual Christmas Wish...

2011-12-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

If I had one wish that I could wish this holiday season, it would be for all the children of the world to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace.

If I had two wishes that I could wish for this holiday season, the first would be for all the children of the world to join hands and sing in the spirit of harmony and peace, and the second would be for $30 million a month to be given to me, tax-free in a Swiss bank account.

You know, if I had three wishes that I could make this holiday season, first, of course, would be for all the children to get together and sing. The second would be for the $30 million every month to me and the third would be for all encompassing power over every living being thing in the entire universe.

And if I had four wishes that I could make this holiday season, first would be the crap about the kids, second would be for the $30 million, the third would be for all the power and the fourth would be to set aside one month each year for an extended 31-day orgasm, to be brought about slowly by Rosanna Arquette and that model Paulina somebody, I can't think of her name, of course my lovely wife could come, too. She's behind me 100% on this, I guarantee you.

Wait a minute, maybe that sex thing should be the first wish! So, if I made that the first wish, because, you know, it could all go boom tomorrow, and then what have you got? No, no... the kids singing would be great, that would be nice. No, no, who am I kidding! I mean, they’re not gonna be able to get all those kids together! I mean, the logistics of the thing is impossible! It's more trouble than it's worth! So, we reorganize: here we go. First, the sex - we go with that; second, the money. No! We go with the power second, then the money, and then the kids. Oh, wait, oh geez! I forgot about revenge against my enemies! Okay.. revenge against all my enemies, they should die like pigs in Hell! That would be the fourth wish! And of course, my fifth wish would be for all the children of the world to join hands and sing in the spirit of peace and harmony. Thank you, everybody.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Giveaway Winner and 2012 Race Schedule!!!!

2011-12-19T18:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone that participated in the Daily Trainings giveaway, and thank you to all the new followers! ~~Please don't leave just cause the giveaway is over~~.I appreciate you all and now it is time to announce the winner of the signed copy of "See Dane Run" The winner is Elaine from ratherbeswimming! Elaine as soon as I can, I will get your signed copy of the book in mail! Special thanks to Dane Rauschenberg (author) for signing and letting me give away a copy of his book! I hope to do more giveaways in the future, so stay tuned!

I have really been doing alot of thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2012. I really had thought that 2012 would be my year for my first full IM, but after my ~~embrassing~~ marathon ~~time~~ , I feel I am not ready for an Ironman. Soooooo, I plan on focusing on the longer distance races and then we will look at 2013. So here is my 2012 tentative schedule!

January and February- The Memphis Runner's Cross Country Series- This is a series of races that consists of the following distances. A 3k, 5k, 8k, and a 10k. They are all trail runs and this series is ~~just waiting to tear up my ankles~~ a lot of fun. I always have problems working in all the races, so that is a goal in itself! ~~Toughen up Ford!~~ It will be a good introduction into the race season
March- I have two races scheduled. The first is the Fight for Life 5K. I am doing this race because I am the "Wellness Captain" at work and I am using this race to get as many of my co workers to ~~get off their butts and get to running~~ participate in this worthy cause about childhood obesity.! (I will have a separate post about this soon). In mid March, I am doing the Germantown Half Marathon. This will be the second time I have done this race, so I am looking forward to see if I can beat my PR! The last time I ran this, we had the worst weather conditions, raining and very cold, that it made it miserable, ~~but made it a great story to tell.~~
April- One race I am very excited about is the WARRIOR DASH!!! My wife and I, along with several friends from work and church are going to run this race, it is going to be ~~painful~~ epic. 3+ miles of running and obstacles, how can that not be fun? ~~My wife may not talk to me for a few days after this!~~ We do get a cool Viking hat when we finish, so that will be awesome! ~~Yes, I will post pictures of the hat!~~
May- The Memphis in May Olympic Triathlon. This is one of my must do races in Memphis. Last year I would have gotten a new PR, but the course was long by about a half mile. It rained the entire bike and run, so my shoes and socks were left out in the middle of the rain and they were drenched by the time I got to T2. ~~Cue excuse #1~~ My feet got so blistered! Ouch! Ahhh, sweet memories! I am really hoping that my marathon training will carry over and help me with my running this year! The bike and run course are flat, so it is time for me to speed it up a bit. The swim is also the flattest swim course ever!
June and July- There are normally two races I do in these months but I am really leaning towards them being "just maybe" races. I am not excited about doing them as much in the past. I have found that I do like the longer distance races better, so I might not even have any triathlons these two months. I did say this schedule was tentative, because I know once people start talking about them, I will want to race. ~~I am such a sucker!~~
August- This is one of my favorite races, The Sharpshooter. It is a super Sprint Triathlon. 400 yd swim, 11 mile bike and 2 mile run. I have been trying ~~and failing~~ to finish this race under an hour for two years, and this is going to be my year. Red line time baby!
September- Ironman Augusta 70.3!! ~~Screw those Branson hills!~~ I am excited about this. I hear about the fast swim times and everything and I get excited. Even though I love the swim segments, I can't wait to post a 20 minute 1.2 mile swim! I think this course will give me a better evaluation of where I am at, unlike a Branson bike course from hell!
October, November and December- I will slip into marathon mode again. The St Jude Marathon. I think this year I am going to be a St Jude Hero and try to raise money for the hospital, ~~so I will be hitting up anyone that reads this blog for a donation.~~I know I have to beat my 6 hour PR in 2012, and that is part of the reason I want to do this race again!

So that is my tentative plan for 2012. I know things will change ~~as I have not gotten it approved my the wife yet,~~ but it looks like a good year. A good mix of runs and tri's. My ultimate goal is to still become an Ironman, so all this is going to work into that plan. I have several posts that will be coming out soon, including a product review, my take on how bad I am at setting time goals for myself, weight controls, that I really hope 2012 is a good year for Daily Trainings! So, please keep reading and Thanks for reading!

Daliy Trainings Giveaway TIME!!!!

2011-12-12T16:22:00.000-06:00

This is the second ever giveaway on Daily Trainings, and this one is going to be a good one. As I wrote a couple of posts ago, I got to meet Dane Rauschenberg at he St Jude's Marathon expo. Dane was there with his Sponsor Team Beef. Dane is a marathoner and ultra runner, but not just any marathoner. Dane ran 52 marathons in 52 consecutive weeks! Not only did he run these 52 marathons consecutively, but he also did this while working full time! He also ran the 202 mile American Odyssey Relay by himself in just over 50 hours! Amazing! Dane graciously agreed to let me give a copy of his book away on my blog and even agreed to personally sign a copy.

So the giveaway is an autographed copy of Dane's book called See Dane Run! This will tell the story about his quest for "fiddy2" as it is named. In this book, you may also be able to use this book as a guide to 52 distinct and unusual marathons across North America. It has been called an "inspirational tome for anyone looking to push themselves further than they thought possible." I have also ordered my wife a copy and I can't wait to read it. The giveaway ends on Saturday, December 17, 2011, with the winner announced the following day. So here are the guidelines:

Be a Follower of Daily Trainings (1 entry)
Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
Leave a comment (1 entry)
Post a race photo on the Daily Trainings FB page (2 entries)

So there are 5 ways to get entries. If you are already a re followers on FB and Twitter, just say so in your comment and I will add them to your entry. Thanks for reading!

I Had Good Intentions...

2011-12-10T21:27:00.001-06:00

It started out harmless. I had been wanting a mini fridge for my office for quite some time, but I never wanted to give up the money to buy one. I know they are not that expensive overall, but I was having trouble giving up that money. So when I received a gift card in the mail a few weeks ago, I knew it was fate. By using that gift card and my discount I get at work, that fridge was mine. So, I went out and bought it, found the perfect place in my office and plugged that sucker in to start cooling. It even doubled as a place for my printer, so yeah, it was fate.

My plan for this fridge was simple. It would save me money. I could place drinks in there and that would be a lot cheaper than me buying my coke out of the vending machines. Snacks, I could bring snacks, which again, saves money. I am all about saving some green, so it made perfect sense.

Another reason for the fridge, which should be evident, is I could eat and snack healthier. I can now cook healthy foods for lunch. I can bring healthy snacks and eat them. Protein drinks! I have no excuse for not having a protein drink or recovery drink after my morning workout. It is hard sometimes to work in a good run, and get back in time to shower and eat breakfast. Fruits and veggies, now that will be perfect for a late afternoon snack when I get hungry around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. These two points alone, plus the discount and gift card were enough to sell me on the need for the fridge in my office.

Well, unfortunately my intentions have been noble. I was doing fairly well before my marathon of keeping some cold water in my fridge and my coffee (I have a little 6 cup coffee pot in my office, Starbucks is way too expensive). That was about all I kept in it. I wanted to bring leftovers, but with three boys, this maybe a challenge in itself. But if you were to look in my office mini fridge right now, I am afraid of what you'd see.

I have a six pack of A&W root beer, 2 cans of Pepsi and three chocolate cover marshmallow Santa Clause (I love those). And that is all that is in there. The root beer is a definite problem, but it is such a tasty problem! Nothing beats ending the day with a super frosty cold can of root beer. I know you know what I mean. The Pepsi's are there because I hate buying drinks out of the vending machines. Rip Off! When I am behaving on my diet, I usually try to limit myself to one coke a day, and usually I am pretty good about that. Now for the chocolate covered marshmallow Santa's...I have no excuse. It's just marshmallowy goodness that I can't resist. I am the same weakness around Easter for the bunnies and Valentine's hearts. I like marshmallow filled chocolate things OK! Don't judge me!

Anyways, like I said, I had good intentions and still do, and as I am drinking the last of those root beers and stuffing my pie hole with marshmallowy chocolate covered goodness, I will fell pretty bad about it. Besides, i am in a recovery phase, and I don't start training for my next tri until Jan 9th. I figure I owe myself that much since I had a HIM and a marathon in 90 days! Eat on my brothers and sisters!

****Stay tuned, the 2nd ever Daily Trainings giveaway will be next!***

3 Days Later and A Giveaway In The Works

2011-12-07T23:35:00.001-06:00

It's Wednesday, 4 days after my first ever marathon and I am feeling great. Surprisingly great! I am totally surprised by this too. I mean I was ready to quit running all together after Sat. Saturday night I had some major calve cramps. I drank milk, ate bananas, Gatorade, Tums (calcium) stretched, sticked, foam rolled and massaged those suckers and it was just bad. I ended up taking some Ibuprofen PM and slept like a log.

Sunday I woke feeling pretty good, even made it to church, but I'll admit to using the elevator instead of the stairs. That afternoon after lunch, it was over. I could not keep my eyes open. I was just physically tired. It was cold and raining outside, football was on the TV and the couch was mine. I woke up about 5 PM.

Monday, I still a little sore, but still feeling better. I had scheduled a massage for Monday and I was looking forward to it. It hurt so good. She was able to work out some soreness, especially in my legs. It was the perfect time for it too. I highly recommend it in the future.

By Tuesday and Wednesday, I was pretty much feeling better than before the race. Good enough to plan on running this marathon again next year. I have a time to beat in 2012. I admit it is a little embarrassing for me to say my time, but I think I really need to reassess my goal times, cause I do not think I met one of them this year. So next year, anything better than 6:08 will be a win!

Now as for the giveaway I am planning. Plans are in the works and I will be giving away a signed copy of See Dane Run. Dane Rauschenberg ran 52 marathons in 52 consecutive weeks. I met him at the expo, and wrote about meeting him in my last post. Well, he was looking at race reports and read Daily Trainings and left a comment, and through email he agreed to let me give away a signed copy of his book. I can't wait to read it, it has gotten really great reviews on Amazon! So stay tuned for this giveaway!

St Jude's Marathon Race Report

2011-12-05T00:13:00.000-06:00

Let me warn you, this is going to be lengthy as there is a lot for me to talk about. This was my first marathon and I am enjoying it more with each passing recovery hour. So please read on.

EXPO:
On Friday night, my wife and I went down to the Expo to pickup my packet and enjoy all the vendors. I have always love packet pickup day. Going through the bag, seeing the shirt and looking at all the merchandise is always fun. One of the coolest things at the expo was meeting the two guys in the picture below. Do you know them or recognize them?

That is me with thee Hal Higdon. The Godfather of Marathon training. He was at the expo talking to people and getting pictures made. I had him autograph a race course map for me! The other guy is Dane Rauschenberg. Dane ran 52 marathons in 52 consecutive weeks! Amazing! I did not get a picture with him, but this is a copy of his book. Both were really nice guys and Dane was really supportive and encouraging to me attempting my first race.

Race Morning:
I set my alarm for 4:45 AM and got up to eat something. I did not want to make the mistake of not have any fuel in my body before the run. I was meeting a co worker (Buck) and we were riding together. This was Buck's first big race. he was doing the half and has really come along way! I am really proud of him, he made the committment to run the half about 9 months ago and really trained hard.
So we get to the race site, check-in our bags and just kind of float around and try to decide which corral we were going to start in. I wanted to start out slow, so I chose to start in corral 12, which was doing a 5:10 marathon. It was a cool morning, and before the race I stripped down to my running shorts, shirt, arm warmers, visor and glasses and got ready for our corral to start. There were an estimated 16,000 runners there that morning.

The Actual race:
Like I said earlier, my plan was to start off slower, slower than I normally would. I knew that there were going to be a ton of people at first and I should just try to enjoy the sites. I started off with Buck and we were running fairly well for the couple of miles. I am going to break this report down by mile markers. You can go check out the course.

Miles 1-2
The first miles were fun. there were so many people running that my main concern was not running into or over someone. I wasn't really to concerned about running with the pace group cause I was wanting to get out ahead of them. On mile two, we ran down Riverside Dr, which runs along the mighty Mississippi River. It was an awesome site to see the crowds running overlooking the river. Buck and I were still running well and feeling good.

Mile 3
We ran down the famous Beale Street. Again, this section was loaded with spectators cheering on the runners. Many kids were standing along the road with hands out wanting a high five. Before I even realized it, we had completed three miles. There were so many people and other things going on, it really took my mind off the distance. It was still cool though to run down Beale Street. I lost Buck during this section of the race though.

Mile 4
We ran down Front Street directly in front of the Pyramid, one of Memphis's most recognizable landmarks. This was one of the best miles for me because my kids were at the water station handing out water for their school. I was able to get water from my kids and a kiss from my wife. Things were going as planned at this point and I was feeling great. I ditched my arm warmers due to perfect weather. Then we ran through St Jude's campus. that was emotionally tough and you can go back a post to read a little more about that.

Miles 5,6,7
I was really feeling determined after running through the campus. I knew I was going to finish, no matter how long it took me. I did have to stop around mile 6 and hit the porta potty. I was still ahead of the 5:10 pace group at this point and I was looking forward to the rest of the run. It was great to still see people cheering along the route and even listening to bands play on lawns.

Miles 8, 9
We had just pasted the zoo and headed into Overton Park. I have run in the location before so it wasn't new to me. The two things I remember about miles 8-9 are the ladies handing out peppermints and butterscotch candies and the YMCA. As I rounded a corner, I heard this song playing and as I got closer, I saw a cowboy, a cop, a sailor, an idian and a biker all dancing in perfect unison to this song. It was great seeing runners all doing the YMCA while keeping stride. The hard candies were awesome.

Miles 10, 11, 12
This section took us back into downtown Memphis. I could see the heart on top of the Le Bonheur Childrens Hospital and I knew I was heading back to the break off point. I was getting tight and alittle tired but I was still on point and ahead of my 5:10 pace group. The candies were awesome during this point. I also took my first E-Gel at this time.

Mile 13
The break off point for the half. It got extrememly lonely at this point. Seems like 80% of the people vanished! I was prepared for this because I was warned about it, but it was still surreal. Only thing that really happened was someone crashed their bike going over the trolley tracks. We went back down Beale Street and there were photographers all along this route. This really big lady was ahead of me at this point and made some grand gesture for her picture that I know I will be in the background, but it should be known that as soon as the picture was taken, she stopped and walked. great timing on my part.

Miles 14, 15, 16, 17
This is when it started to change. It got tough. After another porta potty visit and mile 15, I could not get my legs and my brain to be on the same page. I had started walking during this section and I had also got passed by the 5:10 pace group, but they were still in sight, so I was ok with that. I stopped to stretch a couple of times and get water, but it was a struggle. I took some of my Rolaids here to help with calf twinges, I was worrying about cramping at this point.

Mile 18, 19, 20
At this point I was really thinking, "screw this, I have nothing to prove. I am going to call my wife and have her pick me up, and who needs to do an Ironman, I can be perfectly happy being a Half Ironman" and so on and so on. This was my wall. It felt like I did more walking than running. I was still around 4:30 hours by mile 20 and I knew my 5:30 hour new goal was gone. I had even got passed by the 5:40 pace group. it was not looking good at this point.
One of the water stops was being run by some frat boys and I remember they made two lines, almost forcing you to run between them and they were going nuts cheering you on as you ran through them. I was wanting to make the turn because I knew that at mile 21, I would be turning back towards downtown and the finish line, but it took forever to get there.

Miles 21, 22, 23
I hate marathons. My feet were hurting, my legs were tight and my run started looking like my walk. Some guy told me that I needed to speed up my walk and I wanted to tell him what he could speed up and do, but I just grinned and acted like my iPod was on. At this point, I was really running mailbox to mailbox then walking. I really felt like I was going to throw up during this section, so I figured I needed food. It made sense at the time. So I emptied my waist pack. I had my bite size Snickers, my other hard candies and another E-Gel. I also started my countdown mode and rationalizing my neighborhood runs with the distance left.

Mile 24, 25
I guess I got my second wind, a little later than I would have liked, but I got it. I was able to start running for longer distances and walking shorter distances. A kid was handing out pretezels at 24.5 and they were awesome! As soon as I could see AutoZone Park, I knew I was going to make it. So it was a matter of taking one step at a time.

Mile 26
A hill? Seriously? The volunteers were saying this is your last chance to run up a hill. Little did they know that I had not run up a hill in the last 12 miles, but with their cheering (they could see me) I ran straight up that hill, made the turn and I could see the turn into the stadium. As I turned into the stadium, I heard them say "from Bartlett, TN...James Ford" and I crossed the line. A lady then placed the finishers medal over my head and I look into the stands for my family. I saw my wife waving her arms, and it was a beautiful site.

Post Race
After the race, I sat down in the stands and it felt great to sit down. The only thing I wanted was a Coke. I wanted to talk about the race, but it was an emotional moment for me. Just finishing something that was so challenging and running through the St Jude Campus, it was definately something I will never forget. Now many have already asked me if I will run another marathon. Now is probably not the best time for me to make that type of decision. Even though I had a slow time, I was no where near my time goal, I do feel a sense of accomplishment.

Thanks for reading,
body

Just a Quick Note

2011-12-03T21:40:00.000-06:00

First let me say a big Thank you to all who left comments and said they were tracking me, it was pretty awesome to read the comments. I can also say that I am a marthoner runner now since I did finish the St Jude's Marathon in 6:08. It wasn't as fast as I had planned, but I learned alot during this first attempt.

This Finishers Medal is Pimp!

Also I wanted to say one other thing. This was one of the most humbling things I have ever attempted. Not because of the distance or because of my performance but because of the kids at St Jude's Childrens Hospital. One section of the course ran right down the middle of the campus of St Jude's. I am not an emotional guy, but I was almost brought to tears running through that crowd and seeing the signs they made. There were alot of pictures of children battling all types of disease, and on those signs, they were saying that we were their Heroes for running. Other signs read "Blisters don't require Chemo" and " I am a survivor becasue you run". Heavy stuff, and when you see the children who have lost their hair, wearing a mask holding these signs telling you that you are doing some wonderful thing because you are running was tough for me. I have never shed a tear in a race, but I had some watery eyes and I could not wait to get out of that section. I also saw alot of signs with kids names that were the same as my kids, and I could only think that by the grace of God, I do not have to deal with anything like they are going through. I couldn't even talk to my wife about this without getting choked up.

So I would encourage everyone to travel to Memphis next year and do this rae for the kids, you will never forget it.

Race report coming soon. Thanks for reading!
body

3 Days and Counting...

2011-11-30T18:00:00.000-06:00

St Jude Marathon runs right down historic Beale Street!

This morning, I finished my last scheduled run before my very first marathon on Sat. I am running the St. Jude/Memphis Marathon. I think this is going to be quite a challenge for me for several reasons.

The distance alone. I have not ever run this far before and I thinkit is going to be hard to pace myself to not burn out. I received one piece of advice that said to "take it slow, if you are running at a comfortable pace at the start, then you are going to fast, slow down and save it for the end of the race to avoid the death march". I want to run the whole thing and not cross the line like the agony of defeat guy we see on TV.
The cold. Normally this would not bother me, but I always mess up my clothing choices in cold weather. I am either to cold, or not hot. I never seem to plan it out right. So far I plan on buying some cheap sweats and discarding them as needed, but then what I wear under them is another set of decisions to make.
Tour of Memphis. This is actually one thing I am looking forward to. Running around downtown Memphis. Here are some of the places the route takes us by The Civil Rights Museum (where MLK was shot),Beale Street, The Pyramid, St Judes Hospital, the Zoo, Target House, Sun Studios, and of course we get to finish in Auto Zone Park.
My goal time. I have been keeping this to myself mostly, but I really want a respectable finish time.
Health. My 2 1/2 year old has a head cold and I am doing everything I can to avoid getting it. I am talking Vitamin C pills and drops, taking zinc pills and drinking plenty of fluids to keep well.
My longest run was over 3 weeks ago and I have done nothing further than 9 miles since then. I am worried that this may be a factor, but I followed my plan like it said.
I am looking forward to the packet pickup and expo. It is one of my favorite thigns about races.
I am looking forward to seeing how it goes at the halfway point. People have always said that it gets lonely after the half marathoners turn for the finish and you are left out there on your own. Should be an interesting feeling.
I am proud that I have ran over 175 miles in the last two months, and that I have suffered no injuries during that time (knock on wood)
If you want, you can track me online. I am #1081. You know, it might help me if you tell me you will track, even if you don't, at least I will think you guys are watching and might help me maintain!

Thanks for reading, and I am sure I will post again before the race!

Today was a good day...

2011-11-23T15:20:00.001-06:00

I can honestly say that this morning when I ran my scheduled 5 miles, it was the first time in about 3 weeks that I enjoyed being outside running. I have literally had to kick myself out the door for the last three weeks in order to get my runs in for this marathon. Why was today different? I have no clue. All I know is that the 5 miles went by quickly, and it went effortlessly. I was trying to maintain marathon pace and actually I was faster than I wanted to be, but I felt great. So go figure that one.

I have been trying to decide on something. Do I take my Garmin on my marathon or go with my stopwatch. I know that every mile will be marked with an aid station, so it is not like I have to keep up with any distance, but I wonder if I will miss my Garmin? Thoughts?

Today, in the dreaded inter company office mail I got something really cool. The Target Tri Team jersey for 2012. It looks awesome too. here are pictures of the front and back.

I can't wait to race in it! I wish we had more participation in Memphis with this club, and that is something I am going to work on! Anyways, with that I am out. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and everyone can find something to be thankful for, no matter how bad you think it is!

P.S. if you are out shopping on Black Friday, just remember that people working retail are doing the best they can to make sure you get a great deal on the merchandise, cause we don;t get a shot at those deals!

Every Day I'm Shufflin...

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000-06:00

...or at least that is how it feels when it come to my daily runs. After having such a huge month on October (113 miles) I have had a tough November. Like this morning for example, I did not want to run. After the first mile, I considered calling it quits. After the second mile I really thought about calling it quits and after the 3rd mile, I stopped. Flat out stopped.

I am 15 days out from my first marathon and I really don't want to go out and run, but I need too. I have decided that I am going to do something, even if I do not feel like it. I have to get out there.

I went to see a buddy of mine who is a triathlete guru. He is fast and has won his AG in many races. he always gives me a kick in the but and it usually helps gets my head back in training mode. One thing we talked about was run cadence. I have never even thought about run cadence, so I had alot to learn. Basically, I see that my run cadence should be 90 and I should keep my heartrate around 150 for my marathon. The 90 cadence has something to do with higher turnover and it helps you land correctly on your foot as best I understand it.

Well, I tried to find my cadence and let me say this, it's not easy counting your cadence while running. that was alot harder than I figured it would be. On my first correct count, my cadence was 84, so I worked on trying to speed it up to 90. It took some doing and it felt unnatural to me and my HR stayed around 154 give or take, so I felt like I was within the correct range. All other research I see on run cadence goes both ways, some say to count it, others say to let your natural stride come into play. I think it is a little to late to try and change anything for my marathon though, but it does give me something else to while plugging along the road.

This weekend I am heading to my folks house for Thanksgiving. Being in retail really puts a damper on Thanksgiving Day (be nice to the retail workers if you go out on Black Friday). while at their house, I am planning on running on a trail I used to run in college. I am hoping this while help me get that thrill back and enjoy the run!

Lastly, here is a video going around the internet showing how fast an elite marathoner runs. Ryan Hall is featured in the video. Enjoy!

Was Def Lepard Right?

2011-11-05T16:21:00.000-05:00

Def Leppard had a song titled Rock of Ages back in the late 80s, early 90s. One of the lines in this song said its "better to burnout than fade away..." I wonder about that. Today I was suppose to do an 8 mile run. I am a month out from my marathon and on a recovery week, so I have not been taxing my body that much, but for the life of me, I could not get up for this run. So, I didn't do it.

I am coming off my biggest run month ever. I did 113 miles in October. I averaged between 30-40 miles running during all my months of triathlon training, so I know I was overloading myself jumping to 100+ miles. I have felt good. I mean, I have been tired, like I am suppose to be, but overall I felt really good. So, I am hoping this is just a short funk. I know I still have miles to run and I am suppose to do a 22 miler next week before I start slowing down for my race on Dec 3.

Anyways, I don't know what is up. Maybe it is my body's way of telling me I am tired, or my brain is saying "slow down bro!" Either way I am hoping that since I am in a recovery week, I will be back on track by Tuesday when I am scheduled to run again.

Let me know if you have any "burn out remedies"!

Random Thoughts on my 20 Miler...

2011-10-30T20:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I did my first 20 mile run in preparation for the St Jude/Memphis Marathon in December, I was out running (and a little bit of walking) for over 4 hours. I went through 53 songs on my ipod! Anyways, you have a lot of time to think about things and I going to let you know what went through my head.

20 miles is a long way.
I still prefer the original version of "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins and it gives me a nice pick up.
Older people will not share the road as well as the younger drivers.
I wish I had a sign above my head that read what mile I was on so I wouldn't think that drivers think I am slacking.
Crosswalk lights are way to fast.
I saw 4 funeral processions on my run, that's alot.
My turn around point was the Dunkin Donuts, ironic huh?
Taco Bell started sounding really good at mile 9
A 20 mile run is alot more fun after you have finished it.
I am not that great at guestimating distances.
I hate snakes, and alot of sticks laying in the grass can look alot like snakes!
I think it is easier to think of long runs in time instead of distance. See point #10
Nothing beats a good foot rub!
At mile 7, I gave myself a high five cause I officially hit 100 miles for the month!
Mile 14 was the toughest mile for some reason. it's further than a half marathon but still only half way on the full.
According to this run, it is going to be tough to beat my time goal for the marathon.
I will have to buy new shoes before December. I just got the current ones in late August.
I really prefer to run in the morning, but I had stuff to do on Sat, so I didn't start until approximately 1:30 PM.
Bite size Snickers fit perfectly in my fuel belt pocket and they taste so good!
This was my longest run to date, and I was happy I finished all 20 miles.

This week will be a 23 mile week and then I have one more long run of 22 miles. My marathin is Dec 3, and I feel like I will be ready and finish, but I really want to finish strong, so I have lots of work to do!

Thanks for reading!

I am a...

2011-10-27T19:50:00.000-05:00

Mile 5 vs. Mile 5

2011-10-25T22:55:00.001-05:00

One thing I have noticed while training for my marathon is this, miles can be different on different runs. Now this might sound confusing to anyone reading this but let me explain. It can be any mile you choose, but for my examples, I will use mile 5.

When I am out running, the total distance of the run comes into play. Mile 5 of a 7 mile run is nothing, but mile 5 of a 20 mile run can be a struggle. I think this is something kind of weird, because throughout my training, I am now looking at a 5 mile run as a short run or an easy day. So why should mile 5 be any different than any other mile 5?

Am I going faster? Am I increasing my pace on the shorter runs? I really try to keep a quicker pace on the shorter runs, but I would think it would have the opposite effect, I would think that a faster pace would make mile 5 tougher on the short runs.

Maybe it is tougher to run at a slower pace? I have no proof to say that it is harder to run slower. I think I tend to slow my pace down on longer runs to ensure I can finish them. Maybe I should try and run the same pace on longer runs as I do shorter runs, but I still do not have the confidence to say I can hold a certain pace.

I think the only thing that makes one mile 5 different from another mile 5 is mental toughness. This is definitely something I have struggled with all season, but I know with every longer run I am doing, I am getting over that obstacle. My 13 mile run gave me the confidence I needed on the 16 mile run. My 16.5 mile run will give me confidence I need on my 20 mile run this weekend. I know that is why the training plan is designed like it is.

Another thing I have noticed about my training runs is that a straight line run is harder than a run with turns. When I run on the Greenline, it is a straight shot for 6.5 miles, then you turn around and run 6.5 miles back. In a straight line. That is tougher for me than making turns on roads, So thankfully, my marathon is not a straight out and back.

I have roughly 38 days left before my first marathon. I am excited too. I am not focusing on any time goal, I just want to finish. I know there will be a couple "mile 5's" on this route, but there are water stations every mile and I believe there are bands along the way, so it should be a great time.

400 Miles and other Ramblings...

2011-10-20T20:29:00.000-05:00

This morning, on my run I went over the 400 mile mark! Not all in one day, that would be some kind of record, but through October 20, 2011. This has already eclipsed my yearly running total from 2010. I am knee deep in my marathon training, so I expect me to hit over 550 miles by the year end. My monthly total for October is right at 75 miles, which is by far my biggest monthly total. This makes me happy in a strange way, and yet it excites me to see how many miles I can get.

So here are my other ramblings and thoughts:

I wish that just once, I got a burger that looked like the burgers they offer on TV.
My training is going well, I am averaging 30-40 miles a week and my longest run is 16.5 miles.
Big Bang Theory is a very funny show.
I am ready for Daylight Savings to get here. I am tired of getting up and running in the dark.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle wiggle, wiggle yeah...
My wife is running her first 5K this Saturday, I get to be the cheerleader this time!!!
I think I am kinda fly for a white guy! (heard it on the radio today)
I kinda want to see the new FootLoose. Sorry Kevin Bacon
I am not worried so much about zombies, becasue I know that iPhones are going to band together and take over the world if we continue to sit here and do nothing about it.
The "Good Mood" food guy from ARBY's is annoying!
Guns N Roses is coming to town and I am really on the fence about wanting to go, I mean, I know it won't be the same as I remember, but it's still GNR!

That's about all I got tonight! Thanks for reading!

My 16 Mile Run Was A Bit Short...

2011-10-08T23:57:00.000-05:00

Today, in my quest to conquer my first marathon, I had scheduled a 16 mile run. My plan is one I took from Breakaway Running and it seemed doable, so that has been my guide. So I was prepared for this to be my longest run to date, and I had the perfect route planned.

Here in Memphis, we have what is called the "Memphis Greenline" at Shelby Farms. Basically, it is an old railroad track that they redid and made it into a walking/biking path. I am not sure what the total mileage is on the entire Greenline, but I had a straight shot of 6.6 miles one way, then turned around for another 6.6 miles. It is pretty awesome too. You run through the woods, over the Wolf River and it is mostly shaded, so it made for the perfect place to do my long runs. My plan was to do the 13 miles and then do another 3 on the same route.

Well, it didn't happen. I only made it 13.4 miles. I could think of a lot of excuses, but the main thing for me was not the right nutrition. I only had a small bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast and that was it. After breakfast, I went to my oldest boys football game, came home and then went to the Greenline. So that whole day I had one little bowl of cereal and the Gatorade I brought in my fuel belt.

I know better than to do that too. The last 2 miles of my run was a struggle. My best half marathon is 1:55, and today I finished my total run in about 2:40, so I know I can do better. Thankfully I still have some time to prepare for this race, cause right now I would not even come close to hitting my goal.

For e to be so excited about going for my run, I was totally unprepared!

Thanks for Reading!

Tougher Than I Thought...

2011-10-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

Marathon training. It is tougher than I thought it would be.

I mean, I knew it would be tough, but there is a lot of running involved! I know, you are saying, what? You have to run alot in a marathon? Who would have thunk it? The training alone is such an increase in mileage compared to when I was training for a triathlon. It is a little frightening also to see on my training schedule that I have 18 mile runs coming up or that I will be doing 40+ miles in a week. According to my training schedule, I will have to buy more shoes before my race! I usually run about 250 miles on a pair of shoes before I get new ones, and I do not think my Glycerins will make it before December 3!

I also have concerns about not injuring myself with this increase in mileage. I know about the 10% rule and I am not even coming close to following it. So I will really have to listen to my body and will have to have the discipline to cut short a run or give me extra day of rest if I need it, I mean I am not 25 anymore!

But you know, in a way I think running this marathon will be an awesome experience. I also really think I am starting to like the longer distance races more than the shorter ones. Somebody asked me the other day if I still ran 5K's and I said not really with a little bit of a laugh in the answer. I then wondered why not? Why not run more 5K's? I think I can answer it. I am not fast, and with longer distances, it seems like finishing is more of a accomplishment and no one cares about the time, except you the racer. Who knows?

Anyways, I am going to enjoy thid time that I get to run. I expect it will help my overall run on any distance I choose. I have a scheduled 16 mile on Saturday that I m nervously, but anxiously looking forward to, it will be an experience for me. I will tell you all about it wen I am done!

Thanks for reading!

Photo Post of Ironman Branson 70.3

2011-10-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

Here is my photo report on IM Branson 70.3. Enjoy!

Jesse liked my swim cap

Last minute advice from Jesse

Lined up and waiting for the horn

The Horn sounds and redemption begins...

Raining at T2

Heading out for 13. 1 miles of fun...

It was really raining hard...

Passing the family at Lap 2

Finsh LIne! Redemption is mine!

Mom, Dad, Sister, bro in law and niece/nephew all came to support me

My wife and two boys, Jesse was tuckered out by now...

Ironman Branson 70.3 Bling

Back of Shirt and poster, M Dot is made of athlete names!

James Ford

Never thought I'd be a sticker guy, but I guess I am!

Thanks for taking the time to check it out!

True Dat!

2011-09-30T09:46:00.001-05:00

Enough said...

Next Challenge...

2011-09-26T22:53:00.000-05:00

It has been a little over a week since I finished Ironman Branson and I feel great. No post race blues to speak of. I was planning on taking some time off, but I feel so good that I think I am going to ease into my next race. I had always heard that you should rest 1 day for every hour a race took you, but I felt great by Friday, so I went on a little trail run with my wife. So with that being said, my next challenge is the St Jude/Memphis Marathon!

Yes, 26.2 miles of fun. This will be my first marathon and I am really excited about the challenge. I am not looking to smoke the run or even to really try to set a PR or anything like that. I am doing this for the fun of it and the experience. I am trying to decide if next year is my 140.6 race or not and I want to have a marathon under my belt before I do a full Ironman.

Part of me wants to do another 70.3, just to see what I can do on a course without the "rolling hills of Branson". One website I saw showed that the average finish at Branson was 6:35, so I really want to do a flatter course and see what I can do, so the full may wait until 2012 or 2013.

Anyways, I have a marathon plan that I will be following for the next 10 weeks and I plan on blogging a little more frequently about this training, since my run mileage is going to increase. That is another concern I have, increasing mileage to fast, so I will have to be careful and watch out for injuries.

I will soon have some pics up from Branson. Thanks for reading and let me know any tips you have for marathon training! And let me know what you think of the new look of Daily Trainings! I am tryig some things out!

REDEMPTION: Ironman Branson 70.3 Report

2011-09-21T00:24:00.001-05:00

I am not even sure how to start this report. There are alot of feelings and emotions that I have about this race, that I am sure I will ramble, but I am going to try to keep it in some sort of reasonable flow. Before I go any further, I have to say this, I FINISHED! That was awesome to be able to type that after last years epic failure. This may well be one of my longest posts, but please hang with me.

Pre Race:
I woke up early, around 4 AM and got me something to eat. A bagel and apple juice to be exact. Then I was checking the computer about the weather. I t had rained all Saturday and the forecast called for rain and Tstorms all day on Sunday. I was really praying for no rain while I was on the bike, but I knew it was out of my hands. My dad drover me to the race start and I set up my transition area. First thing I did was to check my tires and they were fully inflated! WIN! I was then able to get everything setup right, wetsuit on and got in the water for a quick swim. the water felt great. It was 70 degrees. After my swim I was able to find my wife and kids and mom. It was nice to see them before the race and being to talk to them. As soon as the pros went off, I slowly started to make my way up to the swim area. I was feeling very calm and focused abut the swim.

Swim:
I guess I would say I was mid pack of my wave, not in the front, but not in the back either. There is not alot to say about the swim really. I was able to find some space to swim, the water was clear enough to see my fingers when my arm was extended, I only got hit or bump a few times. I swam like I wanted too. I did not get to caught up in trying to go all out and I came out of the water feeling good. I saw my wife and 2 yr old as I ran up the ramp and got a high five from Jesse. TIME: 40:59

T1:
T1 went pretty smoothly. It took alot of time getting everything back in the bag they provided to us, so we could gather our stuff at T2, but other than that there were no issues. I was a little nervous about getting on the bike, but I had confidence in my tires. As I was leaving, I heard my oldest son Jacob yell, "Only 69.1 miles left!" Thanks Jake! TIME 5:07

Bike:
I knew the bike course would be tough. I expected it to be tough. My goal was not to crush the course, but to finish this course and still have some legs to run. I was able to maintain as steady a pace as I could through the hills. Every time I passed a spot where I flatted last year, I gave a quick "thank you" that I was passing it on inflated tires. I made it to the turn around point and had to stop and use the porta-potty. This actually turned out to be a good thing. It reminded me to take my nutrition and refill my bottles, which I did. The hills were as tough as I remembered and the downhills were as fast as i remembered them. Once I passed mile 42 (place where I was pulled last year) I know I had a smile on my face, but I still had a ways to go. Thankfully the rain had not yet come like the forecast said, so I kept on trucking. There was one downhill at about mile 53 or so that had a sign on it that read "Extreme downhill, Use caution". they were not kidding. I hit 53.1 MPH going down that hill. My goal was to pucker up, hang on and keep it straight. I know I let out a Yee-haw flying down that hill, the speed limit was 45, and it was scary fast! After the bike path, there was one more hill to climb and it was so hard to get up, but it led me to T2 and to the rain. It was coming down in buckets, but thankfully I was done with the bike course. I cannot describe the feeling I had knowing I had made it to T2. That monkey was off my back and I knew I would definitely finish the course. I did not care if I was DFL, I was going to finish this course this year, and I did. I had been thinking about the bike course for a year and it felt good to have it behind me. TIME: 3:55:48

T2:
It was raining so hard by now that there was no point in trying to keep anything dry. I was glad that I placed my shoes and new socks in a bag so they were dry, but it was a worthless point. Before I even got out of T2, I was soaked head to toe. The best part of T2 was seeing my wife and kids. I said out loud "TAH-DAH", like here I am, I made it! It was a great feeling of relief to be running. TIME 2:37

Run:
Did I mention the rain yet? Because it rained and rained and rained and then rained some more. There was no way to avoid puddles cause it was like a monsoon. My goal on the run was to run in a comfortable pace for the first lap (we had 3 laps to do total). Within the first mile, I started to cramp in my hamstrings. Luckily an older guy next to me offered me some TUMS, he said it was the best thing for cramps, which I never knew. After the first aid station, I saw a sign that made me laugh. It said "70.3 cause 70.4 is just crazy!" The run went better than I expected it to go. I got a lift every lap when I could see my family cheering me on as I past them, I even got a kiss from my bride as I went by. I soon went to my 10 minute run, 2 minute walk plan. I kept it moving forward , knowing I would finish. Lap 2, I was still feeling good. Lap 3 was tough, I think I walked about half of it, but I was empty. My tank was empty, but I was determined to keep moving forward. As I came to the finisher chute, I almost couldn't believe I was finishing. I could hear the announcer saying my name as I crossed the finish line. The lady then placed the finisher's medal over my neck and I almost lost it. It was very emotional for me. I then hugged and kissed my wife and said "We did it". what a great feeling. I was cramping pretty bad and an EMT asked if I wanted to go get fluids, but I declined. I wanted to be with my family and enjoy the finish line. I grabbed a warming blanket, 2 chocolate milks and a hot dog, which was the best hot dog I ever tasted. TIME 2:51:08

Total Time of 7:35:39
66 out of 102 in Age Group
496 Overall

I have to mention the volunteers at this race. They braved out the rain and stayed to help us out the entire time. they were very supportive and even called us by name as we passed. Great job to them and I made sure to thank them every time I passed them.

Also I have to thank my family. My wife and kids, my mom and dad, and my sister and her family all were there to support me, and they crammed themselves into a mini van to wait out the rain and cheer me on. It was such a pick me up to see them and hear them yelling for me. It was especially nice to see my wife there at every lap yelling support to me. I so appreciate them all. My nephew had the quote of the race. he knew I was doing a half Ironman and he said "if he does another half Ironman, then he will be a whole Ironman!"

Redemption was mine. I beat the course. Well, I don't know that I beat it, but I conquered it. I finished, and it felt great!

5 Days Until My Race!

2011-09-13T15:14:00.002-05:00

It's 5 days until I get my rematch with Ironman Branson 70.3. I am in the middle of my taper (which I hate), but I am seriously calm about this. I know I can do it. I might not finish as fast as some, but I can do it. I do not fear the swim, it will be the easiest part for me. I am concerned about the bike, just because I know it will be tough, it will be a challenge, but I am capable of doing it.

My biggest concern is my nutrition and getting to the run. I have my plan for the run, but I know that if I go to hard on the bike, then I am done before I get to the run.

I am not going to tell you my goal time for this race, but I am approaching it as it being My Race, with just a lot of other people running it. I am not going to worry about my pace or speed other than whether or not I am in a comfortable pace. This race is about finishing, and finishing strong.

Bring it Branson!

One Week Left...

2011-09-10T08:24:00.001-05:00

I am one week out from the Rematch. I am calling it that because that is exactly how I am looking at it. Not worrying about time, not worrying about place, I am just out to finish this course. I am in that phase of my training where I start to wonder, "did I do enough?" I always get these thoughts in my head when it gets close to race time for some reason.

Today I already completed my wetsuit OWS. It felt good to get the wetsuit on again, I always feel like a superhero in that wetsuit! LOL. I really wanted to get in 1500 yds and just swim, turns out I averaged a 1:51 per 100 yards today and I didn't feel like I was pushing it, that is how much the wetsuit helps me!

I have a 4-5 mile run planned today and then I am doing a 10k tomorrow and then I officially go into taper mode.

I guess the one thing I am concerned about is the run. Typically, I am not a strong runner. I have really been focusing on letting the run come to me, not concentrating on my speed, and relaxing while running. None of these things are easy for me. In the past, I think I have been so concerned with starting off fast (fast for me), and when I could not hit the level I felt I should be at, it just frustrated me. I have also gone from speed to distance, so I am not as concerned with my pace as I am with my endurance.

I really want to run the entire 13.1 in Branson, but that may not happen. If I do not feel like it is going to work, then I will go to a 10 minute run, 1 minute walk type of pace for as long as I can, but I will definately be running when I run by my family! LOL

40 and Holding!

2011-09-07T07:37:00.001-05:00

Yes, it is true. I have officially hit 40 years old today! It seems weird to say this also. I was cool with being 39, but saying 40 is definately different. I guess I should be used to it since I raced in the 40-44 year old Ag all season!

This weekend we are celerating with an 80's party, meaning everyone has to dress as they did in the 80's or dress as an 80's icon! It should be a lot of fun. I am going as Axel Rose, so I will probably post some pics later on!

So, I guess I am going to get my black socks and sandals on and go run some kids off my front lawn!

My Bride is Now an Endurance Athlete!

2011-09-05T14:06:00.001-05:00

I want to say Congrats to my bride! Today she ran her first duathlon and she did great! It was really different for me being on this side of the race, but I really enjoyed cheering for her and rooting her on. She had been training hard and I am very proud of her. So here is her race report (Note that she is a much better writer than me, or I, I don't know.)

Emily's post: First of all, honey. It's "me," a better writer than "me." Wait. I take it back. It's "I." As in better writer than I am. I blame the physical exertion for my mental lapse.
I have to admit I did get out of my comfort zone quite a bit by actually doing a race. The Lucky 13 duathalon put on by the Barzack family is a great venue for the novice runner. It's a well-organized, but laid-back event where we run one-mile, bike 11, and then run a mile again. Awards are given for 13th, 26th, and 39th place instead of the usual first, second, and third. This is very encouraging for me as I was sure to achieve a PR just for finishing!
I had trained for a few months by joining a beginning runners' group for women. But, honestly, this would be the first time I had run two miles maybe ever. And my oldest son and I went a local greenline for an 11-mile ride Saturday night which was the first time I had biked 11 miles maybe ever. But with my husband's encouragement and advice I was ready to see what I could do.
Overall, I had a great experience. My goals were to not embarass my husband by bonking. Ha. Really I was hoping to just run both miles without walking and to not fall off the bike. Mission accomplished! I was pleased to be finished in an hour and three minutes.
As a true novice, I have two observations about the experience:
1) It is great to be applauded and cheered for something.
I live a blessed life, but it is one that doesn't require me to do a lot of award-winning activity. I am a wife and mom of three and I teach a college course. And, though my husband often thanks me for cooking a good meal, my family is not likely to break into applause over the meatloaf! On occasion, a student will quietly thank me for a good course at the end of the semester, but they don't clap, ever. (Although, one did give me a certificate for being the best-dressed professor she had seen because I never wore the same outfit twice.) And the only time my name is in the newspaper is if I write a letter to the editor.
But, today I got to bask in cheers and applause just for running around a neighborhood twice and jumping on a bike. And I loved it! It was especially sweet to be cheered on by my three boys and James. My oldest son did get some laughs and the beginning of the race when he said, "Run faster, Mom. You do know this is a race, right?" Ha.
2) It is great to be around fit people.
From being James' support team for years, I know the triathlete community is a special group. It seems most people want others to enjoy the sport, too. And they feed off of each others' enthusiasm. It's also typical for them to want to help others' out as the Barzack family demonstrated so well by using money raised from this event for great local charaties. This morning it was great to be a part of that.
There wasn't a lot of make-up or perfect hair, but everybody was smiling and very fit. It was a beautiful site. I happen to be blessed with good genes so that I look like I'm in good shape even after having three kids. But, today was one of the first times in my life that I felt like I was in good shape. I felt strong after accomplishing a physical goal.
So thanks, honey, for pushing me outside my comfort zone into a little spot of glory.

Scrotum on fire? Wait, What???

2011-09-01T22:52:00.000-05:00

Well, this is something new and I am not making it up. A Belgian rider suffered an injury in the Tour of Spain that I have never heard of before. The injury occurred in his groin. His scrotum to be exact. This poor guy named Tom Boonen suffered this injury and had to ride the entire 47km standing on the pedals due to the friction between his bike shorts and his saddle.

Here is the link if you do not believe it. In an interview he stated "The extreme heat and excessive sweating caused a heavy irritation in that area. There is a hole. It is not the first time that I have suffered in this place, but never as bad as now.” I had to read that twice after cringing for a few minutes. Did he say there was a hole? Did he say this was not the first time it has happened? What?? I have been on some long rides before, and I have been uncomfortable after three hour rides, but if my balls ever bust into flames, then I am going to stop riding! I mean seriously, he said "there is a hole". There is not suppose to be a hole!!! And I would not be doing interviews about it either Tom!

We Know The Risks...

2011-08-29T18:26:00.004-05:00

Last weekend was Ironman Louisville. There was an unforeseen tragedy that occurred that you might have heard about. A 46 year man named Mark Wezca died during the swim portion of the race. Reports state that he was less than 8 minutes into the swim before trouble hit and he unfortunately did not survive. Early reports are that the "autopsy results are consistent with drowning complicated by underlying cardiac disease". This was meant to be a great day for this man, yet it turned into tragedy for his friends and family.

Some people think that triathlons needs to be looked at in order to make it safer for the participants. I think I have heard of maybe 4-6 more deaths in triathlons this season across the country. While I am sadden anytime someone suddenly passes, I do not blame triathlons.

I do not know any of these people that lost their lives, but I would argue that none of them woke up that morning and decided to race. I imagine that they spent time training and probably would have argued that they felt great. It could have been an issue with a problem they never even knew they had. It could be a million things.

Some people have suggested that the USAT issue some sort of certificate certifying that a person is capable of swimming in open water, that they have passed some sort of test. I think this is not the answer because I do not think there is an answer. I do not believe there is a way to guarantee ones safety in an event of this type.

I have also had a scare in the water, and it was because I panicked. I couldn't breathe, could not get calm, and I really thought I was going to get yanked out by race officials. Luckily, I was able to calm down and get into a rhythm and still complete the swim. I also think most triathletes will share a similar story if asked about their first couple of swims.

While it is a tragedy that any life is ever lost, it is really a very small percentage of racers. I do not have anything to compare other races, like marathons or anything, but I do not blame the marathon for the deaths suffered from those races. We know what we are getting ourselves into, we know the risks and we know it is a challenge, and that's why we do it.

My thoughts and prayers go out o the families of triathletes lost and I pray that they find comfort.

A Major Obstacle

2011-08-28T12:46:00.000-05:00

After coming off one of my strongest months of training to date, I have hit a major obstacle. Here I am 21 days, 3 weeks until Branson HIM 70.3, The Rematch, and I get bronchitis and double ear infections.

It all started earlier this week with a nagging cough. I had just returned from Atlanta (work stuff) and figured I caught something on the plane due to breathing all the recycled air (Gross). So my plan was to hit it with OTC meds and NyQuil, so I got a good night sleep. It did not phase it and finally after cancelling a long ride on Sat, my wife convinced me to go to the clinic and get this checked out.

The doctor did some doctor stuff and gave me the diagnosis and a ton of medicine. Steroids, Z-packs and other pills were in my future. I was told to let this recover or it would linger.

It is very frustrating to sit and not do anything. I have missed a week of needed training. I am sticking to my training plan which will allow me to recover until Monday, and then I will have to hit it hard for two weeks and then have a taper week. Should be interesting, but hey, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it right?

Course Change and Wussies!

2011-08-17T18:07:00.004-05:00

I was on the Ironman Branson website the other day looking at the course maps and it looks like they have changed it a bit. The bike course now has something labeled as bike path which I do not remember seeing last night. Check it out:
I remember last year after I got out of the water, I said to myself, only 69.1 miles left! I had no idea how draining this bike course would be. These hills are no jokes. This bike course has been called the toughest Half Ironman bike course EVA! (Yeah, I went Memphis on ya there) And this comes from some of the pros that raced there last year. But, I kinda like that about this race. Once you say I am doing Branson, first thing people say is, "I would do it, but I want something flatter" Wussies!

Also the run course looks different as well. Now before any of you start making the "how would you know the run course is different Mr Fix-a-Flat?" jokes, you should know that I did drive the course last year, so I know. Trust me on this. Here is the run course:
I am looking forward to hitting the run portion this year, and grinding out those last 13.1 miles of the race. I still have that image of me crossing the finish line in my head and I can't wait to see it played out in real life with my wife and kids at the finish line along with my parents.

This race is not going to be about time for me, but more about finishing. Do not misunderstand, I still want to race well, but I also want to enjoy it. I want to be patient on both the bike and run and let it come to me, I do not want to force anything. I think that is the best plan for me...let the race come to me.

This weekend I have a 60 mile ride planned, which will be the first of about 4-5 more before race week. I know not to slam out these miles but to be consistent in my rides. A steady pace is much better than a start and stop pace. I am in a recovery week now, but I am looking forward to these last few weeks before Sept 18 gets here.

45, 9 out 10 and 1 1/2 Stars

2011-08-14T16:08:00.003-05:00

Today I ran the second segment of the Memphis Runners Road Race Series. It consisted of a 5 mile run. The weather was perfect and much better than you could imagine for August here in Memphis. I was feeling pretty good about my plan for this race and really had a specific goal in mind. I got up early (5:15 AM) to prepare and get to the race site. (It seems to be getting easier to get up so early nowadays). I was able to jog a little, hit the porta-potty and get to the start line. I was almost late to the start line due to long lines at the bathroom, and I really planned on placing myself about 30-40 ft behind the start of the line, so I would not avoid anyone slower and not be in the way of anyone faster. Turns out I was really in the back of the race. I thought they took off heading east, but it was really west, so my plan started off rough. I kept my pace and ran my race. I finished 377th out of 949 overall, and 51st out of 88 people in my age group with a time of 45:57. Overall in the series I am 311 place in the series!

It was funny because at about the 3.5 mile mark, there was a huge hotdog standing the middle of the road with a sign asking everyone to hit the turbo button! I hit the turbo button, but I do not think it worked for me. It was one of the funnier things I have seen in a race.

I gave them 9 out of 10 stars. I am talking about some new socks I tried out for this run. Balega Running socks! Designed, tested, and manufactured in South Africa, Balega running socks are ultra soft, durable, and well designed. Balega means "To Move with Speed" and the socks they offer provide outstanding results regardless of the speed you move at. All of Balega socks offer a seamless toe, deep heel pocket, and terrific moisture management technology. I loved them and I am looking to get some more. So Balega, if you’re reading this, I can send you my address!

Now for the 1.5 stars, that goes to the movie “The Tourist” starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. This is the absolute slowest movie I have ever seen. My wife and I watched it on Saturday night, and we both were looking forward to it, but it is stupid, dumb! It feels like they spend the whole movie trying to make Jolie look graceful and beautiful, but it really turned me off. The movie made no sense in the end, and my wife and I are still kind of scratching our head about it. So, don’t waste your time on this movie, it is totally not worth it. 1.5 stars is being generous!

"I'm Letting It Come To Me"

2011-08-09T22:08:00.002-05:00

August has started off good for me training wise. I am more focused than ever before and really sticking to my training plan. Three weeks ago, I would have said I some serious concerns about my HIM fitness, but I think I have made a break through that has helped me.

Mentally, I have learned to let things come to me. I think before I was always trying to push it, trying to be fast no matter what. Lately I have been letting things come to me, and by that, I mean I am being more patient. I know that might sound contradictory when you are talking about a race, but I know I can't force myself to have speed. I have other things to focus on, such as technique and form.

This sort of came to me when I was really wondering if I was a better trainer or racer. It really seems like I was having trouble this season getting all segments to come together. Great swim, bad bike, decent run...ok swim, great bike bad run, or great swim, great bike, horrible run. I am still not sure if it is a mental thing or what, but I am feeling better about it. And, it all started after I decided to let things come to me, slowly building speed.

It is getting to crunch time for Branson. My mileage is getting more and more on each discipline, which means I have been getting up around 5 AM in order to get it all in. It really is not that bad actually, I just have to get upright. That is the tough part. I should have my first 20 mile week running this week, including a 5 mile race on Sunday, and then it is a recovery week.

69-10,000-250-42

2011-08-01T18:02:00.005-05:00

Yes, I will explain the title...

I just recently finished the Sharpshooter Sprint Triathlon on Friday night. It was a 437 yd swim, 11 mile bike and 1 2 mile trail run. This is one of my favorite races I do each year. I was kind of bummed with my time since I was 4 minutes slower than last year, but I know what I need to fix in order to get faster. I need to fix the same thing I have been griping about for months. My run. I had a great swim (6th fastest in my AG), a great bike (10th fastest in my AG), but another sub par run. I finished 14th in my AG, which I am happy with, but I know I could have been a few places higher. Here are a few race photos my wife took:

As I have in the past, I was issued race number 69...again. This is the 4th time I have been number 69 in an event. It is awkward to have because everyone cheers for good ol 69!

Daily Training hit a milestone this week. 10,000 hits!! Who would have thought? This blog started out as one thing and turned into something else, and I am glad that a few people actually take the time to read what I scribble. I would like to thank my mom and dad and myself for driving up the visitor count!

Branson HIM is soon coming. I have really started focusing more and more to beat this course. In July I had 3 races and still managed to bike 250 miles and run 42, which are monthly highs for me. I feel like I am on the right path from Branson and then on to the marathon in Dec, providing I stay healthy.

Congrats to three of my training buddies for their wins this weekend. Dave B, Greg H and Chris B all either won or placed in the their AG on the podium. Someday, I will get there!

Last thing, I have a FaceBook page called Daily Trainings and I would love to see people add some of their race shots to the page, so please feel free to add a picture or send it to me and I will add it for you.

I'm Getting There...

2011-07-27T18:33:00.001-05:00

My training has been great this month. I am feeling a lot better about Ironman Branson than I was a couple of weeks ago. Last weekend I hit a good 40 mile ride and felt pretty good afterwards. In fact, I am on track to meet and exceed all my monthly goals. I have also had three races this month. 1 5k, 1 Sprint and a super sprint on Friday evening. I have had over 200 miles biking, 40 miles running and 10,000 yards swimming. My runs and bikes have gotten longer in distance which has really helped my confidence.

This Friday, I am racing the Sharpshooter Super Sprint Triathlon. It is a 437 yd swim, 11 mile bike and a 2 mile trial run. This is a very fun race. My PR on this is 1:02 and this year I am shooting for under an hour. The only concern for me is that the race time is Friday night at 6PM, and the Memphis heat could definitely be a factor. This will be the last triathlon I have until Branson and I really feel prepared for the race situation. The distance is another story, but I am working on it. I will have about 6 weeks after this race to get everything together, which is doable.

I am also doing a road race series, which is helping me to prepare for the run and the marathon I signed up for in December. I am very excited about doing the marathon. I will have more to say about that later on, as my main focus is Branson. It still bothers me that I did not finish Branson, and this is ne demon I am looking to get rid of.

I picture the finish line at Branson often. I see my family waiting for me. I se me running to the finish and stopping about 20 ft from the finish line and just standing there, taking it all in. My wife hands me the wine glass they gave us last year and I finally get to drink out of it, before I run across that line. I am still trying to pick the theme music that will be playing as this happens!

I Have Missed the Pool

2011-07-18T19:41:00.001-05:00

Saturday I ran the Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon in Forrest City, AR. One thing that I had been doing was cutting back on my swim time and trying to refocus that time to the run or bike. I also have been not hitting the pool as often because I have been swimming in the lake. I think this approach has been all wrong, and I will tell you why.

The lake water has been almost 90 degrees, it is like swimming in a bathtub, which cuts the amount of swim training I have been doing. No one likes swimming in that hot of water, it wears you down.

So today, I decided to go back to the pool, and I am glad I did. Instead of swimming 500 yards, I was able to get in a designed workout. 100yd warmup, 5x200 (50 easy, 50 build, 50 easy, 50 hard) followed by a 200 cooldown. I felt like I got a better workout.

I used to think it was important to do as many OWS as possible, but I am not worried about doing OWS anymore. I have done enough races that the swim is nothing I worry about anymore, so my focus is back to the pool with organized workouts.

Next up is the Sharpshooter Super Sprint on the 29th. 400 yd swim, 11 mile bike and 2 mile run. Time to redline it!!

I love Packet Pickup Day.

2011-07-14T20:27:00.002-05:00

One of the best parts of training for a race in my opinion is packet pickup day. To me it kind of lets me know that training is over and now it is time to race. I am always interested in my race number. I have a goal to always come in better than my number, so sometimes it is a breeze, but other times it can make me push it. This Saturday is the mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon, one of the oldest triathlons in the country (they say). This is a point to point race, and typically it is a good race for me.

Packet pickup is very exciting. You have the regulars that I usually see at races, and you have first timers as well. You also have people there that will be sizing other athletes up as they get their packet. I learned long ago to not judge someone by the they the look, cause I have been beat my old fat guys and I have smoked lean in shape dudes, so you just never know.

In the bag, here is what you usually get:

Race number

Bike number

swim cap

safety pins for number

a gel flavor that they can't get ride of (Montana Huckleberry??)

4000 flyers for other races

I always have such high hopes for the swag, but it is always the same. Usually the shirt is like the 15 other triathlon shirts I have that I end up giving to my wife. I have a drawer full of mocha, tangerine and no Montana huckleberry gels that I will never taste again, and I have a ton of saftey pins. I know this is what the bag will consist of, but I am always hopeful and I always look forward to getting the swag bag.

The best swag ever I got from a race was from the Gearhead Sprint Tri. They gave a tech shirt, T-shirt and running hat in the bag. It rocked and I still wear those shirts today! I know it is hard trying to please everyone, but at least make an effort. At least print the race on the swim cap, that's something we can keep and reuse!

my 1st Marathon & a Conversation with the "Jack-Rabbit

2011-07-11T22:59:00.002-05:00

This morning I signed up for my first marathon ever! I will be running the St. Jude's Memphis Marathon on December 11, 2011, and I am worried. As soon as I hit the submit button, I got this feeling in my stomach, the "what have I done" feeling. A marathon was always a goal of mine and I figured I should do a marathon before I did my first Ironman, but the commitment has been made, and the money paid.

My HIM is in late Sept, so I will have all of October and November to prepare, so I am sure I can be ready, well pretty sure at least. I have started the Memphis Road Race Series which will only help me.

As a matter of fact, the 1st 5k run was yesterday morning. This was the first stand alone 5K I have done in a long time, so I wasn't sure what to expect. There were over 1,200 people registered for this race, so it was very crowded. I lined up about 1/3 of the way back next to a guy that had to be running on straight Red Bull. He was bouncing all over the place and was a very interesting character.

Picture Dwight Shrute from the office. This guy was dressed in all black, knee high socks and a bandanna on his head. He called himself a Jackrabbit. Here is how it went:

Jack-rabbit: I hate starting so far back, it makes it hard for a jack-rabbit like me.
Me: Excuse me?
Jack-rabbit: I said I hate starting so far back, it makes it hard for a jack-rabbit like me.
Me: You're a jack-rabbit?
Jack-rabbit: Yeah.
Me: Sighs...what's a jack-rabbit?
Jack-rabbit: someone that takes off way to fast and has to dodge everyone before I start losing energy.
Me:Uh, Yeah. Good luck

Anyways, I had a decent race. I miscalculated the ending of the run, which made me to use up my kick way early, but I finished at 25:43 (8:10 pace) I was 32 out of 92 in my Ag and 236 out of 1022 people overall. Next up in the series is a 5 miler in August.

Also I am very happy to say that my wife has joined a women's running group. She is going to work her way up to running a 5K in the fall. I am very excited to cheer her on and watch her finish. I think she is going to do much better than she thinks she will. It is going to be fun.

Busy July!

2011-07-09T18:17:00.000-05:00

Things are going great here in Daily Trainings land. My training has picked up and I am back on my training plan. It was really hard to stay focused without a bike. I really enjoy riding “HBK” and I do not dread the rides like I used too. I am still spending a lot of time on the trainer, but due to my schedule, it is just hard to get out. This week is a bike focus week, which has me riding 3 straight days, so I think my goal mileage of 160 will be broken, it may be more like 200+ miles, which is fine with me. I know Branson has the hardest bike course out of any half Ironman course, which means I need every mile I can.

It seems weird to say this, but I have cut the number of swims I am doing in a week’s time, but I feel like my swim is getting stronger. I am only swimming twice a week now, one at the pool, one at the lake, and I just feel stronger.

My running is going well also. This Memphis heat makes it hard, but I am getting it done. I am also looking to beat my 40 mile goal for July. Tomorrow I am starting my Memphis Road Race Series with a 5K. It has been a long time since I have raced a stand alone 5K, so I am really not sure what to expect or where I expect to finish. I am really using this series as a way to prepare for the marathon I want to finish in Dec. This series should help. In July, we have 2 5k races, Aug has 2 5 milers, Sept has 2 10k’s, Oct has 2 10 milers and Nov has 2 half marathons. So it sounds like a good training plan to me.

Another good thing about July is that my bride has signed up for her first triathlon! It is a
non competitive triathlon that a friend throws every year. She has been working hard and the other night we went out and ran together. We both jogged and I pushed baby Jesse in the stroller. We were that couple people hate to see! LOL!! She is also going to participate in a women’s running group this summer to help her prepare. Very exciting over here!

I will post my results from the 5k tomorrow. It kicks off at 7AM and I have to finish in time to be at church by 9 AM!

I'm Rambling again...

2011-07-04T20:50:00.001-05:00

Branson is just around the corner it seems. Time to start amping things up, but it is hard to do in this heat.

I love the new ride. My bike is awesome. All this time I thought it was a she, but really, he is a he. I am kicking around a few names for him, and I am leaning to naming him HBK, for the Heartbreak Kid.

4th of July celebrations seem to all happen on the 2nd or 3rd of July nowadays.

Finding Bigfoot and Whale Wars are my can't miss shows.

On my iPod, I put 4 cheesy tunes on my iPod the other day. (So cheesy, that I will not mention them) Whenever these songs come on, I have to amp up my pace for these songs (I stay on shuffle mode) and they usually come on at the worst time.

My road race series starts Sunday. I am using this series to help me prepare for the run at Branson and also to help me train for the Memphis marathon in December.

I am now addicted to Words with Friends, but do not ask me to play because I use the internet to help me.

I have also been jonseing for chocolate milk lately.

True Blood has gotten really weird this season.

I bought a power balance band a few weeks ago at a flea market and I have not fallen over once since.

I have found out that lately, a tennis ball is my best friend.

Well, that's about it for the ramblings. I have been hitting the training harder because I feel behind after not having a bike for over a month. I have been concentrating more on the bike and run portion of my training. I have a 5k this Sunday and then next weekend I have a sprint triathlon, so July will be fun. I will take these races seriously, but my main focus is Branson,and all these races are to help me with Branson. I will be ready, and thankfully I know my wife is supporting me bigtime, I know she wants me to finish Branson this time as much as I do. She is signed up to do a triathlon geared for beginners this year around Labor Day, so it will be great to help her train and get ready, so that will be very exciting to support her.

This Is How I Roll Now... BIKE PORN!

2011-06-24T23:55:00.008-05:00

June 23, 2011, I walked into Gearhead Outfitters, back to the bike area and I saw my new bike, standing there. I stood there gazing upon it when a clerk asked if they could help me, and I said "That's mine!" Next, I remember hugging Ted! as we headed back to start the fitting, I told him that I wasn;t sure if I was good enough for this bike and he said "You're not, none of us are!"

My new weapon that I will be attacking triathlon courses all across the Mid South and Branson is the Specialized Transition Elite. It is awesome. I really like this bike. I can't wait to race it. Here are some pics of my new ride, which is unnamed at this time.

I really thought this was the way I was going to get a TT bike, one piece at a time!

Gently out of the car...

There is the rest of her...

All together, ready to roll...

That is awesome! I don't care what anyone says...
I know, no helmet, but I couldn't resist!

RIP Canny Dale

2011-06-21T15:14:00.002-05:00

It has been almost 4 weeks since I last saw her. I and many of my friends have searched for her as well. Online sites, pawn shops, garages, everywhere we can think of, but yet she's gone, taken against her will by some unknown coward. So it is time to say goodbye to my old bike. I first met her back in 2009. She was a young bike, had not been ridden much, or even raced for that matter, so we were a match. We spent many a night riding on the trainer, not going anywhere, but we were getting somewhere just the same. We had a lot of good times. Yes, there were issues we had. Branson comes to mind, and you all know that story, so I will not dwell on it, I think we both can take some blame for that, but I prefer to think of the good rides, the fast rides we had. Her official name was Cannondale CAAD3 R15, but I affectionately called her "Canny Dale". She taught me a lot about racing those short two years we had together, and although I may never know what happened to her, or who grabbed her off the back wall of my garage, she will not be forgotten. I know I will keep a watchful eye out at future races just in case. I think it is time to bid her farewell.

R.I.P. CANNY DALE

2009-2011

It’s been awhile huh?

2011-06-17T15:52:00.001-05:00

Well, I am back to my little blogging world. After my last race, I went on vacation to sunny Florida for almost 2 weeks. It was really great and we all had a wonderful time. I was able to get a few beach runs in and some swims and also got to work on my tan! It was tough coming back to Memphis, but I am glad to be home.

I was suppose to race this weekend, but due to not having a bike (mine was stolen), the race management company graciously agreed to transfer my race fee to another race in July.

I think I may have found a bike. It is very purty and looks super fast!

I am still convinced the best way for me to work on my run is to run more, so that is basically what I am doing.

It is still so hard for me to get up in the morning, but it kind of slapped me across the face that Branson will be here before I know it!

I am signing up for a road race series here in Memphis. It consists of 2-5k's, 2-5 milers, 2-10k's, 2-10 milers and 2 half marathons. I figured this would be a great way to train for my first marathon.

Oh yeah, I am going to run the Memphis St Jude marathon in December.

I have a few articles I want to write about on my blog, so be looking for something more in depth soon. I am also looking to shred it down and start writing on my daily workout grinds, something to get me going again.

Happy Father's Day out there to all you Dads! Especially mine!

Sounds Simple Enough…

2011-05-30T21:22:00.001-05:00

Memphis in May is well behind me and my next race is June 18^th. My blisters are healing up and I have been back at it running and swimming. One thing I learned from the last race is that he run was .5 miles longer than the run should have been. That little tidbit of info makes me feel a little better about my run because I was extremely disappointed in it. One reason I was bummed about it was because I really felt like I had worked on my run. So, what do I do?

My answer? Run more

Before I go much further with my answer, I will say that I know I was on a new bike, and I average closed to 20mph during the race, so I am not sure that my bike fitness was the entire issue. I think it was more of a mental toughness issue, and that is not easy for me to type, but it's true. I have to get mentally tougher on the run portion of my races and the way I plan on doing that is to run more.

Currently I am running 3 days a week. 2 of my runs are usually in the 3-4 mile range and the 3^rd run is in the 6-8 mile range, so roughly I am doing 12-14 miles a week and about 40+ miles a week. One guy told me about his plan of running everyday for a month and then he told me about the results he saw from this, so I am going to tweak it a bit. The extra runs are going to include brick sessions with about a mile run added. I have to get through that initial obstacle of running off the bike. I know on a stand alone run, I can do over 2 minute a mile pace better than after a bike. So technically, I am running more.

Let me know if you guys have any tips or plans I can work in. I want to be ready fro Ironman Branson in Sept. So I plan on running more.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

Memphis in May Pictures

2011-05-26T22:56:00.005-05:00

Here is my race report in pictures:

Always set your watch before starting the swim.

Swimming through the channel
Swim Exit

T1 Biking through a thunderstorm is not fun

The dreaded run

The FINISH!!!!

Memphis in May Triathlon Report

2011-05-23T23:30:00.006-05:00

Pre Race:

This race was at a new venue this year. Tunica, MS, the Vegas of the Mississippi River! The venue was great overall and I am glad we made the decision to come in the night before and stay at the hotel. The kids loved staying in a hotel and I loved rolling out of bed and being at the swim site. Since I was able to rack my bike the night before the race, the morning went smooth.

I woke up around 5 AM and got ready. I drank some Gatorade, but didn't really eat anything. I felt pretty good overall that morning and was not that nervous. I was able to take my bag to the transition area and get everything set up. I got my body marking the night before, so setup did not take me long. I went back to the room to use the restroom and grab my wetsuit.

Before the race, I was able to get in the water and swim around. The water was almost warm enough to go without a wetsuit, but the added speed I have with the wetsuit made it a no brainer. This swim was in a man made lake which was no deeper than 4-6ft the entire way!

The swim went great for me. I got into a "zone" after about the first 500 yards and I felt comfortable the rest of the way. After the third buoy, we got to swim through a channel, you could see people standing on the bank cheering us on. I almost lost my sighting and swam into the wall, but was able to correct. The only other thing that happened in the swim was that some guy whacked me in the head pretty hard! Thankfully, I have a hard head and was able to swim on.

I ran up the ramp to T1 and I had a long run to my spot since I was such a low number (#155), which was OK, because it meant I did not have to run with my bike on this transition, It was starting to rain once I was at my spot, but I had no idea about the rains that were coming. My wetsuit got stuck on one of my ankles, but a quick jerk got it off and I was on my way.

It immediately started to rain as I got on my bike, which remained steady until it was a full out thunderstorm. We had a headwind for the first 12-14 miles. I am not a huge fan of riding in the rain, but I was thankful to be out riding. As you know if you read this blog, my bike was stolen on the Tuesday before this race and I was lucky enough to have a friend offer to let me use their bike. So even though there was a lot of rain, thunder and lightning, I was glad to be out there. We finally got a tailwind with the last 12 miles or so. Overall I had a pretty good bike for only riding it for two days and not having a bike computer.

Coming in to T2, I wasn't able to get my right shoe off before the dismount line, so I ran with one shoe clipped to the pedal and the other on my foot to my rack. Some a-hole had racked his bike in my spot which threw everyone off.

So here was my decision to make. My shoes and socks I had placed out were soaking wet, so I decided to go without socks. I took off running and stopped about a half mile in to adjust my laces. At about Mile 2, I could already feel the blisters rubbing, and it got worse as the run went on. I was 1:50 into the race when I started the run, so I knew I was on track to meet my goal time, but the run got me. It seems to be my weak area again. The run turned out to be 1/2 mile longer than it should, but I was doing so much run/walk that it did not matter. My feet were bloody from the blisters all over my feet that I was so glad to see the finish line.

I finished the race in 3:00:37. I was hoping for 2:45-2:50. I am OK with that overall time due to the weather and using a new bike, but I am disappointed in my run, it is something I will really have to work on going forward!

Someone Stole My Bike! For Real!

2011-05-17T23:10:00.001-05:00

5 days until my first triathlon of the season and I am bikeless. Someone came into my garage, lifted my bike off the rack on the wall and walked away with my bike and bike shoes which were still clipped in. They left the three other bikes belonging to my wife and kids. They left all the lawn equipment and power tools in the garage, they only took my bike. Somone knew what they were getting.

5 days

I went out to get my bike because I thought I am going to ride on my trainer for 30-45 minutes tonight for a last bike workout before my race, so I walk out to the garage and it is not there. I know it was there this morning because after the Branson collapse, I always squeeze the tires on my bike to ensure they are still inflated. Imagine the sinking feeling I got when I could not find my bike.

Police report filed, and insurance contacted but I think I am S.O.L. due to my deductible. I am not sure what I am going to do about Sunday, but I promise you this, if I ever find out who went into my garage and took my bike, I had better hope I have at least one person that will pay my bail.

Memphis Flood 2011

2011-05-13T21:27:00.004-05:00

I am sure you all may have heard about the flood of 2011 and how Memphis is under water. Well, I want to let you know that it is not as bad as the national news makes it out to be. Yes, there is a lot of damage, homes are flooded and people have been evacuated, but all of Memphis is not being effected by the flood. The majority of the effected areas are the parts that are close to the MS River or tributaries of it. So I am posting some pictures of the flooded areas to show you.

This is a picture of the bridge crossing into Arkansas.Notice the missing trees! The water along the MS swallowed up everything.

Notice the difference a day makes. The bottom picture is downtown Memphis, You can see the Pyramid in the background, and this is where Beale Street intersects with Riverfront St.

Crazy floods, and it will take some time for all the water to go away, but Memphis will survive.

Go Grizzlies!!!

On The Count of Three…

2011-05-07T22:00:00.003-05:00

This post has absolutely nothing to do with training or triathlons, but please keep reading. I have a lot of roles that I gladly accept. I have the role of husband. I have the role as an investigator at work. I have the role of triathlete when I train. I have the role of money manager at home, and there are many, many other roles I could list. Son, brother, uncle, friend just a few the roles I accept to name a few. Now each of these roles has different responsibilities associated with them. Some of the responsibilities are big, some are small. They range from chief bug killer, to lawn maintenance, bill payer, spiritual leader, noise checker outer, weatherman, head of security and discipline, clock re-setter, chauffer, head griller and master of the remote. So I pretty much gladly accept all of these roles without hesitation.

The most difficult role I have I think is the Dad role. I have three boys, ages 2, 10 and 11. Yeah, there is a huge responsibility involved in this role of dad, and overall it is a really cool experience for me, but there is one piece of it I can't stand. I can handle the discipline part. I can handle the part of teaching them to be a man, and I can also handle the sex questions (I have one verging on being a teenager soon). So I bet you are asking yourself what part of being a dad I loathe….

Pulling teeth.

Ughhhh. Please ask me to do anything else except for pulling a loose tooth. And guess what happened today? My middle boy had a tooth that was just hanging. You could see it flopping around, yet still attached somehow. It was so gross. It was starting to effect or affect (I am not sure which) him eating, so it had to come out. I suggested that he go to the bathroom and pull it out, really hoping he would get it out so I did not have too. But after about a minute, no more like 10 seconds, I heard "Dad, I need some help". Normally, those are nice words to hear, it's nice when the kiddos need you, but this time I sure would have liked to hear him call on mom. But he didn't, he called for me, and I was going to be there.

So I pull my shorts up past my belly button, put on my black socks and sandals (getting my Dad groove on) and head into the bathroom. He shows me how the tooth is just flopping around. Gross! So I do what any Dad would do. I tell him I will go get him a paper towel so he can grab it and it won't be so slippery. I give it to him and tell him to let me know how it goes. (I know this is pathetic, but it is really gross for me) So about a minute, no more like 10 seconds later, I heard, "Dad, I need your help". Sigh. I notch up the belt one more time and head back into the bathroom. This time I decide I have to get in there and pull that sucker out.

I use the paper towel and get as good a grip as I can and I start to pull and he immediately makes a groaning sound. He says it hurts when I pull on it, so much for this being a quick extraction. Then I see the blood. I don't like blood. At all. I don't know if he was vibing off me or not, but every tug, he would groan. So plan B.

Plan B involved crush ice on the area to hopefully numb it so I could pull it. Does that work you might ask? I have no idea. In theory, it sounds good, but can you really numb a dead tooth?? Anyways, after a few unsuccessful attempts by my son, I knew it was time to just do it. I was determined.

So I told Jared, this is the time. All the ice is gone and we have a fresh paper towel to get that slippery sucker out of there. So I basically have my son in a headlock with my left arm, and my right hand is in his mouth, fingers wrapped around this tooth, and I am pulling straight down. His little hands go on to my am that is around his head, but I keep the pressure on until finally, that sucker comes out. High fives all around the house!

Normally, I would pretty much be out of the tooth pulling business, but I have a 2 year old, and I know I will be pulling some of his teeth. You would think that after two other boys, I'd be a pro, but I am not. I do it though. I do it showing no fear to my children (I think) because that is one of the roles I have. Master Tooth Extractor.

James Day Festivities

2011-04-30T09:29:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was James Day! I hope you all had a great day, cause I sure did. James Day is nothing more than a personal day off from work, but it involves no "honey do" lists, it only involves things I want to do, which is what makes it my day.

James Day actually started Thursday evening after work, when I completed my first OWS of the season. Greg, Dave and I met at Dave's house to take advantage of the beautiful lake he lives on. I admit, I was looking forward to it all day. I had almost forgotten the feel of OW and the feel of my wetsuit, so it was great to get back out there and swim. I was a little worried about water temps because we have had so much rain in the past few days, and I had good reason to be concerned. The thermometer read a brisk 64 degrees, not sure if you can see it in this picture.
The water really slapped you in the face once you first jumped in, but after about 10 minutes in the water, it actually felt really nice. We hit a couple of really cold pockets of water in the middle of the lake, but other than that, it felt great! Anyways, I was happy to get that first OWS out of the way, we did 1000yd swim and it felt really easy. I noticed that my swim stroke is a little bit different in OW than it is in the pool for some reason. I feel like in OW I stretch out more and glide more than I do in the pool, and this is something I will have to look at further.

James Day festivities continued on Friday. I was able to wake up, take my older boys to school and then head to the pool for a 1000 yd swim. Afterwards, I was back hoe, changed and took my youngest to his Mother's Day Out class and then I headed out for 6 mile run. Next on the agenda was lunch with my bride. My wife and oldest boy were heading out for a Mother/Son camping trip this weekend, so I was left with my middle and youngest. So we had to go grocery shopping and load up on manfood! Dinner consisted of Mac N cheese for the little guy, a fish dinner for middle son and a nice grilled steak for dad! I ate and watched my MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES beat the San Antonio Floppers, I mean Spurs!

During the second half of the game, I was on my bike on the trainer. I rode fairly hard and felt really good, even after a busy day.

Overall, James Day was a huge success, and I think I need to get another one on the schedule pretty quick!

5 Things on my Mind…

2011-04-24T23:21:00.001-05:00

I just have a few things to ramble about on this Easter Sunday:

1. The week after my trail run has been pretty good. I have had some great runs, swims and bikes this week and I am feeling pretty good about where I want to be with my training for Memphis in May. I have really focused on my running this year and I am hoping that a stronger run will benefit me this season. I have been using the treadmill more than normal, only because I am really trying to focus on maintaining a pace. In past races, I have been all over the place as far as my runs go, and it has definitely been the weaker leg of the three.

2. To follow up on the last point, I ma signing up for a road race series that starts in June. It consists of 10 races. 2 races of the following distances: 5k, 5 miler, 10k, 10 miler and 13.1 miles. So that is the chance to run 20 road races for only $55! BARGAIN! A lot of the reason I am doing this is because I think it will help me for my HIM in Sept and it will also benefit me as I plan on attempting my first marathon in December. They say the best training you can do for running is to run more, so I am going to run more. The best part about this series is that it will not mess with my triathlon schedule at all. I am planning on doing only 6 of these races, which will consist of one of every distance, plus the other half marathon, but we will see how it works out.

3. All of my bike rides this year have been trainer rides, late night, watching DVR TV trainer rides. I am not sure how I feel about that either. I mean part of me wants to get out and ride, but also it is hard to find the time to get away. I can honestly say that there has to be a curve for trainer rides. 25 miles on the trainer has to equal at least 30 miles right? I know that 90 minutes pedaling is 90 minutes of pedaling, so I am hoping this is helping me out. We will see in a few weeks.

4. Today I had planned a nice 8 mile run outside in this beautiful weather we are having, but after lunch, I laid on the couch to let my food settle as usual. I usually grab a cat nap after Sunday lunch and then hit the streets around 3PM, but not today. I slept hard on the couch. I could have slept longer if I could, but once I awoke around 4PM, the wife wanted to take the kids to the park, so I decided that since I slept as much as I did, that maybe my body was trying to tell me that it needed some rest. That is how I took it at least. I think there is a real benefit in taking an unscheduled rest day every once in a while.

5. I have been looking for some new triathlon bike shoes and not having very much luck. They are very expensive. There is nothing wrong per se with my old shoes, but I just want some new ones. I almost bought some new Shimano shoes lst week, but they did not have them in my size, so my search will continue.

Run the Trails Race Report

2011-04-18T22:54:00.009-05:00

Here is my race report for the 9.5 mile trail run I did on Sunday April 17, 2011. The race went fairly well. I had set a goal time of 1:30 for myself. This was the first time I have ever run this race, so I was not sure what to expect.

Pre-race: Woke up after having a great sleep, drank some Gatorade and tried to figure out what I was going to wear. It was 44 degrees when I woke up but I knew the forecast called for it to be in the 70s later that afternoon. I hate to be cold, so I went with tights and a t shirt. Hindsight later let me know that this was too much. It was not so much that I got to hot in these clothes, but it not what I have normally been running in, so I should have went with shorts. I do not really think it affected the outcome of my race at all. Another snafu was that I never really ate anything that morning. In my morning workouts, it is not unusual for me not to eat beforehand, but at this distance, I think I would be wise to get some nutrition in me before I race.

Event warm-up: Got to the race site, got my chip and walked around, occasionally talking to racers. This was a much different crowd than I see at normal races, so I really did not know anyone. The crowd was an older crowd than I expected, not the ones I normally see at the triathlons I have attended in the area, but then again I have not ran many "run" races only, so it is possible I was the one out of the norm!

The Run: I had really planned on taking this run easy and using it as a long training run, but I wanted to finish under my goal time of 90 minutes. I purposely moved to the back of the pack when the siren sounded. I was focused on keeping a steady pace, instead of trying to do it as fast as I could. So when it started, I really had to talk to myself and remind myself to go slow. I got into a comfortable pace and was doing well until I had the bright idea to avoid the bottleneck and jump across a creek to the other bank. It was not graceful at all and felt like I jammed my right ankle when I landed. The ankle only bothered me for a little while and I soon got over it. We hit the 3 mile mark of the trail and my GPS said 24 minutes and I knew I was going way to fast. I knew there was no way for me to maintain this pace on trails for another 6 miles, however; I know this was not my plan, but I decided I would run at whatever pace I felt was comfortable. So I pretty much tried to set it on cruise control. The front pack broke away from me and I felt like I was setting the pace for the second group a majority of the run, which was cool. Not much to report on for the next couple of miles except for when the dude behind me bit it pretty hard. It sounded like it hurt, but we all kind of stopped to make sure he was ok.

My Garmin display had somehow been changed so in the section that I normally have total distance, it somehow got changed to total calories, so that really threw me off. I thought the satellites were having trouble connecting through the trees, so I pretty much discounted the use of it and kept my eyes on the path ahead of me. My fancy GPS became a fancy time clock. In a way, it might have been good for me because I had no idea about the distance I had traveled until I came across a marker on the trail.

At about mile 7, my left groin started flaring up a bit and was painful going up and down the hills, I was fine on the flat parts of the course, so I ran when I could and walked when I had too. Only issue I had was that the drink stations were setup at miles 2 and 7, which seemed like odd places for me. I do not need water at mile 2 and by mile 7 it was too late. At 7, I did take an E-gel and wash it down with some water. I actually stopped in order to do this, wish I hadn't, because I would have been under my time goal of 1:30 if I'd kept moving!

The race ended with us running down a levy by the lake to the finish line. The sponsor of the race had it streaming on the internet that you could watch live. I am providing the web address for you to go watch me finish the race. You need to fast forward to the 1:09 point of the video to see me.You can watch me finish the race by clicking on the

Ustream video I am glad they don't show anymore than me crossing the finish line because I was hurting. This race was tough. I am not a trail runner and I battled cramps the rest of the day.

I did finish in 1:30:03! I was pleased and I accomplished what I wanted to out of this race. If you had asked me on Sunday if I would consider doing this race again, I probably would have said No way, but having a day to recover from it, I am actually looking forward to next years race!

For some reason, the link is not highlighting in the above paragraph, click here to go to the video of me finishing.

Rabbits and Trail Runs…

2011-04-12T22:35:00.002-05:00

When I take a business trip, I usually will overpay for the newest Runner's World magazine, or some kind of running magazine. So last week I picked up the newest edition and read an article on rabbits that I found very interesting. A rabbit is someone that elite runners bring in to help set a pace for them. The rabbit usually only runs about half the race and his only job is to set a pace and is never expected to win. Rabbit are well paid if they can deliver the pace requested of them, and by saying they are paid well, I am talking about a six figure income. On the other hand, if they cannot set the correct pace, then work is scare.

Rabbits go way back in history, but I found out that Roger Bannister, of the 3:39 mile fame, used rabbits to set that record. In fact, he used two rabbits. One guy set the pace the first two laps, the second guy set the pace for the last two laps, but neither one of them could win the race. Bannister defended using rabbits with two points.

Physiologically, it's easier to run from behind than to run in front (which I know nothing about). Stats say that it takes 15% less effort to run from behind.

Psychologically, it is easier to run behind someone than in front. Some prefer to jump out front like Steve Prefontaine, but most people would prefer to have a target rather than be a target.

Now, this makes sense to me in a way, but I also think that it is kind of wrong. The people that are setting these records are elite runners. To me, elite means the best, and I could argue that using a rabbit takes away from that accomplishment. I say, let them bust it out hard and see what they can do. I also think that with GOS watches and all the technology we have, there really should not be a need for rabbits. I know marathons have pacesetters, and this does not bother me, because I feel it is totally different. The corals are NOT setup for the elite runners. Anyway, I found it interesting.

Now for a shout out to Jeff from Dangle the Carrot. Jeff just completed the Galveston 70.3 Half Ironman. It sounded like a great race and I want to send a Daily Trainings "High Five" to him for battling through some issues we all have faced at one time or another, so go read his blog to find out what I am talking about.

Next up for me is the Herb Parsons Run the Trails 9.5 miler on Sunday April 17, 2011. I have no idea of how I will do on this race. I have been hitting the miles fairly well the past couple of weeks, but trail running is entirely different for me. I guess it is more of a mental thing for me because I know my pace will not be like a regular run pace, so I have to get the mileage part of it out of my head. I am trying to approach this as a good long run. I do have a goal time of 1:30. So it is out there, I will let you all know how it goes on Sunday and if I hit my goal time. I know, maybe I will find a rabbit on the trail that will lead me home!

I Have 7 Things To Say...

2011-04-05T22:24:00.003-05:00

Here are some things on my mind, and I am not wasting any time getting to them:

Dogs- I like dogs. I even have a dog, but what I do not like is dogs running around without a leash. I have been chased, barked at and even tripped while out running due to dogs running free. I have thought about buying that doggy pepper stuff to use on the dogs, but I know the owners would freak, so maybe I'd use it on them also. All I am asking is for people to leash their pets unless it is a no leash area. I won;t run in the no leash area OK?

Wind- The wind sucks. Sunday it was very windy out on my run. I heard estimates of 30mph+ winds outside. All I know is that when I was running against the wind, I was about 15 seconds slower than normal. While I was running with the wind, I was about 10 seconds faster! It actually felt like I was being pushed from behind.

Shortcuts- It is not uncommon for me to change my routes while I am out running. There could be many reasons for me to change, but rarely are they good reasons, so I won't even list them. Sunday I had a predetermined route in my mind, and I was determined to complete the route. I am happy to report that I even added some distance to my run that day. Booyeah!

NCAA Championship- horrible.

Hot Pockets- not a fan

WWE- I admit, I have started watching it again on Monday nights since The Rock is back. It usually goes along with my Monday night trainer ride. I think it makes my ride go by faster, what do you think? (It doesn't matter what you think!) Rock reference.

Goals- I am leading a mentor group over on BT.com. As part of this group, we all have set goals for April, Here are mine. Bike 160 miles, run 45 miles and swim 12,000 yds.

The "Manatee" Makes his way to Daily Trainings!

2011-04-01T13:40:00.005-05:00

DT has a guest writer today, a good friend and training partner of mine. This guy is a beast when it comes to training and racing. He is always up for a S/B/R . His family can often be seen at any number of races on the weekend volunteering if they are not racing.

An Iron Man Adventure by David Barczak

This past November, like many others, I joined the dubious ranks of the unemployed. Thankfully, I had a reasonable rainy day fund set aside for such "unforeseen circumstances". Although I will need to find gainful employment in the not too distant future, I have decided to use this unscheduled vacation time to tick a monumental item off of my bucket list and in the process raise funds for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center (MCAC). My goal is to train this summer and attempt to complete an iron man distance triathlon and in doing so I hope to raise $14,060 for MCAC...that's $100 for each of the 140.6 miles I will traverse during my iron distance triathlon adventure.

An iron man distance triathlon is an event in which one swims 2.4 miles, bikes 112 miles, and then runs 26.2 miles….all in a row….all in one day. It is estimated that only about 1 in 75,000 people in the United States ever complete an iron distance event. The most famous of these is the Hawaii Iron Man. Like the Boston marathon one must qualify to get into the Hawaii Iron Man race by placing high in the standings in a qualifying iron distance event. The iron distance event that I will be attempting to complete is the Beach to Battleship 140.6 (B2B) to be held in Wilmington NC on October 29, 2011. That gives me about 7 more months to train and raise funds. After that, I'll be working hard to find a new job.

To successfully complete the task I will be training a good bit these next 7 months. I am currently training about 10 hours a week. Starting in June I will be ramping up to 14 - 18 hours a week which will include swimming 5 - 7 miles, biking 125 -175 miles, and running 20 - 35 miles each and every week. I generally train 5 days a week taking Monday's & Friday's off to let my old body recover a bit. I'll also be entering several running races and triathlons along the way just to keep my competitive juices flowing and to gauge my progress in both speed and endurance.

A little about the Memphis Child Advocacy Center. In their words…."The mission of the MCAC is to serve children who are victims of sexual and sever physical abuse through prevention, education and intervention. Our vision is a community where children are safe, families are strong and victims become children again".

In my words…it is an amazing place, a collaboration of government and non-profit, that successfully works together to help victims in many ways and to get the perpetrators off the streets. Please go to their web site to learn more (http://www.memphiscac.org/)

How can you help? Thanks for asking. There are a several ways. First and most important…pray for all victims of child abuse and pray that I can obtain the strength, endurance, will power, and courage needed to complete my iron man journey. Secondly, if able, a donation would be greatly appreciated. I know times are rough and that you are constantly bombarded with donation requests from a variety of sources. So, if you are unable to donate that is fine. Just send me an email of encouragement....that would be great (dwbarc@aol.com). If you are able to make a donation, no matter how small (as little as $5) as it only takes a few small ones to make a big difference, that would be wonderful. Just send a check made out to the Memphis Child Advocacy Center to me at 3999 Lighthouse Cove, Lakeland TN 38002. I will make sure the check gets to the MCAC and make sure that you get a thank you note. And thirdly, pass this email message on to folks and family members that know me or that you think would like to help the cause or like to follow me on this adventure.

Now, a little more about me. I am 51 years old, which I used to think was ancient but now realize is actually more like middle aged; however my kids still think it's ancient. I have been happily married to the same beautiful wife for 30 years. We have 4 children…1 daughter who is a Junior in college and 3 sons ages 18, 13, & 11. The 18 year old will be college bound this fall so we will be left with only 2 at home. I did my first triathlon in 1989. It was the Memphis in May Olympic distance triathlon (roughly a 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run). Since then I have completed another 30 - 35 triathlons of varying distances. The longest distance I have ever done is a half iron man race. I completed the Racine Half Ironman 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) last summer in 5 hours and 31 minutes. My triathlon nickname is "the manatee". My running training partner is my loyal mutt dog Gibson. We rescued Gibson from the shelter a couple of years ago and he has been running at my side ever since. Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

David "the manatee" Barczak

You Have To Watch This...

2011-03-29T15:05:00.004-05:00

Well Ia m back at it. Monday was a good day for me training wise. I forced my self to get back into my schedule and it felt great. Monday was a run and a late night trainer ride. Tuesday morning was a swim. I am feeling good. Sometimes, I think we all tend to just have "one of those weeks". Sometimes we just have to ride it out and then come out swinging. My plan was to use the weekend to not think about how I needed to run, but set my eyes on Monday as being my "Back at it" day.

Funny thing was that when I went to the locker room to change into my running gear after work, I pulled my running shorts on and they were inside out, so the underwear part of my shorts were on the outside! I knew that something felt wrong and I am just glad I caught it before I headed out!

So this video...

It is awesome and motivating all at the same time. Enjoy THE RACE!

Whatever Yo...

2011-03-26T23:19:00.002-05:00

That has pretty much been my attitude this last week when it comes to training. I lost my mojo. I have been phoning it in. I have made alot of excuses for not training right lately and I am ready to turn it around.

This week was a rough week work wise, I had alot going on. I ate very badly also. The other morning I went to do my swim workout. I had it all planned out for like three days ahead of time, but when I got there, I had nothing. I actually was sitting on the side of the pool, with my feet hanging in the water contemplating whether or not I was going to jump in! My workout called for basically the same workout from my Master's class the previous week, minus the kicking and the pull buoy, so I was looking at about 40 laps.

I was so dreading this swim as I sat there, that I thought how stupid will I look if I just hop up and go back to the locker room without ever getting in the pool? In a way, I wouldn't have cared, would have just simply said "not gonna happen today" or "just don't have it" to anyone I thought may have been wondering why I was leaving. But no, I came here to swim, I have a great plan mapped out, and I am gonna swim I told myself, but I did not really believe that.

After a few minutes of sitting there with my feet dangling in the water, watching the other two swimmers complete lap after lap, I finally decided to jump in. I talked myself into just doing 10 laps. I know that on many, many runs, I have wanted to quit before that first mile, but I always know that for me the first mile is the toughest. So I started to swim my 10 laps. It seemed that I was stopping at the wall every 50 yards or so. No matter how I tried to change it up, I was still not into it. It was everything I could do to finish 10 laps.

I jumped out of the pool, showered and went on to work. There have been a couple other workouts I missed and a few I really struggled through this week. My first tri is 7 weeks away, so if you happen to see me, kick me in the butt and tell me to get to training!

SOME DAYS…

2011-03-16T15:38:00.001-05:00

Some days I don't want to get out of bed in the morning…

Some days, the excuses come very easy…

Some days, my feet hurt…

Some days, I don't feel like it…

Some days, it's too cold outside…

Some days, it's too hot…

Some days I cut it short…

Some days I think I have plenty of time…

Some days it's raining…

Some days I don't prepare well…

Some days I settle…

Some days it is a checklist…

On race day, I regret those some days…

IS IT OK TO Cry? NO!

2011-03-09T15:49:00.002-06:00

I don't think it is any secret that I am not a fan of LeBron James or the Miami Heat. It's not that I don't think they are a bad team; I just think they are full of themselves and should wait until they actually win something before they start crowning themselves the greatest. I do admit, that I cheer against them, even when they are playing the Fakers! But rumor has it that they broke one of the seven deadly sins of an athlete. I recently read an article about the seven deadly sins of athletes and I have found that the Heat may have broken more than one, which then made me wonder how these "sins" translated into the world of triathlon. So without further delay, here are the seven deadly sins of athletes:

There's no Crying in baseball. Or for that matter any other sport after you graduate from high school. Sure, it's ok to cry after a beat-down on homecoming, because we all know those games are scheduled for you to win, but once you are grown, forget about it! We all heard how the Miami Heat recently cried after losing to the Bulls, and we all kind of snickered and said, really?? Also, no crying in Triathlon, unless it is tears of joy because you finished hopping on one leg. If you look back at some old triathlon videos, you will see people crawling, sliding, and rolling to get to that finish line, but they don't cry. Even on a DNF, you don't cry (even if I wanted too, I swear I didn't cry), you turns those would be tears into fuel and prepare to comeback stronger and beat that course!

No unearned cockiness. You have to win something first. Simple. No parades, bumper stickers or blogs about your newest PR, just get out there, go to work on your sport and get it done. There will be plenty of people talking about your speed or records once you win them. I see tons of dudes at every race walking around with their aero helmets, shaved legs and race kits they bought online, that are slower than my grandmother. Sure, I am perceived as cocky at times, but that is just from the crowds that are jealous, and it isn't the samething I am talking about. So be humble, let your records or times speak for themselves! The clock doesn't lie!

No Quitting. Game 5 against the Celtics, LeBron quit. Enough said. A Triathlete rarely knows the meaning of this word. Often we never seem to think we have trained enough for an event, so we never quit training, even though our next race is 6 months away. We always think we just might have a shot at the podium if we can ever put together the perfect race. And we even when have sayings like "Death before DNF" (DNF= Did not finish) and even if we wanted to quit, we wouldn't, because someone will be there to tell us to HTFU (Harden The Freak Up-clean version, this is a family blog).

Being Soft. No athlete anywhere ever wants to be known as being soft. One of the Heat players when asked about diving for a loose ball said "that's how people get hurt"! Remember the days of Kurt Rambis or Rodman, those guys would fly all over the place for a loose ball! Those were tough guys. Tough guys (and gals) continue to train with the soreness, with the aches from miles of running. We lose toenails! We get back on our bikes after losing large amounts of skin because a stupid dog wanted to chase us down the road and caused us to crash, tough guys (and gals) continue to go as hard as they can when we have nothing left in the tank. Never go soft fellas! EVER!

Being Oblivious to the World. Athletes break this rule all the time and the most common by stating that they are in a war, or they are soldiers, or something stupid like that. Listen to me, you are not soldiers. You are playing a game and getting paid an outrageous amount of money to do it, so kindly say thank you and move on. Triathletes can also break this rule fairly often. Sometimes we forget that for many of us, this is a hobby. We are not making a living at it, and it is not paying our bills. So it is not the end of the world if we miss a run or a long bike. We have real jobs and real families to take care of, so keep that in mind.

No Getting Fat. It does bother me to see a professional athlete get fat, when they are paid to be in great shape. Hire me a trainer a chef and a nutritionist and watch how good of shape I can get into. It doesn't register to me. A Triathlete rarely gets bigger from training, but we all start in various sizes, and I can honestly say that I have been beat my some people that I would classify as fat. We are all made differently and have different talents, and you have to refer back to the point above. We are not professional athletes. We all have out reasons for getting into triathlons and they are all personal and they are all legitimate.

Hitting people in the crotch. This is never acceptable in the sports world. These intentional acts are frowned upon, and I know they happen in sports, I am not sure how it would happen in a triathlon unless it is an unintentional kick in the swim. So, just don't do this one, ok?

Yeah, I'm Lookin at You Branson!

2011-03-05T20:11:00.001-06:00

It's on.....

Dear James,

Congratulations! You are now registered for 2011 K-Swiss 2011 Ironman 70.3 Branson

Thank you and good luck!

Ironman Athlete Services

Registration Details
Confirmation #: XXXXXX-XX-XXXXX
Date & Time: 09/18/11
Location: Branson
Purchased at: 03/05/11
Category: General Entry
Name: James Ford

I Played “The Game”…

2011-02-28T11:24:00.001-06:00

Here are some rambling thoughts I had this weekend:

The pool always dries out my kin, but I have found that the Dove for Men soap helps the best with my dry skin and the itching.
I always have to pee really bad after a swim.
Captain D's fish is not a good pre run food.
I really enjoyed my recovery week last week.
Daylight Savings starts on March 13^th, which means more sunlight, which means warmer temps. I am just concerned about Global warming and how the extra amount of sunlight will effect Global warming.
Last couple of outdoor runs, I have had to play "the game". You know the game where you negotiate where you will keep running too? "I will run to that tree", then when you get to the tree, "I will run until I get to the 3^rd mailbox" and so on.
I watched some of the Academy Awards last night and then realized I had not seen any of the movies, so I lost interest.
I think I am an Angry Birds addict.
Top TV shows for me right now are: Survivor, Amazing Race, Top Shot, Archer and Justified.
I am ready to get my bike outside on the road I think.
I went back to the #1 blade on my clippers when I cut my hair last time, it makes me feel faster.

I Got This Email The Other Day…

2011-02-25T12:04:00.003-06:00

So I am skimming through my emails the other day, because I really do not read all of the emails that come my personal account (I read all the emails that come to the Daily Trainings email cause that takes like 30 seconds or so) and I see an email from the Ironman Branson account. So I open it up and read. My reactions are in red:

Branson 70.3 Athletes!

Well not really me, but I will finish that course, mark my words…

Are you wanting to swim in the crystal clear waters of Table Rock Lake again?

Yes, I am wanting to swim in crystal clear waters, that was a good swim…

Are you wanting revenge on the toughest 70.3 Bike Course on the circuit?

Man, do I! It is all I have been thinking about this winter. I want my revenge!!!!

Are you wanting that same sense of accomplishment after completing the toughest 70.3 in the U.S.?

I am not sure what this means

Then please accept this coupon code XXXXXXX for $50 off your 2011 entry into the Branson 70.3. Let the city of Branson show you the hospitality that has made them World Famous!

Excellent! It is a true sign that I was suppose to go back and get my revenge!

Thank you for racing in 2010...we look forward to seeing you again in 2011!

K SWISS IRONMAN 70.3 Branson

So there you have it. A sign that I am suppose to go back and compete. I would like to say that they are personally inviting me back and paying me $50 to come back! So how bout that??

P.S. If anyone wants the $50 off code, I will give it to you after I sign up.

What a Beautiful Day....

2011-02-22T15:59:00.002-06:00

Sunday was a beautiful day. The sun was out and the temperatures were warm. It was 73 degrees in Memphis on Sunday. It was also a perfect day for the final race of the Winter Cross Country Series, which happened to be a 10K race through Shelby Farms! It was nice to run in shorts and a tri top once again!

The race started out like any other race. I had a goal time and I had no idea where I was going. The map they allowed us to download was very confusing. Look at this:
Not the easiest thing to figure out is it? Since I was unsure of the route, I decided to let some of the other guys take the lead and I would just follow them! J

Anyways, I really felt good for about the first two miles of the race, I was maintaining a solid 8:15 pace and I was feeling good about it. I got to about mile marker 4 on the map above before the terrain really started getting to me. It was up and down the entire way, very few flat surfaces for us to run. As I was passing that marker, I could see the leaders coming back my way and I thought, Wow, I am not that far behind them, but what I did not know was that here was a turn which took us around the amphitheater. So imagine my disappointment when I realized, "Yeah, they are far ahead of me!" The second loop got us running into a headwind that was strong. Before I left the house, I saw a wind advisory flash up telling us to secure any loose outdoor equipment you may have outside, so Yeah, it was windy. I was disappointed that I walked through the aid stations, but I tried to keep them short and sweet.

See that last little off-shoot to the finish line? When I came down that shoot, some old lady had just passed me, and I said No way Granny! (I didn't really say it) and I could see the clock ticking ahead. I saw that it was around 56:45 when I was entering the finishing chute and I emptied the tank. I had a goal of 54 minutes, but I wasn't going to make it, so I decided I was going to beat 57 minutes. So I went hard, and actually finished it in a sprint. My Garmin had me at a 5:27 pace that last stretch and my watch had me at 56:58. They recorded my time at 57 minutes, but as you can see, I have proof!
I finish 15^th in my AG and 120^th overall out of a field of 345 people. It was good, and I was happy. I think running this series has definitely helped my running and I look forward to the road series this summer.

That Lit My Fire…

2011-02-15T15:07:00.001-06:00

Today, between documenting cases and conference calls, I goggled over to the Ironman Branson website. They have totally revamped this site and it looks great. I was able to see the schedule for September already. They already had a list of participants, course maps, sponsors, and some really cool pictures.

While I was looking around the site, I stumbled to the results section from last year and found the search button to look for racers. I had always thought that if you did not finish a race, then you were not in their books anywhere, but I was wrong. So I put my race number (923) in the search, not expecting anything to pop up, but I was wrong. I saw where that had recorded my swim time and a couple sections of my bike leg. I was happy with the swim (39:44) and the bike leg was hard to remember because I could not remember exactly where the mats were placed. Seeing that for the first time really got to me. It really made me want to go back more than I thought I did. At first, I was going back to say I finished it, but seeing this really made me want to go back and race it.

It made me look forward to my run this afternoon and bike ride tonight. It made me want to get serious about my diet. It made me want to get a new bike. It made want to train. It made me want to register. It made me think of that phone call telling my wife to meet me at T2 last Sept. It lit a fire under me. Look out Branson, I am coming and I am coming back stronger and faster.

The Real Reason I Hate the Treadmill

2011-02-09T16:13:00.002-06:00

I really do not like to run on the treadmill normally, but due to the strange weather we have been having here in Memphis, I kind of had to turn to it to get my runs in. So, after doing a few treadmill runs, I have determined that maybe they aren't so bad when doing speed work. For some reason, I have found that it is much easier for me to do intervals on the treadmill than running outside. I have been using a plan to get ready for my Olympic triathlon in May, and some of the run have only been around 26-30 minutes long so far. So I have been doing a combination of running intervals for distance one run and the next I will do the intervals based off time. The last run I did was a steady run, trying to hold a pace to see how well these intervals have been helping, and I will tell you this, I felt pretty dang awesome until it happened…

I was cruising along, holding an 8 minute mile, 2.5 miles into my run when it happened. Now let me explain that I have not "run" since the Branson debacle, so for me to be able to hold that pace already has me feeling confident about my running. Anyways, back to my story. So there I am running hard, feeling good and looking pretty awesome too (they have mirrors in the cardio room, and yeah, sometimes I check out my form). My iPod was playing all the right songs. I do not think I shuffled it one time while I was running. I was working up a pretty good sweat, so I reached for my towel to wipe my face, and THAT is when it happened…

I accidently hit the emergency stop magnet, causing it to release from the treadmill and the dang treadmill stopped running, while I didn't. I went flying into the treadmill gut first. I am sure everyone heard me go "Uhh" as my midsection hits the front part that displays all the information.

I had forgotten about the emergency stop magnet thing that hangs on the side waiting for someone to pull it. I tend to hit this a lot while using a treadmill, and I always tell myself to be careful, but eventually, my guard is down and boom. Major stoppage!

I am so ready for Spring

Can I Kick It???

2011-02-04T14:29:00.001-06:00

The answer is NO! Not like this!

My First Blog Award & Acceptance Speech

2011-01-29T18:30:00.003-06:00

This week I was the proud recipient of the Pukie Award given out by Big Daddy Diesel. BDD is great blogger and is really into endurance sports and I would bet that if you read Daily Trainings, then you probably already know about his blog. Anyways, please go over and check out his blog when you have time! Here is excerpt of my blog, which was deemed worthy of a Pukie:

Do you know how excited I was to learn there were 2 winners in the middle of the winter!!! This week it goes to:

JF from Daily Trainings for "After the last dive-bombers (which I hate, but also love at the same time), I always tell my wife that I feel a little queasy after this one workout (which is a good thing). This night, I went to a new level. This wasn't like a massive throw up type of intense workout, but it was the first time in a long time that I have thrown up after a workout. This let me know that I did indeed bring it. Now my wife thinks it is weird for me to be proud of this, but I think a lot of you dudes will understand. It was a proud moment for me."

Now for my acceptance speech:

Wow, this is truly an honor I never expected. As you all know, we do not do triathlons for the notoriety, mainly because we just aren't that fast, we all do this for personal reasons. I love the competition I have with myself. I love the training and the racing. I also love the offseason. The offseason is where champions are made they say. I say that the offseason is there to remind us about just how bad of shape we are in and how we all use holidays as a scapegoat to not do anything. My wife and I started doingP90X as away to stay lean and mean through the offseason. It was tough, but I can say that we are some of the few people I know of that finished P90X.

I want to thank Tony Horton and for the challenge he gave me to"Bring IT!" Oh I brought it Tony Horton, I sure brought it!

I also want to thank my wife for pushing me to do more. I always had to punch my man-card and out do her. She also worked out with me and my wife has game when it comes to pushups and pull-ups! So I had to push it to out do my 123lb wife!

There are other people I could thank, but I read somewhere to not spend any time thanking the little people. So if I didn't mention you, well, guess which category you fall into!

I also want to thank my kids, even thought technically they are little, for going to bed when they were supposed to and not being worried about the grunts, groans and moans coming out of our room at night.

DADDY LOVES YOU BOYS!

I also want to thank the inventor of the "dive-bombers", my favorites (not really, they suck)

And thanks to BDD for this award and to everyone that bothers to read this like I really have something important to say!

JF vs. the Treadmill

2011-01-26T16:11:00.001-06:00

Well, the weather has been changing here in Memphis pretty regularly. We have snow one day, the next it is 45 degrees, then 2 days later we have more snow followed by 50 degree weather. It's crazy! I have really started getting excited about my running, especially after seeing that I have not lost as much speed as I figured I would after my layoff. I want to get faster though.

One of my goals this year is to not bonk after the bike going into the run. The only way I know to fix that is to focus on my running, which means doing a lot of running. Intervals have always seemed to be the best way to get speed; I know they work in the pool, so I am applying that thinking to my running.

Yesterday, before the snow fell, I went to the gym and grabbed the last treadmill available. I tried to figure out the interval setting on it, but I did something wrong. They should provide manuals with each machine. Since I could not figure it out, I went with the old standby of just changing the speeds manually.

I decided to start with ¼ mile intervals. My slow recovery (sounds better) speeds were 10 minute miles and my fast speeds were 7:40 minute miles. So every ¼ mile I was changing the speed setting on the treadmill. I did this for 3.5 miles.

It actually wasn't bad for it to be a treadmill run. I always have trouble doing interval runs outside for some reason, so this may be my new workout till the spring. I would really lover to hit a sub 20 5K this summer, my previous best is in the 22 range. My plan is to keep hitting the interval workout a majority of the time and have a few long steady runs, but I would like my runs to be faster in the spring when I can get outside.

Ever Been To Stanky Creek?

2011-01-24T23:14:00.005-06:00

I have been doing a winter cross country series that started in January. It consists of 4 races, a 3K, a 5K, an 8k and a 10K. All of these races are trail runs. So far they have been a lot of fun, but also a lot different from regular road runs I have done.

Here is a map of Stanky Creek:

There are several factors that go into a trail run that you have to consider if you want a good place and or time. The first thing you need to do is get near the front of the pack when the siren blows. This is also where all the fast runners start, so do not get up there if you can’t hang with them. Another tip is to take short steps because with the wet grass, leaves and mud everywhere, you are going to slip, fall and maybe twist an ankle, but that’s what makes it exciting! The third thing you need to know about is the potential for stopping due to the number of people all trying to cross the same bridge as you. The trail winds and the path is narrow, so I find myself playing NASCAR and plotting the right time to pass people on the inside or around a curve. And lastly, be prepared to get muddy and wet. I know that this upcoming 8K has a creek to cross. Someone will fall in.

I personally think that trail running is a little more challenging than running on the roads, especially when it is wet and lots of leaves everywhere. I have been pleasantly surprised with my times though. I was able to finish the 5K in 28:08 and hold around a 9 minute pace. I admit, I have not been running that much lately and was using these races as my motivator to get me going, so I wasn’t sure of what to expect. It has given me a good feeling going into my tri season. I really think that if I focus on my running I can get my pace down to under 8 minute miles after the bike, which is a goal of mine.

On the 5K I finished 17th in my age group out of 37 and 127th overall out of 400+ people.

This Sunday is the 8K race at Stanky Creek, and I think this distance will be tough due to my lack of running, but it should be fun.

I start my 16 week run focused triathlon plan Monday and I will blog more about that soon.

Puke90X

2011-01-19T15:08:00.002-06:00

Yes, it is exactly what you think it is.

Last night, my wife and I were doing our week 11 Chest and Back P90X workout. Since it is getting to the end, and we now know what we are doing, we can really go to the limits, or to put it in P90X terms, Bring It! Consider it Brought!

This workout consists of nothing but pushups and pull-ups for an hour. It is tough. Now I know what you are saying, any workout is as tough as you make it. I will give you that one, but this workout was intense because I brought it. I surpassed all my previous numbers (reps) and I was going hard.

After the last dive-bombers (which I hate, but also love at the same time), I always tell my wife that I feel a little queasy after this one workout (which is a good thing). This night, I went to a new level. This wasn't like a massive throw up type of intense workout, but it was the first time in a long time that I have thrown up after a workout. This let me know that I did indeed bring it.

Now my wife thinks it is weird for me to be proud of this, but I think a lot of you dudes will understand. It was a proud moment for me.

Nothing Motivates Me More Than…

2011-01-18T15:53:00.001-06:00

Paying my dues early.
Getting a new piece of training gear.
A fresh shave (Yeah, I went there).
Reading a race report of someone who overcame.
Waking up and not feeling the soreness.
Someone talking about finishing times that you know there was no way they hit that time.
Hearing of someone else taking the plunge and competing for the first time.
Packet pickup before Race Day.
Seeing your family as you cross the finish line.
Dreaming of that perfect race- good swim, fast bike and strong run, all in one race.

Daily Trainings Bumper Stickers!

2011-01-14T15:08:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from buildasign.com. saying that they could create a Daily Trainings sign or bumper sticker for me. Now, I thought this would be pretty cool, so I decided to keep listening and talking. They pretty much set me up to design my bumper stickers, even though I am not the most artist fellow out there. I was able to design two different stickers, and they shipped them to me the other day. One of the stickers is going to be my new heading on my blog, but I have not decided which one yet. So I am going to unveil my masterpieces !

Design # 1

Design #2

Pretty cool stuff huh? I got 100 of the stickers, so I think I am going to the local mall and just start slapping stickers on all the cars, cause you know what they say, "There is no bad publicity!" Or something like that...

Check the link on the right hand side of this blog and it will take you to the buildasign site, where you can also design your own banners or stickers. The Daily Trainings are a limited edition stickers, so let me know if ya want one and I will send it out to you...

A New Training Toy...

2011-01-11T23:08:00.004-06:00

The other day I used some Christmas cash to buy myself a training aide. This was something that I had wanted for awhile but never acted on. it is nothing expensive, but it has already helped me out.

So you want to know what it is and why it helped me right? OK. I bought me a pair of Auvio Wireless headphones.

The way they help me is that I have attached them to my TV and now I can watch all my recorded shows and I do not have to have the volume up so loud that it keeps the house awake. My boys used to wake up and asked me if I could turn the TV down while I was riding on my trainer at night. You see, it was just easier on me and the family if I do trainer rides at night after everyone goes to bed. here are what hey look like.

Now, I may look goofy sitting on my bike in my living room wearing a bigger headset like this on my bike, but it sure makes it easier to talk myself into riding. It has been a few months, so the old butt needs the saddle time. I once read that Andy Potts does 80% of his training on a trainer, so there is no reason I shouldn't be able to supplement my training here when I can't get out.

In other news, I am officially signing up for the Memphis in May Olympic Triathlon tomorrow! The price goes up $30 is I wait past the 15th and I always kick myself for not registering for these races as early as I can to save some cash!

Thanks for reading and happy training!

Motivation vs Want To???

2011-01-07T14:55:00.000-06:00

My motivation seems to be playing a weird little joke on me these days. I say this, because even as I am writing this, I am ready to get out and go running. This is the problem.

Let me explain it this way. I have the motivation to get up and go at the times when it would not be possible for me to get up and go. It is when I have the time to get up and go that I am lacking this motivation, and I do not understand it.

I have planned on getting up and going running twice this week alone, only to stay in bed and catch a few more zzz’s. It irritates me later on during the day that I did not get up, yet I seem stuck when I actually have the opportunity. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to the race season. I was actually happy with my performance on the 3K Trail race last week, so I am not as far back as I thought I would be, which I thought would be a huge encouragement right?

I need to find that place…that spot in me that gets me up and running. I want to have a good year and I know I have it in me, but it is just procrastination that is keeping me down! I guess I would call it procrastination..maybe not…I don’t know.

2010 in Pictures

2011-01-04T09:45:00.004-06:00

Instead of writing about 2010 and the 2 5k's, the 1/2 marathon, the 10k, the dash n splash, the 3 sprint triathlons and the Half Ironman race I did, I figured I'd show off one of the Christmas presents my wife and kids made for me.

2011 season has already started. I joined the Memphis Runners Track Club in November. They have a winter cross country series that started on Jan 2. It starts with a 3k race, then continues with a 5k, 8k, qnd a 10k. These are all trail runs, which should be alot of fun and also help me build up my running, since I need alot of help. Next post will be more about the 3k race.

My Christmas Wish to You All!

2010-12-24T19:40:00.002-06:00

On The 2nd Day of Christmas...

2010-12-14T23:02:00.003-06:00

I hate that song.

Sorry I have been a no show on the ol Blog-o.

I have been busy. If any of you have ever worked in retail, then you will understand about being busy. And you will understand if I say Bah Humbug (especially after Black Friday)

Anyways, as you all know, my bike and I are on speaking terms again. So that's a good thing.

I am on Week 7 of P90X and I am seeing results. I would say I am seeing more results with strength vs an overall physical change, so bring on Festivus and the feats of strength! Seriously, you should see my banana! Or my boat! Both are amazingly better than when I first started. I am not hitting all 339 ab crunches in the Ab Ripper, but I am getting closer! So I have about 5 weeks left of P90X and I will slowly incorporate some more running and swimming before I go full steam ahead into my triathlon training.

The Brooks Sponsorship is over. I am not reapplying in 2011. It is not like I got booted or anything, I just feel that I am not as much as a runner as I am a triathlete, and the race series website for Brooks sponsorship is geared more towards runners. Plus, my times were horrible compared tot he other runners because we still logged the run portions of the triathlons and while my times were OK for having a swim and bike in front of it, it looked like I was walking! I will still wear the Brooks shoes because I like them. So that's cool with me.

Which leads me into my next paragraph about my new running shoes. If you remember, my son did an excellent job taking out the trash one day and threw my other running shoes away because I sat them next to the trashcan. Anyways, I was able to use my Brooks deal to get a new pair of shoes. This time I went from the GTS 10's to the Brooks Ghost 3 shoes.

I know what you are saying. "James, those are pretty" and you probably meant to say "those shoes look pretty fast"! Cause I felt fast when I tried them on to make sure they fit!

I am starting to get the bug again, you know that itch to race! It will be here soon people!

The Bike Responds...

2010-12-01T18:31:00.002-06:00

Dear JF,

I was glad to get your note the other day. It has been awhile since we talked and I can;t say that I blame you. I really wanted to talk to you about what happened. I know you will probably end up posting this on that silly blog of yours for all your triathlete friends to read, and I know that they probably are taking your side on this, but honestly, the flats weren't intentional.

Did you ever stop to think that maybe I also wanted to finish the race? It was a goal of mine? I didn't think so, sometimes you are only thinking about yourself and YOUR finish times. I know me and your goggles and running shoes feel the same way. It is always about what we can do for you! And that is what we need to change. We should be one team, not a segment of the race! And that goes for goggles and running shoes too!

I know you were disappointed in Branson. I understand that, but i also know that is was something beyond anyones control. I never took those things you called me personally out there on the course, I knew you did not mean them. So do not worry about that.

The only thing I care about is that we get ready for 2011. It can be a great season for us! We did get a lot faster throughout the year and all those miles. I am well rested, you are well rested. I think it is time to ride and soon too!

As far as I am concerned, everything is behind me and I hold no grudges against you. I do not believe the rumors about you looking for another bike either! I laughed when I first heard that.

Anyways, I am glad we got a chance to talk it out. I am ready when you are to start training again!

love,
The Bike

An Open Letter To My Bike

2010-11-27T22:44:00.002-06:00

Dear Bike,

What's up?? Dude, it has been awhile hasn't it? I hope you are well. I know we have spent much time together in awhile, but...I am just going to say it. I was soo mad at you. You really let me down at a critical time when I needed you, and then you acted like you didn't even care.

I took great care of you, I even got you a tune up a couple of weeks before our big race! I kept you in the house as long as I could before my wife got mad, I cleaned you, rode you often, so I know you got enough attention!

We were doing fine you know. The bike leg of the race wasn't that bad. You were giving me your all and I was making sure we didn't overdo it. Maybe I should have known something was up when you already went flat on me before the race, but we fixed it! We were a team! When something goes wrong, it work it out together right??

But on the course, you gave up on me. At least that is how it felt. 4 additional flats?? C'mon, you expect me to believe that was coincidence?? I felt like you gave up on me. In the over 1,200 miles we rode preparing for that event, we had one flat. ONE FLAT! I just don't understand.

Is it me? Was there something I did?? I know I said somethings to you on the course that you took personally, but at the time, I was frustrated! Very frustrated. And at the time, it probably sounded like I meant every single thing I said, but you have to understand that I was crushed!

Since we broke up, I have had some time to do some thinking. Alot of thinking actually. And I know you have heard rumors about me looking for another bike and all, and I will be honest, I've looked, but we need some time to work on us, to get back were we used to be, to get back to that place!

So, the main reason I am writing you this letter to say that all is forgivin. I am wiping the slate clean. A fresh start in 2011! I think that together, we can do some pretty cool things, and I am willing to do my part too. I promise that I will get you all fixed up very soon and we will start riding again. Nothing to hard or long, we will work our way into that. But, we will take it slow and get to know each other again if that's ok??

I hope it doesn't sound to corny, but let me know how you feel. Sleep on it and do not make any decisions to quickly.

Love,
JF

My Shoes Got Trashed! Literally!

2010-11-24T22:54:00.004-06:00

Sunday afternoon, I went for a run. It was a beautiful day and I hit the streets and the trails. I was just out for a run, not a run for time or distance, just a run. I felt great, it was so nice to be out running again.

When I got home, I went upstairs and showered and threw my shoes in the closet. No big deal right?

Monday morning, my wife and I got up to do our P90X workouts (we are on week 4) and I noticed my shoes had dried mud on the bottoms. So I quickly took them off and placed them by the trashcan in our room.

Now in order to finish the this story, I have to tell you this. One of my middle son's job is to take out the trash. And we struggle with doing the job completely, whether it is putting the liners back in the trashcans or picking up trash around the trashcan, it is usually something that we have to follow up on. Except for Tuesday.

Tuesday I went for a swim instead of doing the P90X yoga. I hate that DVD.

Wednesday morning, we decide to sleep in and do our workout later that night after the kids go to bed.

So tonight (Wednesday) I am changing clothes, getting ready to Kenpo, and I tell my wife, "I can't find my running shoes, I remember sitting them right here by the trashcan?" Immediately, we both look at each other. You know that look you give when you know you each are thinking the same thing???

So I go to my son's room and ask him if he saw my shoes. "Yes, I threw them away, I thought they were trash!" So basically, this one time, he does his trash duty completely. He threw my running shoes and orthotics away. They are gone. Sigh...

So now I can't punish him, because he did his job right?? I still would like an apology and next time I hope he'll ask before he makes a decision, but it looks like I am in the market for some new shoes!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

My 2011 Race Schedule

2010-11-20T21:55:00.011-06:00

I have finally decided on what I think will be my 2011 race schedule. I have tried to add some new races and some different races to the list this year, but my main goal is still to get to an Ironman race. I have really put a lot of thought into whether or not I was going to go back to Branson to have another shot at the HIM 70.3 race that went so bad last year, so o see if I am heading back, continue reading!

This is a winter cross country race series. It consists of four total races of different lengths. There is a 3k, 5k, 8k and a 10K in this series. Each race is awarded points and you get ranked based on all four races. This will be my first trail race and should be fun.

In April, I am running the Run the Trails race at Herb Parsons Lake. It is roughly a 7 mile run through the woods. This race will not be totally new to me because one of the triathlons I do is at this same area and it has a 2 mile trail run. I have never really been a huge fan of trail runs, but I am looking for something different this year.

This race is a staple. It is the biggest one around Memphis and this year it has a new venue, so I am excited! I have run this race 2 out of the last 3 years and I have improved every year. I finally hit under the 3 hour mark two years ago when I raced, so I have high hopes for even more improvement. 2:45? Is that doable??

This race is always my nemesis. It seems like I have a great swim, great ride and then it all falls apart on the run. It really frustrates me too. So I am really looking for a good run segment on this race this year and I will be focusing on the run this year, because I know I need that improvement.

This is another favorite race of mine. It is a point to point race, which is unusual for me. I have always raced strong here. It is a time trial race which helps and every year I have improved my times, but my swim time is always slower than the year before. Last year I had a Top 10 finish in my AG, let’s see about 2011!

This is my favorite Super Sprint race. This is the race where you simply redline it the entire way. Another cool part of this race is the swim; you get to dive in off a dock! My goal has always been to finish in under an hour, and I have got close! My best time is 1:02! Lookout Sharpshooter, I’m aiming for you!

I was going to make a video and post it of me mocking “The Decision” ala Lebron James style and proclaim that “I was taking my talents back to Branson in 2011!” Needless to say that I am a little lazy, so no video.

Now as you might remember, this was my big race last yea that I was a DNF. 5 flat tires took me out of the race and it was the most frustrating thing I have ever endured! I almost swore I was done with anything longer than the Olympic distance, but my competitive fire kicked in and I want nothing more than to go back and finish!

So that is my race schedule for 2011. There may be some changes, some races added some subtracted, but this is my plan!

It May Not look Like it...

2010-11-15T20:29:00.002-06:00

I can honestly say that I have started my training for 2011 already. It can be said that I am taking a different approach than years before, but I honestly think this will help me the most, cause I ain't getting any younger!

As you know I am doing P90X with my wife. We just started week 3 and I am starting to see a little bit of results coming through, or at least enough to keep me motivated for the next 10 weeks! I really expect the extra strength and flexibility to really help me out next season.

The other part of my training that is going on is that I have been also going to a chiropractor. This has also helped me a lot already and I can definitely tell a difference from the 2 weeks I have been going. The main thing I have learned from these visits is that I have IT band issues! I never knew I had IT problems, I mean I have read a lot about them and know a lot of people have problems with their IT band, I even know what to do to fix this problem, but I did not know how to recognize it. The visits and the proper use of my foam roller are taking care of this issue and will take care of it in the next few weeks.

The biggest part of my chiro visits deal with stretching the muscles that are "overuse" muscles. Mainly I am talking about my hamstrings, hip flexors and glutes. The Dr. stretches me and it hurts, almost feels like I am about to hurt. After every session, I have felt instantly better. I do get the adjustments to my spine and neck, but the stretching part is amazingly good.

So even though I am not getting ready for 2011 in the usual way for a triathlete, I honestly believe that this portion of my training will help my results in the future.

Tips To Help You Pick Your Personal Theme Music!

2010-11-13T14:40:00.006-06:00

Notice I did not say workout song, I asked what is your theme song? I think we all should have some theme music, at least to play in our heads. A workout song is just some music that pumps you up and gets you amped for the workout/race. A theme song describes you as a person, it is something that speaks to you, drives you and motivates only you. If you do not have a theme song, then I am going to give you some tips to hopefully help you decide on a song.

It has to be something controversial. A good theme song is not a song that everyone will like, but one they will recognize. It can't be about puppy dogs and ice cream. It has to be about a fight or a struggle.

It has to be an aggressive song. It's OK for a song to start off slow, as long as it builds into a butt kicking song. A Metallica song would be a good example of this type of song (Enter Sandman)

It has to be one you can play in front of family and friends. No one wants a theme song full of cuss words, I mean really, what would that say about you?
There are certain groups out there that can never be consider "theme music" acceptable. For example; Creed can never be the group providing you with your theme music (Yeah, you know who I am looking at)
Rap music is not the only music you can choose from! I like Eminem as much as the next dude, but let's give him a break.
It should speak to you. There has to be a message in the song somewhere that means something. Something that drives you to focus on getting the job done, or something that speaks to how you did it.
Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood says you are way too old. And I'd laugh at you.
It has to be designed for only one person. For example, The A Team theme is a song designed for a team, therefore, you can't use it for a single person.
Pink is always acceptable for females to choose from, and some dudes as well.
It should strike fear in your competitors. It should make them watch you out of the corner of their eyes because they hear your theme music and know you are in the zone.

So tell me, what is your theme song??

The Greatest Video Comeback Eva!!!

2010-11-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

QUITNESS!!!!

I've Gone Extreme...

2010-11-02T15:31:00.004-05:00

It seems like there has been alot going on lately, and as weird as it may sound, I can see things getting back into a normal routine again. Sounds weird to me because I know the holidays are coming up quick! Football and soccer are over, and both the boys did great and it is now time to start looking forward to 2011.

My wife and I have gone extreme. I am talking about P90X. So far, we have been getting up at 5:30AM and doing the videos together. We are going for the P90X lean program because I thought that would assist me the most for next season. We are pretty much sticking with the program and even took our before pictures, but after a month of me sitting on my butt not doing any type of S/R/B, you will not be seeing any of my "before" pictures on here. My wife looks great and she would make a lot of women jealous even with her before pics, but I doubt she'd give me permission to post them, but I might get away with some "after" shots.

One thing I have learned after doing P90X is that I am not very strong or flexible. A couple of months ago I conquered the 100 push up challenge put on at Dangle the Carrot, but during the pre test, I was a few push-ups shy of 100. So I will be trying to work my way back up. Also I never realized how bad I was at pull ups! It is em brassing! And do not ask about my flexibility, because I have none! This will be a work in progress!

I am excited about getting back into shape again, and I am looking for ways to mix in triathlon training while doing P90X. I am almost resigned to doing P90X 100% until the 90 days is over and then start training for Memphis in May Olympic Triathlon. I would have over 12 weeks to prep for it, so I feel like it would be enough time and would give me a chance to get lean! So, soon I will compile my race schedule for 2011 and make my decision on Branson 2011.

Other things I want to say:
I am so tired of hearing about Brett Favre and LeBron James. Never has so much been made over a 40+ yr old QB on a crappy team. No one cares if he plays anymore, I doubt Favre makes it the entire season. And LeBron, you actually think race has something to do with the slack you caught from "The Decision" really? After I saw his newest Nike commercial, I think he is a bigger ass than ever! Seriously guys, we don't care about ya'll as much as you think we do.

Yeah I Ramble...

2010-10-24T21:48:00.002-05:00

I have been off for a little over a month now. No running, swimming or biking to really speak of. I had started training for 2010 back in January and figured it was time for a break. My blogging has also slowed a bit, but I promise it will get better. So, as I sit here watching the Packers vs. Vikings game, I figure it is time for a ramblings post.

I definitely think Favre should have retired.
I have decided I am going to have a couple of guest posters on Daily Trainings. I know some of my training partners have some interesting perspectives .
It has been a rough week in a way. Last weekend I was out with a stomach flu and Thursday I had 2 teeth surgically removed.
Sunday Night Football just played Round and Round by RATT as they went out to commercial! RATT was my favorite 80's hair band!
I hate when player do that jump up, spin around and bump backs when they do something good.
I played in a flag football game yesterday at my son's homecoming (coaches game, but they needed extra players) and it has been a long time since I have had to make a cut or sprint and I realized that TODAY!
November 1, 2010, my wife and I are starting P90X together (so I am eating all the junk food this week)
It is raining here in Memphis, first rain in almost 60+ days!
This season of Dexter is weird, I wonder where they are taking us this season?
My favorite line from the Mayhem commercials (ALLSTATE) "Sorry Robert, but $5 doesn't buy my undivided attention!"
I can admit, I am finally at the point that I can say I miss running, biking and swimming.

I am Getting Hungry...

2010-10-19T10:56:00.000-05:00