Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 88 Days to go

Yow! What a day. At 4:30 am headed out for a bike ride to the gym, did an hour of P90X Core Synergistics, back on the bike for a 30 minute cycle home. Headed out to work. Did a 6.54 mile run this afternoon, which was awesome because it's exactly 1/2 of the run I'll do in Augusta. I've run this far before but it was a long time ago.

My time on the run was REALLY slow. I've got to admit something embarrassing. I run so slowly that people think I'm walking. I'M NOT! I'm running... just not very well or fast. Twice in the past week people have said, "I saw you out power walking today" or something like that.

Oh well. It's fast for me and where I am and building from. Soon I'll be at SUPER power walk speed :-)

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 89 Days to go

Today started off with P90X Yoga today which was LONG at 1.5 hrs. The first hour is a lot of sweat, especially since the room we do it in is not air conditioned during the first hour. It was 83 degrees for our workout. Maybe not "hot yoga" but certainly "warm yoga" nonetheless. Sweat was dripping but I really realized that I'm far more flexible than I used to be. When I weighed 100 lbs more I couldn't even touch the floor. Now I'm so much lighter, I can not only bend over to touch the floor but twist and turn in ways previously unimaginable.

Work was tough today and I decided to head to the gym and work it all off. I was planning a 1200M swim but decided to go ahead and slay the 2000M monster. That's the distance that I'll be swimming for the 1/2 Ironman in Augusta. I came in with a time of 54:01, which I was really proud of. The second half was the same time as the first half, which meant I was pacing mighty well.

Tomorrow, in P90X it's a core workout I haven't done yet... I'm preparing for some pain but I know it's all good!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 90 Days to go

The day started great with a Kempo X workout with the boys. It was great to have them exercising with me and we had a good workout. After breakfast we headed out to church. Randy gave a great sermon on paying the price for the challenge God calls us to. It really spoke to me a lot about Sabai Fitness and bringing this message of encouragement to others.

We picked up some sandwiches at Subway and headed out to Cleveland Park, a downtown city park. We had a great lunch and then did some Geocacheing. We ended up walking several miles and found two caches. On the third we found the "decoy" and decided to come back in the fall when the foliage was down a bit.

What a blessing to be able to do outdoor activities withe the family and have them enjoy being out exercising.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 91 Days to go

Today I started with sleeping late, waking up at 7:10. It was wonderful! Made breakfast for the family (Cheese toast with sauteed spinach and poached egg) and then headed out on my bike. I traveled 25 km through several neighboring towns and passed several other cyclist along the way. I turned around and arrived back home in 2 hours 13 minutes with 50 kms under my belt. That's about a 4 hr pace for the bike leg of the Triathlon. I'm still playing with what my goal time is for the event. I'm thinking 1 hr for the swim, 4 for the bike, and 2:30 for the run is the maximum. That's a 7 and a half hour event. Ideally, I think I could get it down to 6 or 6 1/2. No reason to decide now but I'll be playing with the numbers.

It's amazing to me that there are only 91 days left. It seems like yesterday that I signed up with 104 until the event! Time's passing quickly.

Tonight I did 1000M but almost stopped after 550M. The neighborhood pool was so warm, it seemed the longer I swam the hotter I got. I took a breather for a few, watching the kids diving, then went back to the swimming because I knew I'd be frustrated if I did less than 1000M. My time was 28:30 but I was really trying not to push myself for speed but just put in the distance.

Overall great workout day.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 92 Days to go

It was a marathon of a day. Up at 4:30 AM then P90X legs and back from 5 til 6 am, then work from 6:30 AM until 4:15 PM, then 1200M swim. I was really tempted to swim the full 2000M that I'll do at the 1/2 Ironman. My swimming is feeling strong. I did the 1200M in 33:05, which is a 1000M pace of 27:36. Not a new record but in line with my fastest times. I'm leaving it at two workouts today and going for some distance this weekend in my workouts. I'm thinking one long and one short each day.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 93 Days to go

Started off the morning with 90 minutes of P90X yoga. Sweat was dripping everywhere and I got some great stretching in. That's the only workout I got today. It's mine and Cindy's 21st anniversary. It's important to keep things in perspective and spend the time I need to with her and the family. I got some presents... a bottle of wine from France, some flowers, some blue topaz earrings, and a dinner of rotisserie chicken and jasmine rice with Sweet Chili Sauce like we used to have from the market in Thailand. Each of the gifts had a connection with places we've lived or visited in the past and brought back memories.

I am blessed.

Tomorrow is legs and back P90X, then swimming after work, then either a bike ride or run in the evening.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 94 Days to go

Today's training went great. I went to the gym at 5am and did P90X Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps. Immediately following I did 1100M in the pool. At first I thought the swimming right after the P90X session was going to be painful, but within 8 laps, the muscle soreness was working itself out and I was feeling strong. I set another personal best at the swim of 26:51 for 1000M and finished the entire 1100M under 30 minutes at 29:33. I'm really pleased with my swimming progress and I feel like I can swim everyday without any downside. Something I've wanted to mention on here is the "dance" that is swimming. More than the other areas of the triathlon, swimming requires such synchronization of arms, hand position, head turns, kicks, breaths, and rhythm. I've never felt coordinated in dancing but I am beginning to feel the rhythm of the swim. It feels great! This evening after dinner I went for a quick 45 minute bike ride. I met a couple of cute kids in a nearby neighborhood who loved my bike and asked me if I raced with Lance Armstrong. I loved it! We raced around the block and I won but one of the kids was pushing hard. After that I headed out across country roads and had a good rest of my ride. Great training day!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 95 Days to go

I'm wiped! Tired! Pooped! Between waking up early (4:10 am), doing two workouts before work (Cycling and P90X), a day of work, then kids and dinner.... I'm taking a break this evening and move my swim until the morning.

I'm going to re-evaluate my workout routine. I'm wondering if alternative days of 2 workouts and 3 workouts might give more recovery time. I've been eating well and weight is dropping off quickly. I've just got to adjust the workout design a bit to give my body time for recovery.

So tonight will be some time working on my workout plan, watching an Australian Biggest Loser episode with the family, and crashing by 9. Sounds like a winner!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 96 Days to go

One of the challenges of moving from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one is moving your children that direction as well. We're blessed to have a neighborhood pool and signed up the boys for swim team this summer. I just came back from the swim meet and it's great to see them associating the exercise with fun and friends. I'm praying that as the years go on and they see their parents value exercise and fitness, they will as well.

Workouts were quite good today. Did P90X Chest and Back today, followed immediately with an 1100M swim. I thought I'd be slow from the workout, but posted my best time so far, 27:14 for the 1000M. That's a huge improvement from 35 minutes at the beginning of last week. When I got home from work, I went for a run. It was the heat of the day and pretty tough. I did 3.3 miles and the pace was slower than I want to post here. I'm loving my new heart rate monitor and thinking I've got some work to do. My first 1.1 mile lap was HR average 138, then 150 for the next 1.1 mile, then 153 for the last 1.1. Not ideal but a start.

96 more days to go. I've got time to work on the run. It's the part I'm most concerned about.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 97 Days to go

Started off the day in Greenville. We spent the night at the Embassy Suites after the run. It was great but I was disappointed in the buffet, which may sounds snobby, but I'm getting used to having so much fresh stuff... it just didn't look that great.

We came home and had a great lunch with the kids. I got a Timex Ironman Heart Rate Monitor watch, which I'm really psyched about. It looks great and I used it this afternoon with my P90X workout. Did Kempo this afternoon then went swimming with the boys. They played while I did 1000 M untimed. Just worked on form and was proud of myself. It was MUCH cleaner... I am noticing some things about my stroke and when it seems most powerful. I'm try some things out tomorrow AM for a swim at the club. I'll move to 1100M starting tomorrow. Heading toward the eventually 2000M swim that is expected at the Ironman 70.3.

Tonight Cindy and I were putting away laundry and I was amazed by the shear volume of clothes I'm going through now in a week. For example, tomorrow I'll have my morning workout clothes for P90X, then swimming gear, then work clothes, then afternoon workout clothes. After my afternoon workout, I'll shower and change back into my work clothes w/fresh underwear. It adds up to a lot of laundry in a week and Cindy has been incredibly gracious with the increased load.

I'm excited to see what the new week brings in terms of the workouts. I feel stronger and I've gotten some rest this weekend.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 98 Days to go

Today and tomorrow I'm cutting back to 2 training sessions for a bit of a rest before Monday kicks back in the 3 sessions per day. Today I did some swimming and got a time of 28:57 on the swim. An improvement but an ugly one. I pushed to make it happen and in the meanwhile my stroke coordination and strength declined. I need to be happy for awhile with slower and better technique than faster and sloppy. If I keep improving my technique, speed will come in time.

Tonight, Cindy and I are running the Candlelight 5K run here in Greenville. They've got 2100 illuminaries along the roadside and the race starts at 9 pm. That's going to be my run session for the day. After the race, Cindy and I are relaxing at the Embassy Suites and enjoying some quiet time together.

I'm down 7 lbs this week, which is sweet! It will be interesting to see how my weight loss continues during this time of training for the Ironman Augusta. Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Keep exercising :-)

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 99 Days to go

Great workout day but boy, I'm tired.

The morning started with P90X legs and back. That means LOTS of pullups over the hour. I followed that with a 1000M swim with a new record of 29:40! When I can do that over 2000M, I'll do the swim portion of the 1/2 Ironman in under an hour. That's sweet!

After work I jumped on the bike for a 20km ride. The 1/2 Ironman is a 90 km ride and I'm planning to add 10 km a week until I'm doing 100 km, then taper off before the event.

I've dropped some weight this week too, which is a nice plus. I'm focusing on getting down to a lighter weight before the competition. Ideally, I'd like to be around 225 lbs or so. We'll see when race day comes :-)

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 100 Days to go

Wow! Only 100 days to go until Ironman 70.3 - Augusta. Sometimes I look at how far I have to go before the race and it seems overwhelming. Othertimes I look at the first 100 days of my weight loss and realize that 100 days is an amount of time that allows a lot of change.

October 1st, 2007 I had dropped 9 lbs from 359 to 350. It had been through dieting over the prior month and I was really discouraged. It seemed like so much work and self denial for a small dent in the overall solution. That's when, in anguished prayer, I got the sense that I should focus on gaining health rather than losing weight. It's then that I started moving. That first day, I ran and walked about 1/4 of a mile.

January 1st, 2008 Less than 100 days later, I celebrated the new year with a 100 km bike ride in 4 hrs flat! That's 62 miles on a mountain bike at a quite respectable pace. Another 100 days or so later I ran in the Chiang Rai Triathlon, an event I created with some friends so we could have our own triathlon in our Northern nook of Thailand. Eleven of us competed and I came in 6th.

100 days is an incredible amount of time in which miracles can happen. I'm excited to see what changes happen within my body, mind, and spirit over the coming weeks.

This morning I did 50 minutes of the P90X Yoga workout, then 1000M in the pool in 33 minutes. This afternoon I did a 15 km bike ride. Short but well timed as I returned home 30 seconds before the afternoon thunderstorms that the south is well known for.

I want to encourage anyone reading this post to consider your big challenge in life. What focused effort can you give it over the next 100 days. Miracles happen when you work toward them!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 101 Days to go

This morning I cycled to the health club (30 minutes), did P90X for 1 hr (Shoulders and Upper Body), then cycled back home (another 30 minutes). This evening I planned to swim but the pump went out at the pool and there was no swimming going on at the neighborhood pool.

I took the opportunity to get some rest and am getting to bed early. Tomorrow I'll drive to the club, do P90X for an hour (Yoga), and swim 1000M. Then either cycling or running for an hour in the afternoon. Tomorrow night the boys have a swim meet, so I need to be wrapped up and ready to cheer them on.

My goal is 3 hrs a day of workout which is quite a stretch with work, writing, reading, and maintaining a health family life. I'm wondering how in the world people train for the full Ironman and hold down a job?

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 102 Days to go

Cindy took my before picture tonight. We're both looking forward to the more improved version of my body that I'll see in 100 days. I'm proud of how far I've come and excited about where I'm going. It will be fun to take the after pictures in 100 days, right before the Ironman 70.3 event.


Today's training went well. Did 1 hour of P90X Plyometrics this morning then ran 3 miles this afternoon. I had planned to go for 5 miles but my left knee was starting to act up and I want to make sure to care for myself... keeping injuries at bay. Training's going to go a lot better with a healthy body. I've got a training schedule laid out that I'll post here within the next few days. I already need to make some adjustments though.

I've never done this before, a 70.3 that is... Learning as I go and looking forward to the journey. Cindy and I watched a video about last year's 70.3 Championships. It's going to be an amazing thing to run this race with 1000's of other athletes. The stories are all incredible and I'm motivated by the challenges that others have faced and conquered.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 103 Days to go

Today was my official start of training for the Ironman 70.3. This morning I did 1 hr of P90X for arms and upper body. This evening 1k in the pool... 35 minutes and was really pleased. Felt strong and encouraged about the swimming. Tomorrow I planed to add a bike ride to and from the gym to give 16 miles in the morning. The only problem is that I haven't bought the safety gear I need. Maybe I should get that tomorrow.... That's my new goal.

Tomorrow - P90X in the morning and a 5 mile run in the evening.

Race time 54:30 and hit some new records

I was thrilled with my finish in the Simpsonville Sunrise race. I did the 8k (5 miles) in 54:30 minutes, translating to a 10:50 mile time average. When I was approaching mile 1, they were calling out times and she yelled 10:09 as I was passing! Breaking a 10 minute mile is now very big goal of mine!

Running is such a mental game... First you're trying to pace yourself in the excitement of the first mile... then you work to get into a rhythm... then you wonder if your rhythm is too fast and you're going to have trouble maintaining... then others start walking while you keep running...

I ran the entire time and had a great pace. Mile 3 to 4 was the longest for me. I'm excited about the new race season!

Geocache

Through the past few years, Cindy and I have heard of geocaching. It's a huge, worldwide, phenomenon where someone hides a cache of curious items at a specific latitude and longitude. Others, armed with a GPS, try to find the cache and when they do, add or trade an item into the cache. It sounded like the kind of thing that our boys would love...

Yesterday, we thought we'd all go for a walk and I suggested geocaching. After a quick download on my iphone, we were off toward the nearest park where our first cache awaited. We all felt like adventurers as we followed the compass dial showing on my iphone screen. .15 miles, .12 miles, 534 feet, 321 feet, 167 feet, 7 feet (plus or minus 30 feet). We'd made it to our first location! The next 20 minutes was looking everywhere and wondering if it was all a bad joke. The cache information said that someone else had found it a week prior, so it must be here somewhere. Eventually, I spotted a paperclip out of place. I pulled on it and a string was attached. At the end of the string was a waterproof canister and we'd found our first cache. We wrote our names on the list inside.

Off to our next cache! Here was another one in the park and we were going to find it. .26 miles, .11 miles, 267 feet, 87 feet, 12 feet (plus or minus 37 feet). We'd follow the iphone around the park and partially into the woods. Someone within a 50 foot radius, we'd find our cache. There were several hollowed logs but nothing to be found. Cindy called out "I found it!" It was a green military ammo cannister hidden under the roots of a tree. We pulled it out and opened it up. There was another list but also a dress, some stickers, a children's toy and a pen. We left a plastic trinket, signed our names, hid the cannister again and headed out.

The next closest cache was .54 miles away... We headed out. We came within 100 feet of it but were on a road that didn't cut through... The hour was starting to get late, so we decided to head home and discover that one another day. All the way home we were discussing all the great places where we could start a geocache near our home. It would be fun to see people out searching high and low with their gps's and iphones.

The moral of this story is that there are a lot of great ways to get your exercise! When we got home, I measured our hike on Google Earth. It showed that we had walked over three miles.

Think of ways to have fun with your exercise. I highly recommend geocaching and know that from Simpsonville to Chiang Rai, to LA to Paris there are treasures hidden if you care to search for them.