3 Weeks In

 Yup, that's right, I am 3 weeks into this second journey to Ironman!  Well, it's a half Ironman but it sounds a lot cooler to say "Journey to Ironman" than it does saying "Journey to half Ironman"! So, what can I update the one or two readers that still actually read blogs...

It's a lot tougher. I can say that without hesitation!  7 years and 30 lbs ago is nothing like it is now. I have been consistent in hitting my planned workouts, but I am also not sweating the one or two that I have missed. (My goal is to hit 80% of my planned workouts). In April I should hit 9,700 yards swimming, 75 miles on the bike, and 27 miles running during this first month of training.  But, I have missed a bike or run so I will get close.

Besides the obvious 7 years age difference and the obvious 30 lbs heavier than when I last completed, there is also a difference in my recovery time as well. I have been so danged tired after these first few weeks, I mean like go to bed at 9 pm tired. I also have a different drive than I did the first go-around. I mean, I KNOW I can do this, cause I have done several 70.3's. It's not a milestone like it used to be, the unknown factor of "can I actually do this" isn't there. The mental toughness has not yet come back like it did in the early years where you know you had to tough out a long run. Now I am more like "screw it, I want to walk", and that's cool with me.

When I do this race on Oct 3rd, I will have just turned 50. Just being on the starting line will be a win for me, providing I stay healthy. Just crossing the starting line and hopefully beating anyone will be a reason for me to celebrate. So this race is definitely not about winning or a time goal.

Apparently, for me, it will be all about surviving the training!

STARTING OVER

 Yes, it's true.  I am starting over, from the very beginning, starting from scratch, back to the old drawing board. Starting April 5, I am back to training for Ironman Memphis 70.3. The road seems very long and the bumps seem huge. First off, right now I am weighing in at 224 lbs, which is about 35 lbs more than when I last raced. I will be 50 by the time the starting gun fires, more than 7 years older, and I am coming off a torn calf muscle, which kept me in a boot for almost 3 weeks. 

So I have basically 6 months to get ready to run a half Ironman on Oct 2nd.  I did like any normal triathlete would do, and that is getting a plan together. The second thing I did was adjust the pace from the original plan to a resemble pace, and third I adjusted my attitude from competing to completing. 

It's true, my tri shorts are tighter, my cycle shoes are old and 56 miles seems like an eternity. I have Stella out, and she is looking pretty, the trainer is tuned up, the Garmin 945 is charged, the goggles are cleaned and the Hoka are laced just right.

Wish me luck and I will update as the journey begins on April 5, 2021!

It's a Name I Earned...

It has been five years since I earned the right to call myself an Ironman, yet it seems like only yesterday.

In 2013, I did Redman Triathlon 140.6. Arguably the longest day of my life, but one of the most rewarding days. I still remember very distinct details about that day. I remember how nice the water felt due to it being so cold that morning. I remember a certain aid station on the run and the faces that were there, I remember the song playing as I crossed the finish line (Home by Phillip Phillips). I remember the high five I gave as I ran down the chute and I remember the one piece of pizza I ate ate after the race, followed by two IV bags.

I remember it all.

I remember it with pride and with regret. Regret because I am no longer where I was physically. That IM came at the right time for me and my family, with the way life has gone, I know that time of my life was the perfect time to train, I remember with pride as being a 43 year old first time Ironman. I remember the "what now" feeling I had the days after IM. I knew I had some healing to do, but I do regret not staying on that path because mentally, I will also be in IM shape. Funny how that works huh?

I also remember that every year around Sept 20th, I think it is time for me to get back to racing/ Maybe I won't compete anymore, maybe I will just complete??

Stay tuned and find out, because I am not even sure what the next chapter will be!

It's Been a Good Run . . .

Off and on, off and on, off and on...that is exactly how I would explain my desire to race again. Mentally and I am on. Physically I am off. Rarely does it seem like the two are on the same page. I am gaining weight, I am feeling dull, and I am lazy. I don't like feeling this way. I can talk the good game, but right now there is no action behind any of my talk. I need to get back out and exercise. I want to train, but train to be healthy, not to PR.

This has been going on for awhile now. To long actually, which actually led me to an epiphany last night. And after thinking about it for awhile and then making a decision on it, I was at peace.

I am officially retiring from Triathlons.

Sounds weird to say that, and I am not saying I will never do another race, but it is very freeing. My workouts were beginning to be something I was not looking forward too, and if I did do them, then they were forced, and I was dreading them.  So therefore, it's over.

It has been a good run. Dating back to 2008 when I did my first indoor triathlon and got hooked. Back then, the goals were simple, just finish and see if I could do it. The indoor led to an Olympic race, where I thought I was going to drown. That led to an immediate drop back to the sprint races, which I did for a few years until I got the bug to go long. The bug led to a half marathon, and the half marathon led to a 70.3 race. IM Branson 70.3 which was a total bust. That led to a rematch with IM Branson and Nash Vegas 70.3. All this led to a marathon or two, which eventually ended with Ironman 140.6.

Here is a list of races I have done:

BRC Indoor Triathlon 2x
Memphis in May Olympic 6x
Dragonfly Sprint 3x
MightyMite Sprint 4x
Los Locos Duathlon 2x
Rebelman Sprint
CATS Sprint Triathlon
Showman SharpShooter Triathlon 3x
Germantown Half Marathon 2x
Ironman Branson 70.3 2x
St Jude Marathon 2x
Nash Vegas Half Triathlon
Redman Full Triathlon 140.6
Ragnar Relay (Chattanooga to Nashville) 2x
St Jude Half Marathon
Memphis in May Sprint

With training totals as I can best estimate:

Swim- 1, 221 miles
Bike- 7,693 miles
Run- 3,304 miles

So what's next you ask? Am I going to sit around and get fatter and always talk about the glory days?

Well, maybe.

Right now, I am really want to get in the weight room and see what I can do. Might be another cruise in my future. So the blog will still be around, but it won't just be triathlon related anymore, so keep coming back when ya can!!!

4 Years Ago...

This morning when I looked at FaceBook, I had one of those memory post pop up. Usually they are something with the kids and I remember how young they were, I show my wife and its over. This one hit me though. Hit me as in, has it really been 4 years?

 

It doesn't seem like it was 4 years ago! It was just so weird you know? And what is really weird is that my training plan for a sprint started this week, so who knows?? Maybe a 2nd IM in the next year or so????

I've Been Contemplating...

So it's been awhile since I posted and there is no other reason than the fact that I have been contemplating. Thoughtfully, with continued attention about me. About my sore knees and my gut. I have been looking at it with continued attention about how I am not happy with where I am, but yet I am also looking at how I have not tried to change anything.

Sometimes, I am a lot of talk, and I stand on past accomplishments.

The main question I get weekly is what race am I training for now? And lately, my answer has been, I'm not. The "want to" is there, but the body is having a tough time getting going. It may be the extra 20lbs I have gained that is causing the knees to hurt and crack when I get up, but it's not fun.

So I am not making out a 2017 race schedule except for one race. A sprint triathlon in May. If I will get in shape for that and if I feel right, then I still have the "want to" to go long one more time and maybe I can find a late season race, but it will depend on the May race. I have come to realize that the older I get, the faster I used to be.

 

So I have 7 months to train for a sprint triathlon! I want to look good as a 45 year old male, so I will be doing a picture of me now and then another one in May, and I promise I will post!

 

P.S. Check me out on Snapchat: ironman1553

I Can and I Will...

Last night I had my first athletic activity since tearing my meniscus in late May, and I was a little nervous in doing so. As I have mentioned, I signed up to play on a rec league basketball team at our church and made it 3 games before hurting my knee (cause I am not 25 any more). I tried to follow the doctors orders and let it rest and heal and all like a good patient. I went for my follow up appointment and the doctor said it was healing nicely, but it looked like I had some arthritis in my knee. I told him I was glad it was better because I still have a plan to do one more Ironman before I call it quits.  The look on his face said a million things. It mainly said "FAT CHANCE"

He told me that running may not be the thing I want to focus on, but I could swim and bike as much as I wanted. Obviously not what I was looking to hear. I was hoping for a "sure, start running again but ease into it and you're good!". So after spending a week in NYC and walking a million steps a day, I figured it was time to try it out with some running.

The game went really well. I did not do a lot of cutting and changing directions, or jumping either, but I did do some light running up and down the court and had no pain while running. I really thought the biggest test would come later that night or the next day, but it feels like it used to, which is cool.

Since this planned season has been nothing like I had thought it would be, it is once again time to re-assess my plan and start again. So Monday, I am starting back on a training plan for a sprint triathlon on August 27 in Sardis, Mississippi. A 1/2 mile swim, an 18 mile bike and a 4 mile run (half road, half trail). My previous PR is 1:58:10 and it was 6 years ago. So I am not naïve enough to think I can PR (although its possible), that is not my goal. My goal is simply to race and make it to the starting line. It has been so frustrating this season starting and stopping over and over again.

I have approximately 9 weeks to prepare for this race, which should be doable, to be a finisher. It will be a tough journey, dealing with the heat and summer activities, but I am an IRONMAN!!!!  And I can get this done. I am excited once again...

Here I Go Again...

I don't know where I'm goin'

But I sure know where I've been

Hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday

An' I've made up my mind,

I ain't wasting no more time

Here I go again, here I go again

Man, does this song say it all! I have it in my head to go forward with a 70.3 race in October. So my training plan will actually start Monday, and here is a news flash, I am actually looking forward to it. I am looking to go long again, but not 140.6 long, but a half is doable. So I went and designed my training plan and I will be putting on it the blog weekly to help me be more accountable.

I designed this schedule with the idea of a three week build with a one week recovery. I designed it to have 2 swims, three bikes and three runs. The reason I chose the 2-3-3 is because I think 2 swims a week will be plenty for me. I am pretty comfortable in the water and I think the opportunity cost of adding another swim would not benefit me in the long run, so 2 swims it is.

The bike during the week should be something that I can do on the trainer if needed, but I think I might be able to get out of the Greenline once in awhile. For me, the bike is all about being steady and consistent. I am not going to average 25 mph on the bike, but I want to ride steady for the 3:30 hours I expect it to take me.

The run is always my opportunity, and I think it will be even more of an obstacle with my knees. This is the main reason I am giving myself a rest day on Friday. It is basically like I am starting over with running. I am running a 5K tonight with the family that I will use as a baseline of where I am at. I am not expecting it to be fast at all, but we all start somewhere right?

So, I am excited once again. I know this will be a challenge for me and I know it is one that I know I can do! So, come on and follow along on this ride.

Why You Should Write Race Reports.

The other day I went back and looked for what was my first triathlon race. People are always asking me how long have I been racing and doing triathlons, and I usually just have to give an estimated guess, but now, I can tell you exactly when I first started this journey.

Feb 25, 2008, just over 8 years ago, I did my first indoor triathlon. It consisted of a 500 yd pool swim, an 8 mile stationary bike and a 2 mile treadmill run. The reason I know this is because I created a race report for this race. It was pretty interesting and a little bit comical going back and reading my report.

To bad we did not have spell check back then!

So my assessment of this first ever triathlon was that the water was a little choppy. A pool swim was choppy. See how I complained about the water being dirty??  LOL  I had no idea what I was in for as you can tell from the next race I did. My first Olympic and first open water swim!

I can vividly remember that race and thinking my race was over before it started. I also remember thinking "why am I doing this? This is nuts!" At that moment in the water, I thought my triathlon career was over!

And I can pretty much go back and review every race I have ever done. It is a feature on the website Beginnertriathlete.com. This website has really helped me in just about every phase of my triathlon journey, from training questions to racing, so if you are looking for a good site on triathlons, you should check it out.

Other comments in other races speak of how proud I was that I did not float on my back for any of the swim. It was also cool to see the comments people left that read my report. All in all it is a good look back at this journey I have been on for 8 years.

I have race reports form setting PR's and feeling great and I have reports from my 1st ever DNF at Ironman Branson 70.3 (which still stings). I remember everything about that race, and the frustration I had in not finishing, but then I also got to read about the joy I had from coming back and getting my redemption on that course!

A race report can help you remember little things about a course you might not find on a race website, and it will also not only help you, but it can help another fellow racer competing in that race for the first time. So I would urge you to blog, journal or whatever about your races. You see, sometimes a blog is not really about writing stuff that everyone will like, it is often about talking to myself. Cause if you learn nothing else from me, remember this:

I Knew This Would Happen...

Saturday afternoon, the Ironman World Championship aired on NBC. I did not watch it live, but I did record it. And I knew exactly what would happen once I watched on Sunday afternoon. I knew I would be thinking about Ironman again.

So I ask myself, Am I that easily swayed? Can a simple TV show fire me up that much?

Simple answer: YES!

I always love watching this presentation and I love the way the narrator builds each athlete up talking about how each athlete has their own personal reason for doing this race. I like that. And its true. I love watching the beginning of the swim and I remember how I felt wading in the water waiting for the gun to fire. I love seeing the riders flying down the road (much like I was not doing), but I felt like it, and I envisioned my run looking exactly like the pros ran. Effortlessly. It's funny the way we can look back at one of the most painful days of our lives and still smile and sigh.

So yeah, this show got me thinking about getting back. I only raced one triathlon in 2015.I did some run races and Ragnar, but only one sprint triathlon. So that will change in 2016.

While I am not sure about committing to a full 140.6, I do have my eye set on a 70.3 down in Bama! I have been wanting to do this race for a couple of years and I am thinking a 70.3 is perfect. (It's funny how 70.3 miles does not seem that far anymore)

I have been hitting the gym, swimming and running short distances already, and I am starting to feel really good. My wrists are not as big an issue anymore and I have some other physical issues that I feel I am turning the corner on, so it is a definitely possibility.

 

 

P.S I am doing No shave November right now, so there will be pictures to come!

Run streak? 1 mile a Day

So my bride and I have decided that we are going to do a challenge in the month of June. We have both agreed to run at least a mile a day during June. I am going to be doing this in additional to my preparation for the Mighty Mite triathlon in July. I am doing this for two reasons.

Reason 1: My run sucks in triathlons. I know this, and if you have read this blog long enough, then you know it also.  I always tell people that if you want to swim/bike/run better, then you need to swim/bike/run more. So why not take my own advice? Because it might actually work??? I am putting my money where my mouth is. So everyday in June, I am doing at least a mile. Somedays it will be longer, if that is what my plan dictates, but regardless of it, I am running.


Reason 2: Vanity. I need to lose about 5lbs. I am already down about 6 or 7lbs, but another 5 will get me back in the 180s. This will make a difference on the knees and get me back where I want to be (plus we are heading to the beach in late June).

So why is my wife doing this with me? She is a good accountability partner for me. Many times she is the one that gets me out doing things when I do not want too, so I know this will benefit us both. We have talked about other people doing running streaks and figured we should give it a try as well, even while on vacation at the beach. Who knows, it may last longer than 30 days!

Started June 1st
Weight 190lbs

 

Memphis in May Sprint Tri Race Report

It has been a while since I had raced a sprint race, actually it had been 3 years since I have done this distance so I was really looking forward to this race. Another reason I was looking forward to this race was because it would be the first time I got the chance to race alongside my bride, and a third reason I was looking forward to this race was that a lot of my friends were doing this race as their first triathlon! So it was a big day for all!

To bad the weather decided to make this day a lot harder than it needed to be. It rained ya'll!  Hard. The day before and even into race morning, it was a mess. The expo tent was ankle deep water and honestly, it would have been very easy to say "forget it". I have raced in the rain before and I hated it! Thank God for radar apps on the iPhone! We were checking it  often waiting for the rain to move out, which it finally did. We were then able to get our transition areas setup and get in the water for a swim. I was mulling over the decision of whether or not to wear a wetsuit because they said the water was 75 degrees at race time and I leaned more to the short swim vs. time to take off wetsuit and decided to go without the wetsuit, which  in hindsight was the right decision for me. It started raining once again once we started to line up for the race and I was shivering, I couldn't wait to get into the water. So, with no further delay, let's get into the race itself:

Swim: 13:57

Finally a race picture I like!

The swim was a basic triangle shaped swim that was said to measure 580 yards. We all started on a time trial start going off every 3 seconds. The line moved pretty fast and before I knew it I was jumping between people that were walking and wading into the swim. I felt very little bumping heading towards the first buoy and was doing OK. It was a little tough to sight due to the weather conditions and I brought the wrong goggles. I meant to bring my clear lenses but for some reason, they did not make the trip. As I got to the first green buoy, there was a lot of bumping. It was awesome! We all made it around the buoy and started heading for the next green buoy. There was about 8-10 of us I am guessing that were all in a group. Out of nowhere, I see a canoe near me and someone yelling, so I stop to see what's up and they are yelling that we are suppose to go around the orange buoy before hitting the next green one! So I make a 90 degree turn and head back to the buoy!  I know!  What was I thinking? I should have just kept swimming. This really cost me some time and added an additional 100 yards or so to my swim. I was very upset at myself for messing up the swim. I just did what I could and I knew my time was going to suck. As I was running up the ramp, a friend of mine yelled that my wife was about 10 seconds ahead of me! My reply was "you kidding me?" and he assured me she was already in transition. Now, my wife is a strong swimmer, but I had a good minute or two on her and while she might beat me in a pool swim, I am more at ease in open water, so yeah, I was surprised. It was only later that I found out my swim time and it was no where close to the 10-11 minute time I was expecting. Swim pace: 2:23/100

 

T1: 1:06

Knowing that I was already behind my expectations, I think I had one of my fastest transitions ever. I was slamming things down and getting out of there. I really wanted to beat my wife out of T1, which I did because she opted to wear the wetsuit.

Bike: 39:34

After the crappy swim, I decided I needed to crush the bike, so I went out harder than normal. I knew it might affect my run, but I did not care. I was able to pass a ton of people and felt fast! I stayed in aero a lot. The roads were wet with some flowing water going all the way across the roads, wasn't an issue but it made me nervous. My max speed got up to 27 mph and I tried to hang on to top speed as long as I could. I averaged 18.2, which I was happy with. I felt good on the bike, I felt fast.

T2: 1:30

My feet were so wet from all the water on the road that I had trouble slipping my feet out of my shoes as I was riding in, so I just kicked out of my pedals and ran it in my bike shoes to rack my bike. I had my shoes tied up in bag incase it rained some more and I had trouble getting my shoes out. I made a bonehead decision to go without socks on the run. My thinking was that my feet were already so wet that shoes probably would give me an issue for the 3 mile run. Yes, this will come into play shortly.

Run: 29:42

Yeah, I can't believe I was under 30 minutes either. This run was tough because (1. I was undertrained and (2. I made the bonehead call to run without socks. My watch never picked up after T2 and that messed with my head also. The 1st turnaround seemed really close and I thought that was a good thing, but since I did not know the run course well, I did not know about a 2nd turnaround point. After the 2nd turnaround point, it was much hillier and my feet were blistering up pretty good, so yeah I was hating life. I think the one thing that turned my attitude around was that I was talking to someone along the course, telling them about my bad swim and how I went harder on the bike, they simply said, "those are over, run this race". True words indeed. I knew I needed to suck it up and finish strong, so I quit worrying about the other legs and hit the levy and ran it home.

Finish time: 1:25:52

All in all, it was not a bad overall time, it was only a few minutes off my sprint PR time. Yes, I wish I had a better swim, and yes I wish I had worn socks on the run, and yes, I wish it had been dryer, but that's the way it goes sometimes. That is what is great about triathlon, you never get what you expect and then sometimes it works out better. I expected to do better, but I was right on the mark of where I wanted to finish. I also found joy in doing sprint races. It doesn't have to be long races anymore for me to feel like a triathlete.

Another win for me was racing with my wife. She always has a big smile on her face when she hits that finish line and truly looks like she is having a great time. Sometimes I wish I had that joy of finishing rather than the disgust of missing a buoy!

And Congrats to my friends who did their first triathlon!  Jay, Jason, Philip and Dwight!  Proud of you guys and I hope you enjoyed the sport as much as I do, and I must warn you, my journey started with a sprint race...just say'n.

My Toes Cramp In The Pool!!!

This is one of life's mysteries for me. I hate getting a toe or foot cramp while swimming. It usually happens about 800 yards into a swim. I feel the toes tightening up, then its the arch of my foot. Usually it is only one foot at a time. I can ease the tightness somewhat whenever I get to the wall and push off, but it never subsides. I also tend to get toe/foot cramps at night in bed, and the only way I know to get rid of them is to stand up. Which is not practical when I am already in bed and it's 1:30 AM. So why do you get cramps in your toes while swimming? Let's turn to Google...

First thing you should know is my search parameter was this: Why do toes cramp while swimming. Results, 2,020,000 results. So I guess I am not the only one with this issue! Here are the following answers I got:

• I am not stretching enough. "swimmer" says I should stretch out all my muscles and not just the ones that are stretching every night.
• Blonde tornado says it is because I am dehydrated
• Others say to eat bananas (typical cramping answer)
• Jim T says it is because the water is cold and the blood gets pushed away from the extremities.
• The rest are more of the same

I really don't know why it happens, but it can kill a workout. I can be cruising along at 800 yards into a 1200 yard swim (remember, sprint tri training plan) and BOOM, toe cramp with 4 laps left! You can push through it, but it ain't fun.

I think I finally found an answer on swimming.org that totally makes sense to me. It is the most common complaints from triathletes, which proves that I am one!  Wahooo!!!

Anatomy of a kick

“Cramp occurs when a muscle is fatigued and overused, when a swimmer is dehydrated and has a electrolyte deficit or if the muscle is tight from a previous session,” said Butler.
“The plantar fascia is a fibrous, connective tissue which surrounds the muscles in the sole of foot.
“It’s stretches from the toes to the heel and works closely with the main calf muscles in the back of the lower leg – the gastrocnemius, soleus and the tibalis posterior.
“These are the main muscles involved in pointing the foot and toes during streamlining and kicking. Cramp in any of them will be felt in the back of the lower leg or the sole of the foot.”

Prevention

“The first thing to remember is to stay hydrated, not just with water but with electrolytes, and to eat the right things to help your body before and after training,” added Butler.
“Secondly, stretching is vital for maintaining flexibility in your muscles and should be included in your warm-up and warm-down for pool and land-based sessions.”

Specific muscle stretches

Try these stretches for the individual muscles on the calf and foot – hold each stretch for two minutes in 10, 20 or 30 second intervals.

1. Gastrocnemius stretch – stand with one leg in front of the other and lean against a wall. Bend your front leg and keep your back leg straight with your heel on the floor until you feel the muscle stretch in the back of the lower leg between your heel and knee.
2. Soleus stretch – stand with one leg in front of the other and lean against a wall. Bend both knees and transfer your weight to your back leg, ensuring you keep the heel of your back leg on the floor. You should feel the muscle stretch in the back of the lower leg.
3. Plantar Fascia stretch – stand with one leg in front of the other with the toes of your front foot on or up against a raised platform (such as a step or a wall). Bend both knees until you feel the stretch in the sole of your front foot.
4. Alternative plantar fascia relief – roll your foot over a golf or hockey ball. If you find this too painful, try it in warm water to help the muscles relax more.

So maybe, just maybe, that chocolate milk and Snickers bar I had before I swam wasn't the right fuel for me. Hmmmm.

Anyways, let me hear your thoughts on how to deal with them and more importantly how to not have this as an issue!

What I am looking forward to in 2015...

So 2014 is basically over.

2015 is here...almost.

So what now?  Races? Goals? These are some questions I ask myself. And I can tell you that I have high hopes and I have plans to do great things, but that doesn't mean I will do them. I do not think I am going to do the whole new years resolutions thing, or set specific goals (like six pack abs) only to realize that I am not going to achieve them. So there will not be a 2015 Goals post on Daily Trainings this year.

Instead, I am going to tell what I am looking forward to in 2015. Here it goes...

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting back to running triathlons. At my last half marathon, as I stood in the corral waiting for it to start, I found myself openingly (did I invent a new word?) missing the start of the swim. I miss Stella too.

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting back in the pool. I cannot tell you the last time I swam. Not because it's a secret, but because it has been awhile since I got wet. I am hoping to jump into the water this week sometime. I am sure the 500 yd warm-up I used to will now be something to post on FB!

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting back into some tri shorts. (Tell me that is not weird) I mean I like running in running shorts, but something about the tri short that just seems right with me. I dunno, it's weird, I know.

In 2015, I am looking forward to doing my 1st sprint triathlon in 3 years. It's not that I have anything against that distance, its just that it hasn't really fit into my goals at the time. The Memphis in May Triathlon weekend always has a sprint on Saturday and an Olympic on Sunday. I have done this race the last 6 years or so, but I have never done the sprint. Well, that's about to change! I am really looking forward to this.

In 2015, I am looking forward to signing up for Redman 140.6 in September. As you know, I will be beating Brad D at this race, which is an added bonus, but I will also be going for a new PR, which will be equally as rewarding as beating Brad.

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting on a training schedule. I like having a plan. In many ways I think I am a better trainer than a racer. They say that the training is the hard part and the race is the reward. Whatever...

So those are a few of the things I am looking forward to in 2015. Notice they are all triathlon related, and that is because this is a triathlon based blog. I have other things in my personal life I am looking forward to, but that is something for me and my family. I will probably make mention of it throughout the year as I bang out words on the computer. I like blogging and expressing stuff in words. (beautiful statement right there huh?) So I hope to continue to keep Daily Trainings going, and I hope some people find it interesting, but I really hope everyone had a great 2014 and will have a better 2015.

What Does Vacation Mean to You?

I can guarantee when the word vacation is mentioned, meaning people are thinking about relaxing on the beach, drinking beverages and eating lots of food. I would even bet that many people expect to gain weight while on vacation and do not really think twice about it. Well, I have a different take on vacation.

To me, it means long runs on the beach. It also means long swims in an outdoor pool or better yet, the ocean. It means eating fresh food, straight out of the ocean and it also means drinking lots of water and Gatorade. You see, that is my mindset for the next 2 weeks while on vacation in Florida. And I can't wait to get it started.

See we left Memphis Saturday afternoon after we ran a 5K race that morning. We drove to Macon, Georgia or about 7 hours and then we got up and drove the rest of the way to the beach Sunday. Monday was a sleep in day (and I sort of tweaked my back loading the van), but the rest of the days are going to involve running on the beach and swimming.

I am normally not a huge fan of swimming in the ocean, but being able to swim and swim and swim without turning around at the wall is going to be awesome. I have my GPS packed so I should be able to get a good distance marker measured. I would like to run one day and swim the next and just alternate this daily. And I think I will. Plus I should be able to work on my tan while I am doing it.

To me, this is a vacation. No work to get in the way and no fast food, cause there really isn't anything close by! Win/Win/Win!!!

EnergyBits Review and Giveaway

So I tried a new nutritional product this week that I want to share with you. I will say this, it was not what I expected when I got the sample and checked it out. I was expecting something more along the lines of a 'chomp", and what I got was so not like a chomp, it was better!! Let me explain.

About a week ago I got a tweet from Energybits asking if I would like a free sample of their product. I guess they know I am a sucker for free product that I said yeah, I will even do a review on my blog about them! It was a match, I sent them my address and waited for the delivery.

So once my package arrived int he mail, I immediately opened it. It contained two plastic packages and a lot of information. Here is the first thing I looked at and read.

found on the Internet

So my first thoughts on this product were:

1. Man, that's a lot of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and I am not sure what they do!
2. 100% Spirulina, which I had no idea what that is
3. Dosage: 30-40 tablets before a workout. Say what????
4. Algae? it's algae???

Now I will admit, three of these four four things gave me pause. SO I had to keep reading to find out exactly what this stuff is.

From the information provided:
"ENERGYbits have the highest concentration of protein in the world and deliver a steady stream of energy all without sugar, caffeine, chemicals or stomach distress" ENERGYbits are the only protein in the world that also contain natural antioxidants and Omega 3 which reduce muscle inflammation, iron which prevents fatigue, chlorophyll which builds the immune system and electrolytes which replenish mineral imbalances, all for just one calorie per tab. No other protein offers all this.

Sounds good so far, now what is this algae stuff?

Algae is a food, not a supplement. FACT THAT I DID NOT KNOW!
ALGAE is a crop that is grown, like all other foods found in Nature! BOOM FACT DELIVERED!
Supplements are made in a lab, Algae is not. BOOM ANOTHER FACT!

"Taking ENERGYbits is the nutritional equivalent of having a great night sleep, a natural cleansing and an invigorating workout all at the same time" So, I decided it was worth a try...

My Thoughts:

When I first opened the package, there were a lot of tablets in that package. Knowing I was suppose to swallow them all at once was concerning, plus it did not smell that great. I really thought about only taking a few of the tablets, but I did manage to take all the dosage at once (OK, in three drinks). They really went down very easy and I did not taste them, so I can't report on that. So I went for a run and felt great. I came home and mowed the yard and felt great. I never got that 2 P.M. "James needs a nap" feeling. I also noticed that I did not have that "snacky" feeling all day, but one of the most important things was that I never had any stomach issues or burp issues (which I kind of expected) and we all know that this is very important to endurance athletes! So what is my overall opinion of ENERGYbits?

Likes:
Run went well
No stomach issues
Felt energetic all day
No crash late in the day

Dislikes:
Smell
Dosage amount
Cost ($115 for 1000 bits)

I am probably not doing this justice, but it is definitely a product I would recommend. So one lucky Daily Trainings reader can win their own sample of ENERGYbits. (Unfortunately it is only open to the U.S.A.) And I am going to make it easy for you. Here are the requirements to enter yourself in the drawing. 1. Leave a comment 2.Become a follower (If you already are a follower, just mention it) So two ways to enter. The winner will be announced on Monday.

ENERGYbits are only available at ENERGYbits.com, and Jonathan (their Community Manager) has shared with me that he'd be happy to connect anyone with a current ambassador to share a discount on a bag of bits, or more info on their sample program - you can email him at jlevitt@energybits.com ENERGYbits has also generously is giving a 10% discount for Daily Trainings followers. Simply type in the word "BLOG" into the coupon box!!!

It's Time...

Time to get off my butt and get to training.

This morning started my 18 week Goosepond Half Ironman Training plan. I started with a 1000 yd swim and tonight I have a 20 mile ride (good thing 24 is back on). I had really forgotten how tired swimming makes me. Now granted, it has been about a month or so since I have been in the pool, but about 2 PM, I was feeling it!

I can also tell that my core is so much stronger than ever before. I could really feel it in the water and I am so glad my trainer had me doing all the planks, crunches and other ab work. I just feel stronger and that is a good thing. Here are the 2 current ab workouts I have been doing if interested:

Torture 1: 1 minute plank, 100 crunches 2 minute plank, 200 crunches, 3 minute plank 300 crunches 4 minute plank 400 crunches (I have never made it through the 4 minute plank yet)

Torture 2: 100 crunches, 100 leg raises, 100 in/outs, 100 bicycles, 100 long lever crunches, 100 v-sits w/twist, 100 crunches, 100 reverse crunches, 100 bicycles, 100 straight leg crunches= 1,000 crunches! BOOM!!!!

This is the first time all season, or all year that I have started getting excited about racing. I still have a HIM goal of 5:45, which would be an A+ for me, but if I go sub 6 hours, at this point (Day 1) I would be thrilled! I know it is totally doable, my last HIM was 6:09 and I fell apart on the run. So yeah, it's time to shake off the cobwebs and time to get focused. Time to Warrior up!

We are ALL getting along...Swim Bike Run Plank

Me and running are back together. Running, biking and me are all getting along pretty well. Swimming is not really like running and/or biking very much, but it is puytting up with us.

Strength training and me are tight. Real tight, like starting to see some payoff type of tight.

Me and planks are besties! I just set a new PR on my plank! 3:12 My goal is a 5 minutes plank and I WILL reach that goal. I am also goignt o say that planks are getting along with biking and running and swimming loves planks, because I can really feel a stronger core in the water!

Me and my blog have not really been talking so much lately as you can probably tell due to the lack of posting, but I am starting to feel the triathlon buzz once again. I think daylight savings time has jump started me a little. So things are good here in Daily Trainings land. Other highlights include:

The running group that I lead at church has started again and we have 41 new runners signed up to make their journey to a 5K! They inspire me!

Two of my friends just completed their first marathon! Congrats to Jay and Matt

All my Final Four picks are still alive (as of March 24)

And the family is about to head out to Colorado to go skiing! Can't wait!

So things are good, and I hope all is well with you. Thanks for reading.

P.S. My trainer, Leigh, has begun her journey to her first Ironman and she has started a blog. Please go to her blog at MILE BY Mile and drop her an encouraging line!

Me and Crowie...

Just like a lot of you out there, sometimes I lose my motivation to train. Sometimes I blame the weather, sometimes I blame the aches and pains, and other times I sit here and think, I have plenty of time to train, my race is a couple of months out. A lot of times I will read race reports to get my juices flowing, or I will watch YouTube videos of races, but they main way I get my mojo back is....

I cut my hair.

Guard #1.

Sleek and aero-dy-nam-ic!.

Now you might be thinking, what does this have to do with Crowie. Well, it might be the only thing we have in common. Last year, on the NBC Kona coverage, Crowie was interviewed and he said that one thing he did to prepare for a race was that he got his hair cut. And I can relate.

Maybe that is why triathletes shave their legs, but I know that when I am rocking a shaved cut, I naturally feel faster and I feel more like an athlete. This might sound weird to some of you, but it makes perfect sense to me. So today, I had a great workout, a great swim and I had a new swimsuit! I won a gift certificate to Sports Authority, so I bought a new suit. I felt great in the water and I felt like I was training. All from a simple haircut!

Thanks Crowie!

MIM Olympic Race Report 2013

This is one of my favorite races of the year, and also one of the first tris of the year, so it is always a good gauge of where my fitness stands. So, I was looking forward to having a great race this year.

The Day Before:

We got to the hotel on Saturday afternoon, and tried to check in but they had zero rooms ready, which was frustrating, but we made the most of it. This gave us plenty of time to hit the expo and get checked in and checked my bike into transition. By the time we finished all that, we had a room with a nice view of the pool. Since I had not been in open water all year, I really wanted to get the wetsuit on and jump in the lake (I also was curious about water temps). My wife and kids went down to the pool and I went to jump in the lake. I always like to swim both the start and exit of a swim, so I know exactly what to expect. The word about the race area was that the water was at 74 degrees that morning and would most likely be a wetsuit legal race, but after being in the water, I was not really sure if I would wear it or not. I wasn't sure if the time gain vs the time it took me to get out of would be better. I was not the only one that was considering not wearing it according to other racers I talked too. After my swim I went and joined the wife and kids at the pool until we decided to go eat and then hang in the room until bedtime.

I slept horribly that night, waking at 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00 and 4:58, right before my alarm was to go off. Not sure why though.

Pre Race:
I got up at 5 and went into the bathroom to wake myself up and not wake up the whole family. I ate a bagel and drank some water before gathering what I needed to take down to transition. This year I waited to get my kit on and went down to transition and body marking in shorts and t-shirt. This is one of the benefits of staying at the host hotel I guess! Transition did not take me that long to get everything set up, as I had only gone over it about 3 times that morning alone. So back to the hotel to get on my grab. I had decided to go with the wetsuit, I mean it would give me some speed, and I hardly get to wear it anymore, so why not. Back in the water and then found some friends, chatted it up and then before you know it, it's time to swim!

Swim:
27:56
1:41/100 yd Average
I dove into the water like a pro, only to have my goggles slip and I got some water in the left side. I thought about trying to tough it out and swim with it, but I had only gone like 10 ft, so I decided to stand up and fix it. Good choice! The swim went really well. There was limited bumping but I could tell there were a lot of new swimmers ahead of me because anytime I touched someone, they  would stop and look around. I felt like I passed a lot of people also. (My AG was the 3rd to last group in the water) I tried to stay consistent while swimming and not overdo it. As I was exiting the water heading for T1, I looked at my watch and knew I had PR'd the swim. I had high hopes for the remainder of the race.

Always nice to have a ton of bikes still in T1, especially after starting near the end of the swim line!

T1
2:45
Stupid wetsuit! I had a hard time getting it off my ankles, which was the one concern I had about wearing it. I also had issues getting my HR monitor on, so T1 was slower than I wanted, but I did not forget anything and that is the important thing right?

The Bike:
1:17:25
19.15 MPH Average

The bike course at MIM is extremely flat. I mean pancake flat, which is normally a good thing, but with it being so flat, there are always winds involved. usually you can count on a headwind for the 1st 13-15 miles, then it turns into a tailwind on the way back. This year was no different. The winds going out were very strong but I was able to stay in aero most of the time. I did get one massive calf cramp around mile 10 that almost made me stop, but after that I was fine. It was almost like I knew it was going to happen, so my body decided to get it over with all at once. It did not really seem very hot on the bike, but I still had two gels (one at beginning and one at mile 20) and drank my entire aero bottle and then refilled it at the bottle swap. So I felt good about my nutrition, and I felt fast when I was flying by people, another benefit of starting at the back of the line.

T2:
1:25
Not a lot to say here. Everything went about as well as I could expect. Not sure if I would have done anything differently expect maybe run faster to my spot!

Running out of T2! See the hands of my wife and kids trying to give me a high five? Well, I did not and I ran right past them!  Sorry everybody, but I was on a zone!

Run
1:03:17
10:12 mile pace

This run is the worst. It is one of the more mentally tough runs I do every year. I always think I have it figured out, but I have yet to actually have a good run on it. Somewhere between T2 and the run course, the temperature always shoots up about 400 degrees! This year the freshly paved black asphalt did not help things as far as the heat goes, but there is zero shade anywhere. The first mile seemed long, but I was doing better than I thought I would, but somewhere between 2 and 3 it started slowing down. It got to the point where I was counting the traffic cones to try and keep my head occupied instead of thinking about the heat and the struggles I had. I did get an extra bit of motivation from the guy I caught cutting the course (I blogged it here). The funny thing about this course is that the last stretch always catches me by surprise! It's like Oh we are here!! I told the one guy running next to me that I was running it out, I might puke, but I was running it out! I knew my PR was gone at this point, but I wanted to finish strong.

Finish :
2:53:19
330/872 OA

Me and my Boys, Jake, Jared and Jesse, and yes, jake is rockin a RUN DMC shirt!

Some highlights:

• I finally got to use my Timex Global Trainer in a race. It worked beautifully, even the GPS worked on my swim. Only issue was a user issue and I did not get it into multisport mode before I left out. My fault.
• I was happy with my bike, especially for logging so many trainer hours instead of road hours.
• PR'd my swim. I know it was wetsuit, but 1:41/100 is awesome for me. Top 20 AG in swim
• My Zoggs goggles really gave me no problems at all, no fogging either. Just wish I had put them on better at the beginning.
• My 2XU wetsuit still fit me like a superhero!
• My Brooks Glycerins were awesome all race.
• Was great to hear plenty of people cheering for the Warriors Team!
• Stella, my Specialized Transition Elite bike, was great. I had zero issues. I always work about a flat tire after IM Branson!
• This sounds like a NASCAR post race interview.
• Loved hearing my wife and kids cheering as I ran down the final chute, my middle son even ran along side me, and thanks for all the pictures Babe!

My cheesy Olympic medal biting shot!!!

Now I can turn my sights towards Redman and start preparing for that race. This race is going to be tough and quite the challenge!