Category: Miscellaneous

  • The Hack!

    Well, this unpopular blog of ramblings was hacked this past month. I am bad about keeping check upon my own things, but some awesome kiddie scripter with no parental supervision decided to blow up the site and wipe out a few posts. That was corrected and I rolled back to a safe version. Just really annoying these twerps have nothing better to do than try and tear up people’s personal sites for fun.

    You are not L33t hacking this site, I promise you that.

  • Dang It!!!

    I screwed up and lost quite a bit of the blog for this year, kind of sad and hoping I can find a backup. I am not as diligent at keeping up with my backups as well as I do customers unfortunately. I guess I will post a year end recap tomorrow instead of all of the race reports that were there.

  • Where did the time go?

    Just yesterday it feels like I signed up for IronMan Galveston and that was 16 weeks ago. I’m officially tapering and gathering supplies for the race this Sunday all of the sudden. It always works out that way, you believe you have all the time in the world and you don’t.

    I am as ready as I can get at this point. I’ve put in more hours and miles than I did in 2013 so I am hoping that translates into a better time and better feeling finish. It is forecasted to rain this weekend so that will be a wildcard in the race. In one hand it will be cooler, but on the other we have to be more careful on the bike. There is still no official word on the swim with the oil spill that happened in the shipping lanes. The IM directors are optimistic we are swimming so we will find out this weekend.

    As preparation for the swim I squeezed into my Zoot wetsuit for the first time since IMAZ. It was a little more snug than I remembered, but that was appreciated once we hit that cold water. The temperature in Lake Lewisville is currently about 58 degrees and it felt colder. Once everything numbed up swimming went well. I’m glad I got at least one open water in before Galveston.

    I missed the update for Rock n Roll marathon last week. I’ve been so busy in the last week of training that I have not sat enough to think. My old friend the IT Band came back with a vengeance at RnR. I’ve slacked on stretching and rolling lately so it’s my fault. Thank goodness for drills and work from KMF to help those muscle issues. I am hoping I do not repeat the knee pain in Galveston this weekend.

    This will be an awesome week!! I get it represent Zoot Sports as an official team member. It will be a blast meeting everyone finally.

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  • Wait and see…..

    I’ve had a pain in my left wrist for a couple of weeks now. I thought I had just hit it on something and it was bruised, but Friday I woke and could not move it without horrific pain shooting through my arm. After some X-rays with Dr. Jay I have a appointment Tuesday with an orthopedic surgeon to make sure my scaphoid bone is not cracked. Hopefully it’s just a pinch and inflammation of the scaphoid.

    In the mean time I have maintained my run streak in January for a total of 41.4 miles so far. That’s a record for me on a month of running! Traditionally I clock a ton of bike miles and just the minimum run miles. 2014 is going to change that so I can consider myself more of a runner. I have suffered on the bike this week due to the wrist pain, I can ride on the trainer in aero, but cannot support myself without pain.

    Tuesday will answer all the questions. Until then heat/ice/brace and try not to use my left hand more than I have to.

  • IMTX Volunteer

    All setup for IMTX!!!! Lots of positions left if you aren’t racing. Finish between 5:30-9:30 and I’ll hand you the medal you earned!!!!!

    Bike Check In
    Friday, May 16, 2014 (11:45 AM – 03:15 PM)
    Run Course Aid Station #4
    Saturday, May 17, 2014 (10:00 AM – 02:30 PM)
    Finish Line-Awards
    Saturday, May 17, 2014 (05:30 PM – 09:30 PM)

  • New Adventures

    I’ve talked about focusing on nutrition for a couple of years, but today I took the plunge and signed up for a nutrition school. A teammate recommended this one as a very reputable one and I start February 10th!

    I’m excited about a second chapter in my work life. I really hope to be able to supplement and eventually get out of the tech industry.

  • Goodbye 2013!!

    Time to post up the yearly stats since everyone else is. 2014 will dwarf this year, there were a lot of obstacles starting up and staying on track. Life was kind enough to throw as many things in as it could also, but we are excited about 2014 and these numbers will be WAY higher next time!

    Swim: 41h 41m 27s – 50.89 Mi
    Bike: 213h 57m 37s – 3290.14 Mi
    Run: 86h 28m 22s – 334.6 Mi

    The stats are ok, but I am more proud of all of the events. I raced 2 IRONMAN 70.3 races and Ironman Arizona 140.6. A year ago I had not even begun training for triathlon and had only completed (barely) Denton Monster Triathlon at Halloween time. In addition I have a 1st, 2x2nd & 2x3rd place trophies on my shelf from local sprints and olympics. To come this far in such a short amount of time is amazing, amazingly stupid as some of my critics have stated. I was VERY naive to believe I could do what I have done this year, but typically I am a person to jump in once I make up my mind on something. I have zero regrets except for not dumping some dead weight earlier than I did. Once that was gone it got easier to focus on my family, my training and my business.

    2013 came with a lot of negatives in it and a lot of obstacles, training and racing actually helped us pull through those as a family and as an athlete. We look forward to 2014 that it may be easier on us mentally & emotionally. As a family we have LOTS of events lined up already. My 9 year old is looking to improve his swim early in the year and go to St. Patty’s Day Tri as a competitor. My lovely wife is looking to get her 1/2 marathon medal she was denied of this month and has a full 1st  quarter of runs setup plus MS150 for a bike rally. I have almost too many races lined up to keep up with them already, thank goodness for iPhones! I have 3xIroman 70.3 races, 10+ sprints/duathlons/olympics and my first full marathon. It is going to be a VERY busy year!!!

    Last year I utilized my team and coaches at KMF Performance for most of the year, but it was off and on and not the most effective thing I could have done. That was purely my mistake not to take advantage of the resources that are readily available to me. For 2014 I have engaged and committed for Ben and KMF to be my full time coaches and training resources. Ben is going to take me from a finisher to a competitor over the next couple of years, my ultimate goal is still Kona before I am out of that 40-44 class. I will have a write up on KMF for you soon, I highly recommend them for anyone looking to get into the sport.

    My most exciting news was getting chosen to represent Team Zoot for Texas in 2014. I am excitedly waiting my kits and first races as a Team Zoot representative. It fully solidified my efforts this year to be selected and to get to be part of something this large.

    I want to thank my wife and sons for putting up with me this year. It has been a rough one, but you have been there for me and supportive me when others did not.

    I want to thank my sisters for being there and coming to me when I needed them most. I love you two ladies!

    I want to thank Ben Drezek and James Krahula for taking me from Zero to Ironman this year.

    I want to thank all of my KMF teammates for being supportive, letting me chase you on runs, you chasing me on bikes, us all almost drowning drinking Lake Lewisville.

    Gary Haack and The Bicycle Path for all of the rides, friends and gear. Anytime I need to add to my bike addiction you are there to help! You are a great friend and I am glad to have you there.

    I want to thank my non-triathlete friends for laughing at my insanity doing this, but still sticking around and having beers with me.

    I want to thank Ken Wilcox for not dying in Galveston and just needing IVs after the race!

    Ok time to be done with being mushy! Love you guys and I can’t wait for racing in 2014!!!!

     

  • Why?

    Why, isn’t that the question that a triathlete gets the most? I hear it at least once per week it seems, and when I say I’m not only a triathlete but an Ironman the whys get much louder. When the people you are talking to get the details out of you about the disciplines, distances and training regimen their jaws are usually on the ground. It is one of my favorite moments in the sport. The next favorite question is when they ask how and proclaim they could never do it because they are too busy, too fat, not a swimmer/cyclist/runner (pick one, everyone fears at least one of the disciplines).

    In 2007 I was the cant guy pushing 275 pounds and eating/wasting my way to an early demise. I knew I had to do something so I bought myself and my wife a set of bikes. I started with a mountain bike because it was the last type of cycling I had done at age 18. I always loved road biking though and purchased my second bike shortly after (I have a bike addiction and can’t have enough). Once we had our bikes we started joining some group rides and dropping some weight. It was fun and I truly enjoyed riding both road and mountain bikes 2-3 times a week.

    There was something missing though because I wanted to more and I wanted the thrill of racing again. I had a long running bet between a buddy I made in 2003 about doing an Ironman. I shot my mouth off at a drunken card table and in 2012 my buddy did his first 70.3. Suddenly I realized the guy that was never athletic had gotten off his rump and was on his way to kick my butt because I hadn’t followed through with the dream that was originally mine. How could I have done that? I had talked with my fellow riders about doing a tri for years, but never pulled the trigger. I was terrified of it and had no idea where to even start.

    Well, one afternoon last October I signed up for the 2012 Denton Monster Tri the following Sunday. Let’s get something clear, I had not been in a lap pool since I was 17 and could not run a mile. I could ride like crazy, but at 250 and ill prepared it was nuts. That fits. Y personality though. So Sunday showed up and it took me 1:54:13 to do a sprint. I stayed in the back of the swim line and thought I was going to drown in 2590 yards, I couldn’t believe how one of my favorite things in life had become so difficult. I survived the swim, rode a tired bike and struggled to run half of the 5k but I did cross the finish line. All of my TBP and KMF buddies were laughing and supportive of me as I crossed that line. The pain was all over my face and I had never felt so proud of a physical accomplishment in my adult life. I had earned a medal. It was truly the start of something, I think all of my teammates thought it would be my only tri. Oh boy were they wrong!

    He Monster Tri was 10/21/12 and I was so hooked and so naive on the reality of Ironman that I signed up for Ironman Arizona on 11/16/12. Yea I couldn’t swim 250 yards, but I signed up for one of the ultimate races in the world and was lucky enough to get through the online registration. So now my friends not only thought I was crazy they thought I truly had lost my mind. I was told by quite a few people that there was NO WAY I would get ready of IMAZ I that short of a time. Well, I did so you can learn not to tell me that I can’t do anything is useless. It would have been smarter to tell me I SHOULD NOT instead. I probably still wouldn’t have listened.

    So here I was with less than 12 months to get ready for 140.6 miles of IMAZ and not the slightest clue on how to get there. So I did the next dumb thing I could, I started signing up for every tri I could afford. Seemed logical to me! Luckily James and Ben decided I was going to hurt myself without some guidance and they jumped in to help me achieve my goals. We started with Rock n Roll half marathon and Ironman Texas 70.3 to get through the first quarter of the year. Those two events were the proper kicks in the butt I needed to realize I had a LOT more work to do just to finish IMAZ.

    I will do some write ups on all of my 2012 events as I don’t want to short change the stories they tell about my journey. So we go back to why. My answer was always why not honestly. My doctor cleared me for my stupidity so I didn’t have a legitimate excuse not to do it. So for those without time, I’m married with a 9 year old and a 15 month old. Those that have to much work to do, we are a single income family and I’m a small business owner. For those that are too out of shape, I was 250 and 26% body fat at my first tri. I am currently 219 and 17% body fat. I eat ice cream and chocolate, and indulge in Whataburger. Are you running out of cant’s and starting to ask yourself why not yet?

    Triathlon has saved me in more than one way. IMAZ was as much of a spiritual journey as it was a physical one. I am alreadying looking forward to my 2014 races, but 2013 IMAZ will be the race I dedicate my survival too. I couldn’t have dropped the weight and freed myself of stress and low self esteem like I have in 2013. I’m far from perfect and very far from done, but I am on the next part of my journey. That why comes back up all the time and when I look around in my family they all have their answers too. My 9 year old is begging to do triathlons, 5ks and swim lessons. My beautiful wife is marathon training and she ran like me when she started. My little sisters are running events every month, one of them ran their first 5k this past weekend after seeing me on my ironman journey. The other one is contemplating jumping off into my insanity now.

    Why has changed everyone around me. Why has extended my life and made me happier. Why has made me a better father and role model to my sons. Why has made me a hero to my wife. You now know my why, so what’s yours?

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  • Recovery Day 6

    Recovery is both a blessing and a curse. I’m an eater so boredom means eating typically. I agreed after IMAZ I wouldn’t deprive myself of those cravings until the 1st of December.

    So far Netflix and Amazon have kept me pretty busy, there are a lot of bad movies we’ve missed over the past few years. The food cravings have been crazy, especially for sweets. Trying to not go overboard, but I am 2 weeks from getting back on the bike and swim daily. The goal is to be fully recovered before I start again, I have failed miserably at that the past few times and it has slowed me down.

    Enough babbling, it’s time to watch Doom with the family. I told you we were catching up on all the bad stuff that we’ve missed.

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