With just over a week until Ironman Texas I am leaning towards sitting the race out. I have been super busy at work and unable to train at all the last few weeks. I did compete in the HITS Olympic Triathlon two weeks ago and had a difficult time racing. I was supposed to race the Half-Iron the next day but I was very ill and could not go. In addition to my lack of training I have a bicep, neck and back injury (the same from last year) that is also making it difficult train even when I have time. I'll make my final decision on the race this weekend but I think it will be tough to do. Going forward I don't think many Iron distance races are in my future. I'm very focused on my career and I'm excited about my future prospects at work. I do plan on racing Vineman in July and I'm sure I will do some other races during my sabbatical which starts in mid-June. As for what is next I plan on racing Tejas in June. As always, I'll let everyone know.
Bye for now.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Ironman 70.3 Texas
After weeks of thought I decided to participate in Ironman 70.3 Texas yesterday. I knew going in that it would be my slowest 70.3 and it very much was. I did the race severely under trained in all 3 disciplines but I was tired of missing races due to injury and illness and I felt that I could gut it out. I didn't begin training for the event until March 12th and I felt it all day. Here is the race breakdown.
Race morning was nerve racking for me. I was so nervous and I was wondering why I was doing this race. As I was getting set up in transition I had to keep reminding myself that this was just a day of training. I was not going for time, just finish. As I left transition and made my way to the the swim start I began calm down a bit and I started to visualize the start of the race. As I made my way over the bridge to where you have to jump in the water I knew I could finish the swim. I knew it would take a while but I knew I would finish. When the start horn went off I just went with a slow swim stroke. I didn't want to use too much energy in the swim. This was the part I was most concerned about. I have done very little swimming this year. In fact, I swam 3 times between March 12th and March 18th with the longest swim at 750 yards. I injured my right shoulder on March 18th at the Telfair triathlon and had to take 10 days out of the pool. I did get in a 2250 yard swim the Wednesday before the race and a 1500 yard swim the Friday before the race but that was it. But despite that I still felt like I could finish the race. As I hit the halfway part of swim I was really tired but I pressed on. I saw a lot of the swim waves that started after me fly by but I pressed on. As exited the water I was beat and I wondered if I could continue but I pressed on. My swim time was 57:56. This was by far my slowest time for a 70.3 swim but I didn't care. I was happy I finished.
When I entered T1 I took my time. I wanted to get everything straight before I got on the bike. As I started riding I could tell the wind was in my future. The wind on the front half of the ride was really slowing me. This combined with my fatigue was making me cranky. I was getting past up by everyone early on. I kept thinking this should not be happening but this is just for training. It doesn't matter. The one neat part of the bike portion of the race came at the 8.5 mile mark when I saw Lance Armstrong fly by. He was leading the race and was close to finishing the bike course as I was starting my 56 mile bike experience. After he flew by I just trucked on wanting to get to the turn around so I could get some relief from the tailwind that awaited me. At the halfway point I was 1:41:45. I knew this was slow but the headwind really slowed me and I knew I could make up some time with the tailwind. On the way back in the tailwind definitely helped. I was starting to pass some of those people who passed me earlier in the race but I was really getting tired. As I came to the end of the bike portion I knew I could finish the race even if I had to walk the entire 13.1 mile run course. My second half of the bike was faster at 1:28:11 and a total of 3:09:56. It was my slowest bike time for a 70.3 but not bad considering my longest training ride was 51 miles which came the Sunday before the race.
In T2 I was tired but as I said I knew I would finish. I started running right out of transition but it didn't last long. My legs were sore and I just couldn't keep any kind of running going. I saw Norma early on the run and she walked with me for a while. I needed the distraction from the pain. As I was running and walking my stomach became upset. I didn't workout my nutrition for the race properly and I was starting to pay for it. As I continued on I ran into Norma several more times. She was knack for getting around the race course. At any rate she walked with me several more times until I hit mile 11.5 and I decided to try and run the rest of the way without much success. I ended up finishing the run in 2:55:59. As before it was my slowest run for a 70.3. I still didn't mind. I finished and that is all that matters. My total time was 7:11:34. This is slower by 40 minutes from my previous slowest time. Considering my lack of training I will take it.
In order to contradict myself I have decided to make a run at Ironman Texas. 3 weeks ago I thought this was not going to happen. Until lately I have put zero effort into getting ready for this race. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. I know it will be tough to get ready but I'm going to try. If I miss the race due to an injury or illness that is one thing. I don't want to miss it due to a lack of effort. My training schedule is busy and I have a week of travel for business in April but I think I can get ready enough to at least finish the race. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress.
Bye for now.
Race morning was nerve racking for me. I was so nervous and I was wondering why I was doing this race. As I was getting set up in transition I had to keep reminding myself that this was just a day of training. I was not going for time, just finish. As I left transition and made my way to the the swim start I began calm down a bit and I started to visualize the start of the race. As I made my way over the bridge to where you have to jump in the water I knew I could finish the swim. I knew it would take a while but I knew I would finish. When the start horn went off I just went with a slow swim stroke. I didn't want to use too much energy in the swim. This was the part I was most concerned about. I have done very little swimming this year. In fact, I swam 3 times between March 12th and March 18th with the longest swim at 750 yards. I injured my right shoulder on March 18th at the Telfair triathlon and had to take 10 days out of the pool. I did get in a 2250 yard swim the Wednesday before the race and a 1500 yard swim the Friday before the race but that was it. But despite that I still felt like I could finish the race. As I hit the halfway part of swim I was really tired but I pressed on. I saw a lot of the swim waves that started after me fly by but I pressed on. As exited the water I was beat and I wondered if I could continue but I pressed on. My swim time was 57:56. This was by far my slowest time for a 70.3 swim but I didn't care. I was happy I finished.
When I entered T1 I took my time. I wanted to get everything straight before I got on the bike. As I started riding I could tell the wind was in my future. The wind on the front half of the ride was really slowing me. This combined with my fatigue was making me cranky. I was getting past up by everyone early on. I kept thinking this should not be happening but this is just for training. It doesn't matter. The one neat part of the bike portion of the race came at the 8.5 mile mark when I saw Lance Armstrong fly by. He was leading the race and was close to finishing the bike course as I was starting my 56 mile bike experience. After he flew by I just trucked on wanting to get to the turn around so I could get some relief from the tailwind that awaited me. At the halfway point I was 1:41:45. I knew this was slow but the headwind really slowed me and I knew I could make up some time with the tailwind. On the way back in the tailwind definitely helped. I was starting to pass some of those people who passed me earlier in the race but I was really getting tired. As I came to the end of the bike portion I knew I could finish the race even if I had to walk the entire 13.1 mile run course. My second half of the bike was faster at 1:28:11 and a total of 3:09:56. It was my slowest bike time for a 70.3 but not bad considering my longest training ride was 51 miles which came the Sunday before the race.
In T2 I was tired but as I said I knew I would finish. I started running right out of transition but it didn't last long. My legs were sore and I just couldn't keep any kind of running going. I saw Norma early on the run and she walked with me for a while. I needed the distraction from the pain. As I was running and walking my stomach became upset. I didn't workout my nutrition for the race properly and I was starting to pay for it. As I continued on I ran into Norma several more times. She was knack for getting around the race course. At any rate she walked with me several more times until I hit mile 11.5 and I decided to try and run the rest of the way without much success. I ended up finishing the run in 2:55:59. As before it was my slowest run for a 70.3. I still didn't mind. I finished and that is all that matters. My total time was 7:11:34. This is slower by 40 minutes from my previous slowest time. Considering my lack of training I will take it.
In order to contradict myself I have decided to make a run at Ironman Texas. 3 weeks ago I thought this was not going to happen. Until lately I have put zero effort into getting ready for this race. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. I know it will be tough to get ready but I'm going to try. If I miss the race due to an injury or illness that is one thing. I don't want to miss it due to a lack of effort. My training schedule is busy and I have a week of travel for business in April but I think I can get ready enough to at least finish the race. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress.
Bye for now.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Telfair Triathlon
I haven't had much to report from my last post in January. My recovery has been most difficult and my training has been inconsistent at best. I'm still trying to keep moving forward with everything but it has been difficult. With that said I did my 1st triathlon in over 8 months. I did the 1st annual Telphair Triathlon in Sugar Land this morning and it was great to get back out on the race course. I don't have all the breakdown of times from each discipline but I finished the 500 meter swim, 12.6 mile bike and 5k run in around 1:25:00. I felt good, but tired and I am thankful that I was able to race.
With all that has gone on with me over the past few months I am considering dropping out of my next few races. (Ironman 70.3 Texas and Ironman Texas). I have not made any final decisions yet but I am leaning that way with Ironman 70.3 Texas just 2 weeks away. My training is getting better but I want to do these right and not create further health issues or injuries. I'll make a decision shortly and I let everyone know. This is a tough decision and I need to get it right.
Bye for now.
With all that has gone on with me over the past few months I am considering dropping out of my next few races. (Ironman 70.3 Texas and Ironman Texas). I have not made any final decisions yet but I am leaning that way with Ironman 70.3 Texas just 2 weeks away. My training is getting better but I want to do these right and not create further health issues or injuries. I'll make a decision shortly and I let everyone know. This is a tough decision and I need to get it right.
Bye for now.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Road To Recovery
As sit I and write this post I am a little over 6 weeks from the throat and nose surgery that was supposed to correct several things and make me feel a whole lot better. I am just now starting to feel better after several set backs during my recovery. I am not sure if the surgery did what it was supposed to and because of that I have not been optimistic about my upcoming training and race schedule. With all that said I have a lot of work to do.
While I've been recovering I completely lost control of what it means to be an endurance athlete. I have developed a lot of bad habits, mainly from not being able to train. I've put on a considerable amount of weight, which is not good considering I was already way off my race weight. I also developed some even crappier eating habits and I just got real lazy. It has just been in the last week that I feel like I am getting my mojo back and I'm finally starting to get some consistency back.
As for upcoming events I am signed up for the Texas Independence Bike Tour at the end of January and a 5 mile run in February. As I start to get my endurance back I'll sign up for more, but I'm taking it slow for now.
I want to thank all of you who sent me messages after my surgery. That really meant a lot to me. The surgery and the weeks after the surgery were much tougher than I thought they would be and there were times where I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to the endurance events that I love. I still have some recovering to do but I am committed to getting on the race course soon.
Bye for now!
While I've been recovering I completely lost control of what it means to be an endurance athlete. I have developed a lot of bad habits, mainly from not being able to train. I've put on a considerable amount of weight, which is not good considering I was already way off my race weight. I also developed some even crappier eating habits and I just got real lazy. It has just been in the last week that I feel like I am getting my mojo back and I'm finally starting to get some consistency back.
As for upcoming events I am signed up for the Texas Independence Bike Tour at the end of January and a 5 mile run in February. As I start to get my endurance back I'll sign up for more, but I'm taking it slow for now.
I want to thank all of you who sent me messages after my surgery. That really meant a lot to me. The surgery and the weeks after the surgery were much tougher than I thought they would be and there were times where I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to the endurance events that I love. I still have some recovering to do but I am committed to getting on the race course soon.
Bye for now!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Big News
Before the big news a quick update. It has been a little over a month since my last post. Since then my "health" issues have continued to burden me. My training has been inconsistent due to the health problems. I missed the 5150 race, where I had a free entry and Oilman due to my inability to train. With that said I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. With any luck I should be back to a "normal" schedule by mid December. I do plan to get back to some light to moderate training in the meantime. My body will dictate what I can and can not do.
So for the big news. I am currently signed up for 3 big races in 2012. First up will be Ironman 70.3 Texas in April followed by Ironman Texas in May and Ironman 70.3 Vineman in July. Of these race I have only done Ironman Texas. I am looking forward to doing my 3rd Ironman and being 100% healthly for it. I have coached the IM 70.3 Texas race for the last 3 years and I am really looking forward to getting to actually race there. Lastly, I am super excited about the IM 70.3 Vineman race in Napa, CA. I have wanted to do this race for a long time. With any luck there will be wine on the route. At any rate these are 3 quality races and I am really looking forward to all of them.
As for the remainder of 2012 I will have plenty of events to do. I have several things in mind but I am still in planning process. I will let everyone know as I finalize the 2012 schedule. I hope all is well with everyone and I'll see you at the start line.
Bye for now!
So for the big news. I am currently signed up for 3 big races in 2012. First up will be Ironman 70.3 Texas in April followed by Ironman Texas in May and Ironman 70.3 Vineman in July. Of these race I have only done Ironman Texas. I am looking forward to doing my 3rd Ironman and being 100% healthly for it. I have coached the IM 70.3 Texas race for the last 3 years and I am really looking forward to getting to actually race there. Lastly, I am super excited about the IM 70.3 Vineman race in Napa, CA. I have wanted to do this race for a long time. With any luck there will be wine on the route. At any rate these are 3 quality races and I am really looking forward to all of them.
As for the remainder of 2012 I will have plenty of events to do. I have several things in mind but I am still in planning process. I will let everyone know as I finalize the 2012 schedule. I hope all is well with everyone and I'll see you at the start line.
Bye for now!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Susan G. Komen 5K
Before I get into my update on the Susan G. Komen 5K, I want to provide a small training update.
Training has been up and down. In the last 2 weeks I have done my longest brick and my longest swim since IMTX. Other than that training has been inconsistent. I have been working an extreme amount of hours and days the last two weeks and I have had 2 more allergic reactions where some part of my face swells up. (Don't laugh) The medication that I take for these reactions makes me very sleepy and gives me some pretty bad headaches. This typically derails my training for a few days, today being no exception. I am going to try and regroup with a brick after work tomorrow before departing for 3 days in Beaumont. I am hoping I can have a allergic reaction free week so I get my consistency back.
As for the Susan G. Komen 5K I had a very slow run. This was my 1st 5K and I finished in 26'56". I wasn't going for time so I didn't really care what the time was. There is one thing to running only a 5K, you are done early. This was very nice compared to the long running and triathlon events I typically do. Overall the event was nice and will probably do the event again.
I still haven't made any decisions on my next few events. I really want that consistency with my health and training before I pay for anymore events. I see my allergist later this week so hopefully she can give me another treatment that will help me. I hope to have something posted in the next couple weeks on what is next for me.
Have a good week.
Bye for now!
Training has been up and down. In the last 2 weeks I have done my longest brick and my longest swim since IMTX. Other than that training has been inconsistent. I have been working an extreme amount of hours and days the last two weeks and I have had 2 more allergic reactions where some part of my face swells up. (Don't laugh) The medication that I take for these reactions makes me very sleepy and gives me some pretty bad headaches. This typically derails my training for a few days, today being no exception. I am going to try and regroup with a brick after work tomorrow before departing for 3 days in Beaumont. I am hoping I can have a allergic reaction free week so I get my consistency back.
As for the Susan G. Komen 5K I had a very slow run. This was my 1st 5K and I finished in 26'56". I wasn't going for time so I didn't really care what the time was. There is one thing to running only a 5K, you are done early. This was very nice compared to the long running and triathlon events I typically do. Overall the event was nice and will probably do the event again.
I still haven't made any decisions on my next few events. I really want that consistency with my health and training before I pay for anymore events. I see my allergist later this week so hopefully she can give me another treatment that will help me. I hope to have something posted in the next couple weeks on what is next for me.
Have a good week.
Bye for now!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
I'm Back
Hello All,
I have not updated by Blog since February 1, 2011. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long! Since I last updated everyone I completed 6 triathlons including my 2nd Ironman. Needless to say my Ironman did not go as planned due to a number of injuries and lack of proper training. This was also compounded by being way off my race weight. Since my Ironman my neck, back and shoulder have healed up and I have started training again. I spent most of the summer in the weight room with my son and I have started my running and cycling regiment over the last few weeks. The one odd thing that I have been dealing with over the last 6 weeks is this mystery illness that has been making different parts of parts of my face swell up. One of my doctors feels its related to a bacteria named H-Pylori but the medication has not seemed to helped. It hasn't slowed me down too much but it does force me to alter my training calendar from time to time. I'm hoping to get to the bottom of the illness soon.
As I look at the remainder of 2011 I have a few events I am signed up for. I have the Susan Komen 5k on October 1st, The Oilman 1/2 Ironman on November 6th and the BCS Marathon on December 11th. I don't feel pressure to do these events but I really want to. My main focus is to get 100% healthy, get back to race weight and re-install a consistent training system. If I am not ready I will not race. I have done too many races in the last few years when I am not ready and it has added to a lot of frustration in my life. Going forward I am not sure what events I am going to do. I have a lot events I would like to do but I really need to make sure I get the items I mentioned earlier in place. I will do a better job updating everyone going forward. I was very frustrated earlier in the year and I just felt like I would be filling this Blog with negativity. I hope everyone is doing well and I will update everyone again very soon.
Bye for now.
I have not updated by Blog since February 1, 2011. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long! Since I last updated everyone I completed 6 triathlons including my 2nd Ironman. Needless to say my Ironman did not go as planned due to a number of injuries and lack of proper training. This was also compounded by being way off my race weight. Since my Ironman my neck, back and shoulder have healed up and I have started training again. I spent most of the summer in the weight room with my son and I have started my running and cycling regiment over the last few weeks. The one odd thing that I have been dealing with over the last 6 weeks is this mystery illness that has been making different parts of parts of my face swell up. One of my doctors feels its related to a bacteria named H-Pylori but the medication has not seemed to helped. It hasn't slowed me down too much but it does force me to alter my training calendar from time to time. I'm hoping to get to the bottom of the illness soon.
As I look at the remainder of 2011 I have a few events I am signed up for. I have the Susan Komen 5k on October 1st, The Oilman 1/2 Ironman on November 6th and the BCS Marathon on December 11th. I don't feel pressure to do these events but I really want to. My main focus is to get 100% healthy, get back to race weight and re-install a consistent training system. If I am not ready I will not race. I have done too many races in the last few years when I am not ready and it has added to a lot of frustration in my life. Going forward I am not sure what events I am going to do. I have a lot events I would like to do but I really need to make sure I get the items I mentioned earlier in place. I will do a better job updating everyone going forward. I was very frustrated earlier in the year and I just felt like I would be filling this Blog with negativity. I hope everyone is doing well and I will update everyone again very soon.
Bye for now.
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