Ironman Louisville - We are so there!

My wife and I have decided to do an Ironman event next year. We are taking the plunge and going for the 140.6 at Ironman Louisville on August 30th 2009.

For those of you who don't keep up with the Triathlon world, this is the holy grail, the grand daddy of them all, the life changing event. Believe me when I tell you, this was a big decision and was not an easy decision.

I call my wife while on the way home from work. We chat about what to grab for dinner and the usual, "how was your day", chat. Toward the end of the conversation, she mentions that our good friends, Jo and David, are doing the Ironman Louisville. David is a seasoned Ironman competitor, but this will be Jo's first Ironman. We started our Triathlon adventures around the same time as Jo, so I was getting that "left behind" feeling.

Rebecca and I had worked out our Ironman plans last year. We both decided we would do our first Ironman together when we turned 40. That is still three years away, so there was no pressure, until I heard Jo was taking the plunge. Truth be told, for the last few months, I had been slowly moving our Ironman plans up a year at a time. I had already convinced my wife we would look at doing and Ironman in 2010. She was not against the idea and I had confidence in my abilities to persuade her to participate.

We decided to eat out and headed over to Schlotzky's. During the entire ride and meal, I was a focused zombie. All I could think about was doing the Ironman. I had convinced myself I was ready to start the journey. However, I had one big issue. My wife and I planned to do our first one together. She immediately started telling me that is was fine with her if I took the plunge. She was definitely not doing it next year and would still target 2010. Being a man, I really didn't believe her. We had the same conversation ten times in the next thirty minutes. I finally decided to believe that she didn't mind me doing the event with her, but I didn't really believe it. Women never really say what they mean.

I went upstairs to change clothes with the idea of signing up when I was done. I came down the stairs and my wife immediately informed me to sign her up. I was a bit confused. I then noticed her cheeks and face were red. Oh crap, I know what that means, crying was involved in the decision. I walked over and gave her a hug and told her I wouldn't sign up. I didn't want to rush her and it was important that we do this together. She told me she had made up her mind and I need to sign her up right now before she changed her mind. I am husband, must obey.

We both hovered over the computer as I signed us up. I was more nervous signing up than I was starting an event. We were both nauseous after the sign up was complete. There was just something crazy about signing up. It made everything final and signified a complete change in our training mindset and lifestyle. This is big time stuff. You can do minimal training and complete a half-Ironman, but a full Ironman takes dedication.

We are going to stick to our holiday training plans. We will redo our yearly training plan for next year and have it ready by January 1st. Not only do we have redo our training plan, we have to redo our family plans and our daily routines. We have to get the house where we want it and a ton of other tasks we need to complete. Training for an Ironman takes a lot of time and energy.

We both have blogs and will routinely provide updates. This is going to be an awesome journey with friends. As I have always stated, the training journey with friends is the best part of an event. To all of our friends, we are going to need your companionship, your courage and occasionally a shoulder to cry on.

Double the fun.

How do I get myself into these things? Last week, I found myself in the middle of a race that had three stages. Normally, I love events that cover multiple days or multiple stages in one day. This particular event was one day containing three separate events. I feared I had bitten off more than I could chew. However, once I commit to something, I have to go through with it.

The first race was a bit of warm up, so there were not really any surprises. This type of racing is not my strong point, but I did fairly well. The course was easy and there were not that many competitors.

The second race was tough! I started to question my sanity towards the end of the race. The competition was a lot tougher than the first race. I got banged up a bit. There was a larger crowd and and a couple of newbies. They may have been newbies, but they were very aggressive. It almost seemed like they were angry about being at the event.

I was really nervous about the third event. I had done this event a few times, but never as part of stage race. I really wasn't sure if I was mentally or physically capable of finishing this race. The competitors were brutal. The skilled racers would take no mercy on the weak. They had no problem cutting you off or even running you down. There were allot of newbies in this race. They were much slower and were not aware of their surroundings. On several occasions I found myself slamming on my brakes or quickly steering left or right to avoid a crash. By the end of the race of was wiped out. I had no energy and had a hard time thinking straight. It was all I could do to drive home. Luckily, my wife is a strong racer. She helped me through all of the events. Blockbuster was easy, but the trip to Target and then the grocery store was brutal. I don't know how she does it. This kind of stuff makes a two Triathlon weekend look easy.

We had an awesome weekend at the Lake Degray Triathlon Festival. My wife was planning on getting Half Ironman redemption. I was going to brutalize myself with the double, Olympic Triathlon on Saturday and a Sprint on Sunday. Of course, all of our crazy friends would be there to share in the pain and glory.

As usual, the morning started with my normal anal retentive race mode. Truthfully, I was probably a bit more relaxed than normal. My wife's Half Ironman started an hour before my Olympic, so I would have ample time to prepare. I did enjoy dropping elbows on Brent to wake him up. He decided to stay with us and have his family come up for the sprint. Brent likes to wait until the last minute to arrive at the race. I took much pleasure in waking him up.

We stayed about three miles from the race, so it was a nice and short drive. Brent and I were able to get great transition spots. Since the Olympic started an hour after the Half, we were among the first handful of people to arrive on site. I helped my wife get ready and gave her a kiss for good luck. Brent and I setup our area and started our pre-race routines.

The weather was absolutely perfect! The rain just missed us and left cool temps behind. Last year it was over 100 degrees, the high for today was 85 and cloudy. Race time temps were at 68 degrees. It was warmer in the water than out of the water. That would make the swim nice but the bike a bit chilly for the first couple of miles.

I was very excited about this race. I love events than span over two days. It kind of feels like you get more for your money. This would be my first Olympic distance and I was looking forward to a longer bike ride. However, I was very concerned about my swim time. The swim for the Olympic is only 400 meters shorter than the half. This gave Brent a big advantage, he is a very good swimmer. We were betting our usual steak dinner on each race. I had now lost 28 pounds and was feeling very confident on the bike and run. I told Brent I would beat him, if I could limit the swim damage to three minutes or less. Judging by our past times, I estimated he could gain as much as 5 minutes on me coming out of the swim.

I had a plan for the swim. I was going to start on Brent's heels and possible grab his shorts on the way out. I was hoping to draft him as long as possible and limit his lead. We started the swim and I was on his heels. I took a few strokes and he started pulling away from me immediately. No way, this could not be happening this early in the race. I hammered down and he drifted further from my site. He left me like I was standing still. He might as well have been Michael Phelps. I was hoping to come out of the water in under forty minutes. I was certain Brent would below forty and somewhere close to thirty five. I knew I would need all of the time I could get, so I came out of the water running. I looked at the clock and almost cried. My time was a weak forty two minutes. Brent surely had at least a five minute lead on me.

I had a quick transition to the bike and dropped the hammer. I was very confident in my bike times. I was a good cyclist and had lost a lot of weight. This was a hilly course so it gave me an advantage. I turned onto the main highway and let it roll. I could tell early in the ride that I was going to have one of my best bike times ever. I used the rolling hills to gain momentum. I started passing people like they were standing still. I was constantly taking notice of my effort as to not waste all of my energy on the bike. I was a bit surprised at my speeds and the fact I wasn't killing myself. I easily gave my most consistent effort on the bike. It was a hilly course and I was able to maintain an average of over 20 mph. I had expected to catch Brent on the bike, but I never saw him. That was not good news for me. Brent was a solid runner, so I had my work cut out for me.

I had another good transition and sprinted onto the run course. The run course was a three mile out and back that starts with a nasty uphill. It has a couple of flat spots, but is mostly uphill for the entire three miles out. The run back was mostly down hill and fast. I finally saw Brent a few hundred yards past the turnaround. I was heading out and he was heading back. I estimated he was less than two minutes ahead of me. Unfortunately, that is allot of time to make up with three miles to go. I had my best run ever, but couldn't catch him. I knew it was close when I saw he was still breathing hard at the finish line. He had beaten me by about one minute and twenty seconds. I found out later he had taken over five minutes on me on the swim. I actually beat him on the bike and the run, but I could not make up the entire deficit. I was more happy with my performance than I was sad at the defeat. If you are going to get beat, it might as well be by one of your best friends.

The sprint the next day was very painful. My legs felt like they had been hit by a truck. I actually had some knee pain, so I took it easy on the run. It was an awesome weekend. I think we all had more fun at this two day event than any other event. This event will make the calendar every year.

My wife did awesome on her Half Ironman. She finished in under six and half hours to beat her goal. She looked awesome when she finished. One lady asked her how she stayed so cute during the entire race. While running, she looked like she was just out for a stroll.

My wife now has a 70.3 sticker on her car. I am very happy for her and a bit jealous. I felt so strong at the end of the Olympic, I wished I had done the Half. After a bit of "persuasion" from our good friend Jo, we have decided to do the Half Ironman in Austin, TX on October 5th. My wife's birthday is that weekend, so we will throw in a birthday celebration. I believe we are going to take the entire week off, after the event, and vacation in Austin. We have several friends going, so it should be a grand event.

I look forward to this event and will be training hard the next six weeks.

I want my sticker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friends, Support, Encouragement and Fun

Most people would say friendships are an important part of life. I disagree with this statement. I believe friendships are an essential part of life. I don't see how anyone can function without a strong support system of friends. My wife and I are blessed in the friendship category. Just the other day, we were marveling over the fact that we have so many close friends. I would like to take this moment to thank all of our friends for their support, encouragement and fun you bring to our lives. I hope that we return to you the quality of friendship that you share with us.

I would compare friends to the relationship a woman has with shoes. You can never have too many shoes and you need to have particular shoes available for each occasion. Some shoes will work for multiple occasions, but seldom does a shoe fit for all occasions.

I have some friends that play golf, some that like to hunt, some that are in to cycling and some that are in to Triathlons. I have friends that like fine wine and some that prefer a cold brewski. I have friends that get emotional and friends that don't. Depending on my mood, I may choose to call on different friend today than I did yesterday. However, don't assume that because I have a lot of friends that I take them for granted. Nothing could be further from the truth. I cherish every one of my friendships and I don't toss around the word "Friend" loosely. I don't spend time with people I don't trust or that I just don't like.

It's not surprising that I spend most of my time with friends that are in to cycling and Triathlons. It only makes sense that I spend most of my time with friends that enjoy the same things I enjoy. Over the years, I have traveled the world and made a lot of friends. I have been told I make friends easily. Out of all of my friends, over the years, I have found that cyclist and triathletes make the best of friends.

These people are amazing! There is something noble about a person who can share the fun of riding your bike like a kid again and suffer with you for hours when you decide to push your body to the limits and still give you a smile. It is hard to hide your true personality when you are drenched in sweat on a hundred degree day climbing a huge mountain in a strong headwind.

Several of us headed over to the Mighty Mite Triathlon in Forrest City, Arkansas last weekend. One of my great friends, Brent, rode with my wife and I. We were staying with a friend, David, whose parents lived nearby. David is a one of kind guy. David is in his early fifties and has been doing triathlons for twenty-three years. He is full of knowledge and will bend over backwards to help a friend improve. Our club refers to him as "The Jedi Master". We are all his loyal subjects that aspire to use the force as he has learned to use it over the years.

Brent is one of my closest friends. He is one of those shoes that works for many occasions. It is not very often that we go an entire day without speaking to each other. We balance each other out in several areas. Brent is doing a similar weight loss program. We have been an encouragement for each other through this process. I attribute a lot of my success to him.

Brent and I have an addiction to competition. To say we are competitive with each other would be a huge understatement. Weight loss, golf, cycling and triathlons, to name a few, hold a high level of competition for us. Triathlons win the prize for the most competitive event.

I met Brent while visiting a church with some relatives. We quickly figured out that we were doing the same triathlons. An immediate friendship was born. We have been competing against each other in triathlons for a couple of years now. Brent has always had the edge on me. He usually kicks my butt by five minutes or more. That is a severe butt kicking when you are talking about a race that last less than an hour and a half.

For the first time in two years, I had him nervous. I had lost twenty pounds since our last Tri and I was fast. I had gotten the better of him on a couple of rides recently, and I could see the concern on his face. As of today, I have lost twenty-four pounds in five weeks. I have a lot of friends to thank for their encouragement.

We arrived at the race site a bit over two hours early. There were two transition areas, thirteen miles apart, getting there early was a must. This race has a beginners division for people who have done three or less races. I like to walk around the transition area and see if any newbies need any help. I was having a great conversation with a guy who was doing his first Tri. A guy with a deep voice walks up behind me and ask if he could rack his bike by mine. I turn around and I am looking at the guy's chest. His name is Dave and he is six feet ten inches tall. This was his first triathlon and he was a bit nervous. I saw him after the race and he was out of his mind with joy. He was now hooked on triathlons and couldn't wait to find anther one to do. This is another example of the great people that are surrounding this sport.

Brent and I have a habit of talking trash before an event, and man was I pouring it on. I was very confident in my weight loss. Brent was not talking much trash, which is completely out of character for him. The weight loss had him nervous.

Brent is a great swimmer and was in the first wave. I started in the second wave that was five minutes back. The gun sounded and they were off. I watched Brent get off to a strong start. I knew I would lose a couple of minutes to him on the swim, so I had to prepare to hammer the bike and the run portion.

I had a good swim and jumped on my bike. I felt like a rocket coming out of the gate. This was a hilly course and would give me an advantage. I have never rolled through a bike course as easily as I did this day. I pushed myself hard, but it felt almost effortless. I racked my bike and started the run. It was hilly and it was hot. Brent is a good runner, so I had to continue to push. About a mile into the run, the Jedi Master passes me. He started five minutes behind me and is not a very good swimmer. Needless to say, he can hurt you on the bike and run.

The course had a very sick sense of humour. At the two and half mile mark, you have to run past the finish line and make a loop. I can't explain to you how hard it is to see the finish line and not be able to stop. I made the turn and thought I was going to throw up. I had never pushed my body and mind this hard. I knew Brent was already at the finish line counting down the clock to see If I come in more than five minutes after his time. I gave it my all and pushed hard to the finish. My lovely wife was waiting for me. Brent was right behind her shaking his head. He was sure I had beaten him by close to two minutes. I waited for the official time, and sure enough, I had beaten him by one minute and forty-five seconds. I had my first victory!

Brent and I bet steak dinners on the races. Coming into this race, I owed him two dinners. I now owe him one, and I plan to get that one back at the Lake Degray Tri festival in August. Brent was very happy for me, but very upset that he had lost. He hates losing! Naturally, I started talking trash. Its was payback time for two years of defeats.

Monday morning I made a trip to the local Flower shop. I picked out several black balloons, a smiley face, Get Well, and Thanks for you support balloon. I had them tied to a stuffed duck and delivered to Brent's office. On the card, I said "Sorry for your loss, but I plan to give you another one soon".

How does anyone make it in life without good friends?