CATCHING UP

It's been a little while since I've laid down some thoughts in the blog.  There's certainly a lot going on.  Work, training, church, baseball, tennis & flag football are just a few of the things demanding some of my time.  By the way the 9 & 10 year old Titans chalked one up in the win column today.  Big win against the Bucs...34 - 14.  Will the Thrill with a couple of big catches including a huge grab on 4th down giving us a first and a catch on the point-after.  Nice!

-It's definitely getting down to it as far as Ironman Florida is concerned.  November 7th is right around the corner.  I'm trying to slow down so the corner doesn't get here too fast!  Just a couple more weeks of hard training and 2 weeks of taper.  Did a self supported half Saturday and felt really good.  Well, I felt really good on the run.  Ran at a 9:15 pace which is stellar for me.  Swam the 1.2 miles in 37 minutes and I was pleased about that.  Bike was a little slow at 3:07 but we were riding in a group.  I'm going to hit it really hard the next 2 weeks and peak with momentum!

    - Now for a few words about the Vikings.  Got in the win column again today against the league's worst team...the Rams.  The victory puts them at 5 - 0 on the season.  The last time this team went to 5 - 0 they went on to go 6 - 0 and still failed to make the playoffs!  They lost on a last second touchdown pass by the then hapless Arizona Cardinals.  The year was 2003.  So, 5 - 0 is good, but it's way to early for the undefeated Dolphins team of the '70s to start getting nervous.  

-Chrissie Wellington is simply amazing.  She broke a women's record and won her third consecutive Ironman World Championship Saturday in a time of 8:54:and change.  She finished 23rd overall.  INCREDIBLE!

-Craig Alexander won on the men's side for the second year in a row.  Once again he was stellar on the run at 2:48:and change.

-The Major League Baseball playoffs are upon us and once again the Reds are NOT part of the festivities.  I guess after 9 consecutive losing season I should really expect them to get on the right side of .500 before anticipating the playoffs!

-OK, it's 10:20 pm on a Sunday night and it's WAY past my bedtime!  What am I still doing up?

Bizarro World

You better get out your winter coats because I think hell is officially frozen! That girl that slapped you across the face is now your girlfriend. Your mean, old, fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Dockery, has all of a sudden shown her softer side and has taken a liking to you. The bully that just gave you the biggest wedgie you've ever had ( I mean it's so severe you can actually taste the cotton in your whitey-tighties) just gave you back your lunch and apologized! You just checked the mail and you received your first dividend check from that stock you've held for the past 20-years. Your teenager actually did his chores and mowed the grass.....without being told to do so!!! Wow, what is this world coming to?

Next your going to tell me that Brett Favre, the hated Brett Favre who ruled the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field of the hated rival Green Bay Packers, just signed to play for the beloved Minnesota Vikings! Yeah, right! And the miserable Herschel Walker trade never happened, right? OK, so the Walker trade did happen. That one still hurts.

But it's true. Brett Favre is wearing purple. Bizarro world. Helicopters flew overhead yesterday as his motorcade drove from the airport in Minneapolis to the the Vikings' practice facility. Grown men cried and sprinted across parking lots in suits and ties to get a look at the guy who will turn 40 during this NFL season, the guy who they're certain will take the Vikings to their first Superbowl since the late '70s.

Favre is certainly an upgrade from what was on the team's roster before yesterday. The biggest question is, at 40 years old is there enough duct tape and cortisone to keep his right arm attached to his body and on the field for a full 16 games and then, potentially, 3 or 4 more in the playoffs? Time will tell.

There is a bit of excitement in the air for this lifelong Vikings fan. The quarterback issue has finally been addressed for this team....if you call signing a 40 year old quarterback who just had surgery and admits he still has a tear in his right rotator cuff, addressing the issue.

Excuse me, I've got to go tell my teenager to cut the dang grass!

And So It Begins

The journey begins tomorrow.

Ok. Let's be clear. The journey really began some time ago. I guess it was when I signed up November 3, 2008 for Ironman Florida 2009. Or was it 3 1/2 years ago when I rode a stationary bike at the gym for the first time with the idea that I'd like to, some day, try the sport of triathlon? Of course, no one knew my plan at the time but me. I didn't want that crazy idea seeing the light of day....at that point. Three plus years and 12 triathlons later, the journey begins tomorrow.

Or did it start January 25, 2009 when I started a 16-week training plan for the Memphis in May Olympic distance race. I do MiM every year as kind of a kick-off to the season. I followed a plan this year not just for the race itself but to get my body prepared for the 'A' race training. And that journey begins tomorrow.

Tomorrow starts week 1 of 24 of my Ironman Florida 2009 training plan. I feel prepared. I feel ready. I feel excited and anxious at the same time. I want to do well. I plan to train hard and consistently.

As I look around my office there are signs of an endurance lifestyle that serve as both reminders and motivation....

...from the two wheels that carry me 112 miles...

...to the shoes that are under me for 26.2....

...to the nutrition that helps sustain my body to go the distance...

...and the reminder that hangs above my office door.

That's my dog Maggie. She doesn't really fit the story but there she was while I was taking pictures. So there's that.

Anyway, the journey begins tomorrow. I'll wake up a little after 5 a.m. and head to the pool for the first of many workouts on my way to becoming an Ironman x 2. I know how far my body has to take me...140.6 miles. Now I want to find out how fast it can take me there!

Sleep? What Sleep?

I'm lying in bed with the window open, the ceiling fan going round and round creating a nice breeze in the room. I love sleeping with the window open. My wife doesn't. Too much noise, she says. You do seem to hear every cricket chirp, car drive by and dog bark three blocks away. But, I still like it.

Anyway, I'm ready to doze off but I'm thinking about my swim workout at 5:30 the next morning: "long strokes", "elbows high", "swim in the tube", "got to improve my stroke", "feel the water", "I'm doing a ladder to 400 and back in my main set and a total of 2500"....okay, I'm not dozing off anymore. There's much work to be done. Too much work. Ironaman Florida is in November! 2.4 miles! Dang, why do I feel that knot in the pit of my stomach like it's pre-swim race morning? You know, everyone's standing around in their wetsuits, waiting, shifting from side-to-side. No one's saying a word but everyone has that "look" on their faces. It's a look of anxiety, fear and excitement all mixed together.

An Ironman race will do that to you. It takes on a life of its own. This one was birthed November 2, 2008, when I signed up for the 2009 race. It grows up fast, too fast. IM Florida 2009 is racing towards adolescence. After all, it is March. I'm in week 7 of my training plan for Memphis in May (an Olympic distance race in, of all places, Memphis. I know, strange). This is my training plan which will get me ready for "THE" training plan which will get me ready for "THE" race November 7, 2009. That training plan begins May 24th and by then IMFL '09 will be well into middle age! But, there's nothing wrong with that because so am I.

All that and I was just trying to doze off under the breeze and the sound of a dog barking in the distance. But there's no time for sleep even though my body craves it. IMFL '09 grows older by the day. There's much work to be done, a long way to go and a short time to get there.

Micsellaneous

It's been weeks since my last post.

Since then we've zipped past the holidays, which are now in the rear view mirror, we've started a new year, inaugurated a new President of the United States and I've started my training for the 2009 season.

Speaking of the 2009 season, I'm planning a big one. It's still a little up in the air but I've signed up and paid for two races so far. I'd like to do 4 total but I'm a little undecided on the other two.

Let's start with the two I'm signed up for: Memphis in May on May 17th and Ironman Florida on November 7th. The other two I'm thinking about are the Ozark Valley tri in NW Arkansas towards the end of June and I need to get in a half before Florida. My most likely options are the Redman half in Oklahoma City or the Prairieman half in the Dallas area. Both races are in early September which is perfect timing.

IM Florida is obviously my "A" race. But I'm not selling MiM short because I'd like to do well there....say a sub-2:20 with a stretch goal of sub-2:15 (it's Olympic distance). So my plan right now is to peak twice, MiM & IM Florida.

My training plan has begun for Memphis. It started this past week. I really should be starting this week but I'll be in Orlando on business which makes it difficult to swim and bike. So I started a week early and plan to run each morning in the land of Disney.

Training totals for the first week of my 16-week Olympic distance training plan: 5,000 yards of swimming, 3 hrs 25 minutes of bike time and 2:05 of running. My peak training week for IM Florida is 11,175 yards of swimming, 10 hours on the bike and 4:05 of running.

I can't wait.

Merry Christmas!

And Happy New Year!

It has been a year of tragedy, tears, laughter and joy. It has been a year filled with challenges and blessings.

I am very grateful to be blessed the way I am. I have a wonderful family and wonderful friends.

I am constantly humbled and in awe of what I have been entrusted with.

I am also humbled and in awe of the Rock of my salvation.

I hope blessings rain down on you and your family for the rest of this year and throughout 2009!

It's A Wrap!

Ya know, through it all, memories were created and isn't that what you're trying to do on a vacation? Without question there will be memories from this ski trip. As a matter of fact, it might be one of the most memorable.

Friday was a big day filled with shopping, skiing and plenty of food. Will seems to be a natural with skis on...he made three runs on one of the junior slopes and didn't fall once! I wish I could say the same thing.

Lilly Kate finished strong as well. After being a little frustrated early she became very determined, and when LK's determined, look out! She really got the hang of the slow-plow and the turn and stop. She was thrilled and therefore, so was I!

Ashley made three runs as well, fell only once. I made 8 runs on the day, three in the morning and 5 Friday afternoon/evening. Yes, night skiing. I did my first blue, the Spring Dipper. It was all fun-and-games early as I stayed on my skis. But at the end it was long and steep to the bottom. I bit it twice! Very humbling, but fun. And pretty exhausting.

After the 8th and final run of the day it was off to the shower and then pizza.

In the end, despite the multiple trips to resort medical clinic, the oxygen level below that of the Marlboro Man, Will's multiple deposits in the white-bowl-of-truth and an I.V. to get him back up to par, it really was a fun trip. We spent time together (a lot of it in the car! - we drove all the way back Saturday), we laughed together and in the end created a lot of memories.

Now, call Hallmark!