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?

Disturbing Behavior

My wife and I have an arrangement that helps me control my taste buds. Anytime she eats something I find tasty, I get a kiss so I can taste the flavor. This has worked very well, especially with chocolate. Chocolate has a strong taste, even it is received second hand. This has also worked well with other foods.

Last week was one of those work travel weeks. My coworker, Steve, and I had to visit one of our satellite offices. It was a six hour round trip, so there would be lots of nibble time in the car. Riding in a car is one of the worst situations for dieting. I am the type of person that needs to have something to drink and to nibble on while I drive. Since limited diet drinks are allowed, I can satisfy the liquid cravings. I have found that a small bag of pretzels can subdue my need for snacking. There is a bit more sodium than I need, but it will have to do. However, none of this helps when the passenger can eat anything they desire.

Steve and I headed back on Friday. We made the normal out of town stop to fuel up and load up on caffeine and snacks. I love convenient store food! Call me crazy, but the greasier the better. As usual, this store had plenty of pizza happily baking under the heat lamp. I took one glance and ran to the car with my pretzels and diet soda. Within a few minutes, Steve was in the car and we were on our way. As I took a drink of my soda, I noticed Steve unwrapping something. You guessed it, he had some pizza. I silently watched as took bite after bite. I looked at him with a pitiful look on my face. "Dude, you wouldn't do me a big favor would you?". He almost fell out the car when I told him how my wife and I handle that situation. We had a good laugh. No, I would not have kissed him for a taste of pizza. If he could have guaranteed me that I could have a full slice and it was calorie free, we would have had a situation on our hands.

This was a great week that ended with some disappointments. Our cycling group had planned a huge ride followed by a picnic. If there are two things our group can do, cycling and eating would be at the top of list. We did a very hard ride before the picnic. I am sure most everyone, including myself, decided not to eat much before the ride. That would somehow make us feel less guilty about what we were eating after the ride. I had already decided I was going to eat a hamburger. No cheese, no mayo, just burger, bun and ketchup.

I won't go into a long description, but I may have had more than one burger, hot dog, cheese dip and maybe a cookie or two. I actually switched to celery sticks in a desperate attempt to fill this black hole of an appetite that was taking over my universe. I finally regained control of my senses and backed away from the buffet line.

It is difficult to understand the emotions I felt the next few minutes. I felt defeated, lazy, disgusting, and severely depressed. I had to weigh in the next day and I was sure I just put back on the entire seventeen pounds I had worked so hard to lose the last three weeks. I decided to take a walk to the restrooms that were about fifty yards away. The group was laughing and having a good time so I am sure nobody saw me. If they did, I must have looked like a puppy who had just been kicked by its master.

I am not sure if it was the food or the fact that I was so upset, I became very nauseous. I stood in the restroom and hoped I would get sick. It then occurred to me, if I did vomit, most of the stuff I just ate would disappear. It would almost be like it never happened. You know, I could just use my finger to induce the action.

Holy crap, did that thought just run through my head! Have I lost my mind? Never in my life have I had this type of thought. I quickly left the restroom and rejoined the group. I did not want to be left alone.

Bulimia is a serious condition. I had no idea that there were two types of Bulimia. There is "Purging" and "Non-Purging". The purging thought scared me, but I think I am more worried after reading about "Non-Purging". This a condition where the person uses excessive exercise or fasting after a binge to offset the caloric intake.

After much reading, I decided I am not in either of these categories. I can't tell you how much this episode bothered me. When we lose weight, we feel better about ourselves in so many ways. We want to lose more weight and we want to lose it fast. No one can be strong all the time. You have to give yourself a break or even consider it a reward for being strong up to that point. Reward yourself sensibly and get back on track. Eating disorders are common and are very dangerous. If you feel you have a disorder, get help!

I was very nervous stepping on the scale the next day at the clinic. To my surprise, I still lost six tenths of a pound that week. I had not ruined my progress, all was not lost. I have recovered and hope that will be the weakest moment I have throughout this process.

Something else has been off the last few days. Until today, I couldn't put my finger on it. I have been pulling my socks up every hour for the last few days. I had no idea weight loss would affect how your socks fit. This weight loss process is an adventure. I can't image what happens next.

Mind and Body

The mind and the body are truly amazing. Independently, the body and mind can handle an enormous amount of stress. Combine their efforts, and they are far stronger and more capable than we can imagine. In order to truly accomplish your health and fitness goals, your mind and body must work together.

My mind and body made the connection during the middle of week two. Week two started out rough, but ended with a bang. I lost 4.6 lbs in week two. I am in the middle of week three, and have lost a couple more pounds. I have lost just over 15 lbs in less than three weeks. To say I am happy would be an understatement.

My clothes are now hanging off of me. The mirror and the scale are becoming my friends. I no longer want to pick up the scale and throw it through the mirror. However, that progress was not what brought my body and mind together. It was my bike that brought harmony to my world.
For those of you who don’t ride, weight is the most dominating factor in cycling. You can train hard, be genetically gifted and still get your but handed to you by the person that weighs just five or ten pounds less than you. Before I started this program, I outweighed most of my club riders by fifty pounds. Sure, I had a ton of power on the flat parts of the road and the sprints. When the road tilted upwards, I drifted backwards. I would lose valuable seconds and even minutes on the smallest uphill. Not only did I lose time, I would lose a greater percentage of energy than everyone else.

Thursday night is our hill training night. We shorten the route and reduce the speed in favor of punishing our legs with a steady dose of climbing. I am normally dropped shortly after we start the first climb. The group assembles at the top of the climb and patiently awaits my arrival. It is very disappointing to be the last person up the climb.

Just a few days before, I had a great ride. I was zooming up hills and felt very light on my bike. I was looking forward to the hill training. We turned the corner and started the climb. I had already decided I was going to put in some extra effort. We hit the climb and I punched the accelerator. Much to my surprise, my body responded in a way I wouldn’t have imagined. I was with the front group and stayed with them through half of the climb. It felt amazing! Halfway up the climb, the low calories started to affect me and I slowed a bit. We had ten people on the ride and I finished fifth. That was a stellar performance in my book. The thoughts of that moment were only overshadowed by one other thought. "What was this going to feel like twenty-five pounds lighter?"

It was that moment my mind and body made the connection. I no longer felt like a slave to a controlled and low calorie diet. I was now on a mission of great magnitude that needed my full attention and efforts. There is no longer room for self pity, anger or depression. This was no longer about a diet; this was about a lifestyle change that would have a profound affect on my life.

Progress and Challenges

I had a great first week on the diet! Our weekly class is on Thursdays. We meet at the hospital, check our weight, meet with the nurse and discuss our week with the class. My first week was one of the more successful weeks of anyone in the class. I was 8.3 lbs less than the last weight check. I was actually 10 lbs down at one point. I quickly realized I was dehydrated and increased my water intake. 8.3 lbs in one week is not bad at all. I know most of it was water weight, but it still feels good to see progress. I hope to average 2 to 3 lbs per week throughout the 13 week program.

My blood pressure was down from the initial check a couple of weeks before the program started. I am very anxious about the blood test we take every three weeks. My cholesterol has always been a bit high. Throw in the fact that I am endurance athlete, and my cholesterol levels look really bad. I hope to see a major decline in my cholesterol by the end of the program.

This program requires that you meet a minimum number of shakes and meals. The shakes are comparable to any meal replacement shake on the market, but they are more nutritionally sound. The meals are similar to any Healthy choice meal you can pick up in the supermarket, but with more vitamins, minerals, and much less sodium. I have no problem with the meals, but I have problems getting in my minimum of three shakes. I have never been much on liquid or cold food. Other than the occasionally cold cut sandwich, I prefer my meals to be hot. Unfortunately, you have to get in those three shakes to get your nutritional needs. I think I have figured out my shake plan. I am making double and even triple shakes. That way, I can get them out of the way and satisfy my taste buds with the meals.

My second week has gotten off to a rocky start. I started having horrible food cravings on Friday. Someone mentioned McDonald's at work, and I thought I was going to go crazy. My mouth started watering and I swear I could smell fries. Driving home from work was a nightmare. I felt like I was in a tunnel with no way out. Everywhere I looked there was a fast food restaurant. I rushed home and had a quick meal. That helped, but I spent the rest of the night with the munchies. I can’t explain how hard it was not to raid the fridge. There wasn't much in there, but I would have killed to just have a piece of cheese.

I was so relieved to wake up Saturday morning and find the cravings had vanished. However, I still had something to worry about. Not only was it the weekend, we a birthday party to attend. I had developed a plan. The party wasn’t until 3:30 so I had plenty of time to get some meals down. My plan was to eat a meal just before we left, drink a double shake on the way and eat two meals while I was at the party. It was a great plan and I could do it.

We arrived at the party with the plan in motion. I had just finished a double shake and was ready to party. Just as we get out of the car, I froze. I had forgotten to bring my two emergency meals. This was a disastrous situation. I already felt defeated and we hadn’t even gone inside. Rebecca's sister and her husband pulled up at the same time. Being polite, I ask if I could carry anything. Gary, Rebecca's brother in law, hands me a bag to carry. Are you kidding me, it was a bag of Ribs! Just poke my eyes out that would be less painful. A few months ago, Gary had purchased “The Big Green Egg”. This is an awesome smoker and grill. He had smoked these ribs for around twelve hours. I have had them before, they are delicious. I quickly switched bags and headed for the house.

The party had the usual tidbits of finger foods and sweets. I saw two immediate threats, cheese dip and those little pizza bagel bites. I love those things; I use to eat them by the box. I grabbed a diet soda and mingled into the crowd. As I feared, I started to get hungry. I eased over to the diet sodas. I was starving and had to nibble on something. I had accepted the fact that was at least going to nibble on some finger food to tame some of my hunger. I surveyed the table for anything that I could resist eating by the pound. I saw some type of stuffed celery sticks. I could care less what it was stuffed with, it was a green vegetable and I was in no danger of eating very much. I slipped over to the table and grabbed one. I took slow bites. I ended up eating two of them. By the end of the party, I had nibbled on a couple of items. I didn’t do much damage. I anticipate I ingested around 500 calories. I was disappointed and a bit depressed at first. I regrouped and realized that I may have weak moments. This diet is a big change for me and I will have some rough moments, but I will make it.

I awoke Sunday morning very motivated. I had a couple of small meals and went on a bike ride. I rode almost three hours with great friends and had an awesome time. I ended the weekend well. Next week will be another great week.

I have to tell a funny story. A friend I work with was having some medical issues. She goes to the doctor. The doctor recommends a blood test to check to see if she was pregnant. He calls the next day to tell her she is pregnant. She makes an appointment with her normal doctor the next day. The doctor does an ultrasound and verifies the prognosis. He turns to the mother and father and gives them a bit more info that didn’t expect. Not only was she pregnant, she is due in four weeks. That is a true story. They have roughly three or four weeks to prepare for this baby. Suddenly, cheating on my diet doesn’t seem so bad.

Society and Temptation

I made it through the first weekend without cheating on my diet! For most of you, this may seem simple and a bit insignificant. However, for me, it is a very big and necessary accomplishment. It is very important to get off to a solid start.

I was able to get in two workouts this weekend. I did a 4 mile run on Saturday and a two hour bike ride on Sunday. My energy levels were strong and I felt good.

The weekends are the toughest part of this plan. During the week, my day is filled with work followed by evenings on the bike or running. By the time I get home and get showered, there is just enough time to eat a quick meal and then lights out. The weekend is full of unfilled time slots that are perfect for grabbing the nearest bag of chips.

Speaking of chips, sodas, burgers, pizza, popcorn and all other highly publicized fast foods, what is the deal with our society? There had to be at least one fast food commercial during every commercial break on every station. The term ridiculous would be an understatement. It is no surprise that the US is the most overweight nation in the world. Our society practically force feeds this crap to us. How would you expect a recovering crack addict to help themselves if crack is at your fingertips every second of the day? In case you were wondering, yes, crappy food is in the same addiction category as crack. LOL.

Temptation is at every corner. The next time you are out and about, pretend you are dieting. Use the guidelines of low fat, low sugar, nothing fried or greasy, no butter and even lower the caffeine. Look around you and count how many times temptation shows its ugly head. My wife and I went to movies this weekend. I had a Diet soda and brought one of my healthy bars with me. My wife had her usual concoction of popcorn, water and a box of candies. I was sure to eat right before we left the house, which is what saved me. The smell of the popcorn was intoxicating. I wanted to bury my face in the bucket and even snort the popcorn if that meant getting it to my stomach faster. However, I stayed strong and spent the rest of the movie licking the wrapper of the bar I had eaten before the previews had finished.

The movie wasn't the worst temptation I had this weekend. My younger brother has been living with us for the past few months. He and I are identical in several ways, especially our diet. Put us in any type of food eating contest and we will give the big guys a run for their money. His favorite meal, you guested it, cheeseburger and fries. There I sat, Sunday night, watching some TV and thinking about my upcoming work week. I was also reflecting on my diet and how tough weekends will be in the future. I was so relieved that is was close to bed time and I was done with temptation for the evening. My brother returns from a weekend of being out of town. I wasn't paying much attention when he sat down beside me. However, my attention was quickly redirected as the smell reached my nose. I look to my right, and my brother is biting into a triple cheeseburger from Wendy's. Three beef patties with three slices of cheese, a large fry and a large DP. I was speechless. The only action I could manage was to wipe away the drool running down my chin. He looked at me and said, "What". Guys and gals, that is temptation.

The first day of the rest of MY life!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life! How many times have you heard this phrase? Have you ever really sat down and thought about it's meaning? Lets think about this for a minute. This phrase tells me that I can make a change in my life today that will affect me the rest of my life. I don't have to worry about the past, my mistakes, my bad decisions or my lack of positive change. It is like having permission to start over and do things the way they should be done.

It is not enough to limit your mistakes, you must make positive progress in your life. In my opinion, it takes more energy to make positive progress than it does to avoid mistakes. Take a moment to think about the bad decisions you have avoided in the past couple of weeks. I am sure most of us patted our self on the back for not making that bad decision. Did we really deserve a pat on the back for not doing the wrong thing? Shouldn't we be striving for more? Whether you are thinking about family life, work, fitness, diet or just general happiness, make an extra effort to do something that has a positive impact on your life!

Today is the first day of the rest of MY life! Today, I start on a journey that has eluded me since birth! I start a journey that will have a positive impact on some of the most important aspects of my life. Today is the first day of the weight management program.

I attended the first Weight management class last night. There were 23 people in the class. Strangely enough, It felt like what I think and Alcoholic Anonymous class may feel like. For the first few minutes, I felt like I was there because I had done something wrong and I needed help. A few minutes later, I realized that was exactly why I was there. I needed help to make a positive change in my life. The first step is admitting you have a problem. "Hello, my name is Chris. I am an over eater masquerading as an endurance athlete. I have realized I can't do this by myself, so I am here for help."

I had my first shake this morning for breakfast. It had a pleasant taste and was easy to make. My taste buds did not go in shock, I did not pass out or lose consciousness. It was a fairly uneventful event. I had my second shake at 10:30 AM. Again, no malfunction of bodily functions. I will have my fist entree in few minutes.

Make no mistake about it, I know this is going to be a long tough road. I will need the support of all my family and friends for this journey. Fortunately for me, I have the most awesome family and friends anyone could have on their side.

Today is the first day of the rest of MY life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anguish and Adversity

The Ironman 70.3 Kansas has come and gone. It was an incredible experience to line up with 1300 competitors. If you haven't done a large event like this, you should add it to your list of things to do. Due to inclement weather, they cut the course short. Those of us who hadn't started our second loop on the run were redirected to the finish line. We all received our finishing metals, and officially completed the event. However, my wife and I have decided not to put the 70.3 sticker on our cars yet. Since we were not allowed to finish the full mileage, we don't feel it would be appropriate to display the sticker. Placing this sticker on my car is very important to me. I guess it will have to wait until later this year or next year.

Even though the event was cut short, I can say I experienced more anguish and adversity in this event than any other event or training session. Before I recap, I want to repeat a thought discussed on several of my friends blogs in the last week or two. Race day is just one day, just the destination. The prize is the journey with friends. Don't let race day mishaps ruin the journey.

The Swim was, a bit crowded, to say the least. The swim was counter clockwise so the buoys were on the left. This was great for me since I only breathe to my left. I knew most swimmers would hang close to the buoys, so I decided to stay to the outside. This turned out to be a great tactic, for the most part. As anticipated, I did not have any crowding problems. What I didn't anticipate was the wide turns I would be making as the buoys changed direction. On each of the two turns, I found myself 100 to 150 yards out to the right of the buoys. I had to swim in a diagonal line to get back on track. I felt strong in the swim, but the added yardage also added minutes to my time, and stress on my body.

The bike was my single worst day on a bike, ever!!!!! Before I tell this horrid tale, those who don't know me should know I am good long distance cyclist. Even though I am a heavy weight, I can put in the long miles with the best of them. My longest one day ride is 132 miles. I have done a four day ride that consist of 20,000 feet of climbing over 320 miles. To say I have suffered on the bike before, is an understatement.

The bike started out well. I had planned to keep and pace in the 18 mph range. I could go faster, but the run was my weak point, so I need to save my legs. There was T-storm moving in, so we had the pleasure of a murderous head wind. Kansas is not flat, so add rolling hills, steady climbs and a couple of steep climbs to the scenario and that means trouble. I started out with the planned pace and things were going great. I felt strong and had a good rhythm. Not even 10 miles in the ride, I found it hard to maintain even 15 mph. I swear I was putting in enough effort to roll at 21. I blamed it on the wind and kept plugging along. To my surprise, the wind got stronger, the hills got steeper and my legs got weaker and weaker. My energy levels were ok, but I was losing power. The suffering had started way to early. I am twenty miles into a bike ride, and I feel like I have been 100 miles. I put my head down and just pedaled. I took a mild curve and my front wheel slipped out from under me. I somehow stayed upright and kept moving. The curve didn't seem that sharp. I glanced at my front wheel and everything looked ok so I kept going. On the way back, I slipped in that same curve. I decided to get off the bike and take a closer look. Wow, my front wheel was almost flat. I had just rode 20 miles of hills and strong headwinds with a near flat front wheel. I used my fix a flat Co2 cartridge for tubular tires and got started. I could immediately feel a difference. The good news was the tire was holding, the bad news was my legs were shot. I could already feel my legs starting to cramp from the hard effort. I reached for my Endurolyte mixture in my jersey pocket. It was empty! I had took one shot of it and forgot to close the lid. I had twenty miles left on the bike and I had dead cramping legs. I was now looking at cutting is close to the bike cutoff. At one point, both of my quads seized up on a climb. I had to dismount the bike and walk up the hill. I couldn't even pedal on the downhill. I started chugging Gatorade at the rest stops to get all of the electrolytes possible. My stomach doesn't like Gatorade, but I had no choice. I made it back to the transition area just 15 minutes before the bike cutoff. I was exhausted, cramping and to tell you the truth, depressed. I had considered myself a good cyclist, and here I was fighting just to make the cutoff time. I had plenty of time to think on this ride. I had already decided I was doing no more Triathlons the rest of the year and wasn't doing any next year until I lost 35 lbs. It was truly some of the saddest moments I can remember.

The transition from the Bike to the run was the most painful part of the day. It is here where I would reach down deep and find resolve I truly did not know I had. Dismounting the bike hurt, and it hurt bad. Both quads locked up as I unclipped my pedals. I walked to my area and racked my bike. I could hardly stand, so I decided to set down. The second my legs bent, I almost screamed in pain. I couldn't straighten my legs out and I couldn't bend them to far. I couldn't even get my socks on. I layed in the transition area for a good 5 minutes in agony. I was done. No, wait, I am not done. I am not quitting. If I have to crawl the rest of the way, I am going to crawl until they pull me off the course. I couldn't get my socks on, so I just slipped my feet into my shoes without bending over. Thank God for speed laces. I grabbed my run belt, hat and watch. I had another bottle of endurolyte mixture for the run. I took it all, right there. I hobbled out of the transition. If i could walk to the first rest stop, I could get more nutrition and give my legs time to absorb the electrolytes. The rest stop had gels with double the electrolytes of normal gel. I took two of them and downed two cups of Gatorade. I started walking again, then decided to run. I couldn't believe it, my legs were allowing me to run. Some of the cramping had started to go away. I looked at my watch and calculated my pace needs to finish the run.

I was about to start my second loop when they started pulling all competitors in due to inclement weather. I was happy and a bit sad. I was happy I wouldn't have to suffer any longer today and happy that I didn't have to deal with the possibility of not meeting the cutoff. I felt I could make the cutoff, but you never know. I was also very sad that all of this suffering would go to waste. What a great feeling it would have been to finish the event and be able to tell the story of the pain and suffering. We did officially finish the event, but we are not yet 70.3 Ironmen. I will get my sticker!

Race Preparation

I love race preparation! I normally start my race prep 5 days out. This gives me plenty of time to find what is missing or what needs replacing. Ironman Kansas 70.3 is one week away, however, we leave on Thursday so it was time to get started.

I started the weekend with some bike cleaning. I make it a point to get the bikes shinning a week out from an event. You just can't race with a dirty bike. It would be like going to a fancy restaurant in shorts and flip flops when all of your friends are there in Tuxedos.

As you can tell by the pic of our kitchen table, we don't pack light for an event. I make it a point to have two of almost everything, shoes, helmets, swim goggles, 2 extra sets of wheels...etc. If I have room in the Xterra, I will usually take an extra bike. Not only do I do this for my wife and I, I do this for my friends. I would hate for anyone to miss an event because they forgot something.

I follow all of the other rules of racing, like "Never change anything before a race", "always be early to the race site" and others. I have this great friend who is the direct opposite. I won't name any names, cough, cough, HBOO, cough. We have a friendly Tri competition going. He is a big guy like me. He started a similar diet at UAMS a couple of weeks ago. He is a big inspiration for me. However, his race prep habits kill me. He borrowed a friends race wheels two days before an event in May. He didn't even have time to try them out until the day before the event. He calls me the day before the event and asks me to bring some extra swim goggles. Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Oh well, you got a love him.

My wife and I watched some Ironman footage we have recorded. It got us really excited about the race. We are also looking forward to some vacation time. We are taking off a full week for the event. I may blog one more time before we leave, if not, I will try to blog the day before the event. I should be able to blog after the event Sunday night or on Monday.

I knocked out another cheat meal tonight. My wife made pizza. Her pizza is so much better than anything you can buy. It is also not nearly as bad for you. She uses lean ground beef and the crust is not that greasy stuff. It was awesome! I have 11 more days until I start my transformation. I can't wait!

Another Successful Tri!

Another successful Tri completed. I love crossing the finish line at a Triathlon. Everyone is cheering you on as if you are breaking a world record, even if you are last place. This may be the only sport that celebrates finishing above winning. Check out Tri Momma Jo and Sarah on my blogs everyone should read. They have great write ups on the true value of the training journey with friends. Race day is just a celebration of the journey with friends.

Speaking of Triathlons, Ironman 70.3 Kansas is less than two weeks away. There are close to a dozen of us going from the Little Rock area. My wife and I will be heading up the Thursday before to throw in a little vacation time before the event. There is quite a bit of nervousness within the group. This will be the first Half Ironman for my wife and our good friend Jo. They are both supreme athletes and really have nothing to worry about. They should be at the finish line sipping on cold ones way before I finish. This is my second attempt at a Half Ironman. I attempted the Lake Degray Half last August. It is a very brutal course, especially with the August heat and humidity in Arkansas. I had a great swim and decent bike, but the run destroyed me. I made it 6 miles into the run before catching a ride back to the finish. My legs had started cramping to the point they were locking up. Walking was becoming difficult. I stopped by the medical tent for a cocktail. That bag of fluid was just what the doctor ordered. I didn't really do any Tri specific training for that race. I thought I could just wing it. Boy was I wrong. I should do a lot better in Kansas. I am in much better shape and have actually been running this year. Running is really hard when you are a heavy weight. I have already bought my 70.3 sticker for my car. I really hope I finish this one. It means a lot to me.

Well, I had one of my 3 cheat meals last night. After the club bike ride, my wife and I decided to get some PF Chang's. I had the Spicy chicken and chicken fried rice. You know, a funny thing happened as I was eating. I was loving the taste of the food, but I found myself actually looking forward to starting the diet in two weeks. I think mentally, I have already started to make the change. I was thinking about that as I ran 9 miles on Monday night. I can't wait to see how it feels to run when I lose 30 lbs or more. It is possible I may be able to hover over the ground as I run. LOL.

Tri Time

The Weekend is upon us! I love Fridays! Friday is such a great day for so many reasons. The weekend is practically here and nobody really wants to do any work on Friday so it is an easy work day as well.

For us, the weekends are all about fitness time. Time for long swims, long bikes, long runs and EVENTS. Yes, there is a Tri this weekend. There is a first time super sprint Tri in NLR this Sunday. I am pumped! It is not often that you only have to drive 10 minutes to compete in a Triathlon.

This Tri will hold a special place in my heart. This should be the last Sprint Tri that I do above 200 lbs. My next Sprint Tri will be in August at Lake Degray. I told myself I was not going to compete the first two months of the weight management program. I don't want anything tempting me to get off track. If I travel, fast food comes in to play. If I have to train hard for an event, I will feel like I need to eat more to get ready.

I wish I could relay to you have much I love events. I race cycling Road Races, Criteriums, MTB races, and Triathlons. Last year I think I did close to 20 assorted races. For me, the exciting part is the preparation. I love getting ready for a race. In some cases, I would be happy if they cancelled the race at the starting line, as long I got the chance to prepare for the race. Ask my wife and friends about my race prep. The word "anal" may be mentioned a few times.

Funny story...Several of us did the Four States Tri in Texarakana, TX in May. Being the way I am, my wife and I were at the race site early, just as the transition area opened. We had everything taken care almost and hour and half before race time. We could now just hang out for a while and get in a good warm up. Some friends of ours, the Martin's, were at the Tri. Allison was doing her first Tri. She is a superior runner and a very good cyclist. They pulled up to the race site as we were walking by. Allison turned to her husband John, in a panic, when she saw us already warming up. She looked at her husband and voiced her panic about us being ready for the race. John calmly mentions to her not to worry about it, "Chris is anal that way".

Next week I will give a full Tri report. I will also start talking about the Half-Ironman in Kansas that is just a couple of weeks away. (My wife and Jo are probably getting more nervous as they read this post). Everyone have a good weekend!