2015 USAT National Championships - Pre

I have a very detailed memory of a time when I was eleven years old. It was summer time and we were living in Odessa. My mother had taken my brother and I with her to the grocery store and we were walking out with the guy who had bagged our groceries (a practice that is lost these days). The guy, who must have been eighteen at the time and probably preparing for his senior year of high school, asked me what grade I was going into. When I told him sixth grade, his response was simply, "man you have a long way to go." I agreed.

Now nothing seems like a "long way to go." Days come and go at the speed of light and seem to melt together, and I find it increasingly difficult to discern the activities. I work pretty much non-stop while I am in the office and once home, we don't sit down until Jack is asleep. If breathing was not a passively instinctual activity, I wouldn't remember to do it.

"The trouble is, you think you have time." - Buddha

When I signed up for the 2015 USAT National Championship race last December, I had every intention of making it the "A" race for this year. I would ride the course virtually on the bike trainer, run 10k's all year long and swim 1500m 4x/week until it became a warm-up session. I was going to be in the best shape of my life when I landed in Milwaukee. What I failed to calculate was burning myself out on a 70.3 in April and moving twice in early and late July. The trouble absolutely is, you only think you have time. Twenty-four years later and I find I still have a long way to go, it's just the metaphor has changed.

To avoid making excuses before the race even begins, I will say that I am in good enough shape to finish the race. Performances in the last three sprints have placed me in the top 5 of my age group each race. My bike power is elevated and my transitions into running feel much better than they did a year ago. Swim times have declined and no analysis is needed to understand that I spend less time in the water than I should. Nonetheless, I will likely finish in the middle of the pack (I believe there are 200+ men 35-39) hopefully sub 2:20. Leg specific goals are a 30:00 swim split, 1:05 bike split and a 43:00 run split. 2 mins total in transition. Not the times that qualified me for this race, but I am working with what I have right now.

I did take the time to update my race history here:

Travelling for a race is a race in and of itself. There is a logistical component that does not exist when you only race locally...bike had to be dropped off last Saturday, pedals removed and race wheels locked on. It will arrive in Milwaukee on Thursday. Emily and I fly out of Houston on Thursday morning and will head down to the transition area for packet pickup, bike pickup and hotel check-in. Friday morning I will head down to the race site to ride my bike, get a quick swim in and pace off a short run along the lake in an effort to acclimate before the race on Saturday. Then it's off to bike check-in and the athlete briefing, followed by attempts to stay off of my feet and take in fluids and good calories. At some point I will have to remind myself to have fun...I am excited to be sticking around for another day to watch my good friend Sam race the sprint on Sunday. There's a peace I receive from racing, but true fulfillment comes from spectating and cheering on competitors who are out on the course. Sam will do well and we'll be out there to support him to the finish.

In the midst of all of the turmoil I still find myself thankful. Thankful that we were able to move back into town and into a neighborhood where we can plant some roots. Thankful that we are all healthy. Thankful that I continue to enjoy this crazy sport and am able to participate. Eternally thankful for my family and friends who support me on this self-fulfilling journey.

Will report back after returning to Houston.

The Fear - Anger - Respect paradigm

I live my life in a constant state of fear. Not fear of tangibles such as spiders, heights or clowns, rather of the intangibles such as failure and embarrassment. As IMTX70.3 has become more than a spec in the distance, I can feel the fear coming on and so began my thinking about why we as humans share this emotion. On my bus ride this morning I came up with what I will call the Fear Anger Respect paradigm. I'll save you the wikipedia trip: a paradigm is a set of forms that all contain a certain element, in this case fear or anxiety. I believe fear is the root cause of two mutually exclusive effects: anger and respect.

I'll start with anger because, in my humble opinion, it is the worst of the two effects. I can trace back all of my anger to a certain fear: fear of the loss of control. When someone cuts me off in traffic, I get angry. It really has nothing to do with that person in particular, more so because I am no longer in control of my environment. Anger is also prevalent at work perhaps more in the form of frustration, a byproduct of anger. I am frustrated when co-workers (or my boss) do not contribute to a project because I cannot control the output of others. Control and anger have an inverse relationship: as control declines, anger increases. You get the idea.

The more applauding effect of fear is respect. When I was a kid my brother and I feared our father when we broke something or got into trouble at school. This was out of respect. I am a God fearing person because I respect the gravity of my worldly choices and how they affect my afterlife. It suffices to say that a lack of fear might also indicate a lack of respect. I have countless examples of people who have committed to pursuing some sort of endurance sport only to fail in finishing the event, or even the training program. These are the same folks who when asked how training was going, would typically answer by throwing in a "I'm not really worried about it." Contrary to the relationship with anger, respect and fear have a direct relationship. The more I fear something, the more I respect it and vice-versa.

A Biblical response to fear is taken from Paul's speech to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7, where he attempts to motivate Timothy to press onward in his ministry. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." I take what Paul is preaching as a reminder that we are not to be fearful if we trust that God made us perfect in creation. Fear comes from us essentially getting in the way of God's will for our lives. This encroachment may cause undue anger from a perceived loss of control. With regard to my second point above, I believe respecting someone or something is the result of a sound mind. You are right to give respect where it is due. You are right to have butterflies when you are going to attempt something bigger than yourself. 

I consider myself extremely lucky to have found a hobby that reminds me to put aside my control issues and let my body do the work. 

On Sunday I wrapped up my final brick workout prior to IMTX70.3 which takes place this Sunday April 26. Since mid-January, I have logged 86 workouts and will complete 4 more prior to Sunday. What a journey of self-improvement it has been...I feel like I am in the best shape of my life both physically and mentally, and I am still finding inspiration on the spiritual side of things so I am confident to continue the pursuit. 

After 3.5 years of doing this, am I fearful of the race? Absolutely. But my fear is not for the lack of control but rather a respect for the sport and the distance. I know when I jump in that water, take off on my bike and throw on my running shoes, for at least these 4-6 hours (hopefully 4:48) all is right with the world and I am using the power, love and sound mind that God gave me. That is all the control I need, and that is the beauty of this for me. Taking something with so many variables for error and turning it into a success each time you enter the finisher's chute. 

For those who care to follow my progress:

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/texas.aspx#axzz3XrqzyA6L

Bib #1920

Die with memories, not dreams

I've had a hard time finding inspiration lately. Not for lack of reasons to be so, more due to my own stagnation. It's very easy to get so far into a routine that you wake up six months later and you are doing the same exact thing with very little, if any, progress made. That's how I feel right now. Sure, I have a training program and I am making progress in terms of fitness gains. But am I really progressing as a person? Why does everything seem so idle? At some point over the course of the past year I forgot about why I do this. Then I read a quote someone posted onto FB: "I'd rather die with memories than with dreams."

If you want to achieve something abnormally challenging, you must first have a dream, an idea. Initially, mine was to become a better person by replacing bad habits with good, and triathlon was the catalyst to accomplish this. I set specific goals and met them all over the course of two years. From super sprint in Aug 2011 to Ironman in May 2013. Then what? After Ironman I was tired and I knew there was a hip injury to deal with. I set small goals for the remainder of 2013 and met them, securing an invitation to the USAT Nationals race in Milwaukee. Then what?

In terms of racing, last year was moderately successful. I got stronger on the bike and found my sub-7 run pace, but I was unable to put together any meaningful races. My goals were more focused on family: we were remarkably successful in welcoming our son to the world and helping him grow into the little person he is today. I finished off the year by earning a 2:07 olympic distance time and as I crossed the line I remember thinking, "this may be it." I trained very little over the winter, got the flu for a couple of weeks and nursed an achilles and knee injury. The question came back up, "now what?"

After the half-marathon in January I had no plan. Work became increasingly frustrating, we dealt with being unhappy in our new neighborhood and the prospects of moving again, and several events have occurred that have brought upon much sadness to our world. I'm a firm believer in the simple idea that if you don't like the way something is, change it. Life is too short. So  I will declare with this blog post that the reversion back to my former self ends now with a new set of dreams and the goals to make them memories.

Race as an Elite triathlete
My local triathlon/bike shop, Tru Tri Sports, was offering up several sponsorships for the 2015 season at various levels: Elite, Podium and Age-grouper. Each had a set of defined requirements that needed to be met, along with a tiered benefit package with supporting items such as gear, nutrition, bike maintenance and group fitness. I told the Tru Tri team my story and why I love this sport, gave them my qualifying times and three weeks later I was accepted onto their Elite team. This is a huge opportunity and I cannot quantify with words how excited and grateful I am. I look forward to representing their brand and promoting their awesome shop in 2015. I'll be racing a minimum of 6 events for their team this year and volunteering at multiple other events throughout the season.

Ironman 70.3 - Texas

Cross the finish line in 4:48 or better. I will have to swim a 1:42/100m pace (33 minutes), cycle at 22.4 mph (150 minutes) and run at a 7:37/mi pace (100 minutes). 5 minutes in transition.

Podiums

Score top-3 at Tejas Triathlon (May 31), Shadow Creek (July 12) and Cypress (July 26). 

USAT National Championships - Olympic

- Travel to Old Milwaukee in August and finish in 2:05 or better. Then have a beer or two.

- Qualify for 2016 

Volunteer Time

I plan on volunteering (not showing up, racing and saying I volunteered) in at least three events throughout the year.

Be a Better Husband, Father Son and Brother

- Leave work at the back door when I get home

- Move my family when the timing is appropriate

- Visit my parents in CO

- Spend more time with my brother

- Tell my in-laws more often how much we appreciate their help

I feel more comfortable going into the last three quarters of the year with a road map. It also feels good to have a set of dreams/aspirations and the corresponding goals to make memories. I challenge you to ask yourself "what's next?"

And the Lord answered me, and said, "Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may return that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

Habakkuk 2:2-3

2015 Aramco Houston Half Marathon recap - What's going on in your head?

Sunday marked my second time to complete the half-marathon sponsored by Chevron/Aramco in Houston. The first in 2008, the year I officially moved to Houston, was a difficult race both mentally and physically and I can remember barely moving across that finish line and crashing shortly thereafter. I, like many runners who sign up for these races, did not train adequately and paid the price when the event arrived (I remember my "long" run being 4 loops around Memorial Park).

As most endurance athletes can attest, the Monday after a race is filled with people popping their heads in and asking you how things went, how you're feeling, what your time was and the obligatory congratulations (all of which I truly enjoy answering). Today was special for me because a colleague asked how I kept focused and what went through my head during all of the miles. Great question and even better inspiration to type up a post for my blog.

Racing over long periods of time requires proper training of the cardiovascular system, the joints, bones and tissues and even more importantly, the brain. The feeling of pain is a mechanism by which your brain tells you stop, quit, sit down and take a break. It's synonymous with the check engine light in your car--doesn't mean you can't keep going, just means something isn't exactly right. The more you train, the longer it takes the check engine light to come on when you're moving. When the pain starts, it becomes your brain's mission to make you stop. There is a fine line between pushing the limits of your body and doing it harm, and I am by no means recommending anyone ignore what their body is telling them. If your legs feel good, your heart rate is steady and you are not physically ill, but you still want to quit, there are ways to override the system. Here are a few of mine.

#1 Make every mile a single event, compartmentalizing it. Avoid focusing on what mile you are in, what mile is next and calculating how far you have left to go. These actions fuel mental breakdowns. Focus instead on your pace, your form (extremely important), how you are feeling (hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, sore) and the distance left in this one mile run. Finish this mile as efficiently as you can, then move onto the next one.

#2 Use positive affirmations. Yes, talk to yourself. Endurance events are lonely so be your best friend out there. "KMF" "BYB" "SY" "FS" "NGU"...keep moving forward, be your best, surprise yourself, finish strong, never give up.

#3 Use other participants to pace yourself. I label other athletes by their kits/bibs or shoes: Newton, Asic, Zoot, Pearl, ORR, OUL, HRTC. If my pace is correct and another athlete is in sight, I make it my goal to catch them. Then I mark someone else and do the same.

#4 Every mile is an opportunity to think about someone in your life for XX minutes. Every single mile of the run courses I complete are devoted to a person in my life. I don't even have to think about it, it just pops up. Yesterday I can remember my grandfather, Gramps, popping up at mile 6 (I saw a spectator who looked just like him), I thought of Emily at mile 7 and how this would be our 7th wedding anniversary. Mom and Dad took mile 5. I thought of my good friend Jamie during the first mile and how I wish he was here running with me. My in-laws popped up at mile 8. Chris and Megan took mile 11. Jack took mile 13.

My official time in 2008 was 1:56:16 and measured an 8:52/mi pace. My official time in 2015 was 1:31:29 with a measured pace of 6:54/mi. While hard work and discipline play a small role in the improvement, the greatest gains come from being able to connect the hobby you are so passionate about to making yourself a better person at the same time. The body is useless without the mind and spirit. Congratulations to all of my friends who finished the full and half distances. Many thanks to Chris and Megan for being there in the darkest, mile 11. To Lee and Judi, Alex, Jack and Dina for being there at the finish. And especially to my wife for allowing me to pursue this crazy dream of mine while trying to be the best man I can be.

Now onto Galveston 70.3.