At Least That's the Plan...

This post always seems to me like a New Years Resolution type of post. You know the post where you plan out all the great things you are going to accomplish, but we all know you never do. Sometimes we set those goals way to far out in front of us to where we literally have no chance of reaching them. I know you know what I mean. So just to make it clear, this is my 2016 race schedule! the list of races I am planning or wanting to do.

This is something I normally do around the first of the year. I have really had to plan more this year because we are so busy as a family this summer. I know the summer is going to go by in a blur, but it is all good stuff we are doing and it really should be an awesome summer. So  my "race schedule" had to be worked around our family summer schedule. It's only 4 races. I have taken a realistic look at my schedule and what I know I can do for training. So here is my 2016 race schedule (most likely)





May 21- Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon

• 1/3 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run
• Last year I finished in 1:25:52
• Goal is 1:24

July 9- Paris Landing Sprint Triathlon

• 1/3 mile swim, 14 mile bike, 3 mile run
• First time doing this race
• Tri team favorite race

August 27- Dragonfly Sprint Triathlon

• 1/2 mile swim, 18 mile bike, 4 mile run
• I hate this race
• Not done it since 2010 (2008- 2:00:48, 2010- 1:58:10)
• Goal time: 1:55

October 2- Ryanman 70.3 Triathlon

• 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 run
• First time racing this event
• 75% Sure I will do it
• benefits children's cancer research

I think this is a good mix and enough time between races that I can complete. The Ryanman race is something I want to do, but not sure if it will work out, the October date helps a lot, but I will know for sure if I really want to do it later in the season. The  training plans have already been scoped out and at this moment in time, I am feeling pretty good, so let's see what happens. First goal is Memphis in May!

Follow me on Instagram at Jford2309 for updates as well!

MY 1st DNS

Saturday I was registered to run the Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon in Forest City, AR. This is a really great race and one thing that sets it apart from other races around here is that it is a point to point race. Meaning that you swim to the bike, you ride the bike to the next transition and then finish, so you never come back to the same transition area.

So fees were paid and plans were made. In all honesty, I was not as prepared for the race as I should have been, but I was still anxious to see how I would do. This was going to be my 1st race since Redman 140.6, so I was intrigued. My bride also had signed up since she was coming off her first ever sprint triathlon in May. We were both looking forward to racing on July 19, 2014.

But we forgot one thing...

If you read Daily Trainings much, then you know I have three boys. A 14 yr old, a 13 yr old and a 5 yr old. So we are always involved in something it seems and normally we do a great job about scheduling around the boys stuff, but this time we failed somehow. Our older boys had been planning to go a the church Summer Music Missions Project (SMMP)for months. They were heading to New York for a week! A great opportunity. Well for some reason, one we can't figure out how we missed it, they were required to be at the church at 11 AM. Our race started at 8 AM and was a minimum of an hour drive (if all went well). This meant there was absolutely no way for us to race and make it back to them in time. So I recorded my very first DNS of my triathlon career.

So I admit, it kind of bummed me out most of the day. I really did not want to dwell on it, cause what my boys had going on was way more important and I wanted them to know I supported them, so I would have made the same choice every time. But it was weird, and stupid me, I went to the website to look through the results and hated, HATED seeing my name with no times. It was embarrassing because they had my team's name out to the side of all those zeroes!

So what did I do?

I went for a run that afternoon and started focusing on whatever is next. I know I have a half marathon I am signed up for in Dec, but nothing else, so I am thinking that I am really going to work on my running for the remainder of 2014 and then 2015 will beat the year a I crush Brad's dreams at Redman when we go head to head. So maybe me missing this race is a good thing, it has just added to me resting up and preparing for next year!

If ‘If’s and ‘Buts’ Were Candy and Nuts, We’d All be Triathletes!

I am sure you will soon realize by the proper grammar skills and correct spelling of all the words that I did not write this post. Today's post is from my bride, who is competing in her 1st triathlon on Saturday. Here are her thoughts as she prepares to race this Saturday at the Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon.


So I am finally putting to rest all of those “ifs” and “buts” that prevented me from taking the plunge into triathlons, as in, “if I had more time” or “but I’m not sure I could actually do it.” Now, I’m ready to attempt my first “real” triathlon, Memphis in May sprint, this Saturday. So how the heck did I end up here?

I can only assume( as I usually do) that this is actually all my husband’s fault. Watching him over the years competing in triathlons of all distances – sprint, Olympic, 70.3, and even an Ironman - it was probably inevitable that I would finally bite the proverbial bullet.

Around the time he got serious about triathlons again, we welcomed our third son. So there was no hurry for me to train for my own races. I was more than content to be the cheerleader, child wrangler, and masseuse. I especially enjoyed the venue at Memphis in May because there is a great pool right along the race course. Our 3 boys and I would watch the swim, cheer James on at transition, get in the pool while he was on the bike course, get out and cheer him on at the finish. It’s pretty spectator/kid-friendly.

Maybe I entertained the idea of being out there on the course myself. It did seem like such a rush to cross that finish line. I wondered if I had what it took to do one, but I wasn’t really a runner and the only biking I did was trudging around on my mountain bike with my youngest on front.

Run

But, about 4 years ago, I started running. I've never enjoyed running in any way except for the sprinting we did in 6^th grade for the Presidential fitness awards. That I could do. However, Memphis has an amazing running program for women every summer at Shelby Farms, one of my favorite places in Memphis. Hundreds of women participate and it’s broken down into nice categories based on experience. I started with a group of hopeful beginners and surprised myself by enjoying the freedom to head out on Monday nights starting in July and run with other women. I was hooked. I could actually run. I’ve been back every year since and keep moving up a level.

Bike

Then I asked for and received a road bike for Christmas. Before that, my biking had pretty much be limited to riding my youngest son on the front of my mountain bike and tootling around. Once I got my new road bike out on the Greenline and rode it, well, I felt a huge sense of freedom. 

Swim

And then, there is the swim. I’ve always been a decent swimmer. I was raised by a mother who body-surfed in the ocean when she was eight months pregnant with me. To teach us to swim, she let go of us in the water as toddlers. It was sink or swim, literally. My only concern is that I'm the type of swimmer who doesn't even like to share a lane. Swimming in the open water where it's inevitable to get bumped is going to freak me out a bit. 

I’m Guessing Stopping to Comb my Hair in Transition Would be Frowned on?

So the disciplines were coming together. Then came Valentine’s Day. My darling husband gave me a training plan as a gift. (Crazy, huh?)  And, I was actually excited about it. (Even crazier!) Being able to see in each little square what training I should do each day made me feel like I could give it a go.

The past few months of training have been interesting. I’ve learned that it’s true that we make time for what’s important to us. I’ve always been impressed by James’ ability to balance training and having an engaged family life. Since that often meant getting up at 5 in the morning while training for his 140.6, I could hardly complain about fitting in a 2-mile run.

That’s not to say I didn’t have to be creative. I do still have a 5-year-old at home. So on Mondays, a swim day, I would take Jesse to the Rec. Center with me. He'd go to the childcare while I did an hour of weight-training. Then, I’d swim my laps. After that I’d go get Jesse and we would splash around and swim for a bit. It was a three hour process, but I will never forget having that time with my son.

Other days, I’d wait until my older boys got home from school and then go do my run while they could watch Jesse. If I took Jesse with me on my runs, he’d ride his bike. Once it took us an hour and a half to do 2 miles! We did stop to play on the playground and throw rocks in the creek. Sometimes you have to adapt.

I’ve learned that training can be fun. It’s made me order my days differently trying to fit a specific workout in. For example, I happen to teach a college class at a community college right near our city’s greenline, a 7 mile paved trail. This semester, after I gave my final exam, I  celebrated by changing into my bike kit and hitting the greenline for a refreshing 11 mile ride. (Usually, I reward myself with something like a Gigi’s cupcake and running home to watch a DVRed Sherlock Holmes  before I have to pick my youngest  up from Mother’s Day Out.) Guess which one I now prefer.

I’ve also learned that training makes me feel like a badass, especially wearing my team’s kit. It may sound a little odd to already be part of a racing team when I haven’t proven myself. But, the team I am on is about much more than races. It’s about people, specifically being an encouragement to people with cancer. If you follow this blog, you’ve surely seen James post about Jessica Hambrick who with her husband, James, founded the team GI Jess’s Warriors for a Cause. Even though Jessica entered eternity a month ago, her spirit and her vision and her compassion will live on through this team. She was such an encouragement to so many triathletes and Christians and cancer fighters.

A few weeks ago, the team met at Jessica’s parents’ house to make a plan to go forward. It was there that I bought my Warriors tri top.  Putting it on for the first time made me feel like a triathlete. And wearing it to train as I see people watching me run or bike makes me feel so inspired to represent this team well. I feel like I belong.

And I vow to remember that when the doubt and worry creeps in. The “Can I do this?” “What was I thinking?”  “Can people tell I’m a newbie?” voices will be drowned out by the “Warrior Up” yell I know Jessica would give me. I will! 

A True Warrior Will Be Missed, RIP Jessica

If you were to look up the definition of the word "Warrior" in the dictionary, here is what you would find:

"A person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage or aggressiveness"

I know a true warrior, her name is Jessica. Jessica and her husband James are the founders of the triathlon team I have had the pleasure of racing with the past two years. The team was founded as a cancer awareness group that wantedt o bring the fight to cancer. One of the great things about the team that I liked was that it was not solely about racing. While the team did have the same requirements that most teams have regarding amount of races and such, it also asked that you do something else. Pay it forwards projects.

These pay it forward projects were aimed at supporting cancer patients and survivors. They really asked us to do simple things like yard work, help clean houses, take meals to people and to simply provide snack baskets to people that were going through chemo treatments. It was designed to put others first and look outside yourself.

No couple does that better than James and Jessica. They always had something going on, and it normally focused on other people. Even with their busy lives, they are both physical trainers and endurance athletes, they found time to focus on others. And did I mention that Jessica was also in a fight against breast cancer? Yes, while Jessica was battling cancer, she still found time to worry about others first. What an amazing couple.

Well, Jessica finally lost her battle with cancer on Saturday April 12. She had fought hard for over 5 years that I have known them, and everytime, she would bounce back with a smile. Never once would you hear a complaint from her and she would always have that smile on her face. Jessica is also a God fearing, Jesus loving woman. That would be the first thing that I think she would have told you about herself, not that she was a cancer survivor, or that she ran marathons or was a trainer, but that she had a strong faith that many of us cannot even claim. Please take a minute and watch this video clip about Jessica...



I know people like to throw around terms like warriors and such to describe themselves,but Jessica was a true Warrior in every sense of the word and she will be truly missed and she impacted so many people in such a positive way. Rest in Peace Jessica.

Redman 140.6 Bike Race Report

So back to T1 first. No one really told me much about the changing tent and what to expect. So after grabbing my bag and heading to the tent, I walk into see a much of naked guys changing and two old dudes helping them out. Yeah, was kind of weird. Anyways, I found a spot in the corner and dried off and got my biking clothes on, then I bagged everything up in the bag and realized they had bins for us to put those bags in the first place! Lesson learned on that one. I really felt like I was taking my time in T1, but it always seems I was in and out pretty fast. I did not rush, but I also was in no hurry.

T1 Time:  8:49

I grabbed my bike and walked her to the mount/dismount line and then off we went. Ready for 112 miles of bliss. I remember thinking "I am riding in an Ironman!!!" Great feeling! The first part of the bike was around Hefner Lake and it went by pretty fast. The next segment of the course was through some really heavy traffic, but Redman did a great job blocking off lanes and having plenty of police watching out for us (although I did hear about several people wrecking by hitting cones!?)  There was enough going on to keep me looking around and interested in the first portion of the bike that it went by pretty fast. The aid stations were every 10 miles or so, so there was plenty of water/Gatorade, which was great because all I had was my aero bottle. I forgot my other bottle back at the hotel. I was able to stick to my nutrition plan pretty well and never really felt hungry!

The roads at Redman were no joke because they were pretty rough. So rough that in some parts I could not get into aero position for fear of losing control of my bike. The back side of the ride, the last 12 miles before the turnaround seemed like it never ended. Most of the time I do like out and backs on rides, but at least I now knew what to expect. As I got back to the lake, the lady there was yelling out for special needs bags were just ahead, so I stopped and ate something. In hindsight, I should have kept going back to the turnaround and hit my special needs bag at he start of my second lap instead of at the end of my first lap, again a rookie mistake.

BIKE LAP 1: 3:20:53

The second lap was something I was not looking forward too. I took forever to get around the lake this time. At least I knew what was coming up so it did make it a little easier mentally, but I was still dreading it. I felt fairly strong on the bike, but just like in the swim, I was trying to manage the bike and not blow up. Knowing what I knew of the route, I am made sure I was in aero on the smoother parts of the road as much as possible. The second lap was much better than the first it felt like, just because I knew the route now and knew what to expect.

Coming back into the dismount line, I was soo happy to get off my bike!!! My butt was killing me! I was also thrilled to have zero bike issues! No flats, no nothing. Stella did awesome!!!  I knew I was 26 miles away from becoming an Ironman and I really a surge of motivation!

BIKE LAP 2: 3:36:02

TOTAL BIKE TIME: 6:56:55      Average: 16.1 MPH

I was totally thrilled to be under 7 hours for the bike because I projected my ride to be closer to 7:30! Manu people have asked me what I did on the bike for 7 hours? What did I think of? well, here is a short list of what I thought of:

• I wondered what Emily and Jake were doing in OKC
• I wondered about Jared an Jesse were doing at Grannies house
• I wondered how many people were tracking me
• I thought about all the comments I have gotten on my blog posts the last few posts
• I counted how many people were coming back toward me, that had already made the turnaround. I stopped counting at 100.
• I prayed. A lot. I prayed for a lot of people by name, just as their name popped into my head. Some of the names were people I know and some were people I have met from the triathlon world.
• I sang songs.
• I had some very short conversations with other racers. I found that a lot of people were only doing the aqua bike as a warm-up for IM Florida.
• I wrote out blog posts, which I can't remember.

So I had a lot going through my head. I also had some killer ideas that all of mankind would benefit from, but I can't remember a single one. Stay tuned for pictures and the run report. Also as a bonus feature, my bride is going to add a blog piece as her view and thoughts as I ran!

11 Days Out...

So I am 11 days out from Redman. I bet you will not guess what the most common question I have been getting over the last two days is???


Are you scared to death about the race???

Scared to death? I can't say I am scared at all. I have concerns about the race, but I am really not scared. But if I am honest, there is one thing that I fear doing, and it is having to make that phone call about being a DNF.

It has happened before in Branson. My first ever attempt at a 70.3. 5 flats took me out. Stupid rim tape. I am the only one to blame since I was the one that change the rubber on my tires. This year I am having a bike shop change my tires!  LOL  I know, it's weak, but it will be one less thing to worry about.

I also hate reading about other people nutrition plan. Some of these people are so detailed that it makes me second guess my own plan!  Bradleyd3 from Brad's Ironman Journey has already told me to get off the internet and train! Which I am starting to think might be a good idea. Some of these people have their nutrition down to 3 spoonfuls of peanut butter and a cup of applesauce in the morning... Crazy!!!

My plan is so simple compared to that, and that freaks me out a little. I am looking forward to the swim and the bike somewhat (although I hear the road conditions might be a little rougher than desired) but I am dreading the run.

4 loop course. A little more than 8 5K's. It is going to be mentally challenging. I plan on some walking.

They also just announced bib numbers!  I am number 65 in the full distance triathlon!!

I am also just ready for it to get here and let me do this. It has been a long time in training. A long time thinking about it and I really want to just get it going! That's normal right? So I am gonna go old school on you...

LET"S GET IT STARTED!!!!

My Boys Rocked The BRC KIDS Triathlon!

This weekend, my two oldest boys completed the Bartlett Rec Kids Triathlon. This race consisted of a 400 yard pool swim, a 6 mile bike and a 1 mile run. It was alot of fun to watch them compete. They both did great. I was definitely a proud daddy watching them swim/bike/run. Jake is 12 (number 6) and Jared is 11 (number 24).

The swim was done in a pool with swimmers going off every 5 seconds, so it got a little clogged up about midway through. It was a serpentine swim, meaning the swimmers had to pass under the lane ropes, which made it hard for the ones that weren't as strong swimming. This was the only part I had concerns about, and it was not their swimming ability, but their swimming ability with tons of kids around!  They both did great and were soon on their way to the bike.

I messed up the camera shots of the bike, so I have no pictures to add, but they did great, especially considering that they were on their mountain bikes, and there bikes are heavy! So I know they both would have been faster if I had gotten them better bikes. If they love the sport like I do, then who knows, maybe next year they can have a better, faster bike.

The run was 1 mile. They boys had actually done a little bit of training and I knew they could handle the run. They took off like pros! Grabbing water, dumping it over there heads, they looked the part!

Jacob heading out on the run

Jared finishing up strong

Both my guys finished strong and finished with a smile. Jacob had a better time than Jared. Jared said he was not doing that again, but I think he will come around next year. Jacob actually finished 3rd in his Age Group! Afterwards they had games for all the kids and Jared won gift-cards for the cup-stacking contest and the Macarena! So we all had a great time. In about 3 weeks, Jesse (3 yrs old) will be doing his first triathlon! the Small Fry Tri! this consists of him running through a sprinkler, riding his tricycle and running! Definitely worthy of a blog post for sure!!

By the end of the year, everyone in my family will have completed a triathlon!

Emily reminding us that she is the only one to have won her triathlon this year!

Jesse in training for his Triathlon coming up!

Jake and I celebrating his 3rd place AG finish

Thanks for reading, my next post will be about my first ever double race!!