It has been a long time since I posted to my blog, but at the urging of my biggest fans (and probably ONLY fans.........my daughters), I promise at least one post regarding my progress per week.
On Saturday, July 17th I completed my first triathlon. Here is the breakdown:
Swim: 500 Meters, 19:15.1 This was not a stellar time, but I have never swam in a pack like that before. It is an intimidating experience to say the least. This is where I have the most to learn.
T1: 3:22.5 This was the transition time from the end of the swim to the beginning of the bike. I like to call it the "time where I could have a handicap placard in my car and actually feel like I NEED it"! A lot of the athletes were able to run through this transition. I walked.......and burped. A LOT!
Bike: 26 Miles, 1:33:40.3 A normal sprint triathlon has a 13 mile bike route. This particular race had an International distance on the bike. This, incredibly, has become my strongest event of the three, and the one I look forward to the most.
T2: 2:51.0 Transition from the bike to the run. This is where I realized the muscles used for the last 26 miles on the bike are some of the same used for the run, and they need to coordinate with some other muscles that have been hanging out doing nothing. Coordinating the two takes the better part of a mile. The resulting run during that mile.....pretty comical. Or at least it feels that way.
Run: 3.1 miles, 35:05.6 Probably my slowest 5K time ever, but the most satisfying to complete because of what it was the end result of.
As I crossed the finish line I knew two things.
1. I was officially a triathlete.
2. I was officially addicted and ready for more.
The experience I had endured for the past 2 hours, 34 minutes, and 14.5 seconds was not easy. But I would encourage everyone to try it at least once. It's well worth it.
I got to watch the re-play of the 2009 Ford Ironman Championship from Kona, Hawaii this weekend. At one point there were two female age-groupers walking through a portion of their run. One looks into the camera and says, "It feels like you're dying, but this is LIVING".
More to come.......
Monday, August 9, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Life on YOUR terms!
I ran across this story today and felt compelled to share it. Until I read it I had no idea who Margaret Moth was. She seemed like quite a woman though.
Check out the two videos at the link below. What must it be like to do what you love, live life on your terms, and in the end be able to say I have had a good life, and I absolutely would not change a thing.
One can learn a lot from a person like this.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/21/margaret.moth.obit/index.html?hpt=Sbin
No matter what comes your way, never give up, or give in!
Check out the two videos at the link below. What must it be like to do what you love, live life on your terms, and in the end be able to say I have had a good life, and I absolutely would not change a thing.
One can learn a lot from a person like this.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/21/margaret.moth.obit/index.html?hpt=Sbin
No matter what comes your way, never give up, or give in!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
What's in a Mantra?
Now that my workouts are getting more structured, and more intense, I'm learning new things. The biggest thing I have learned is that sometimes, during those workouts, I have to go someplace else. Not physically, but mentally.
A couple days ago in my spin class it hit me. If I spend time thinking about what I am doing it is a lot of work, and my mind says I want to slow down and back off on my resistance. But then I had one of those "A-ha!" moments. If I get lost in the music, and focus on something other than what I am doing, I get a lot more out of the workout. Some people refer to it as going to their "happy place". Okay, this type of mental replacement is not new to me. Marine Corps boot camp held many a "happy place" moment. But that was (I still find it hard to believe) 26 years ago. Since then I have not put myself through anything that needed such a distraction.
During the class I hear a song I was unfamiliar with. I'm mostly a Rock kind of guy, so Pink is not on any of my playlists. But there was a certain refrain in this particular song that put it into perspective for me, and has become my new mantra for the bike.
Now a mantra, for anyone who is not familiar with the term, is a word or phrase that you use to help you get through certain situations. It can be as short as one I read where a guy was doing his first Ironman. On the palm of his hands his wife wrote, "I can" and "I will". When he was struggling he just looked at his hands and got the motivation he needed. Others I have seen used are:
A couple days ago in my spin class it hit me. If I spend time thinking about what I am doing it is a lot of work, and my mind says I want to slow down and back off on my resistance. But then I had one of those "A-ha!" moments. If I get lost in the music, and focus on something other than what I am doing, I get a lot more out of the workout. Some people refer to it as going to their "happy place". Okay, this type of mental replacement is not new to me. Marine Corps boot camp held many a "happy place" moment. But that was (I still find it hard to believe) 26 years ago. Since then I have not put myself through anything that needed such a distraction.
During the class I hear a song I was unfamiliar with. I'm mostly a Rock kind of guy, so Pink is not on any of my playlists. But there was a certain refrain in this particular song that put it into perspective for me, and has become my new mantra for the bike.
Now a mantra, for anyone who is not familiar with the term, is a word or phrase that you use to help you get through certain situations. It can be as short as one I read where a guy was doing his first Ironman. On the palm of his hands his wife wrote, "I can" and "I will". When he was struggling he just looked at his hands and got the motivation he needed. Others I have seen used are:
- I'm a runner!
- I can do it!
- I'm a hot potato. I AM A HOT STRAIGHT-OFF-THE -FARM POTATO! (No clue what it means, but it meant something to this gal.)
- Remember to breathe!
Cycling for me has always been recreational in nature. Ever since being a kid on Starlight Drive in Saginaw, Michigan I have been on bikes. The most competitive I ever got might have been racing the Dornseifer's around the block. Mostly we rode the fields, or pulled each other on skateboards. So training for triathlons is a much different experience than anything in my history. The effort to accel takes dedication, and the ability to lose yourself in something else.
This is where my cycling mantra comes in. For me it reminds me of the past, the effort it takes to train for something like this now at 45 years old, and the fact that I will not only overcome it, but I will destroy it!
"This used to be a funhouse, but now it's full of evil clowns. It's time to start the countdown, I'm gonna burn it down!"
I am not only READY to continue this challenge, but I am EXCITED about continuing this challenge!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Just another day!
I am currently flying from Illinois to Oklahoma City where I will be attending a conference for the next few days. I have immersed myself in my Triathlete Magazine with my "Caribbean Mix" playing on my iPhone. I would normally be reading, and listening to music while I fly, but this time out of necessity.
Trust me when I say it beats listening to the "Open-mouth-gum-chewing-tuberculosis-coughing-stale-smoke-smelling-hasn't-showered-this-month" guy in the seat next to me. Anyone that knows me knows two things. First, this is just my luck. Second, I am immediately irritated by this guy. Oh, I forgot to mention the "It's all fun and games until the cops show up" t-shirt. I'm guessing this is not uncharted territory for this guy.
As I sit there I am glad I have chosen better habits. Habits that, while sometimes uncomfortable, produce positive results physically and mentally. There are days when I am on a run, or swallowing pool water because of my inability to breathe on my left side, where I wonder why I'm putting myself through it. On days like today I know why.
There is a famous line from Andy Dufrene in the movie Shawshank Redemption (best movie EVER according to my wife) that puts it very succinctly. "Get busy living, or get busy dying". Some people choose one, some.....the other.
Trust me when I say it beats listening to the "Open-mouth-gum-chewing-tuberculosis-coughing-stale-smoke-smelling-hasn't-showered-this-month" guy in the seat next to me. Anyone that knows me knows two things. First, this is just my luck. Second, I am immediately irritated by this guy. Oh, I forgot to mention the "It's all fun and games until the cops show up" t-shirt. I'm guessing this is not uncharted territory for this guy.
As I sit there I am glad I have chosen better habits. Habits that, while sometimes uncomfortable, produce positive results physically and mentally. There are days when I am on a run, or swallowing pool water because of my inability to breathe on my left side, where I wonder why I'm putting myself through it. On days like today I know why.
There is a famous line from Andy Dufrene in the movie Shawshank Redemption (best movie EVER according to my wife) that puts it very succinctly. "Get busy living, or get busy dying". Some people choose one, some.....the other.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
So it begins...
Over the course of this past week I have spent time in the gym. Here is what I've learned.
I can still run, and for the most part, I still run pretty well. Okay, "well" defined for me is just under a 10:00 mile. Keep in mind that since the rink opened here in 2006 I have not laced up my running shoes for the purposes of actually running. I also learned that after a week getting back into running, as soon as you lace up your skates to work a game, you feel as if you are skating on 4x4 posts. Took me about 10 minutes into the first period yesterday to get my stride right. I sure hope it did not look as awkward to those watching as it felt to me.
Biking, which I have never done on more than a recreational level, is not a problem either. The trainers at the gym are a far cry from actually being on the road, but it's comfy, warm, and I can watch the Olympics as I go for my simulated ride. As soon as the snow stops here I will get out in the elements and do some real road work. Anybody else think at this point that the whole "global warming" thing is a crock? Haven't seen this much snow in the last 20 years.......COMBINED!
Swimming, well here's a challenge. I have always been a decent swimmer. When you spend the majority of your summers in lakes all over Michigan you learn a thing or two. Heck, in boot camp I was one of the top swimmers in my platoon, full pack, rifle and all. You would think laps in an indoor pool would be a piece of cake. Well, for the most part they are, as long as I breathe to my right. If I try to my left side it's called swallowing! It is one of the things I apparently need to work on. Ya think?
Since I had no games to referee today I went and got a quick run/bike workout in. On the machine next to me was this huge guy, (You know the kind, looks like more brawn than brain?), and I noticed three women down the way looking over at us. I can see that they are talking amongst themselves, and I figure it's about what they are looking at. Of course I figure they are looking at me, because really, why would they NOT? (Insert appropriate amount of sarcasm.) A few minutes later the trainer I have been working with all week stops by and asks if I know who that guy was. My response, "No, does he know who I am?" I laughed a little at myself because I thought it was funny. He says, "That was Randy Orton". He said it as if I should know the name, when in fact, it rang a bell but I had no reason why. I replied with, "Really, Randy Orton? Hmmmmm". Then I Googled him when I got home. To me, just another muscle-head, but apparently a big deal to other people. However, I am not that easily impressed by people like that.
The guy I have been training with on the other hand, well it turns out we have at one point in time shared some of the same stomping grounds. He is a Navy veteran who was stationed in San Diego, CA. When we got to talking about our days in the military I found out a little tidbit about him. He was shot in Bosnia in 2002 extracting a downed U.S. pilot. Normal course of duty for a Navy SEAL. It's people like him who impress me.
More to come.
I can still run, and for the most part, I still run pretty well. Okay, "well" defined for me is just under a 10:00 mile. Keep in mind that since the rink opened here in 2006 I have not laced up my running shoes for the purposes of actually running. I also learned that after a week getting back into running, as soon as you lace up your skates to work a game, you feel as if you are skating on 4x4 posts. Took me about 10 minutes into the first period yesterday to get my stride right. I sure hope it did not look as awkward to those watching as it felt to me.
Biking, which I have never done on more than a recreational level, is not a problem either. The trainers at the gym are a far cry from actually being on the road, but it's comfy, warm, and I can watch the Olympics as I go for my simulated ride. As soon as the snow stops here I will get out in the elements and do some real road work. Anybody else think at this point that the whole "global warming" thing is a crock? Haven't seen this much snow in the last 20 years.......COMBINED!
Swimming, well here's a challenge. I have always been a decent swimmer. When you spend the majority of your summers in lakes all over Michigan you learn a thing or two. Heck, in boot camp I was one of the top swimmers in my platoon, full pack, rifle and all. You would think laps in an indoor pool would be a piece of cake. Well, for the most part they are, as long as I breathe to my right. If I try to my left side it's called swallowing! It is one of the things I apparently need to work on. Ya think?
Since I had no games to referee today I went and got a quick run/bike workout in. On the machine next to me was this huge guy, (You know the kind, looks like more brawn than brain?), and I noticed three women down the way looking over at us. I can see that they are talking amongst themselves, and I figure it's about what they are looking at. Of course I figure they are looking at me, because really, why would they NOT? (Insert appropriate amount of sarcasm.) A few minutes later the trainer I have been working with all week stops by and asks if I know who that guy was. My response, "No, does he know who I am?" I laughed a little at myself because I thought it was funny. He says, "That was Randy Orton". He said it as if I should know the name, when in fact, it rang a bell but I had no reason why. I replied with, "Really, Randy Orton? Hmmmmm". Then I Googled him when I got home. To me, just another muscle-head, but apparently a big deal to other people. However, I am not that easily impressed by people like that.
The guy I have been training with on the other hand, well it turns out we have at one point in time shared some of the same stomping grounds. He is a Navy veteran who was stationed in San Diego, CA. When we got to talking about our days in the military I found out a little tidbit about him. He was shot in Bosnia in 2002 extracting a downed U.S. pilot. Normal course of duty for a Navy SEAL. It's people like him who impress me.
More to come.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Mid Life Crisis?
Exactly how do you define a "Mid-Life Crisis"? What form does one normally take? Sure I have heard of guys going out and buying fancy sports cars, or running away with their sexy little 20-something secretaries. Some have even done both! Now, me being very content with my current ride (even though it is a Toyota), and even more content with my current wife, neither of these is even a thought for me. But I am trying to define what this might look like so when I find it I will know, because I have a feeling...
Year after year I sit and watch countless hours of mindless TV interspersed with the great sport of hockey. Some shows are "must see", like the Amazing Race, or the Stanley Cup Finals. But there is one hour of TV each year that, should I miss it, aggravates me to no end. That show is the Ironman World Championships from Kona, Hawaii. Each year I watch as elite athletes boggle the mind with their athleticism. I watch as age-groupers, all with some kind of story to tell, cross the finish line to hear their names announced over the PA system, proceeded by "You are an Ironman!".
Each year as I lay on the couch and listen to their stories I get inspired. I watch as Jon "Blazeman" Blaise, suffering from ALS (Lou Gerig's Disease) reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line in 2005. I am also sitting on that same couch in 2007 watching when another anonymous age-grouper reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line. Then hearing the news that this was in memory of Jon Blaise, who passed away earlier in the year as a result of complications from ALS. Jon Blaise, you are an Ironman!
There is the ageless Madonna Bruder who began her quest of doing Ironman races in 1985. Each year I see her story play out on the glowing box. In 2007, with under a minute to go until the 17-hour cut-off, she crosses the finish line. Sister Madonna Bruder, you are an Ironman! That's right, Sister.......she's a Nun. Oh, and she was 76 years old at the time.
Then there is Team Hoyt. The Father/Son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt who have competed in six Ironman competitions. Rick always edging out his father Dick by a split second. Know why? Rick is the one in front riding in the custom made running chair. You see, when Rick was born he was deprived of oxygen for a period of time, causing him to be born a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Rick rides in a raft pulled by Dick during the swim. He rides on the front of Dick's bike over the road. Rick rides in his custom running chair for the course of the marathon. The epitome of a parent-child relationship with the parent always putting the child first. Rick and Dick Hoyt, you are Ironmen!
Each year I watch and think to myself, "Kevin, you can do that". Then I grab a sandwich and hope there's a hockey game on next.
Fast forward to present day 2010: About two weeks ago my wife was having an online conversation with a friend of our on the East Coast. Since I was not part of the conversation initially I can only speculate how it went. All I DO know is that it ended with a question being posed to me as such, (My wife standing in the kitchen making dinner, and me laying on the couch in the family room......you'll see the irony here in a second.), "Hey Kev, Laura wants to run an Ironman and wants someone to run it with her. Want to join her?" My retort was, "Ummmmm.....sure." Then there was the realization that there was no taking it back. It was out there, and I said YES.
After some time to let it sink in I realized something. I didn't want to take it back. It has become what I believe to be MY "Mid Life Crisis".....I just have a feeling.
Year after year I sit and watch countless hours of mindless TV interspersed with the great sport of hockey. Some shows are "must see", like the Amazing Race, or the Stanley Cup Finals. But there is one hour of TV each year that, should I miss it, aggravates me to no end. That show is the Ironman World Championships from Kona, Hawaii. Each year I watch as elite athletes boggle the mind with their athleticism. I watch as age-groupers, all with some kind of story to tell, cross the finish line to hear their names announced over the PA system, proceeded by "You are an Ironman!".
Each year as I lay on the couch and listen to their stories I get inspired. I watch as Jon "Blazeman" Blaise, suffering from ALS (Lou Gerig's Disease) reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line in 2005. I am also sitting on that same couch in 2007 watching when another anonymous age-grouper reaches the end, lays down, and rolls across the finish line. Then hearing the news that this was in memory of Jon Blaise, who passed away earlier in the year as a result of complications from ALS. Jon Blaise, you are an Ironman!
There is the ageless Madonna Bruder who began her quest of doing Ironman races in 1985. Each year I see her story play out on the glowing box. In 2007, with under a minute to go until the 17-hour cut-off, she crosses the finish line. Sister Madonna Bruder, you are an Ironman! That's right, Sister.......she's a Nun. Oh, and she was 76 years old at the time.
Then there is Team Hoyt. The Father/Son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt who have competed in six Ironman competitions. Rick always edging out his father Dick by a split second. Know why? Rick is the one in front riding in the custom made running chair. You see, when Rick was born he was deprived of oxygen for a period of time, causing him to be born a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Rick rides in a raft pulled by Dick during the swim. He rides on the front of Dick's bike over the road. Rick rides in his custom running chair for the course of the marathon. The epitome of a parent-child relationship with the parent always putting the child first. Rick and Dick Hoyt, you are Ironmen!
Each year I watch and think to myself, "Kevin, you can do that". Then I grab a sandwich and hope there's a hockey game on next.
Fast forward to present day 2010: About two weeks ago my wife was having an online conversation with a friend of our on the East Coast. Since I was not part of the conversation initially I can only speculate how it went. All I DO know is that it ended with a question being posed to me as such, (My wife standing in the kitchen making dinner, and me laying on the couch in the family room......you'll see the irony here in a second.), "Hey Kev, Laura wants to run an Ironman and wants someone to run it with her. Want to join her?" My retort was, "Ummmmm.....sure." Then there was the realization that there was no taking it back. It was out there, and I said YES.
After some time to let it sink in I realized something. I didn't want to take it back. It has become what I believe to be MY "Mid Life Crisis".....I just have a feeling.
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