Better late than never

For those of you faithful readers that have wondered how the Beach2Battleship half-ironman went I apologize for the delay in my post.  The race was a huge success!  I finished in 5 hours 42 minutes; that's 18-minutes faster than the goal I had set for myself.  I am very proud of this accomplishment because the weeks leading up to the race did not go so smoothly, and I actually questioned whether I would be able to finish.

As you know, I competed in an adventure race 3 weeks prior to the half-ironman.  While this race is special to me and had an awesome time, probably not the best decision.  Following the adventure race I jumped right back into heavy training without a rest period.  My body was definitely not ready for that.  I had a false sense of hope after my long run that week; I ran the best 11-miles of my life to that point at near 7:30 min/mile pace.  From there it was all down hill.  During my next run that week I had a sudden onset of sharp hip pain (in addition to some insertional achilles tendonitis that had been going on for about 2 weeks). 

At this point I think it is worth stating how extremely frustrating this is.  Despite the fact I am a physical therapist and work with injured endurance athletes every day, I had personally never been hurt running since I began running in college.  Fortunately, I have some awesome co-workers who helped mend my broken body so that I could limp through my race.  I was able to keep riding and swimming with minimal-to-no hip or heel pain, which was probably my saving grace of the training period.  I wasn't able to run for over two weeks prior to the race.  I knew that healing out-weighed limping through a work out.  There was little fitness to be gained, but lots of confidence lost.  I am fortunate to have a co-worker who is certified in dry needling and after one session of this for my hip (one of the most uncomfortable things I've endured) my pain subsided and I could walk without pain and my strength returned!

The build up to the race was a little anti-climactic.  I originally thought I would have quite the cheering section, but due to many circumstances that dwindled to one; my mom.  Thank God for her though.  There are lots of logistical concerns with getting to and from a race of this magnitude with multiple transition zones in an unfamiliar town, not to mention the motivational boost of a familiar face cheering for you when needed most. 

I was fortunate to have some awesome folks with numbers near mine to help ease some of the pre-race jitters.  Lots of strategic talk and laughter to preoccupy the mind.  We had all heard that the current would give us an awesome push, but had no idea how strong it really would be.  While standing on the dock waiting for the start of the half-ironman race, the full distance folks came swimming by at quite the impressive pace.  Our minds were put at ease when one gentleman stopped swimming to adjust his goggles and still managed to move at the same rate as those swimming (which may make my 18-min goal broken not sound so impressive).  I finished the swim in about 27 minutes dock-to-dock.  The swim was chaotic.  I can't count how many times I was kicked, punched, and held under water.  I don't mind the getting kicked part, but getting dunked by a competitor was pretty low.  My wetsuit also rubbed my neck raw leaving me with quite the abrasion after the race. 

When I got out of the water this was going to be the first test for my heel and hip.  Much to my amazement I had zero pain!  A confidence boost at exactly the right time.  We had a near 500-yard transition so it was a true test.  When I got on the bike I felt great.  My goal was to average 17-mph for the 56-mile ride.  I was feeling so good I was hovering between 18-20 for the first 6-miles.  This was short-lived, however, because that is when the wind and the rain began.  Not fun!  The wind quickly humbled my pace to 14-16 mph, despite pedaling as hard as I felt I could maintain.  When the wind would momentarily die down, I would shoot up to 18-19 mph.  So I was working at a work load higher than I trained for, but moving a pace slower than I planned.  Not a good combination.  Due to having to pedal so hard my hamstrings were killing me by mile 30.  I had never been so uncomfortable on the bike.  I was planning to crush the bike because it was the leg that I had trained the hardest for.  It was the most mentally exhausting bike ride I had ever done (and that includes the 112-mile training ride I did with my friends training for a full-distance).  The entire time I wanted to quit and rest.  I was able to suck it up and keep going.  The sun started poking through and the winds shifted!  The last 15-20 miles we had a tail wind!  I was able to bring it in over 20-mph to make up for some lost time.  I finished around 3 hours 17 minutes riding time.  Right at my 17 mph goal. 

I had been nervous for the run leg for the past three weeks and now was the moment of truth.  And who would have thought, I felt great.  I didn't have the "brick" feeling or pain I was expecting.  I was able to run out at under 8 min/mile pace for the first couple of miles and from there only got faster.  I was catching and passing lots of competitors.  During the race I felt amazing and watching the clock I was actually on pace to set a 1/2 marathon personal best.  Talk about being on cloud nine.  I felt I could do no wrong so I pushed the pace faster.  Then, around mile 9, that same head wind from the bike returned as I was heading toward the bridge back to the finish.  I felt like I was running in place.  Please not now is all I could tell myself.  I really wanted to stop and walk because fatigue and mental exhaustion was setting in.  Once I got half way over the bridge with about 2-miles to go I said to myself, "The faster I run, the sooner it will be over with."  I was able to dig deep and keep going.  Longest 2-miles ever.  I didn't set a PR, but it was only 2-minutes behind my PR and it was the second fastest 1/2 marathon I'd ever run. 

When I crossed the finish line it was exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.  As soon as I crossed my body knew it could relax and that is when the pain set in.  Praise God that it didn't happen during the race.  I was unable to take a step without my heel or hip hurting.  Post-race I gingerly moved around trying not to faint, trying not to freeze.  I didn't realize how cold it was during the race.  I went to the warming tent, got a complimentary massage (I guess it helped, still super sore for the next few days), and consumed as much finish line food as I could.

I am still dealing with a lingering heel injury, but continuing to see my physical therapist to work out the kinks. I have had my calves dry needled so I can at least walk normally again.  I have been okay about doing stability and strength training, but aside from that I have fallen into my usual post-race funk.  Shear and utter laziness.  I hope to get back in the swing of things over the next few weeks so I don't become totally out of shape.  I did a 34-mile charity bike ride last weekend and by the end my poor legs were screaming at me, "Please stop!"  It is crazy how fast we can decondition. 

I still hope to complete a race in each state.  I also hope to use this blog to write about what I am learning or going through in life.  Life is a journey and I have been very blessed along the way.  I hope to be used by God to bless others in their faith and in their racing journeys. 

The power of barefoot

In a previous post I discussed my new minimalist, barefoot shoes.  I haven't exactly been using them as I planned on yet, as far as doing drills and short runs, but I have been wearing them to work for 8-10 hours a day.  For all those who went to graduate school with me, I realize this may not exactly exude professional dress.  However, I think it promotes an active lifestyle and fits okay in the sports medicine gym setting. 

I would have thought that walking "barefoot" for 8-10 hours a day would make my feet sore.  Quit the contrary, I feel great walking around all day with less foot, leg, and back soreness.  Maybe I am learning how to use the muscles in my feet better to dissipate forces and stand with better posture; that is the theory, I think. 

With my recent runs I have had an easier time with midfoot/forefoot strides.  This type of running form makes me feel like I glide across the ground more easily with each step.  My times during training runs have been the best I have ever done.  Hopefully this is a good omen for the Beach2Battleship half-ironman. 

I will keep you posted on the continued use of barefoot shoes.  

The tale of two journeys

As I said in my introduction, I want this blog to be an opportunity to share about my journey toward completing 50 races in 50 states.  However, I also want to meld it with what I am learning on my Christian journey.  To me there are numerous parallels between triathlon training and growing in my relationship with God.  The latter is often times too easy for me to put on the back-burner in the course of a day.  Both require regular training, focus, dedication, and always something to be learned.  

This past week one of the pastors of our church challenged us to commit to spending some time reading the Word and talking to God everyday (something I have not been as consistent with as I would like to be).  He challenged us to begin by reading six of the Psalms; Psalm 19, 33, 40, 86, 96, 145.  Running allows me to settle into a groove to reflect on what I read listen to sermons, think, pray, and talk with God (I am still trying to learn to listen more). 

For some reason when I set out on my run tonight I felt like I needed to run to the cemetery where my dad's ashes are buried. His grave marker was finally set in place today.  It reads, "He lived. He died. Now he has arrived. All you need is love." The run was a time to reflect on these words my dad chose to be remembered by forever.  He recognized that this journey of life is a gift, a time to be treasured, a time to love, but most importantly only a small fraction of what is awaiting us for in eternity.  Daunting to think about how long that is.  But it is also exciting.  I hope to be able to pursue my relationship with God with passion and fervor.  I thank God that He has saved me and blessed me with the physical abilities to participate in endurance events.

New Shoes

I made the plunge today, as I expected I would, to join the world of barefoot running.  The plan was to get some FiveFinger Vibrams.  My wife and I set out to REI to try them out and snag a pair for me.  I think Julie thinks I am crazy, but at least she is supportive.  She warned me before we even went that she didn't think my toes would fit in the FiveFingers; she was correct.  I highly recommend you try a pair before ordering a pair via the internet. Fortunately, Merrell has accommodated for individuals like myself.  I found a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves that facilitate the barefoot feel but look like normal shoes.

I know that I said in my previous post that I would stick mostly to walking, drills, and strides on softer surfaces trying to avoid asphalt, but tonight I felt a flood of adrenaline to try the new shoes.  I kept it conservative, but strided out a fast 3/4 mile run.  The premise of the shoes are that they create a forefoot running pattern that causes you to maintain the "perfect" running posture.  I don't know if it was placebo effect or if it really did it, but I felt great.  I felt like I was gliding across the pavement keeping my upper body still with a nice front-to-back arm swing.  I still don't want to get carried away.  The plan is to ease into the distance and maybe tackle some trails.

Even though tonight was only 3/4 mile, it reminded me how I felt during the Tobacco Road 1/2 marathon in March.  Absolutely the best I have ever felt running (minus the last half mile).  It was one of those moments when your stride feels good and effortless (again, minus the last half mile).  During that race my friend Michael and I set personal bests thanks to some pacing from our good friend, Ryan.  The three amigos of running.  We have the type of camaraderie that draws me to sports.  I am hoping the new barefoot training mixed in with our usual workouts we'll continue to push toward new PR's.

So far I give the barefoot shoes a positive endorsement.  I will continue to update as I log a few more workouts in them. 

Barefoot

I spent the past week traveling around Texas.  Unfortunately, I deviated from my training plan because of not having my bike or a pool large enough to lap swim.  That being said the change of scenery running was awesome and hilly!  I grew up in San Antonio which is relatively flat, running in Fort Worth, however, was like climbing mini-Everests.  Or at least it felt that way because of the 100+ degree weather.  I hope that doesn't sound like complaining because the runs were actually some of the best I have ever had.  I felt light on my feet and took a break from GPS and heart rate monitors.  I just did what I thought I could handle comfortably, got in the zone, and let it rip.   

On my trip I read the book Born to Run.  I think that is what inspired me to make the workouts as natural as possible, attempting to be in-tune with my body.  If I felt I needed to slow down, I did, and if I felt like opening up the throttle, I did.  It was inspiring to read about runners who love to run for the sake of running, not being held to a clock or pre-set distance, and being competitive yet full of admiration for their fellow competitors.  As many of you know, Born to Run, has lead a charge in the barefoot running world.  I may be a few years late in tackling the subject or thousands of years late compared the Tarahumara (The Running People), but I think it is leading to a paradigm shift in how I want to run and treat my patients.  I doubt that I will jump in full-go and I don't think it is necessarily for everyone, but I like the idea of spending some time doing training with minimalist footwear.  I think doing strength and balance training or stride drills on safe ground is a great place to start.  I would never recommend jumping into running barefoot for extensive distances without building up to it. 

This week I have been having my patients exercise in their socks only; partly as a mini-experiment and partly as a tribute to the Tarahumara.  It has been neat to see their feet working to find the ground and proper position, it's like their feet are trying to read braille to send  a constant flow of messages to their brain.  I know this sounds corny, but you can't appreciate the intricacies of the foot wearing shoes.

I don't think shoes or shoe companies are the enemy.  In fact, it wasn't until I found a great pair of cushioned-soled, high-end running shoes that I could run without knee pain.  I hope that the shoes aren't just compensating for improper mechanics, but they have worked for me.  I am trying to become more conscious of using a forefoot running pattern, as I do believe that is how we were built to run.  I am contemplating investing in some 5Finger Vibrams to do some training.  If I do, I will be sure to post my experiences. 

It's Been Awhile

I have not been good about staying current with blogging, but now that I am three weeks into my ½ ironman training plan and was heckled by an old lady while running last night I figured it is time to write.  

You read that correctly…heckled by an old lady.  During my run yesterday this lady started shouting, “Run, Forrest, Run” repeatedly.  I don’t know how to react to this; should I take that as a compliment or an insult.  Little did the lady know that down the street it would turn pseudo-Forrest Gump because a group of neighborhood kids began to run behind me for awhile.  Like I have stated before, I hope that people see me exercise and it inspires them to do the same.  I guess mission accomplished…somewhat. 

Since starting this workout plan I feel like I am in a perpetual state of exhaustion.  My legs feel tired all day, everyday.  Despite feeling this way I continue to push through personal best times during workouts.  I usually bike longer and at a greater intensity than the workout plan calls for since I am riding with a group out of the local bike shop.  I hope that this doesn’t turn out to backfire on me down the road.  In the mean time I plan to keep pushing as hard as my body will allow while looking forward to an active recovery week coming up soon.  

I will try to be better about blogging more frequently, incorporating pictures, and any interesting tips or stories that happen along the way.  For anyone that takes the time to read this:  I hope to see you on the race course soon!

Training plan in place

Nine workouts per week to get ready for the half-ironman!  The shear volume seems overwhelming, but I can't wait to get started.  I am using the level 1 workout by Matt Fitzgerald in his Week-by-Week training guide.   

June 14th marks the beginning of the journey toward beach2battleship.  In the meantime I will be building a base to prep for the upcoming demands of full-time training.  I have set new personal bests for distance on the bike, reaching 60-miles this past week and I have a 66-mile bike race next week.  I have been in the pool a couple of times now.  By far my weakest event.  I am glad I have some time to work on it and glad the swim will be wet suit legal for some added buoyancy.  I am least nervous about the running since I can already do the distances and total times.  The brick workouts (bike-to-run workouts) will be good prep and much needed to make sure I can finish the race strong.

After playing with a pace calculator it looks like I should be finishing just over 6 hours.  I estimate I can finish the swim in 33-34 minutes, bike @ 16 mph for 3.5 hours, and run @ 8:30 pace to finish in 1 hour 51 minutes.  I factored in 5 minutes for each transition.  I figured that would give me time to get some nutrition and gear up for each event.  As I practice and progress through the training I hope to have a more accurate goal set.  It will be interesting to look back on this post and see how accurate, or not, I was.   

Maillot Jaune

Almost one month from the West Georgia 100 bike ride where some friends and I will try to tackle the 66-mile course.  I don’t quite have the 100-miler in me.  To date the most that I have ridden is 50-miles.  I figure that if I push myself in the 66 it will give me a good feel for what the bike portion of a 70.3 will feel like this fall and give me a baseline to establish realistic goals for pacing. 

            I would classify myself as a runner first and foremost, but there is something so freeing about being out on the road bike.  Despite some of the inherent dangers I absolutely love it.  In my office I have a painting of Lance Armstrong called ‘Maillot Jaune’.  Every time I see it I get fired up to go ride thinking every ride is one step closer to my own personal Maillot Jaune, completing at least 51 races over the next however long it takes. 

            I am up to 34-miles in my preparation so slightly behind if I were to follow the traditional no more than 10% increase each week or two.  I know that running, swimming, and biking shape are different, however I am banking on some of the running cardio (along with some motivation of friends) to carry me through.  

I am so thankful for the opportunities and abilities that I have been blessed with to go out and enjoy racing.  As I progress through the upcoming training regiment I will try to update the blog to discuss what went well, what didn’t work, and what I am learning along the way.  The biggest training lesson learned this past weekend is the importance of nutrition.  One would think with my background I would always consider this, but I sure bonked during a training ride this weekend.  I crawled in at a snails pace of 12-13 mph the last 3-4 miles on Saturday.  I plan on consulting with a professional sports nutritionist with a triathlon background to help prepare for upcoming training demands.  If I can afford the session I will try to post useful tips.  

Heroes

            Do you ever hear something that gets you all fired up and excited?  That has been the case for the past two weeks leaving church.  Our current sermon series is entitled “Heroes.”  The past two weeks have included two men who were sold out for living according to the will of God and nothing else: Jonathan and Nehemiah.  These men’s stories are amazing; they especially tug at the heartstrings of guys.  

            Jonathan’s story is like something straight out of Hollywood with scenes that bring to mind Braveheart or Gladiator.  My understanding is that Jonathan is a relatively young man at this point in I Samuel 14; however he takes one of only two swords in the Hebrew army and his armor-bearer to take on an army of giants.  He goes into battle telling the armor-bearer I will go to take on these men.  He was faithful to the burden God had laid on his heart despite not knowing what the outcome would be.  The outcome turns out to be God gave them the strength to go William Wallace (or Maximus) on them.  I encourage you to read the story for full details.

            Nehemiah was a man after God’s heart.  Nehemiah is determined to rebuild the wall to protect Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6:3).  Four times his enemies attempt to lure him into a meeting in which they intend to do him harm.  Each time he is working on finishing the wall and he responds, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.”  Nehemiah had a clear vision of what God wanted him to do in his life.  Anything that contributed to that vision he said, “Yes” and anything that distracted him from his vision he said, “No.”  What amazing discipline and passion. 

            As I am running my race of unknown distance but for sure finish line I hope to find my “battle” and “wall.”  I want to be able to say, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.”  

4 states down...

Forty-six to go!  I have completed races in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.  I seem to be repeating myself in these states because of where I live and my sentimental attachment to races such as the Coosa River Challenge in Wetumpka, AL.  I plan on making that one an annual race.  So far my journey has included my first full marathon, 3 half-marathons, 2 adventure races (same one twice), 3 sprint triathlons, and few local 5k's. 

This year will not be the year to add a state to my list.  This year I plan on competing in my 3rd Coosa River Challenge Adventure Race and competing in my first half ironman (70.3) in Wilmington, NC.  I am excited to start building a base and training for these races that take place in October. In May I will be participating in the West Georgia 100 bike ride. 

 I would love for my journey to include the Kona ironman one day.  Assuming I can ever qualify.  I would like for it to be the pinnacle of my goal, but I am so excited to try to do it I do not want to wait to make it my last state.  In addition to all 50 states I feel it is important to include our nations capital, perhaps the Marine Corp marathon.  I still haven't decided if I should include Puerto Rico, but I guess if time and budget allow I will. 

The next states on the radar for 2012 will either be Austin, TX 70.3 or the New York City Marathon if we (my buddies and I) are able to win a bib number through the lottery. 

If anyone has recommendations on fun, unique, or must-do races I would love to hear about them.

My Story...

As Paul sat in prison writing in II Timothy 4:7-8 that he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, I can only hope that my life is and will be like that.  I want to be able to look back when I am an old man to say that I was faithful to let God use me in ways I never imagined.  That’s where this blog comes in.  I have felt called for over a year now to write one, not because I am a good writer, but because it is a medium in which potentially millions of people could see.  However, I am not naïve to think that I will have a million followers, but I am also not naïve enough to believe that even if only one person reads this and is at worst inspired to try a triathlon and at best give their lives to Christ then it will be well worth the effort. 

The sermon at church this morning reminded me that God desires more for me than to just lead a comfortable life, but to move away from my “safe place” so that I can see God move.  I am passionate about my faith, however have shied away from sharing it as openly as I once did as a high school and college student.  Somewhere life got in the way. 

My story of salvation at surface level does not appear particularly exciting, but in context of eternity and the price Jesus paid for me on the cross it is very exciting to think about what I have been saved from (eternity separated from the presence of God).  I think it is important for anyone who decides to follow me on here to know where I came from and that you too have been invited to take part in this life race to grow closer to God through his son, Jesus. 

I grew up in your ordinary household with great parents, did well in school, played just about every sport imaginable, and had some good friends (you now see why at first glance my story may not be particularly exciting).  I somewhat grew up in church, but never really fit in or enjoyed it much as a kid.  It wasn’t until I was in high school that my dad had a few preliminary conversations with me on what it was to be a Christian and a move to another state where one of my football coaches began to teach me more about Jesus and what it meant to have a relationship with Him.  Funny thing is, this coach thought I was already a Christian because I came to church with him, Fellowship of Christian Athlete meetings, and did what I was asked to do at school and football practice without hesitation or much complaining.  I thought being a good person and doing the before mentioned things were what it took to get to heaven. 

This coach and one of the pastors from his church shared with me that God had a plan for me and created me to know Him personally (John 3:16, John 17:3).  However, I had sin in my life (and still do and always will – not an excuse to sin, but just the truth) that was preventing me from experiencing God’s love and plan (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  They went on to tell me that Jesus Christ was God’s only provision for my sin and through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God’s love and plan (Romans 5:8, I Corinthians 15:3-6).  There was nothing that I could do on my own to achieve salvation!  Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6).  This was great news…the Creator of the universe desires to know me.  One day the pastor of the church visited me at home to again share these truths with me and that day I prayed with him to ask Jesus into my heart to be the Lord and Savior of my life so that I could experience His love and plan (John 1:12).  As it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, I was saved by grace, through faith, and not from myself or from works, but instead it was a gift of God.  This gift was undeserved because of my humanness and there were no conditions on this gift, purely rescued from eternity separated from God because of the sacrifice of Jesus. 

I believe that I am free in Christ, saved by the grace of God.  I don’t believe that I can ever lose my salvation despite my continual shortcomings and human desire to disobey God.  I still have my struggles with sinful and worldly desires, however I am praying that I can become more like Christ in attitude and love for God everyday.  I want to pursue God with the same energy I put into training for endurance races.  I think there are great parallels between the two.  I think that is why I feel called to write this blog.  When I cross the finish line of this life I want to be able to look back on it and say, “Well done, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith.”   

If you follow the Bible verses in parentheses above it takes you through how to have a relationship with Jesus.  If this has struck a chord with you, I encourage you to let it ring out, pursue the truth and allow yourself the opportunity to explore what God may have in store for you.  It can be quite the exciting race if you allow it to be.  If you feel like God has spoken to you or is speaking to you all you have to do is invite Him in (Revelation 3:20).  That invitation may sound like this:

“Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally.  Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.  I open the door of my life and receive You as my Lord and Savior.  Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life.  Take control of the throne of my life.  Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

For anyone that made any decisions or has any questions I would love to hear about it on here so that I can be praying for you or help you get connected with a local church near you.

Why do I race?

Why do I swim, bike, and run?   Prefontaine said he ran to see who had the most guts.  I tend to agree with the idea of that quote.  I know I will most likely never win a race, but I love the training, racing against myself, and the comraderie of training and competing with friends.  I love the feeling of crossing the finish line knowing I left all I had on the course.  In my opinion, this is one of the greatest feelings one can have. 

 

I am embarking on a goal to compete in a race in every state, Washington D.C., and as many countries as possible.  This will most likely take me 25+ years to accomplish knowing I will most likely only be able to do one to two races per year.  Surprisingly, this is not daunting, but exciting.  I am excited to see the country with my wife, family, and friends, knowing that I will leave my stamp on every state in the United States or better yet the stamp that state and race will leave on me.  During this journey I hope to grow in my walk with Christ, honor the memory of my dad, encourage others to race/exercise, and to encourage readers to examine the man who claimed to be Christ.  

I would love to hear from anyone who takes the time to follow this blog about anything from races you recommend to Jesus.  This may seem like a wide variety and may not seem to go together, but I want to see where this goes.