WOW!!

Wow! It's not everyday we get this in Central Arkansas....a winter wonderland.

finish...with a lower case 'f'

I've been avoiding this post for a while now because I'm not pleased with my performance and, with hindsight in eagle-eye focus, my overall effort and/or preparation leading up to the Little Rock marathon.

I'm not ready to say that I disrespected the distance because I don't think I did....I just didn't have the fire in my gut needed to get the job done. I ran a 4:42 and change....my marathon time at Ironman Wisconsin was 4:57 and change.

I did finish and I'm please about that because at mile 14 I was ready to accept my first DNF. So, there's that.

There is a silver lining in this story....I got some base miles under my belt, which was a goal, as I begin to prepare for the upcoming tri season. I also learned something....again....there's usually a correlation between the outcome of something and the effort put in to achieveing it!

SRO FUNERALS

OK, not the most joyous of subjects. But then again, maybe it should be. Funerals certainly can be joyous as you reflect on the impact that person made on your life and remember the stories you'll always cherish. Maybe you didn't know the deceased all that well but you're there to support a family member. Whatever the case may be, funerals are important for many reasons.

I went to the funeral of the father of an old friend today. I didn't know the deceased all that well and I haven't seen the friend in several years. I was there to support my old friend. And I know it meant something to him for me to be there when I was able to give him a big hug and tears rolled down his face. I know I would want as many people as possible to be there to support me.

All that leads me to the real point of this topic. It was standing room only at this funeral today. This man loved and was loved by many people and he had an impact on many directly or indirectly. You don't have a standing room only funeral without touching people's lives.....connecting with people.....investing in people.....and gaining the love and respect of people.

My prayer is that we can all have a SRO funeral because that will mean that we've had a postive impact on many people's lives!

So True, So True

Ran into one of those book store/coffee shops one night while working out of town....I like books and coffee and certainly the two put together. I like to check out the bargain racks to see if there's a steal in there somewhere. I also like to check out the latest "Inside Triathlon" magazine to see if there's anything different in that publication from the "Triathlete" magazine to which I subscribe.

Anyway, I ran across this small coffee table book from the "Life is good" folks. Each page had a drawing and a "Life is good" snippit of philosophy on the opposing page. I read each one and enjoyed them all. One stuck out above the rest, however.

"The pursuit is the reward". In no circumstance is that more true for me than my journey to complete my Ironman. Looking back now I clearly see that my reward didn't occur for me when I crossed the finish line. My reward occured after I swam 4000 meters for the first time during my training, rode 95 miles on my bike for the first time, fearing the "Cado" loop ride because of "THE HILL" but feeling confident after grinding my way to the top, surpassing the 18-mile mark on the run, bonking on one workout but getting back out there and knocking the next one out of the yard! All those things were incredibly rewarding.

Tackling little fears along the way and building confidence after each one was the reward. Setting a goal, building a plan and seeing it through to completion was the reward. Understanding what it took to do something like that and then doing it was the reward.

I distinctly remember several times throughout the day on raceday feeling rewarded and a smile crossing my face: When I climbed out of Lake Minona after the swim, when a stranger ran along side me banging a drum trying to help me keep my cadence up as I battled the third of three tough hills, when I entered the spectator lined streets of the small town of Verona, when I saw my family for the first time on the run coming out of T2, when I started the second of two loops on the marathon, when my wife told me all the people who called her cell phone that day in support of me and when I knew I was going to finish. All those things were more rewarding than actually crossing the finish line 13-hours and 18-minutes after I started.

To me the reason the pursuit is the reward is because of what you learn, what you experience and how you grow as a person along the way. Isn't that true of most things in life? Sometimes it's difficult for us to stop and realize how we're being rewarded when we're smack-dab in the middle of it....but it's there....

...Plato schmato, who needs that when we have "Life is Good" philosophy!

LIGHTING A FIRE

You ever get that...blah...feeling? I've been "off" for nearly 2-months since IMWI. I feel sluggish. I feel...blah. I needed something to get me going.

I signed up for the Little Rock marathon and created an 18-week training plan. Well, when I say "created" I mean I got a lot of help from Hal Hidgon's 18-week marathon training plan. I changed, or added, some cross-training work so I could get some work in in the pool and on my trainer as well as some weight work. The race is March 2. My 18-week program starts MONDAY!

I also plunked my money down for the Buffalo Springs half IM in Lubbock for late June. The main reason I signed up so early was to give me a goal, a carrot out there, if you will. Something to light a fire to get me back in the groove. The other reason is you save 30-bucks if you sign up before the year's end....

OU, Marathon and Such

It's been a while since I've checked in. Really haven't done much of anything in the way of training up until this past week. I did an hour on my trainer the past three days. I've also created a training schedule for the LR marathon. It's 18-weeks long with swimming, biking and weights in the mix. I'm ready to get back into the training mode! I've missed it.

We made a guys trip to Oklahoma last weekend to spend time with my brother and his family. Alex, Will and I went to Heritage Hall's football game Friday night. Blair is a coach on the team. To date they're undefeated with a real shot at a state championship! They didn't play their best the night we were there but still pulled out a 21 - 7 victory over OCS.

The weekend trip also included 3 tickets to the OU-Missouri game courtesy of Blair and his wife, Cindy. What a treat! We had awesome seats and watched the Sooners get back into the national championship picture with a 41-31 home win!

WHAT NOW?

It's been a couple of weeks since I've done anything in the way of exercise. Two Weeks! I feel like crud, too. I've been sick with a severe sinus infection and the antibiotics I'm taking are putting me on edge. My pharmacist sister-in-law says I'm that way because I'm going through endorphin withdrawal because I haven't done anything in more than two weeks. So, my body's craving endorphins....so, I'm addicted to exercise? My wife demands that I ride my bike on the trainer for an hour. Sounds like a good plan.