Saturday I did the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Challenge 22 mile mountain bike race near Alma School and Pinnacle Peak. Rick, got entries for himself, myself and Chris Branson, so how can a guy pass that up? I am still trying to determine how an out and back with two loops can be 80% uphill, but I am convinced it was. I seemed to be always climbing, and when I was going downhill it was like skiing moguls. You had to keep the speed down so as not to get planted on the side of the next mogul. At mile 12, after what felt like all uphill, I was thinking, ok, over halfway, should be mostly downhill now. It was about this time I came to the arrow that said "lap 2".  Aghhhh, all that again? I approached this race a little too lightly, also. The sausage and egg biscuit I ate at 6:45 am was now doing moguls in my stomach. It was touch and go there for a while if it was going to stay down, but it did. A fun hard race, finishing just under the 2 hour wire. Marshall Trimble spoke at the starting line, which was really cool. I was disappointed he wasn't still there at the finish, I would have loved to talk with him. Dana was there waiting for me tough, and that was way cool, too.

    I put in 2,500 meters at the pool yesterday, gearing up for Alcatraz. Then after work, jumped on the road bike and rode 25 miles, hitting quite a few hills on the way. I climbed one very short but steep hill, Desert Jewel Blvd, and was disappointed in how hard it was for me. I felt really out of shape, just about coming out of my shoes I was pulling so hard on the upstroke. It wasn't until I started back down I realized I was in the big chain ring, no wonder.

    I saw my doc today about a few lingering issues. First, my eyes are still itchy and puffy, since Sept. now. He gave me a prescription for drops and a cream, believing it to be an allergy of some sort. I just want it gone, riding Saturday with watery eyes over that uneven ground is a recipe for disaster. But we know not for me....Second, my shoulder is still really sore from the last bike crash in Oct. He gave me a couple cortisone shots today, so I am hoping that will fix me up in short order. It's been really painful to press or do push ups.

    Now, I posted the link last time to the St Jude Childrens Hospital. You can help out with as little as $10, and it's tax deductible. This isn't going to me, but to a great cause to support children dealing with cancer. Please help in any way you can. The site again is

http://www.mystjudeheroes.org/AzEnduranc

Thanks for staying in tune with me. 

Why men want a bigger boat
    

    Wow, it's been over 2 weeks since I blogged on here. Did anyone miss it? In the last couple weeks, I have actually been getting back on track with training. Swimming twice a week again, and even seeing some improvement. I've been very happy to get more mountain biking in too. I am very blessed to be so near the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. A mile and a quarter and I am on the trails, so I have been doing some more exploring out there. Three times in the last week. I am regular again at Tuesday night SMHS track workouts, and the last 3 Tuesdays I have been running bleachers. Weight and strength training at Jr's has been great still, and I am riding my road bike to and from again. This is shaping up to be a great spring it looks like. I was very lucky to snag an entry into the McDowell Sonoran Challenge 22 mile mountain bike race tomorrow morning, thank you Rick Eastman, and I'm excited about that. Kind of amazing actually to think this is my first ever mountain bike only race. 

    March 20th is the GORD off road Duathlon in Prescott, which I was able to witness last year as a spectator, and now looks like I can actually participate this year. April 17th has an adventure race on the calendar at Usery Mountain Park. And...drum roll....May 2nd, the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on San Francisco, Ca. I finally committed, and am really looking forward to suffering in that venue, ha ha. I have decided that as much as I felt emotionally about the Ironman, I think that I want things to be more than just me when I race. I had so many people give to me, I couldn't have done it without them, most of them are on my website, but not all. Now I want to try to help others. And I need your help to do that too. I have signed up with St Judes Childrens Hospital, and want to help raise money for them though my racing. If you can help in any way, I would be very grateful. You can donate directly to them at www.mystjudeheroes.org/AzEnduranc . Thank you your consideration in this.

    I think I am finally coming out of my exercise funk. I have decided to train like I am anticipating doing the Escape From Alcatraz Tri. I figure worse case, I get in shape. I have a place to stay, and with frequent flyer miles I can get there with just the $50 each way fee for my bike. It's that pesky entry fee....Six months ago I was trying really hard to keep my weight over 160, and after slacking off the last 2 months, I have been trying to get back under 170. I made it this morning. 169.5 lbs. I swam twice this week, mountain biked on Sunday, and ran track last night. I also did the bleachers 7 times after intervals, 210 steps. The Alcatraz Tri has 400 steps coming up off the beach, so that was good incentive. 

    Saturday I did the Phoenix Scavenger Dash with Brian Karasek. We had an eighth place finish out of 80 teams, which wasn't bad for our first race where electronics and transportation were allowed. We ran about 8 miles, and rode the light rail train for about 4 miles, and in hind sight we should have reversed those numbers. It was the first light rail train ride for either of us. May have been a little pride involved there, but after 6 miles and starting to suck wind, smarts finally replaced pride. What a great time, and highly recommended. It's not nearly as hard a race as we made it, but a lot of fun. More pictures are on my website www.azendurance.com

    

    Always looking for an activity partner(s) now. I'm not on that strict schedule like before, so, keep me on the invite list if you're going out to exercise in any way.

    So far 2010 has had a rough start in many ways. Physically, I just haven't felt myself, and Ironman can no longer be an excuse. I have had red itchy eyes since September now. It's much better than at one point, but it hasn't gone away, and I am perplexed as to whats causing it. And boy, do I like to sleep now!

    I opted out of the McDowell Mountain Frenzy trail run. Mainly because I had been opting out of the training also. I don't mind suffering and feeling good about my time in a race, but I don't want to suffer slowly and be disappointed in my performance. My next event is inked in though, The Phoenix Scavenger Dash with Brian Karasek as my partner. It's different than anything I've done before, and gives me an opportunity to race with Brian again, which is always fun. I am glad I ran at track Tuesday night now. I also now have the chance on weekends to run at Reach 11 while Dana mountain bikes alongside me. We did 7 1/2 miles a week and a half ago as a maiden voyage and our speeds matched pretty well.

    I just received an email this morning, with mixed emotions. I was selected in the second go 'round of the lottery for the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco this May. That sounds like such a cool race, and I have friends in SF that will let me stay there, but it's a $400 entry fee. Ouch!!!! I wish now I had worked on getting sponsors for 2010 also. I have 4 weeks to decide. It would be good motivation, though. 

    Last night, coincidentally, the bag stand went back up at home. I need another conditioning and core workout, so it was time. Today is JR's gym, so I am thinking Monday nights will be a good time for that.

    Happy New Year to everyone first off. I sincerely hope that it is a better year for all of this. In some ways it is completely different for me already, and others there hasn't yet been any change. So let's keep this to the things that are different. Obviously, there is no Ironman in my future, not for 2010, anyway. That has left big gaps in my life, that have effected me more than I thought it would. The last year plus was very structured for me. I had workouts on a monthly white board, and there was rarely any deviation from that unless I was injured. If something was scheduled, I did it. End of story. I couldn't put off a workout until the next day, because the next day had it's own schedule. That has changed now. I am not in "race mode" currently, so I am not pushing myself to train like I was. There's always tomorrow.....or next week. Part of this is a mental let down after something I focused on for so long, and part of it is a physical letdown also. My lower back hasn't yet recovered from the pounding, and I my right shoulder that was sprained in the crash of October 2009 is still giving me issues. An old neck injury has flared up again too, causing me left shoulder pain and headaches. Activity might be what I need to help this, but it's hard to get that desire for me right now when my body hurts. I had put off writing this message, hoping things would improve. My motivation level isn't very high, and for the first time in over a year, I feel like I need others to lift me up. I am in a psychological and physical funk at the same time. I am still here, dabbling in exercise, but with no real goal in mind. At this point I would just like to try and get in better conditioning again.

    Wow, Ironman was the ultimate motivator I think. No matter the day or the weather, I did all I could to not miss a workout. I wish I had the same drive now. It's an internal struggle with me now. Part of me was so used to the training schedule I had, it feels odd to not do it. The other part of me says I don't need to do it as I am not training for an Ironman. Whatever the case, I have put on about 6 or 7 lbs from the morning of the Ironman, and I can feel it. My body is in some sort of rebellion also, as my lower back and my neck have really been bothering me. I am sure part of that, if not all, is missing Zogisle and the back adjustments at the chiro. I ran 6 miles last night, and even though I had an 8:29 pace over the trails, it didn't feel comfortable to me. Sunday afternoon I rode Reach 11 for the first time EVER. I wanted to scout it out for Dana, and my friend Michael Hooper was up for a ride after the Cardinals game, so I rode up to meet him and we did all three sections of the area, putting almost 24 miles on the mountain bike. 

    The first drawing for the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon was last Friday, and I didn't get drawn. I have one more chance on Jan. 25th. Right now I don't feel able to compete in any type of race. The McDowell Mountain Frenzy is in 4 1/2 weeks, and I hope to be ready for that, but I must be hedging my bet as I have yet to sign up for it. Maybe I need that cattle prod......

    Weights at JR's today. Rumor is he wants everyone to burn 1,500 calories today. I need that.

Todays funny:

    It is definitely an odd feeling to not be on such a regulated schedule as I was for the last year plus. With the cooler weather and darkness coming early, it's very easy to put off exercise. Throw into the mix that I moved my office this month, and you can probably see where I'm at now. I did get the mountain bike out a couple times in the last week though, and last Sunday I did the Muddy Buddy with a friend from Tucson, Renee Powers. We even had a podium finish in our co-ed division. Luckily they went 5 deep. We were less than 3 minutes out of first place, 27 seconds out of second, and 16 seconds from third place. This is pretty amazing I think since Renee had never been on a mountain bike prior to that day. Did I mention she was an Ironman finisher also.



I decided to run the event in an afro, as it's common for people to race these in costume. Even though it was a cool day, that thing got HOT, especially on my run sections. What a fun day it was though, as I had quite a few friends also racing. Rick and Kim were there, and Brad and Yvonne from Tubac took second place in their division and my friend Ian Deonise and his partner Chris Hernandez also placed second in their division.



    I have been going back to my track workout on Tuesday night. I am planning to do a 25k trail run on Jan 23 at McDowell Mountain Park, so I decided 3 mile runs weren't going to be enough to get ready for that, so last night I ran to track, did the 3 one mile interval runs at 7:19, 7:25, and 7:19 then ran home after. Well, almost all the way, I hitched a ride with Steve to the freeway then ran the rest of the way, getting to 6.3 miles, anyway.

    My back is still bothering me after the IM, it took quite a pounding on the run. I think my body is missing the work of Zogisle and Dr. Joe. Makes me realize even more how beneficial that is. 

    I have 5 more weeks after this one with JR, and I love going down there to lift. I need to have a good routine for lifting before that ends so I don't fade away into laying on the couch eating Cheeto's every day.

    It still doesn't seem to have completely sunk in that the Ironman is over, AND I made my goal. Since then race, I haven't been exactly idle, having ridden 4 times, ran twice, and swam twice, but yesterday, just because I could, I did nothing as far as working out. I can tell it will be a few weeks yet before I feel strong enough to stomp on anything. I can do all those things now, but I am pacing myself. My lower back is still feeling sore from the race. It took me one week to decide that another Ironman isn't out of the question. If I maintain my base level of conditioning, I could get ready much easier and faster than this first go around, starting from scratch. To put things in perspective, here is where I started from:


September 2006

to this:


November 2009

    So far, my plans for 2010 are to run the McDowell Mountain Frenzy 25k trail run in January, and I registered for the lottery drawing for the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco in May. Other than that, I can wing it and pick and choose what I want to do. 

    I can't thank my sponsors enough for the help they gave me to get from Sept 2006 to Nov 2009. Please support them any way you can if you need any of their services. Also, a huge thank you to everyone that volunteered at the race. It was the five start treatment for racers. I felt like I was assigned a volunteer at every aid station and transition area. Absolutely amazing. God Bless you all.

    

    Wow, what a journey it has been. Ups and downs, injuries and crashes, highs and lows, optimism and doubt. Most of you know my goal in the Ironman was to break 12 hours. I had many moments when I wondered if I had it in me, but every time I did the math it looked good on paper. Then I'd mention my aspirations to another athlete and watch their jaw drop and wonder if I was setting the bar too high. JR just told me I had it in me, not to think about others as they didn't know my training or abilities, so I held out my hopes.

    I stayed much calmer before the race then I anticipated I would. I woke up a couple times the night before, but when I was asleep I slept well. I got up early so that my stomach would have time to settle after breakfast and I could enjoy my coffee. Rick, Kim, and Lori picked me up around 4:15 am, and we headed to the race site. Nerves are still doing pretty well. 

    After only one trip to the j-john that morning ( a new pr before a race I think), I headed to the changing tent to put my swim gear on about 620. The tent was pitch black inside and very crowded. I dug through my bag for my swimsuit, and found that the water bottle I had put in there leaked all over everything. So I started the morning with a wet swimsuit and wetsuit. I crossed the timing mat to notify the powers that be that I was in the race, and made my way to the waters edge. Everyone wanted to be close, but few people wanted to jump into the 62 degree water. After being caught on the steps at the start of a swim before, I jumped in at 6:40 and made my way the 200 meters towards the Mill Ave bridge until after the pros started. I positioned myself left side, about 4 or 5 people back from the front. I knew I was an average swimmer, so I decided I would rather have half the people try to pass me than me try to pass half the people in front of me. What a mad house. I think I swim fairly straight, but there sure are a lot of people that don't. Later that night I wondered why my right cheekbone was sore, then remembered getting a fist to the face at some point. I came out of the water at 1:18, about 5 minutes quicker than I had hoped.

    I ran through the chute to get my bike bag and into the changing tent again. I had opted to make a full change of clothes after each discipline. Even after drying off, my bike clothes didn't want to go on, and I needed help getting my jersey pulled down. Dressed I ran out the tent, and immediately realized I didn't have my race number with me. Back in I went to find the volunteer who had my bag, and I retrieved my race belt. Back out I went, found my bike and ran to the mount area. The weather was perfect, not too chilly and no wind. As I rode out of town, about mile 5 the wind appeared. Not too bad yet, but as I headed uphill on the Beeline, it picked up. Maybe blowing about 15 now. I saw sub 14 mph in sections into the wind, but also saw 32+ on the way down the hill. Every time I made the turn in town, a cheering section went wild for me, that was so awesome guys. I rode the entire course in the just the big front ring, as my front dérailleur bracket was cracked, but I knew this going in and had trained for it. I did drop the chain once, at the top of the hill on my second loop. I stopped at the special needs station for my extra mix and additional food, then realized they didn't have water there, so I would need to stop one more time to fill the bottles. Lap three, the wind switched and it was a tailwind up the hill, but a head wind down when I had wanted to rest my legs, so I did back off 10% to save some energy. I came in off the bike with a 5:31 time. 

    After getting some more help in the changing tent, I came out onto the run with 4 hours and 50 minutes left before my 12 hour mark. As usual, I tried to run slow, but saw I was doing 8:15 miles, so I pulled back even further, trying to do the first loop at a 9:30 pace. It didn't take too long for me to start slowing down though. After the first loop, my frame of mind was such that I didn't care how long it took me anymore, I just wanted it done. John Burkell told me to pace out the cramps that were developing, so I would slow enough to not push them over the edge, and Phil Kenny told me to double my salt caps, so I ran out early of course until I got to my special needs bag at mile 12. Phil went back and forth over Mill Avenue bridge giving me tips and encouragement, so I started drinking chicken broth. I saw JR on my second loop, and he gave me inspiration to perk up again too. About mile 14 I couldn't stomach another gel, so I switched to bananas, oranges, and grapes at the aid stations. Every time I swallowed my stomach hurt for a few minutes, but I kept everything down and just kept moving. At mile 15 I finally really needed to make pit stop. The j johns were full, so after a minute of waiting I ran on. Same thing at the next stop, until finally at the 3rd aid station I found a vacancy. I stood over the urinal, my head against the wall thinking I didn't want to leave, but leave I did. I knew all I had to do was run, and I would make, so I ran. I knew I was going to make it now, so I took in the sights as I ran up through the finish chute. I heard them call out my name, as an Ironman, but I didn't hear anything else as I ran to the finish.

    I couldn't have done this without the help of friends ,family and sponsors, that I consider friends as well. I want to thank everyone by name, but I am scared to death I'd leave someone off the list. When I got done I had 17 text messages, 5 voicemails, and 30 something emails. Thank you to everyone that checked in on me, too. Tomorrow I will see Zogisle for a much needed massage. I know it will hurt, but hopefully he will be gentle on my sore body.

    I did go swim 1,000 meters at the pool today to keep loose, and I am not going to stop now, but work my way back into a routine again, just not one so time consuming. 

    This was the highlight of my Ironman, seeing Dana as I would come around on the run. 

    

    

    It's been an odd week so far. My workouts have dropped to what I consider minimal compared to the last year. A 10 mile bike? Really? Sounds so easy, but my body isn't yet feeling the advantages of that. Maybe it's because I am now fighting off a head cold that's been trying to take hold since Saturday. Every morning I wake up and it isn't worse, I am thankful, but it's lowered my energy level for sure. I am excited about the race, but I am having some mixed emotions, too. I am bouncing back and forth between enthusiasm and almost apathy towards it. I don't know if that's my self conscious defense if I don't make my goal or what, but I don't like that feeling. The bright side, is I am not too stressed out at least. I am sure that will come. I expect Sunday morning to be full of high anxiety and a queasy stomach. They should assign port a johns to each racer. I think when I go down on Thursday to check in, I will scout out the obscure port a john locations. Tonight its time to make sure all the clothes I will need are clean and ready to go. New tires will go on the bike, so Thursday I can get 10-12 miles on them, just to be sure I didn't pinch a tube or anything. That will be my last training ride. I have two more short swims and one more 2 mile run. That's it. I just need this fuzzy head cold feeling to go away now. I will try to post one more time before IM. Wish me luck and thanks to all my friends and family for the support. I know I won't let any of you down, I just hope to not let myself down now.