1st Ironman, Louisville 2009

Update: Ironman is on hold until further notice.....

2009-05-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

Update: As of late March I made a very hard decision to no longer train for Ironman Kentucky. This is definitely a delay but by far not a full "tap out". I will partake in an Ironman but not this year. Life has become very busy and the first to suffer is my family and I was not willing to sacrifice that. So after deep thoughts and prayer, I have delayed my participation until further notice.

Training

2009-03-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

it's been too long to count how long it has taken since i posted last. no worries though. i just got back from a hike today with friends at "rattle snake ridge". it was a real fun hike. 2 miles up, 2 miles down. i want to run that trail once the snow melts. it would be fun to run that as many times as possible.

update: as of now i have been focusing on running and lifting. i've been doing crossfit the past month or so. it's alot of fun. i've reached levels of fitness that i never thought of achieving but am challenged to do with the crossfit workouts. (i.e. deep squats, dead lifts, hand stand push up, etc) i've been challenging my legs lately and it seems to complement each run i do. i just recieved a training program from a friend that i plan on following soon.

15 miles in the rain.......

2008-11-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

I set out today on a run and my goal was a distance I've never reached yet. Todays goal was 15 miles. I routed my run and memorized the route and then I set out. Right as I went out the rain had began to fall and all I could think was, "this 15 miles is definatley going to be earned today!"
The route was awesome, I went through parts of black diamond and into four corners and down into maple valley and eventually did a loop that shot me back on highway 516 and back to black diamond and back home.
The first 2-3 miles was my intro into the run so those are always the hardest part because its in that time that I'm getting all my thoughts cleared and getting in a rythmn and completely focused on each step. My ankle started to mess with me for a short time and eventually the ache went away. The entire run was relaxing and calming. It wasn't until the last 3-4 miles that I staryed to feel the run. I layed my run out like so: 1st part-ease into the run, 2nd part-increase pace a little bit but control pace, and 3rd-increase pace and feel the increased intensity. The last part felt very refreshing but my body was screaming for oxygen and relaxation. It was funny, the last mile seemed to neverend. When I was nearing my finish I wasn't sure of the emotion I was going to feel. Was I going to cry or was I going to simply feel like a rockstar because I have just surpassed one of my own records today?
I didn't cry, I just reached my hands in the air and verbally said,"thank you Jesus for giving me this ability!"
It feels good to do something you have never done before. Then after my verbal praise I pumped my fist in the air.
Its 10:20 on a saturday and I'm already in bed. My legs are still screaming. I may be sore tomorrow. I am so exhausted right now. I don't know if I want to go watch alittle more tv or just let my eyes fall. Ill give sleep a chance and see that will work. Even though I'm tired my mind is still running.

15 miles in the bag!

Night

My friend Weekend is finally here!

2008-10-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

Friday has finally arrived and finally completed. My 15 mile run is tomorrow. The weather has cooled down and I will be in maple valley for the weekend. I realized something this week and that is that I like new routes rather than the same route each time, so in that I'm excited for the country route.

I admit, i did it...............

2008-10-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

I missed my first run day and let me tell you. Not a great feeling. I was on the road with core and forget that i had made an arrangment to meet up with a friend. it was great seeing him. I wish i would have ran when i knew i should have. this is the thing with ironman preparation and eventually training. i can not let my training focus get distracted. the way i feel when i hit each day of training, makes me feel so alive. even though ironman is my focus, i love to run, swim and ride! it just happens to be an event that i get to do all in one day each event after each other. when i ride to work, i feel so good! when i run to work, i feel great! I can't swim to work but i'm sure i'd feel the same way. it's amazing how focused i am when i start my day with swim or with a run or even a ride. it's like my peaceful vacation that is shortly lived but i still get the same effect as a vacation. even though my body is screaming due to exhaustion, i don't ever want to stop because the freedom i feel is such a high. When i swim, run, ride or lift i don't have anyone asking anything from me, and its a freedom i need. When i stop then i want to serve everything and everyone, but in that moment of activity i am asked by nobody but my BODY. When i training i am bettering myself for my wife, my son, my daughter, my entire family and friends. i am a role model to whoever looks up to me, i love that position God has given me in life. He has given me a responsibility that i take so serious, therefore i take life seriously. I want my wife, children, family members and friends to inspired by my motivation that they can be inspired to inspire others also.

As i type my thoughts get deeper and questions continue to role through my head on why i am doing ironman and as the questions arise the answers follow. As of right now my motto is ringing true in my life, “To be like no one else, you must dream, think and live like no one else does.” Knowing that I feel complete. I may not have views like everyone else, i may not believe what everyone else does, i may not live like everyone does but I am slowly but surely seeing that is what make me the person God has made me and makes me unique.

Its funny how writing/typing brings out feelings and thoughts you were unaware of but i believe this to be one of the healthiest things to do.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, i feel so alive!

You Tube

2008-10-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

Everyone checkout the video clips I put down at the bottom of the blog. This will give you and idea on what i'm doing and how big this is and the videos are fun to watch and be inspired by.

night!

Going through the motions.........

2008-10-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

i'm sure that this is going to be my thoughts somethime down the road but as of now, i'm loving it all. the mornings are the hardest part but after my feet touch the ground, i'm ready to go. my pool is closed tomorrow so zak and i are taking the day off to rest. i've been reading alot lately and going to specific websites to see which site can educate me the most. 2 websites i have started to follow pretty regularly: trifuel.com and swimplan.com
so if anyone wants to have a routine or a sometime of plan go to these sites. it's wierd because i'm a personal trainer, you'd think i'd have all the answers but i don't. this is an area of the gym i've never visited. actually going through this process has almost inspired me to become a certified triathalon coach.
Progress: Swim is still 60 minutes each day (mon/wed) but as for the run zak and i are up to 11 miles. this saturday we'll be doing 12 hours. i'm going to be out of town so kate and I will be doing this together. kates gonna ride the bike and I'll run. jokingly i told her she can be my pacer.
i'm also shopping around for a tribike, i had the idea to offering my services to someone selling their bike. i'll trade personal training sessions for their bike. i hope that works!

until then, late!

The thought of swimming 2 + hours is crazy!!!

2008-10-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was swimming the thought passed my mind real quick, "the thought of swimming 2+ hours is crazy"! Each monday and wednesday at 6am the swim i how i start my day. With my warm cup of joe in my hand as i drive to the pool, I continuously try to sike myself up for the swim. As i dress down into my suit and walk to the water I am now 2 mins away from non stop swimming. Right when I drop in and put my goggles down I just go immediate into my swim because if i think about any further i may stand there a minute longer than i need. To be honest the first 1oom is the hardest. So in that 1st 100m i'm trying to find my rythmn. I have never been a strong swimmer and i'm continuously thinking, " do i have what this swim takes"? I can run for 2 hours, i can definately ride for 2 hours but swim? This my first hurdle to get over. I know i'm strong, driven and highly motivated so knowing myself, i can do this!!! I have to trust my past because i have accomplished things bigger than myself. (i.e. sprints tri's, STP, 1/2 marathon) That is why i took this leap to do Ironman, because it is bigger than I am. So, this is what keeps me pushing so hard. My constant phrase i say to myself when i'm running and swimming, "I love this, you are having fun, you like to challenge yourself"!

Until further, Keep on working hard and challenging your ability!

-future ironman

The Swim

2008-10-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

To be honest the swim is my first obstacle I feel i need to conquer. As of date I am up to 1.25 mi in one hour. I'm not focusing on any particular program right now, I am just wanting to get comfortable in the water. Each morning I rise i am struggling to get up because i know what is ahead of me. After each session i am so glad i threw my covers off and put my feet on the ground to start each morning. As i stated before i'm not concerned too much on any specific format but am focused on just getting my stroke down. Each morning is getting easier and with that i am throughly excited about the feeling of progression. As my mentors have told me, "just get enjoy each activity (swim, run and bike) and worry about training specific later". That is what i say to myself each time i jump in the water and each time i start a run.

Zak and I hit the water every monday and wednesday at 6am and swim for that entire hour. We state how far we are going to swim and make sure we hit each goal. We are just enjoying our swims right now and it shows because we still are wearing a smile after each session.

Well i need to end my day because it's past 11pm and i have an early swim tomorrow.

Until next time.....................

Your Future Ironman

Week 1

2008-09-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

It was the morning of Sunday September 21st and I was getting ready for the Kirkland sprint triathalon (.5 mi swim, 12 mi bike and 3.1 mi run) and a quick thought went through my mind about a future ironman. After completing my sprint the thought became real. My friend corey sent me a link to all open ironmans in 2009 and Louisville, Kentucky was the only one available. After pondering for a couple days, it was friday night September 26th that I officially registered. I am going to travel to kentucky and start my first ironman on august 30th, 2009!!!

I can't explain how excited i am to challenge my body to the limit. Monday and Wednesdays are officially my swim days that I get up at 5am and start my swim at 6am for a full hour. I'm riding my bike to work (not counting as my official training, but getting extra actvity). I'm running 4 days per week right now with a minimum of 3 miles, but will progress to a minimum of 6 miles.

I've been conversing with Tracy Zorn who is a triathlete I ran into on the web. I've been picking her brain alot and will ask her for continual guidance. It is her blog that I started reading the night before my Kirkland sprint that I was highly motivated by and started entertaining the idea of an ironman.

To be honest this is a scary thing, the constant thoughts run through my mind wondering," do i have what it take?". As a personal trainer I continually throw out those thought by replacing them with,"heck yes I have what it takes and I'm going to prove it!"

The journey has began, I'm going to contine with what I love and that is living an active lifestyle. Along with this love I'm going to push myself to levels and distances i would have never imagined by body going. Doing an ironman is something that has been on my "bucketlist", i never imagined it so soon and that is what excited me the most. It's like having a dream and having that dream come into reality. I have a very strong support group and that is what allows me to start this journey.

So before I go any further, thank you katie for everything you are and everything you do for me because without you I would not have the drive i have. Thank you to corey, dana, my parents and friends because I know you will all be there.

So, here I go...............................