Train Fat Boy Train!

Slowly getting accustomed to 2012

2012-02-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

As I stated in my last post 2012 is bringing on changes and new challenges. The one that has affected us the most is my wife going back to work. She has been at home with my daughter for the last three years. She absolutely loves her new job as a concierge at a boutique orthopedic hospital in the Denver area. However, she now gets up at 4:30 a.m. on most days which has really thrown my sleep schedule out of whack both in the morning as well as the evening since I am now trying to get to bed before my normal 11 or 12 at night. I am also now in charge of getting our daughter off to school every morning. Because of the new job Laila has started going to a Catholic preschool. She LOVES school and I actually enjoy being responsible for her in the mornings.. It gets my butt out of bed, gets me eating breakfast every morning and allows Laila and me some time to discuss the major issues in the world as well as catch up on Dinosaur Train. However, the new routine has screwed with my training schedule a bit. Last year I would stop at the gym a few nights a week and then head home. Now I feel like we need to spend more family time together before everyone goes to bed. Thus I head right home after work. I think the answer will be more late night workouts after everyone has gone to bed as well as more lunch time workouts.

Another change this year is that I have a new coach. Last year I was with Suzanne from Steel City Endurance. Suzanne was phenomenal. My improvement on the swim was nothing short of miraculous. I wold recommend her as a triathlon, swim or cycling coach to anyone who asks. The one drawback is that she lives in Pittsburgh and is a Steeler's fan. It was really hard for me making the change since I consider Suzanne a friend and not just a coach.

This year I decided to go with Sonja of Go Sonja Endurance Coaching. The main reason is that Sonja is local and can provide me with a lot of great information as to local routes, group activities, races etc. She also has a ton of practical experience since she is an accomplished triathlete who yet again qualified for Kona this year and is looking to break the 10 hour mark. She also has a number of athletes that are going to participate in IM Wisconsin so I am hoping the group motivation will help with my training.

I have no idea why Sonja has accepted me as an athlete. She limits the number she takes on and it appears to me that all of them are highly dedicated, fairly intense, focused and nutritionally sound. In fact a recent post on the team web page was discussing recipes for kale..yes kale...and not even deep fried. Heck, one of her athletes is scheduled to do 30 Ironman distance races..THIS YEAR. And then there is me. I am definitely the kid sitting at the back of the room throwing spit balls and cramming for tests. Hopefully Sonja has a lot of patience. I know that the practical knowledge I gain from her is going to mesh well with everything I learned from Suzanne last year.

I have already met a few new people in the Denver Triathlon community. I had a bike fit done by Scott Geffre of Fit and Tri. Scott was able to look at my current bike and fit, take some measurements and tell me what make and model triathlon bikes will fit me. (I am hoping to get one in the near future but it is definitely a want and not a need). Funny thing is Scott remembered me from a bike he sold me 8 or 10 years ago as well as through mutual friends.

Scott does his fittings at Kompetitive Edge in Denver. If you remember Kompetitive Edge is the shop that sponsors my coach as well as my friends Christy and Doreen. I had not been there before and was expecting the elitist attitude that one finds at tri stores in Colorado..especially those stores that can cater to the elite athletes in the area. I was pleasantly surprised that the owner Jared and manager Ryan are great down to earth guys that understood the needs of a fat undertrained triathlete like myself as well as the elites. I definitely recommend checking Kompetitive Edge out if you are in the Denver area or on the web at www.kompetitiveedge.com.

As far as training is going..it has been very hit or miss. My nutrition has also been horrendous. However, I think my family and I are coping with and embracing the new changes and challenges that this year has offered. Further, Sonja has answered my plea for help as far as motivation and nutrition with some great advice that I have already put into practice. Lastly, my daughter Laila is keeping me on track..telling me when I have had too much sugar or fat during the day. Seriously, I have no idea where she gets it from. We stopped at an Arbys to get something to drink and I asked her if she wanted a shake..she responded she had already had a slush the day before at lunch and that it would be best that she have a water because she didn't want too much sugar. Really??

Lastly..a shout out to my sister Rebecca and her husband Erick who had a baby boy...Aiden Michael on January 13th. It is wonderful having another nephew and this makes ten cousins for Laila.

What makes Aiden Michael's birth even more special is that he was born on the same day as my younger brother Michael, who we lost to a drunk driver 5 years ago. Mike is on the far left of the picture below along with my brother Ben and me; and with his son Finn below.

Our family has always loved sports but Mike was the true athlete. He was a great football player, softball player and exceptional mountain biker. I think part of the reason I took up this triathlon gig was to get back into athletics and enjoy sports like our family did when we were young.

I hope everyone's 2012 is looking bright and off to a good start.

Hello 2012!!

2012-01-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

I can't complain about the whole of 2011. I completed my first half ironman and competed in IM Wisconsin. I also lost 45 pounds. The Packers won the Superbowl and I met a lot of new friends. However, the last two weeks of 2011 kicked my butt and I am glad we are in 2012.

My Christmas vacation started with my flight back to Wisconsin, where I went immediately from General Mitchell Airport to the hospital to meet my Dad and family at the ICU. My mother had gone into a deep comatose state and the doctors did not think she was going to come out. I volunteered to spend the night in the room with her so the others could go home and sleep. Of course, Christmas Eve morning my father came back into the ICU and my mother heard his voice and immediately started talking to him..what the hell? Another miraculous recovery by my mother. Christmas Eve was kind of a blur after that. I had been up for 36 hours straight and ended up falling asleep and missing the evening parties. We were able to spend Christmas with my family at the hospital since my mother had been moved to a regular room the next day. Also was able to spend time with my wife's family. The in-laws even bought me the Nathan Hydration Vest I had been wanting. I spent the rest of the week visiting family and spending time at the hospital. A fairly stressful week but I was able to spend time with family. My mother's illness even had the unintended consequence of bringing my brother and his wife to Wisconsin for Christmas.

My wife, daughter and I began to drive back to Colorado on the 30th and entered Colorado on the 31st. The winds were horrific. In fact we saw signs that said the highway was closed to high profile vehicles. Apparently one semi truck driver could not read since as we started to pass him the back wheels of his rig came off the ground. I slowed down just in time to watch his whole rig flip over. Once the truck stopped I parked our car and ran to the truck..which took some doing in the wind. I got covered in diesel fuel as I tried to get to the cab to see if the driver was ok. He was moving and finally got up. Unfortunately he could not get out because the winds were so strong he could not open his door. I climbed on the rig and propped the door open so he could get himself and his stuff out. I looked down and there was some guy on his cell phone down below but he would not come closer to help the driver down or grab any gear. Some people are just worthless. I guess he just wanted to see what was happening. Luckily the police and fire showed up within minutes and they were able to get traffic moving within 15 minutes. When we started moving my four year old daughter said.. "He did a damn good job flipping that truck" My wife and I couldn't even scold her we were laughing so hard.

When we got home three hours later we pulled up to the front of the house and saw our gutter hanging off as well as the soffit and pieces of roof. Ugh. Once inside we found a mirror shattered on the hardwood floor with glass pieces everywhere. I went to the computer to look up my insurance and the unit would not power up. Needless to say we did not celebrate New Year's Eve, we were just ready for 2011 to be over with.

However 2012 did start well. I flew out in the morning to meet my brother and his wife in California for the Rose Bowl. Even though our beloved Badgers did not win it was a great game and we met a lot of cool people, hung out with old friends and enjoyed the weather for three days.

2012 is now in full swing. My wife started a new job and my training has officially begun. One thing I learned the last two weeks of 2011 is that you need to make some time for yourself to relieve stress. Whether it be everyday stress or from chaotic events. I did not work out and dealt with the stress by finding comfort in my favorite foods in Wisconsin. This of course has resulted in me getting up to 225 lbs again. (Last year at this time I was 245...so I am still ahead of the game.) My first swim of the year was yesterday at lunch. I looked for every reason in the world not to go. I did end up going and felt so much better. My first trainer ride was this evening and my first run is tomorrow. It really is amazing how once you start the training and good eating habits that they start to snowball and you look forward to the next workout instead of dreading it. I am also looking forward to getting back together with my training buddies who I have not seen in a month or two.

2012 Race Schedule

2011-12-17T01:11:00.000-07:00

I have finally figured out a preliminary race schedule for 2012. In 2011 I only did three races including Ironman Wisconsin. The plan this year is to put more races on the docket thus forcing me to get in shape earlier in the year to avoid embarrassment. Embarrassment is a big motivator and so is whopping up on specific individuals. (You know who you are)

The first couple races of the year will be in January and February. The Chilly Cheek Duathlon series takes place rain, snow or shine and encompasses four miles of running and ten miles of biking. It is early in the season and hopefully will provide me a little incentive to work on my running. I will also need to be ready to ride either my mountain bike or road bike depending on conditions. I am hoping to convince a few people to join me in these races.

In April I have scheduled the Platte River Half Marathon. I have never run a stand alone half marathon so this should be a good indicator of my early season fitness. I have also heard from a number of people that this is a great race.

On May 5 is the Spartan Race. This is a five mile obstacle course at Fort Carson military base. This race concerns me a little since it is going to require some strength and agility. I plan on hitting some weights and doing some crossfit the first few months of the year to hopefully get me ready for the race. I do not want to muscle up but would love to improve my upper body strength. I am also trying to get a team from my work or friends together to compete. The Barking Dog Duathlon is a 5k/30k/5k race which I did last year and is scheduled for May 12. I really enjoyed the race because of the friendly atmosphere. I came in 3rd place in the Clydesdale division of the sprint last year. Hopefully I will not qualify for that division in 2012. I believe this will also be my wife's first race of the season.

June 9 is the first major race of the year with Kansas 70.3. The plan is for a group of us to do this race. It will be fun racing and beating the people I train with. (Yes Doreen..you are my motivator) June 24 is Xterra Curt Gowdy in Wyoming. The Xterra is an off road race which includes mountain biking and trail running. I was very hesitant to put this race on the schedule because Kansas is only two weeks prior. I am going to have to get some mountain bike riding in early in the season which will take away from my road bike. I actually think this will be beneficial. I tend to get my heart rate in the red zone a lot easier mountain biking then on my road bike. I plan on using the mountain bike training to get my "intervals" in. My friend Christy has also promised to help me get ready for this race since she will also be competing.

In July my race will be either Racine 70.3 on July 15 or the Door County Half-Ironman on July 22. Racine is my hometown and I did the race last year and loved it. It would be great to race the course again and gauge my fitness. However, I have heard great things about Door County and it would be nice to visit that part of Wisconsin. I guess this decision will be based upon which week works best for vacation.

The last race I have scheduled is September 9, 2012..Ironman Wisconsin. I have a goal time in mind for this year. I will share that at a later date. There are numerous other races in Colorado this year and I may do a sprint or olympic in early August or even the end of July. There is another Xterra Race near my home on August 4, 2012, Xterra Indian Peaks. Also, the new HITS race series is in Colorado the end of July which includes all distances of races.

Overall I think my race schedule is solid. I am really looking forward to racing with people I know and sharing the experience. I am also looking forward to scheduling my wife's races this year. She has taken an interest in the sport and plans on doing a few sprints and possibly an olympic this year. I am also looking forward to getting some miles on my mountain bike. I totally neglected it last year. If there are any other races that you recommend or have input on the races I have scheduled please let me know. Hope everyone's Christmas season is going well.

Also make sure that you tell all your friends and family how much you care about them at this time of the season as well as all year long. As I write this my mother is again in ICU in Wisconsin fighting the complications of her cancer and the stroke she had 20 years ago. I will be leaving for Wisconsin shortly to be with her and the rest of my family to celebrate Christmas. Remember the true reason this season is great and that the memories you make and share with loved ones are far more precious and everlasting then any gifts.

We're Smelling Roses.

2011-12-08T14:24:00.001-07:00

In other non-triathlon related news..The Big Ten champion University of Wisconsin Badgers will be taking on the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl this year. As you all know my family and I are huge Badger's fans. And my brother Ben was able to score us tickets for the game.

Wife smiling after she finds out I am leaving for three days

My wife was especially happy to hear that I would be leaving for a few days. (For some reason my wife is always happy when I leave..she says it's because she misses me so much when I am gone that she loves me that much more when I return. I don't really buy this..I think it has more to do with the house staying clean).
This will be my second trip to see the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. My first trip was in 2000 when Ron Dayne ran over the Stanford defense for an ultimate Bucky victory. For those of you who do not know the long standing traditions of Wisconsin just ask one of the true believers to Teach you how to Bucky.

This game will take on even more importance..to my brother Ben..because he is a graduate of UW and worked in the ticket office...and then he went to work for the University of Oregon Athletic Department. Although no longer there, he still has about a quarter of his closet filled with green and yellow..all of which will still be in his closet as we head to Pasadena.

How does this relate to triathlon? Well for one I have even more incentive to drop weight so me and the posse can show up the California natives on the beach volleyball courts. Of course I have no idea where I will be getting a tan beforehand. Second..it really does have nothing to do with triathlon..but its all about Bucky.


Best Mascot Ever

So feel free to join Sconnie Nation and root for the Badgers on January 2nd 2012.

We're Smelling Roses and remember..Quack is Whack!

On my Christmas List for this year.

2011-12-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Since it is Christmas time..and my tri bag was stolen with half my equipment...I have been shopping for new gear. Here is a quick list of what I am asking for in case anyone feels generous or you can use the list for triathletes you are shopping for. Just click on the item name for a link to a description.

1. The Nathan Endurance Hydration Pack.

These vests sit a lot higher on my back then the camelbaks do. I have not actually found the endurance to try on but have found a couple of similar Nathan vests. I am thinking this may be the answer to my hydration issues since the fuel belt just does not carry enough fluid. There is even room on the vest for an additional water bottle. Here is a complete Review.

2. Sony Cybershot DSC-TX10

I actually just picked this camera up on Amazon for an amazing Black Friday price to replace my Canon that was stolen. I was looking for a waterproof, shock proof, compact camera and the Sony fits the bill. Further I only payed $160.00 for it..about 60% of the normal price..and insurance is covering it..So far the camera works great and I will start posting pictures in the near future. I have not had a chance to check out the waterproof capabilities as of yet.

3. Timex 100 lap watch
This is the watch that was stolen. I really like it for swimming and being able to record my splits. I was looking at upgrading to the Timex 150 lap with tap technology but was disappointed with a lot of reviews that said the watch would randomly record lap splits while swimming. Obviously the watch would be useless then.

4. Swimp3 Player

This is awesome...I can listen to my music while I swim. Better yet there are no ear plugs..the unit fits on your goggles and sits on your cheek bones. Once you are swimming the music sounds great.

5.Garmin 910XT The item every triathlete wants. Of course it is supposedly available right now but every place on the planet has them backordered until late January or February.

I loved my Garmin 305 and 310xt (which was also stolen) but this is the creme de la creme...It has all the functionality of the previous garmins and has also made significant upgrades in its ability to record information both during an open water swim and indoors. The price is hefty at $449 for the unit with a heart rate monitor..but it is only $50 more than the 310xt. The extra $50.00 is well worth the added functions. I am guessing the 310 will be dropping in price soon.

6. Newton Running Shoes

I love my Newtons..however they are very pricey..especially if bought from the Newton Store in Boulder. However, they did transform me from a heel strike runner into a midfoot runner. That does not sound like much but before the Newtons I could only run a mile or two without my knees hurting. Once I changed my form with the assistance of the Newtons I have no knee pain at all and have done 2- 3 hour runs with little or no pain. I have tried to switch back to other brands with mixed success and am therefore going back to the Newtons for next season.

7. TYR Transition Bag

This is a great bag for the gym or for race day. It is a back pack and contains a wet bag inside as well as space on the bottom for your wetsuit..and the price does not break the bank. I would suggest this bag to anyone looking for a relatively inexpensive triathlon bag..about $50.00 online.

8. Scattante multi lens sunglasses

I LOVE these sungalsses..they are a multi-lens system and they fit my fat head. They are sold by Performance Bike shop either in their stores or online. There is also a woman's model for smaller faces that can be seen on the website. And they are always on sale. Right now they are on sale for 29.99. I use them for everything..running, cycling..just looking cool.

Those are a few ideas that I have for a triathlete for Christmas. I am going out soon to try an replace some of the items. Hope everyone is having a great Holiday Season!.

How much fitness can you lose?

2011-11-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

The answer is..a lot! I have not worked out consistently since my race in September. I have done a few bike rides..a swim or two and a MAF test..but that is about it. Today I started the training for reals...and what a rude awakening. I ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes and only covered 2 miles..ouch. I also got on the scale today and weighed in at 219.4. ouch again. The good news is that I stuck pretty much to the diet guidelines today. No breads, pastas, rice, fried foods or baked goods. I do admit that I cheated with breakfast. I got out of the house late and instead of the eggs I planned on I had to drink a myoplex shake and had a greek yogurt. Otherwise it was a salad with turkey and cheese for lunch and chili with 93% lean hamburger and vegetables for dinner. I definitely filled myself up on the Chili. The rest of the week will be slow runs and then a bike ride on Saturday. Just trying to get used to working out everyday again.

Still waiting on insurance to call me as to my lost items. It was hard to run today without my mp3 player and garmin. I would also like to get back into a pair of Newtons. Tomorrow will be two weeks since the break in..not the fastest turn around.

Planning time

2011-11-27T16:58:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is over and so is the eating and sitting around. Since I raced Wisconsin I have watched my friends compete and kill the courses at Kona, Florida, Arizona (Yeah Christy) and today again at Cozumel (Sonja at www.gosonja.com.) Actually Sonja just finished at a crazy fast 10:00:33 and second in her age group..guess she will be going back to Kona again! I have also been reviewing potential races for next year, talking to my friends about their plans and trying to get a grasp on how 2012 will shape up.

I have been putting off the formal training schedule but need to get back at it. I spoke with Doreen and she does not plan on an Ironman next year but to focus on speed and shorter courses.When I say short I mean 70.3s. Her objective is to qualify for the long course nationals..something I am sure that she can do. I am excited for her but sad for me since that means my really long rides and runs this summer will be without Doreen simply because she does not need to put the mileage in. I am hoping I can find another training partner in those summer months that plans on doing Ironman Louisville or even Florida so that their training mirrors mine.

I also downloaded The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing by Phillip Maffetone in order to help plan my season. The book is very interesting. Maffetone's theory regarding training is to do almost all the aerobic base training at a very specific heart rate. In general that heart rate is 180 - your age. There are some other factors which will either add or subtract from the heart rate such as fitness level, years of training, injuries in the past etc..but the 180- age is the starting point. My heart rate is 135. The vast majority of my runs and bikes would be done at the 135 with very few if any aerobic sessions. Maffetone believes that training at this heartrate, which is below anaerobic, will build a huge aerobic base which will make you faster. In fact, he recommends doing MAF testing quite frequently to judge the improvements. A sample MAF test would require a person to run 3 miles at exactly their specified heart rate. You would keep track of the mile times and the overall time. In theory, every time you take the test you should be running the 3 miles faster at exactly the same heart rate. If that does not happen the athlete should look at what issues are keeping them from improving..i.e. over training, injury, sickness..etc. I am still putting my schedule together but I think I am going to try his theory for a month or two and see how it goes. I am going to stray a bit by putting strength exercises in a couple times a week since I really did feel weak toward the end of last season. Maffetone frowns on anaerobic exercising during the base period including strength training.

The book is big and contains a lot of information. There is also a lot on nutrition as well as training. One thing that Maffetone suggests is taking a two week test in which you cut almost all carbs from your diet as well as processed foods and sugars. This is not a lifestyle change but a chance for you to see how your body reacts to cutting the carbs out of the diet. He believes that a lot of people will see dramatic weight loss in those two weeks as well as improvement in their MAF test and generally feel better. I am going to take this test starting Monday November 28 along with a few other people I know. I will follow the diet and let everyone know how it goes.

One last thing, Our volleyball team won the City Championship!! A shout out to my friends and teammates, Kristine, Angie, Melissa, George and Matt. We lost one game all season and swept the tourney..although there were a couple of very tough matches.

Yes..we really are that gangsta. I wish I had a better picture but unfortunately about an hour later as we celebrated our victory at a local drinking establishment, our car was broken into with the culprits taking Kristine's volleyball bag which contained our shoes, balls, camera and my wedding ring..along with my tri bag which contained my garmin, mp3 player etc.. I am still waiting for the insurance company to get back to me on how they are going to handle the loss. We will see if I give them a good or bad review.

Off Seaon - Plan or no Plan

2011-11-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

So the off season is here. How do I know this? I am eating like it is the football and holiday season. As of today I am up to 219.5. Ugh. I have also officially done nothing this past week. Unfortunately after my last race real life, work, the holidays, friends, stress, etc.. worked their way back into my life. Some of this is good and some bad. The trick now is to find a balance. I have obviously been eating to make up for the food I was not eating during training. I now find myself in a spot where I need to take off weight which was already gone. Not a big deal since I know I can do it. The real challenge I face is finding a balance between everything in my life. I need to treat training/exercise as a meeting that has to be scheduled and adhered to. With the shorter days and cooler temps it is all too easy to push off my plans until the next day. This week I plan on just doing about 45 minutes of cardio everyday. I also am going to read up on a few eating plans and let you know what I think about them and if they would work for me. I am interested in the engine 2 diet which is mostly vegan based and the paleo diet which is a favorite among crossfitters. I have already started reading Training Weight by Matt Fitzgerald which simply confirms that guys my size should not be doing endurance events..lol. Lastly I will be putting together a structured plan for the next 6 - 8 weeks and also try to plan some races for the year. So stay tuned. Hopefully there will be a plan. Of course I also caught a cold this weekend so we will see how my whining affects my plan.

I also want to give a shout out to my friend and training partner Doreen who finished Ironman Florida in 13:16:18 beating her goal of 13:30 and setting a personal PR. Awesome job..just remember you could not have done it without me!

Have You Seen My Motivation..it was here somewhere..probably with my keys.

2011-10-27T14:26:00.002-06:00

As the end of October approaches I am already firmly in the grips of the winter doldrums. I really thought a short rest from training would do me good and I would be in the mood to hit it like never before. Unfortunately the only thing I have been hitting like never before is the all you can eat buffets. Really..actually ate at the Chinese Super Buffet. I had no idea the Chinese ate so many fried foods. Fried and breaded sweet potatoes, donuts, chicken mcnuggets. I am surprised that China does not have more of an obesity problem. I have also gone out the last few weekends to enjoy the Brewers, Badgers and Packers with my rowdy friends that I have not hung out with for six months. (A shout out to my boys Jeff and Scott and badger girls Kelley (and whatever your boyfriend's name was) and Jenn..and of course my designated driver, wingman and caretaker Kristine). Needless to say this involved partaking in alcohol and fried foods. (mmm. cheese curds) In the last six months before my Ironman race I ate pretty good and did not drink at all. The night of the Badger/Nebraska game I drank six months of fruity drinks. I decided to do the rainbow by doing one drink of every color.. long island iced tea (brown) Blue Hawaiin (blue) Some sort of red fruity drink(red), screw driver(orange), grasshopper(green) girl scout cookie (green again), purple people eater (purple), axe murderer (red again) all topped of with an Irish Car Bomb. Needless to say I felt less than stellar..but the Badgers did win. I also apparently came down with a case of food poisoning that night and next day since I just really did not feel well.. of course sleeping on a tile floor curled up in a ball did not help either. So the fruity drinks are out of the system now..both figuratively and literally and I will not need to have one of those again for a year. Some how I have also put on weight. As of today I am up 11 lbs from 9-11-11. A magnificent 215 on the scale.

Worse yet the motivation to work out has just not been there. I think partly because the triathlon season is over and I have no goal staring me in the face. Another is that the group rides and workouts are also pretty much over for the season. I think I am much more of a team sport guy then an individual sport enthusiast. This may be part of my midwestern upbringing where team sports are popular and hanging out after the game is even more popular. I started playing volleyball again which is fun..and much less of a strain on my knees since losing my weight. I am also contemplating joining a soccer league ( a sport I have never played before) just because of the camaraderie. Triathlon is an individual sport for the most part but I always try to have a training partner or partners. For me being part of a team is huge. When I mountain biked in the midwest it was always a group activity..in Colorado you see a lot of solo mountain bikers. I have half-joked with my coach that we need to get team kits so we can be identified as a unit. ( Honey Badgers ..Because Honey Badgers don't care...Honey Badgers are Bad Ass.) For some reason it is much more fun and satisfying to me to accomplish something as a team rather than an individual.

I have also soured on the sport of triathlon a bit. I have met a lot of great people while doing triathlons..but I have also met a lot of complete d-bags. I think for some reason the individual sports seem to attract a larger number of anti-social, self centered, arrogant individuals that do not mesh well with my personality. And in my opinion, the proportion of these d-bags increases as their eliteness increases (or more likely their perceived eliteness). Yes I know that this is a gross generalization and some of the elite athletes I have met are some of the most wonderful people I know..but I am just going off my experience.

Unfortunately I meet the guy in the video above on a lot of my rides and it really ticks me off and adds to my "experience" database.

So I am done whining now. I need to get back on the horse. My run fitness has nose-dived, I think I remember how to swim and unbelievably my bike fitness still seems to be ok. My plan of attack for the next month is to set my race goals, get back on track nutritionally and schedule my workouts as I would meetings so I don't miss any more.

I was able to have a great ride last weekend with my coach Sonja (one of the truly wonderful elite athletes that I have met) and a few of the ponies in her stable. The ride made me remember how much I actually do like the sport and the majority of the people in it that I have met. I will also be reading the blogs of my online buddies to help me keep motivated. (You can too..they are listed on the side bar). Hope everyone is well and keeps moving forward.

A Year In Review

2011-10-08T23:22:00.003-06:00

Ok..not quite a year but close enough. I was disappointed not finishing IMMOO 2011 and thus have decided to look at the bright side of things. In 2010 I finished a sprint triathlon in Maple Grove Minnesota. The Dare to Tri race is in Maple Grove (obviously) and 2010 was the inaugural race. It was fantastic. There is a sprint and olympic distance and in 2011 they partnered with Tristar 111 and added a completely different race distance. A 1 km swim, 100 km bike and 10k run. Macca raced the event this year and said he would be back in 2012. I really want to do this race but it is only 3 weeks out from Ironman Wisconsin. If you ever get the chance to sign up for the race you should do so. It is a blast and the little extras..like engraving your finishing medal onsite with your time are awesome.

Anyway I did the race in August 2010 and looked back at how I progressed in 13 months. At Maple Grove I had to swim a little over 500 yards. I averaged 2:30 per 100 yards and at IMMOO I averaged under 2:00 per 100 over 2.4 miles (4100 yards). I averaged a little over 15 miles an hour on the bike for the sprint race..at IMMOO with quite a bit more elevation gain I averaged 14.5 mph over 112 miles. Not the greatest speed but I was pleased. At Racine I averaged over 16 mph over 56 miles. Lastly, I walked/ran the 3 miles in the sprint and averaged a little under 12:00 minute miles. During training for IMMOO I was running 12 -13 minute miles over 13 miles. I think my fitness improved significantly. One huge improvement was in my quad, hamstring and hip strength from the training. I have been dealing with issues related to my knee surgery in 1998 since..well 1998. My right leg has been significantly weaker than the left ever since the surgery..often times causing me to run in circles. I saw my PT Joy last week and she said the strength I had gained was incredible and it is by far the best she has seen my leg in the three years she has known me. By the way if anyone in the Denver area needs the best Physical Therapist around for athletes Joy is the one to see at University of Colorado Sports Medicine. She knows her stuff, is an athletic trainer also and can deal with head cases (she has dealt with me for a number of years). Also I think the photos below show that I lost a little bit of weight. (Amazingly enough I am wearing the same tri shorts in each picture - spandex is truly a miracle fabric)

the original fat boy (233)

new and improved 203 (down from 242)

I have learned quite a bit in the last year. From learning how to swim efficiently with total immersion, train while still having a family life from my coach Suzanne at Steel City Endurance, to how to pee on the bike. Unfortunately I was never able to practice this in real life since I was never hydrated enough to actually need to go..but I did get advice from some of the best. I also met a number of wonderful people..from those I shared some training time with (Doreen, Kelli 1, Kelli 2, Angela), to fellow racers in Racine like Doug from Marshfield, and elite triathletes..Go Sonja!!! - who as I write this is only a few hours removed from finishing the Ironman World Championship in Kona in 10:08:44.

Lastly it has been great getting into a healthy lifestyle and sharing the sport with my family and friends. My sister-in-law Adrianne finished her second tri at Maple Grove this year PRing..and my wife Kristine is now firmly into the lifestyle and will probably be beating my butt in the near future. My soon to turn 4 year old daughter now gets off her bike and then wants to run after she goes through transition. She also says "on your left" when she passes people on the walking path. Finishing IMMOO 2012 is the goal for this next year but like this year I think the journey with my family and friends will be the real reward.

IMMOO 2011

2011-09-16T12:16:00.000-06:00

Well September 11, 2011 came a lot quicker than I thought it would. After my HIM at Racine I knew I had to work on hydration and running. My coach Suzanne and I started working on hydration strategies and my training partner Doreen (pictured in the wetsuit) made sure I didn't miss a workout. With six weeks to Ironman Wisconsin I knew I had a lot of work to do. My wife Kristine (In the first picture) made sure my weekends were free to train the long hours for the rides and bricks and even went on a couple of work outs with me. Kristine and my daughter Laila were my biggest cheerleaders before and during the race. I also had a bunch of other friends who were willing to train with me to help me get my miles in. One thing that was evident was that I was getting fitter since my pants were getting looser and I was spending more time admiring myself in the mirror.

We arrived in Madison on September ninth and I registered and weighed in. Everything for Ironman Wisconsin is based out of Monona Terrace which is kind of cool. The terrace is right on Lake Monona and a few blocks from the capitol. Pictured below is the parking structure helix that we had to run up after the swim to get to the transition area and then to the bikes.

My official Ironman weight was 203.9. I had hoped to be 199 by the race but I had lost 40 lbs since February..so I was happy. At registration I also noticed a few guys my size or a little bit bigger. However the vast majority of the athletes were definitely built for endurance with little body fat and most of the guys did not need to have a scale that went over 170 pounds.

On Saturday we met up with my brother Ben and his wife Adrianne. Ben was under some notion that I could attend a Badger game the day before Ironman. After some deliberation I declined. Instead we met up for a little pre game fun and then my wife and I went back to Monona Terrace to rack my bike and drop off my gear bags which we had spent two hours packing and repacking. I don't know how many times I rechecked my bike shoes, helmet, salt pills etc.

As you can see by the pictures the bags are dropped off in different rooms and sorted by athlete numbers. The picture is of the room that we triathletes refer to as T1 or the first transition. (Ha.."we triathletes" )The gear bag contains everything I needed to go from the swim to the bike. In most triathlons the gear is left by your bike and there are no separate rooms or changing areas.. However due to the number of athletes and length of the race the bikes are racked separate from the gear bags. My T1 gear bag included my bike shoes, socks, sunglasses, helmet, etc. What is nice about Ironman is that once you grab your bag and move into the changing area there are rows of chairs to sit down on and numerous volunteers to help you go through your bag, put sunscreen on or whatever and put your stuff away as you scurry out the door..the bad thing is seeing other guys nude rubbing nut butter on their privates. Triathletes are not a bashful people.

After racking the bike Kristine and I headed back to our hotel room at the Union South and went to dinner with Ben and Adrianne. We went to the Great Dane..which if you go to the beginning of this blog you can see me eating all manner of deep fried food and drooling over what I couldn't stuff down. The day before Ironman I was drinking water and eating mashed potatoes. In fact the three days before the race I was petrified that I was going to make the wrong decisions on what to eat and stayed to the basics of lean protein and chicken breast with plenty of water. I actually declined cheese curds and bacon.

I got to bed about 10 p.m. and was up at 4:30. Kristine and I were down at Monona Terrace by 5:20 along with thousands of other people. I filled my water bottles and made sure my tires were at 120 psi. I was one of the few that did not have a true triathlon bike. Instead I had my road bike with aero bars on it. During the ride I was glad that I had my bike with its front triple chain ring. We then wandered around checking out the spectators and other athletes as well as getting my body markings done.

The area became very crowded as gun time approached. At 6:30 the bike transition area was closed and we had to put on our wetsuits and move down the helix and into the water. The helix was crowded but there was about 6 feet of space for all of the athletes to run up once they exited the water. I was warned about the swim for IMMOO..it was likened to being in a washing machine. The closer you were to the start line and the buoys the worse it was. I put on my wetsuit and entered the water with about 20 minutes before the start. I spoke with some of the athletes and decided..what the heck..I am going to the start line by the buoys and will start a little behind. I figured the front runners would get ahead and I would get into a groove. I was surprised to see that there were a large number of athletes that were starting near the shore almost 200 yards from the buoy. Apparently they thought it best to stay out of the melee and catch up with the buoys toward the first turn 800 meters away. Seemed like a lot of extra swimming to me. But so did the fact that I had to tread water for 20 minutes before the gun started the race. However, with the wetsuit on treading water did not take up much if any energy at all.

I was talking to a couple of other athletes in the water when the gun went off and everyone just started moving forward. I can honestly say I have never been so beat up in a swim. There are 3000 people headed for the same red buoy 800 meters away and no one wants to give up space. I was jostled, run over, kicked and all in all just mugged. Your vision in the water is pretty much limited to two feet in front of you and about three feet to each side..usually there was a pair of feet in front and a body to each side with someone either touching your feet or going over your back. I have always tried to go around swimmers but that was impossible. To move to the left or right meant I was going to run into someone else. Thus the best course of action was to try and go over the swimmer in front..hopefully just an arm and not their body. When we got to the first turn it was actually worse. Some of the faster swimmers who had started 200 meters to the side converged at the same time. Everyone pretty much had to stop swimming and kind of just push themselves through the mass of humanity to get around the buoy. What added to the surreal spectacle is that everyone was mooing. Apparently it is custom to moo when you get around the first turn at IM Wisconsin. So of course I joined in. Once around the first turn I realized that my theory about the swimmers spreading out was wrong. The muggings got a little less frequent but for the better part of both loops there was always someone if not two people within a foot or two of you. Apparently one woman had her wrist broken in the first 100 meters of the race by someone kicking her. I was very glad to get to the last turn and head back to shore. I figured with all of the people, not being able to extend my stroke and just the sheer madness my time would be about 1:45. I was incredibly surprised to see it was actually 1:22. That was about 1:58 per 100 yards. The best I had done in the pool for training was 1:59 per 100 yards and that was for a 500 yard time trial..not for 2.4 miles.

Once I was out of the water I had the wetsuit strippers take off my suit and I was running with the rest of the athletes up the ramp and the helix and to the transition area. I even heard my name being called as I exited the water..talk about cool! I thought running up the helix would be exhausting..but with the hundreds of people yelling at you and cheering, you do not realize you are actually jogging at a good clip. I got to T1..changed into my biking gear and ran out..grabbed my bike and was soon riding down the other helix to start my 112 mile ride. Unfortunately within the first 2 miles we all had to slow down for the med crew to put a biker in an ambulance. Apparently they had come down the bike path too fast and ended up hitting the side of an underpass.

Just as an aside - if you remember my swim video on this blog from the beginning of the year (If you don't remember then you need to look..it is horrific) I was averaging about 2:30 per 100 yards and looking very bad doing it. Suzanne and her coaching helped me cut 30 seconds off each 100 time. That is HUGE. I am also going to confess that I was not a convert to the total immersion swim style or doing the drills Suzanne had scheduled for each swim practice..but I started doing them and again the difference is striking.

The bike course at IMMOO is 112 miles and is an out and back with two loops. The "stick" is a fairly fast ride out to Verona where the loop starts.

As you can see the course is anything but flat. There are three "big"hills that everyone talks about starting at Mt. Horeb with an additional two on the back side of the course. Compared to Colorado the three hills really are not anything spectacular. You just need to gear down and go slow. The longest one is probably just a little over half a mile in length. I actually enjoyed this part of the course since there were some downhills where I could actually use my body mass to my advantage and get speeds of 35 to 40 miles per hour. The front part of the course is what killed me. It is just constant rollers where your legs never get a chance to rest and you never get in a groove. A lot of people rate the IM Wisconsin bike course in the top 2 hardest courses out of all Ironmen races because of this. You are constantly shifting gears and trying to keep your cadence up.

The ride on the "stick" was pretty non-eventful. I kept a good cadence up, actually passed people and started hydrating by taking some salt pills immediately and chugging some powerbar performance for fluids and calories. However I noticed that there was not a cloud in the sky and that it was getting hot. I knew it would be a long day on the bike course.

At mile 30 on the course I started talking to myself..what the heck am I doing..I am less then a third of the way through the bike and was dying. I was hot and the legs were tired. At mile 45 I had gone through the first hill and done some downhills and was feeling great. I even saw my iron sherpas on the side of the road cheering for me. My wife and daughter, brother, a couple of sister in laws and their kids as well as my father and mother in law were on the side of the course in a few different places. This was a real pick me up. It is unreal how many conversations one has with them self on a 112 mile bike ride.

During the course of the bike I had to stop and fix my back water bottle holders which had slipped down to the tire. I also dropped a chain on one of the climbs and was yet again stung by some unknown bug..this time on the inside of my thigh. I thought I was going to crash the bike when it happened it hurt so bad. The one thing I did not do was stop at a porta potty..which did not bode well since I was picking up 2 to 3 bottles of fluid at each rest stop.

When I got to the special needs stop at about 56 miles I was famished. I opened my bag..it was peanut butter jelly time. I took two bites and couldn't even chew. I tried chips, licorice, a performance bar all with the same reaction. The guy next to me gave me some gummy bears and fig newtons with the same reaction. I was hungry but couldn't eat.

The second loop was much harder than the first. The riders had thinned out and it was HOT. The crowds were still as awesome as the first loop. On the hills people were running next to you with megaphones and yelling your name. There were girls in hula costumes..guys in hula costumes..girls in bikinis..guys in bikinis..the best sign I saw was strung overhead on one of the hills that said..."Worst Parade EVER!" I cracked up both times I went past it. It was wonderful having other athletes and people calling out your name. And I finally took pride in everyone calling me "big guy". Way to go Big Guy!! OK..I am not that big anymore..but for this race I was. Although there were a few much larger guys than me..that flew past me on the bike.. I was pretty impressed.

When I finally got to the stick going back to Madison I was very happy. My cadence went up and so did my speed quite a bit. It was mostly downhill and the end was in sight. I got to the terrace..rode up the helix (yes one final man made hill) gave my bike to a volunteer and ran into T2. I changed out of my bike top which I had planned on wearing for the run. It was caked in salt, sweat, grease..some blood from somewhere and GU. I felt great but did not know if my legs were going to work. I drank another 16 ounces of water before leaving on the run. I was done with the bike in 7:47. My goal time was 8:00. We also just found out the course was 113 instead of 112 miles.

wt

I found out that I did not have to worry about my legs working..They were ready to go. The blister I thought I was getting was also gone. The crowds waiting outside T2 made it impossible not to run..and the crowds went on and on for about 8 blocks. The city streets were one big cheering section and I heard Scott. 2100 and big guy again and again. I checked my garmin to make sure I was running my 13:30 pace and found out I had run the first mile in a little over 10 minutes.. WTF. I slowed down immediately and even so my pace was at 12:20. (WARNING - NEXT few lines may be TMI) At about mile two..I finally had to urinate..my hydrating all day had paid off. Found a porta potty and .. umm. yeah..no urine at all and red fluid is not the color I wanted to see. Luckily I found my sister in law the doc. (She, my wife and brother were following me on bikes) She said I was probably very dehydrated and Suck it up and walk. The plan was to walk and hydrate as much as possible. It was then I notice my new shirt had already soaked through with sweat. I found a walking partner (which was not hard to do). I stopped at every aid station, drank 16 ounces of water and ate bananas. I also filled up my fuel belt with fluids(another 32 ounces) for the walk between stations. I made it through Camp Randall Stadium and was walking up Observatory Hill when the pain became a little too much. I was fine standing or sitting but moving forward had become increasingly painful. I also calculated I had eaten two full bananas and had about 80 ounces of water during the last hour and things had gotten worse instead of better. I had made it about 6.5 miles. At this point I decided to call it a day and thought I was going to cry. I have been second guessing myself ever since. At the time it was probably the right choice. Adrianne and Kristine told me I actually had been caked with salt and had a nice yellow complexion with sunken eyes when I called it. I'm still wondering if I could have saved the day. I know that physically I had the fitness to complete the Ironman and was on pace to do it under 16 hours..which for me would have been awesome.

So that is my long race report without the ending I had hoped for. With that being said the race was one of the coolest experiences of my life and I was glad to have my family and friends there to share it with me. All in all I have come a long way in a year. I was pretty depressed this week but have gotten over it. My wife convinced me to sign up next year again..so now I have a great base to work from and IM Wisconsin 2012 will be here in not time. Hopefully I will be about 20 pounds lighter.

I also want to thank everyone who has been with me through this journey, either as a training partner or just by putting positive comments on facebook. It has been fun and team Evil Monkey Multisport will be back next year to slay this dragon.

IRONMAN RACINE 70.3

2011-07-24T21:59:00.001-06:00

Well I did my first half ironman on July 17th in my childhood home of Racine Wisconsin. The Racine 70.3. It was a blast and I learned a lot form the experience. A Half Ironman is 1.2 mile swim - 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. The swim took place in Lake Michigan which was quite warm at race time..65 degrees. It was also the first time I raced wearing a wetsuit.

I had planned on getting to Racine on Thursday night. However a hail storm on Wednesday damaged Frontiers planes and of course the only flight to Milwaukee that was canceled was mine. Frontier could not get me out or on a partner airline until Monday..which would be a little pointless. I did rebook on Air Tran for Friday afternoon and got to pay an additional $100 charge for my bike. Frontier is the only airline that does not charge an exorbitant amount for bike boxes. Getting in Friday night did not allow me to do anything I had planned on except for a quick dip in Lake Michigan. The water was warm and clear and most importantly calm. Saturday night my wife and I put my transition bag together with all my equipment. My friend Doreen told me to pack my salt pills in a baggie so they did not get wet. Since I was not going to wear my running singlet in the water I decided just to throw them in the pocket. By the way..I agonized over whether to buy a racing singlet ( basically a running jersey without sleeves) most of them are made for guys who top out at 160 lbs so the thought of my body in the singlet conjured up pictures of a pig in a blanket. I found a Pearl Izumi that actually seemed to fit and had to order it straight from the company since they only had 1 XL left in the company.

I actually slept pretty well the night before..didn't get up at all and was wide awake at quarter to five. My wife, daughter and I loaded the van up left my parents house and headed to the start followed by thirty cars with Illinois plates. Transition was fairly calm since the bikes had to be racked the night before. I had met three or four guys on Saturday while I racked my bike and I must say they were all pretty much jerks. No time to say hello or chat. I did meet two women - one from Germany and one from Denmark and we discussed the finer points of peeing in a wetsuit. Yes triathletes are a strange lot. However Sunday morning I was surrounded by first timers, guys my size and just genuinely fun people. They were all in my swim wave and we talked for 45 minutes about who would be coming in last. I took my jersey out and of course it was soaking wet. I had put a NUUN tablet in one of my water bottles which caused the water to shoot out the open drink spout. And of course the salt pills in my jersey pocket were now completely useless and a huge mess. Yes Doreen I will listen to you from now on. I was surprisingly calm. I think a lot of that stemmed from the people I met and the fact that the line at the porta pottys was surprisingly short. My swim wave left at 7:18 which was nice since the last wave had to wait until 8:32 to go.

THE SWIM

The swim start in Racine is a mile away from the transition area. You enter the water to the North and swim the 1.2 miles back South. Thus all of us had to walk the mile down the beach to the swim start. It was actually fun talking to everyone for the 20 minute walk. Also my wife and daughter walked with us, took pictures and played the role of sherpa. The pros left at 7:00 then a couple of more waves until our wave at 7:18. I figured it would probably be 55 minutes for me in the water since I am not a great swimmer and I was still getting use to the wetsuit. I also figured I would be doing a little breast stroking. The water was perfect however I noticed that it was 7 a.m. I was just standing in the water and I was already sweating profusely. My plan was to start at the end of the wave and let everyone go out and I would follow up the rear as best I could. After a few strokes and nervousness I remembered to concentrate on my stroke and actually was keeping up with a couple of guys. I decided to "draft" off of one of them by staying in his wake. It worked pretty well. The water was super clear and I could even see the sandy bottom. I also noticed that I was taking quite a few less strokes then the guy I was following but staying the same pace and was not out of breath at all. The swim seemed to last forever but when I finally saw the red buoy signaling the turn in back to the beach I was stoked. I was definitely not the last in my wave and was only passed by a few of the elite athletes in the wave behind us. I got out of the water and was greeted by a 25 yard run through the sand to get to transition. Now being in the water for the better part of an hour does something to my equilibrium and the sand did not help mattes. However I actually jogged up the path to transition and the waiting wetsuit strippers who stripped my wetsuit off in no time flat. It was great getting to my bike and seeing very few bikes had already left. I quickly changed into my jersey and helmet and was on my way. I did not know it at the time but my swim time was in the 43 minute range. Much faster than I thought I would ever get.

THE BIKE

The bike course in Racine is one or two hills and basically gentle rollers. The biggest issues of the day were the heat and the headwind that we rode into for the first 30 miles or so. I wanted to average 16 mph on the bike but had no idea how I would do. My bike was fitted with 4 water bottles and an aero bottle which I figured would provide plenty of hydration..I was wrong. The course was very fast at first and it was nice to get in the aero position and feel like I was really moving. Unfortunately I think everyone on the course was going even faster than me. The first 30 miles flew by and then I started to think..crap I have to run after this. Because of my history of hydration issues I drank continuously on the bike and took my salt pills. Every aid station I would pick up 2 more water bottles. I am chatty so had some conversations with a few people on the bike...one guy from Australia and another guy shared his peanut m&m s with me. I had one girl ride behind me and call me by my name. I was thinking that she must have been pretty impressed with me to look up my bib number and get my name before the race. Then I realized our names were on our bibs. I felt good on the bike but not great. I did see a little carnage on the course with three or four riders completely wiped out due to the heat. The heat wasn't bothering me that bad I was fully hydrated or so I thought. Although I had drank over 200 ounces of fluid I did not have to pee..and then thought it was a little weird when at mile 45 a slight breeze hit me and I began to shiver. That was about the same time I came up a hill and saw my wife, daughter and in-laws on the top of the hill cheering everyone on. It was very cool to see and they hurried and made it to the finish line to watch me there. Not that they had to hurry. I think I passed two riders and was passed by about 1500 or so it seemed. I did notice that the fitness of a lot of the women was not related to their body size or fat percentage but by how tan their legs were..yep you start thinking weird things out on the course. When I did come through the last miles on the bike you could see the runners.. A lot of them looked good and I was thinking crap..everybody feels better than I do..then a long line of people walking the course appeared..more than I have ever seen at a race. At that point I figured it would be a long day. My bike ended right where I thought it would with a little over 16 mph average.

THE RUN

Got off my bike..put the running shoes on..glared at my wife when I tried to put my hat on. She had used it the night before and has a head smaller than a childs..mine on the other hand is the size of a watermelon..thus my childhood nickname of melon head..Lets just say it wasn't fitting. I passed one woman and told her that she looked like I felt..she said she was packing it in and didn't go out on the run. There was an aid station immediately outside transition where I threw ice on my head and took in three cups of water. I started running and the legs were no there yet so I started walking with another woman. She said she had done Racine 4 times before and this was the worst weather. We actually passed runners while we were walking. She said she planned on walking the route because of the heat. Her walking speed was actually faster than my run. I told her I was going to try and run and took off. 5 minutes down the road I was walking again completely overheated. I ran/walked the first 4-5 miles and after that I knew that if I was going to finish it would be walking. There was no way for me to get hydrated no matter how much water - GU or salt tablets I took in. I had a large number of walking partners during the day and at one point it looked like a zombie movie with the number of walkers coming towards me and walking away. My Run time was horrendous..but I think if I would have pushed it I would have DNF'd. My shoes were soaked from peoples hoses and pouring water on myself to keep me cool. I ended up with blisters with two miles to go. When I got to the finishing chute I tried to run and my calves seized up with cramps..I have never had cramps before and never want them again. I heard my wife, daughter and relatives but didn't see them. Got across the finish line and after two minutes told my wife I needed to go to the med tent which was standing room only. I got my two 500ml bags of saline and felt 100 times better. We figured I was about 10 lbs light when I was in the med tent even though I thought I had drank huge amounts of fluid. My run was a complete disaster but I finished. My wife said they announced the heat index was well over 100 degrees for the race. I was hoping for a 3 hour half marathon and was even thinking 2:45 would be doable. However I ended up with a run in the 3:30 range..an Oprah Winfreying effort. The RESULTS show the train wreck that was my race. Actually the swim and the bike went well for me. Considering I have lost 35 lbs in the last four months and couldn't swim 200 meters or run 6 miles 6 months ago I am more than pleased. The only things I would change would be to get my fluids and nutrition under control to at least been able to cut 2 minutes or so off of my mile times. I also would have tried to find a way to run without my hat..I've got a great looking head and the hat just does not do me justice in my pictures..lol.

Overall I had a blast. My wife, daughter, relatives and friends following me on facebook rocked. I could not have gotten through the day without their moral support. Further I would have never gotten to the starting line without my wife Kristine's support for all the training hours and putting up with my stupid triathlon talk regarding GU..electrolytes..monkey butt..and weird drink mixes littering the kitchen My coach Suzanne Atkinson of Steel City Endurance also gets a big shout out along with my friend Doreen who has provided me invaluable tips on how to make it through the endurance events. I have also met a large number of wonderful friends the last couple of months who all have their own reason and goals for participating in this sport.

Lastly my Mom and Dad have provided me with the inspiration not to quit. My mother had a debilitating stroke when she was my age and for the last 18 years her and my father have had the strength to face everyday anew no matter what the challenge. For the last five years my mother has been "challenged" with breast cancer and has been going to radiation and chemo since the beginning of the year. Compared to what my parents have done and continue to do with a positive attitude this Ironman triathlon stuff is a walk in the park..with ice cream. Love everyone. Next race is in September. Hopefully the weather will be nicer. I have a lot to learn and do in the next few weeks. Like how to install a saline drip on my aerobars for the bike portion.

Really - I haven't blogged in 3 months - must have been training

2011-06-24T16:26:00.000-06:00

It is true..I have not blogged in three months..it is... but I promise to make up for it in a flurry of new posts. What have I been doing? I have either been training, thinking about training or thinking there is no way I should be doing this. Some bad things have happened since my last post and some good.

THE BAD that has happened. I became really frustrated with my fitness level and the progress I was making. I really do not think that this triathlon stuff is made for larger guys..ok...even normal size guys. It is very frustrating training next to guys that weigh 80 lbs lighter than me. Should I get some sort of headstart? I have also found that training for the longer distances is very time consuming (DUH!) With work and family life I find that the training is really cutting into my T.V. time. The other really frustrating thing is that everyone I meet seems to be in better shape than me..WTF? Am I just starting to hang out with more athletic people or maybe its being in Colorado. I think I should be training in Kentucky..that way I would definitely feel better about myself. Another "bad"..my knee issues are resurfacing due to the running. The pain had pretty much disappeared when I changed my running style..now it is back.

THE GOOD - I am finally losing weight. I am down about 30 lbs since January. I am still at 215 and would love to be below 200 just because of the improvement I am seeing as the weight comes off. My running is improving..not good but improving. My swimming has just recently improved. I was swimming at 2:35 per 100 yards and have gotten it down to close to 2:00 per 100 yards. I will write more about that later. I think I am actually becoming a triathlete. I have started to eat things like cliff shot blocks, Endurox R4 and Accelerade as opposed to chips and fried cheese. I am also starting to look like a triathlete. (Ok not really..I am far from being anorexic) When I go out running I have to have a garmin, fuel belt, ipod and hat and sunglasses..and biking wise I can actually fit into some of my cycling jerseys. And I almost forgot - I took 3rd place in the fat guy category in a duathlon I did in May. Not real impressive but it was an ego boost. I have my first big test with my Half Ironman in Racine in a little over three weeks. If the knee holds up then I should be good to go for the biggie in Madison in September. I just have to remember 16:59:59 is fine.

I will be back soon with updates on my TI class, my new wetsuit with pics!!, tips on what to do when you get the runner's trots and an extended essay comparing Accelerade to Gatorade and whether GU really is as disgusting as you think. By the way for anyone who is thinking about getting a Garmin 405 - don't - stick with the tried and true 305..it is a lot less money and I find it to be much more useful and user friendly.

Six Months To Go

2011-03-14T22:02:00.000-06:00

The winter months have flown by and the training is getting more consistent. This week I am doing fitness tests in all three disciplines to see where I am at. Today it was swimming. Let's just say I need a lot more pool time and more work on form. The running is coming along slowly but it is coming along. Running a slow pace in December my heart rate was at about 156. Today I can run a faster slow pace and my heart rate is about 140. The bike is also coming along quite nicely. I did a 32 mile ride yesterday and averaged about 16 mph for the ride which included a pretty good headwind. I was pretty happy.

I have also spent a little bit of money on gear. I got a new pair of running shoes the Brooks Ghost 3 which I love. I still have not had any knee pain since changing running styles about 6 months ago. I also had a bike fit at Giant Cycling World in Lttleton, They spent a lot of time with me and adjusted my cleats and handlebars and put a shorter stem on the bike. Plus they were extremely reasonable.

The only thing I am not happy with progress wise is my weight. I am down 12 lbs from the beginning of the year but need to lose quite a bit more. It is all portion control. By April 1 I would like to be down another 10 lbs. This is a pretty hefty goal but one I think I can make if I stick to the diet.

Work and family health issues have definitely taken the focus off of training the last two months. However, I have found the training to be a good stress reliever and one that I need to fit into my schedule. I find that I am looking forward to running. I didn't ever think I would say that. Also, the more I am outside the more I appreciate the state that I am living in and want to be outdoors. We went on a family hike on Sunday and I was reminded of all of the great places to run, hike and bike just minutes from my house.

There is no excuse for not enjoying the outdoors. Well this week should be fun. I have 5k field test tomorrow and bike field test on Thursday to look forward to. I also plan on solidifying a race schedule this week as well as booking my hotel room in Madison.

January - a turning point.

2011-01-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well - It is January and I noticed that I have not posted in more than a month. So what have I been doing? December was spotty with the training since we headed back to Wisconsin for the holidays. However, since January 1 I have found a new resolve (odd how that coincides with the New Year). My Mother also started Chemo Therapy for her Breast Cancer the beginning of the year. I figure that if she is tough enough to go through what she is going through..that her son can be disciplined enough to sweat a little bit everyday. Since this new resolve the training has become much more consistent. Running is becoming easier and the biking is going well. Although the indoor training rides are boring and are tough on certain parts of the anatomy. In the last two weeks I have dropped about 12 lbs from my holiday high. A large reason for this is that my wife has been strictly counting calories for us and thus I am not overeating.

My coach still has me in the base building stage and I imagine she will keep me there for a while. She will also probably kill me if I do not get my butt in the pool. For some reason that is workout that I am most likely to blow off. By the way - if anyone is looking for a good coach in Pittsburgh or for plans through email you should check out Steel City Endurance . I cannot say enough good things about Suzanne. (Unfortunately she is a Steeler's fan). My workouts are six days a week but are very manageable at this point.

I have officially signed up for my first race of the season. It is the Chilly Cheeks Duathlon the end of February. It will be interesting to see what the weather will be like. My wife will also be doing the race with me so it should be a lot of fun. I am getting excited about the training since I am beginning to see improvement every time I workout. As Coach Suzanne says..consistency is the key.

I do have a number of things to work on the next month or so. One is hydration. I simply do not drink enough water..this hinders me in my training, weight loss and even the soreness in my joints. I will keep working on the weight issue and am happy with the progress I am making. However I still have about 40 lbs to go. I also need to try and do workouts in the morning. I much rather do a workout at 9 or 10 at night then 7 or 8 a.m. or God Forbid 5:30 a.m. like some of my friends do. However, since there really are not any races that begin at 6 p.m. I need to get my internal clock adjusted.

Lastly - I know I have turned the corner on the training. As I posted on my Facebook page I had to find my Livestrong jersey to match my Livestrong bibs in order to ride my bike..on my trainer..at home..with no one there but me. I am turning into a true tri-dork. (I also made sure to use my color coordinated water bottle).

December already?

2010-12-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

It is December and as I promised in my last post I have packed on a few more pounds.(238 when I got back to Colorado) I went to the Badger/Northwestern game with my dad and brother and sister in law and celebrated the victory with a huge bowl of mac'n'cheese from the Great Dane. Being that I am in training I did forgo the bacon. The next day we celebrated my daughter's birthday with the families and then headed back to Colorado.

I was able to get a couple of runs in while back in Wisconsin but more importantly I was able to buy Wisconsin sweat pants and sweatshirt to run in while in Colorado..its all about image. Since getting back to Colorado we participated in the annual Christmas walk in town..with a few of my friends dressing up..

We also finished our volleyball season by winning the City league and Tournament. My Coach will be glad that the season is over since my knees tend to take a beating hampering my running. Not to mention the extra calories I eat after the games.

But like I said - the training has now begun in earnest. The goal for December is to do as many of my workouts as possible. The Coach is still keeping the workouts at manageable levels so that I don't run into anymore sciatica issues. I am training six days a week with a long run of 40 minutes and two shorter runs. The bikes top out at an hour and thirty for a long ride. I am not looking forward to the cold weather and the trainer. I hate the trainer..it is boring and worse yet causes my boys an enormous amount of grief. I recently changed the seat and it helped a little. I am going to have to keep playing around with the angle of the seat until it is bearable. I did win one small victory - my wife has allowed me to use the trainer and treadmill in the bedroom..it is much more comfortable then where I had it and the T.V. is easier to see. If you are bored out of your mind you can see my workouts here training log The link is also on the side of the blog.

The swimming is coming along slowly and I will need to start working on drills. The running is slow but so far no back issues. The biking I enjoy so that is not a problem..except for the above mentioned trainer issues. I am going to sign up for a race in December or January so that I can gauge my fitness and give myself a goal. I also need to find a hotel in Madison for September..apparently they are booked well in advance. Weight today was 236.2. Ugh. running and biking on the agenda for tomorrow. Take care everyone.

Thanksgiving Time

2010-11-24T14:47:00.001-07:00

Yes it is Thanksgiving time which means I will be packing on a few more pounds. It is inevitable. My goal is just to keep the damage to a minimum. And I must report that my tracking of calories has been horrible. I plan on curing this becoming very strict with my intake once I am back home in Colorado. Yes I am lucky enough to be back in the midwest. On Sunday of this week we visited my brother in Minneapolis and went to the Packers/Vikings game with him and his wife..who unfortunately is a Vikings fan. Sorry about the outcome Adrianne. After enduring a road trip from Minneapolis where it was 20 degrees and freezing rain we arrived in Racine where it was 63 and tornados. Unbelievable..but we are now back to the normal weather of 30 degrees grey skies and occasional precipitation.

Thanksgiving is also a time to give thanks which I really should be doing everyday. I am thankful for my wonderful family. Not only my wife and daughter but my parents who have taught me that no matter how bad things get you need to move forward with life and to try and do so with a smile and sense of humor and to never give up. I am also thankful for my siblings, my extended family and my inlaws who are my second family and my friends who are there when I need them. I am also thankful to be from Wisconsin where I grew up with midwest values that people notice around the country.

As for my training it is going slow. Since my sciatica episode my coach has been having me work out with short and easy runs and bikes and a litte core work. When I mean short I mean short. 20 minute runs and bike rides ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. I still feel a little pain from time to time in my left ankle and hip, but nothing close to the pain I felt a few weeks ago. I am hoping to ramp the workouts up once I get back to Colorado. Actually the short workouts are good right now since it is always hard to find time to exercise when I am on vacation.

I want to give a shout out to my friends Leah and Kate who competed in Ironman Arizona on Sunday. Leah did not quite finish the race but made it through half of the run. Kate finished in 16:44. Way to go Kate. Hopefully I can learn something from their experiences. My friend Doreen also signed up for Ironman Florida next November..so hopefully she will not mind training with me (i.e. not dropping me on runs and bike rides) as we prepare. Obviously Ironman Wisconsin is much harder then Flordia or Arizona..but they are all the same distance..lol.

Well my last weigh in was 232..yes I am going the wrong way. Now back to shopping and looking for great Black Friday deals on tri gear... Xterra Wetsuits are more then 50% off with free shipping and I think I see one in my future. I am also getting ready to head to Madison on Saturday to hopefully watch the Badgers wrap up the Big Ten title. Come December 1 there is going to be a lot more training related content on this blog..since I notice by the clock on the wall that we are now down to 290 days till race time.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Diet is a four letter word

2010-11-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

As many of you know from my constant whining the last week I have sciatica in my left leg. The pain has gotten better over the last nine days but is still fairly constant. I plan on running tonight for the first time in about two weeks. Since I have been sidelined I have decided to take a look at my diet and ways to improve it. The four basic food groups I have been eating are of course the cheese, meat, fried and pasta groups. Surprisingly I have been able to get some vegetables in to the diet - fried green beans, fried corn, fried zucchini...etc. However, even with this balanced diet I have not noticed a lot of weight loss..and possibly even the gain of a stone or two.

I recently read Racing Weight which describes what the optimum weight for an endurance athlete is and discusses ways of bettering your diet and hopefully obtaining the correct weight. Apparently I will need to lose about 50lbs and my right arm to be at my racing weight by next September. Although the book was very informative it did not provide me with any gems that would help me with weight loss that I did not already know. It did provide a way of rating your diet on a points system with the optimum number of points being 29 for a day. I kept a four day log of my food and averaged 9 points. Thus there is room for improvement. I also had to throw the log out after day four due to the pages being stuck together with velveeta cheese.

Since it is imperative that I lose weight even before the heavy training starts..just to save my knees if nothing else. I reread all of my nutrition books and cobbled together a plan that will work. 1. I need to limit my calories to 1800 a day when not working out and 2000 per day when I am working out. This should yield a 2lb loss per week. (I have estimated that my BMR is 2147 calories per day and that my job keeps me lightly active thus I would multiply that number by 1.3 to give me approx. 2791 calories burned per day. 1800 calories would provide about 1000 calorie deficit per day or 7000 for the week. Since the body must expend 3500 more calories then it takes in to lose 1 lb, burning 7000 extra calories during the week would equal the 2lb loss. You can go here to estimate your BMR and daily caloric expenditure.) 2. I have to cut out fried food and soda. I am addicted to both. 3. I have to pack my lunch everyday. The amount of calories I ingest when I eat lunch out is enormous compared with eating what I brought. The plan is to eat a lean protein at lunch everyday along with fruit and possibly a few vegetables (tuna salad sandwich, apple, small salad) I am not going to worry about percentage of carbs, protein or fat at this point but will revisit this in a few weeks. 4. I just need to watch my portion sizes. 5. I have to log my calories everyday. 6. I have to drink plenty of water - I have a problem with dehydration in the first place so I am going to try and drink 100 oz of water a day.

Now - it is all well and good that I have a plan..but I have little to no discipline. Thus my wife has come up with an incentive plan for me to stay the course. As a woman she knows my needs and wants and thus has tied my very base desires to my weight loss. Thus, she will allow me to put money aside for a new tri bike only after I reach certain weight loss goals. And if I don't reach my goals then no new bike. The woman is heartless. I will post my weight every week on this blog to keep me accountable. Feel free to give me suggestions for foods to try, recipes, offer encouragement or beat me down if my weight goes up. My official weight on Monday November 8, 2010 was 229.2 lbs. (only 49.8lbs to go )

End of first week and already behind.

2010-11-01T20:11:00.000-06:00

Well the first week of training did not go as planned. I had promised my coach I would give up volleyball for the year so of course on my first day of training I played volleyball. The good news is that I actually felt very good with no twinges of knee or back pain. I did get in my running and biking. Only 30 minute runs and an hour of biking max. I also did about 600 yards of swimming just to get back in the pool - piece of cake. However I also had someone videotape me in the water and was astonished that I could actually stay afloat with how slow I move and the hideous form I have. Here is the video. Please note that it is adult content since I slaughtered any semblance of proper technique and I am shirtless. My coach did give me a couple of different links to videos for technique. If anyone is interested just leave a comment or email me and I can give you the links. My coach did review the video and stated that one of the positives is that my hips are near the surface of the water. I think this has less to do with me actually knowing how to swim and more with the fat in my butt being buoyant.

I am staring week two of training and may have to cut back already. I went to the doctor today and I have sciatica. Pain runs from my butt all the way down my leg to the sole of my foot. It hurts sitting, walking, standing, lying down..etc. I was given some steroids and told to take some advil and see how it goes in 3 or 4 days. If the pain is not gone by then they will want me to go in for xrays and an mri. They offered to give me vicodin for the pain but I declined. I told the doctor that I probably tweaked something on Saturday building a retaining wall in the front of the house, However it did not hurt Saturday and I went for an hour bike ride without any pain. The pain did not show up until Sunday. So now that I think about it is probably punishment from the heavens. As anyone knows who has gone out on Halloween weekend the costumes are all now..slutty nurse, slutty cop, slutty box of kleenex (yes I saw this one). Unfortunately I went out on Saturday night and was most intrigued by the slutty nun. I am guessing maybe going to confession could help with the sciatica. It could also be karma for me being a pain in the ass to everyone else.

Well I am off to watch the rest of the Monday night game. Hopefully I will be close to 100% tomorrow or at least able to sit up for 15 minutes without pain.

Here's the plan

2010-10-25T21:14:00.000-06:00

Was sick all day Friday through today with some crappy cold. Feeling better..just in time to get my summary of the master plan from my coach today. In nutshell here it is:
Scott,

I've created an annual overview for your training with 2 target races

HIM Racine on 7/17/11 and IM MOOOoooo on 9/11/11

With that in mind, there are four general macrocycles to the year. Working backwards from your A race, they are:

Specific IM prep, 12 weeks from June 28th - Sept 11th (race day)

General Aerobic Power Development, 12 weeks from March 29th - June 27th

General Base/Skills/Technique & Weight Loss, 12 weeks from Jan 4th - March 28th

Strength, Flexibility &Nutrition, Now until - Jan 3rd (about 10 weeks)

This is a wonderful length of time to prep you for the ironman next September, and I am happy to discuss each of the phases in more detail.

From now until the new year, we will try to restore a tri focused training routine, with generous rest and "off" weeks scheduled, work in some functional strength and core exercises, and have you focus on nutrition...not necessarily weight loss at first, but working on food & nutrition as fuel for your body and improving overall management of stress (maintain healthful diet & good sleep habits).

The 3 month period from Jan - March will be prime time (after the holidays) to set specific weight loss targets and get closer to goal weight. We will try to have a 6 month period of weight loss ending 3 months prior to your IM, so that the last development phase you are working on race & workout nutrition and not worried about weight loss.

The 3 month period form March until the end of June I refer to as general power development. This will be the time period with the most intense workouts, using a variety of sweet spot, threshold & vo2 max training intervals in a progressive fashion to build overall aerobic power (essentially, raising your functional threshold in all sports). For an IM event, the higher your threshold/weight ratio, the faster your performance will be.

The final 3 months is a focus on fatigue resistance while maintaining the gains we've made during the general power phase. Rides & runs will gradually get longer and closer to race pace intensity.

My approach ti IM and HIM training is a focus on the whole athlete, and quality training sessions, not just logging miles. Recent exercise physiology studies have demonstrated that aerobic power (FTP) is improved with higher intensity and lower volume training methods. the experience of coaches like Matt Dixon, Phil Skiba & the Endurance Nation guys supports that higher intensity, lower volume training, even for IM distance athletes works well, with less time invested.

Well it looks like my coach has it all mapped out for me and is fairly optimistic. I just need to ask her about a few of the concepts that she mentioned that I am not really familiar with..like.."nutrition" and "healthful diet" and "training."

Coyotes are scary..and so are bunnies.

2010-10-21T21:24:00.000-06:00

Tonight was my first run after taking a hiatus from all physical activity since August 28. (Except for the 100 miles walked up and down State Street last weekend looking for a bar after the Badger game). The run was an unmitigated disaster. It really is amazing how much fitness a person can lose sitting on their butt for six weeks. My heart rate was elevated and I was running 1 to 2 minutes per mile slower then usual..(yes I was actually moving backwards). However I did learn a few things today. (Some of which my 2 year old daughter already knows).

1. I am not in running shape. 2. It gets really dark after 6:45 p.m. 3. black and dark blue are not colors to wear when running at night. 4. Running at night on an isolated path can be very scary. 5. I could probably run faster carrying 40lbs less weight.

I got home late from work and thought it would be a good idea to run on the clear creek trail. Nice path and fairly level for my neck of the woods. However I was not thinking about how dark it gets. I was only supposed to run for 30 minutes today..for me that is about 3 miles. I ran 1.5 miles and turned around to go back they way I came. By then it was very dark with no ambient light and no one else on the trail. As I ran through the parts of the trail with trees and vegetation on both sides I realized I was being followed. I have often run into coyotes on this path and realized that there was probably a pack that figured I was the dying straggler of whatever herd I belonged to...which probably isn't too far from the truth...waiting for me to keel over. I figured as long as I kept moving I would be fine..I then heard more and more rustling and began to freak out a little. I finally turned to see the glare from three sets of eyes not more then six or seven feet from me. At this point my heart skipped a beat and I realized that the eyes were too close to the ground to be coyotes..I was being followed by a pack of rabbits..I can only imagine that they were probably rabid. As anyone who has seen the documentary Monty Python and the Holy Grail knows, rabbits can be very dangerous on their own..needless to say a pack of them could be downright deadly. The resulting adrenaline rush was enough to propel my fat rear the rest of the way to the vehicle wear I hastily got into my truck to put a steel door between myself and the ferocious furballs. I guess the one positive is that I had a negative split for the run.

Let's get it started

2010-10-20T21:10:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in my last post this is my first officially coached week of training. I have Coach Suzanne of Steel City Endurance in charge of putting together my plan for the year. Since the Ironman is such a huge undertaking I decided that I needed some guidance. I looked at getting local coaches in Denver that had been recommended but the price tag of $200 to 275 per month was just too hefty. Even some of the group coaching in the area seemed very pricey. I also looked into Endurance Nation which offers online coaching and they have great knowledge of the specific Ironman courses. Further the team members are very supportive of one another and show up at the individual races to support each other. The price was more in line at $129.00 per month..however the training plans are not edited to the individual. So I contacted my friend Suzanne who I met a few years ago on the Beginner Triathlete website. By the way, Beginner Triathlete is a great resource for all your triathlon questions. I highly recommend checking the website out and becoming a member. Further it has an awesome free training log. Anyway, Suzanne is an emergency room physician and has moved her way into coaching swimming, triathlons and cycling. She told me she had a couple of Ironman triathletes that she is training and would accept me as a challenge. (More then she can imagine).
This first week she has me doing very easy workouts just to gauge how actually unfit I am. Just a few easy runs bikes and swims. I'll let you know how each of them goes and give you a more detailed description of my Annual Training Plan once we have the details hammered out.

Last weekend of debauchery

2010-10-18T22:39:00.004-06:00

My official training for the Ironman Wisconsin begins on October 18th. That is when my coach will have my first week of structured workouts for me. I figured I would lose some weight before the 18th and actually lost a few pounds. I was at 228 on Thursday..however the wheels fell off the bus over the weekend. On Friday I got a call from my brother Ben. He had an extra ticket to see my beloved Badgers play Ohio State on Saturday. The stars lined up and Ben and my wife were able to find a fairly cheap airline ticket into Madison on Saturday. However, Friday night was my anniversary so my wife and I went out for dinner. I had a great appetizer of cheese garlic bread followed by a spinach salad (the only vegetables I would see for the next three days) and then a blue cheese encrusted sirloin which was wonderful. I figured I would watch what I ate while in Madison. On Saturday Ben and his friend Steve picked me up from the airport and our first stop was The Great Dane to meet Steve's dad and brother. Talk about a menu to die for..macaroni and cheese..brats...cheese curds and of course the Great Dane Brat and Bacon Pretzel Burger.

Lunch was followed by a walk to the stadium where we met my brother's friend Matt and his parents for some tailgating. Matt's parents always have a great spread of food and drink set up including chili, cheese, Capital Beer, and other assorted yummy food. The game was great. What made it better was my parents made it up to the game which is about an hour and a half drive for them. My mother is in a wheel chair so they have seats in the handicap section which allowed me and my brother to spend the last half of the fourth quarter hanging out with them and celebrating the defeat of the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes. After the post game celebration was completed my parents headed back out of town and I joined my brother and his friends in walking to State Street looking for a bar to have a few drinks. Unfortunately every bar had a line of 30 to 40 people or more and thus we kept walking. We finally found seating at Coopers which is right across the street from the Capitol Building. Again we treated ourselves to an Oktoberfest as well as mini burger and a wonderful concoction of Canadian origin..french fried potatoes covered in cheese and gravy. Somehow it was 1:30 and my brother's friend Steve was still hungry which necessitated a trip to Greenbush Bakery for donuts. We returned to the hotel and ate the donuts before getting a few hours of sleep. The next morning my brother, Steve and I went to State Street to buy souvenirs. On the way there we went past Monona Terrace where the Ironman transition area is going to be. I looked at the lake and snapped a picture so that I can have a visual image when I am swim training. Of course we needed to stop for lunch and got a few slices of pizza at Ian's Pizza, including their famous mac'n'cheese pizza.

It is now Monday night and I just stepped on the scale. 235.6..I didn't even think it was possible to put 7lbs on in three days..but apparently it is. It was a great weekend seeing family and friends, being back in Madison enjoying familiar sites and sounds, eating my comfort foods and experiencing the great environment that is the University of Wisconsin and the people of Wisconsin. My brother also indicated to me that he plans on doing quite a few triathlons next year so it will be fun trying to plan some races with him. I am waiting to see my training schedule. Should be fun.

And I can't go without mentioning the Teach Me How To Bucky phenomenon. All around campus people were wearing Teach Me How to Bucky shirts and we were constantly being asked by people if we knew how to Bucky. Apparently no one had any idea..Finally while walking towards State Street after the game Steve saw some coeds coming towards us with the shirts on and yelled..what the f*** is the Teach Me How to Bucky? To which the cutest girl responded..you're too old for me to teach you how to Bucky. Harsh. Of course that exchange was almost as good as the Badgers beating Ohio State..not quite..but almost.

Birthday Party

2010-10-03T22:04:00.000-06:00

     My wife through a surprise birthday party for me today. So I told my friends that I would be competing in the 2011 IM Wisconsin. I was actually surprised by the positive reaction I received. Although the few friends at the party that are endurance athletes did look at me with the," you have to be kidding me" look in their eyes. Obviously they know how hard an IM is and the training involved. They were also probably eyeing the two bratwurst on my plate as and the stack of cheese I was devouring just to make sure my heart isn't working too well. As I stated in my profile, I am overweight. Luckily for me I carry it very well and just look like a big guy. Not one that is actually obese by the height/weight and BMI standards. I am roughly 6'1" and about 235 lbs. In all honesty I will need to be in the 180 range to be able to complete the IM. I have not seen 210 in probably 7 years, 200 lbs in 12 years and 180 lbs in 18 years. So I have quite the task in front of me.
   A group of us are doing a weight loss "challenge" starting tomorrow. So I will weigh in with my official poundage. I am actually very knowledgeable when it comes to eating right and losing weight. However I do not put what I know in to practice. I eat like a teenager..both in quantity and quality. That all ends tomorrow. My weight is one of my biggest limiters in all three disciplines, but especially the run. I need to focus on getting 15 lbs off fairly quickly so that my knees do not have to put up with the pounding I am putting them through.
     I will post my starting weight here tomorrow and hopefully have a plan of attack put down in writing to follow.

The First Step.

2010-10-02T22:27:00.000-06:00

The first step was probably the easiest. Just sign up for Ironman Wisconsin. I had heard that it was incredibly hard to get in so I thought..what the heck..once the online registration opens I will hop on the computer and if I get registered it was meant to be..if not there is always next year or Ironman Louisville. Needless to say registration opened at exactly 11:00 a.m. on the Monday after the 2010 race and I got right to the registration page, finished registering, went to the pay page and..got booted off the system. I continued to get booted off for the next 35 minutes until I got the sorry, registration is closed message. I guess it was not meant to be. But wait! Apparently the folks at Active.com could not handle the huge demand on their servers and had to shut the site down. The registration was reopened on Wednesday..and after only two attempts I got to the billing page, submitted my credit card info and ..nothing. Did I get in? There was no way to know. I called my credit card company to see if my charge went through and the computers were down..OK..who is screwing with me? Finally an hour later I received an email. I was registered for Ironman Wisconsin. At first I was very excited..and then I thought..what the heck did I just do? Should I not tell anybody in case I fail miserably in my training or tell everyone so that I had the pressure from family and friends to see this thing through. I do not want to "survive" the race. I want to race it and feel comfortable doing it. Now its time for the reality check to see if the mere "surviving" the event should be my goal.