Know When to Fold 'Em

Well, this is kind of a tough post to write. Just realize that I am not quitting this whole Ironman thing, I am just putting it on hold for a while. I know that most of you will be disappointed that you won't get to read my witty posts, but the old ones are up for good memories. The reason I am putting this project on hold is because it is just too much right now. I am of the opinion that when you have too much on your plate, you just need to let a few things go. I feel like I have a lot on my plate right now. I will still run an Ironman someday, but it's not on my short-term list of goals for now. I just can't find the time every day to work out for an hour or two. Don't worry, I will still exercise, just not as intensley. I will also do the sprint marathon at the end of this month that I talked about earlier. And who knows, maybe you will see me on the Biggest Loser in a few years and I'll be blubbering about how I had a goal to run an Ironman and how I could still do it. That would be hilarious! But anyway, I know I have let you all down. If you want to send me hate mail and make fun of me for being a lazy fatty, I completely understand, and I will take such criticisms personally. Keep on keepin' on!

I'm Back!

I know it's been a while, but I haven't been slacking off (not the whole time at least). I didn't work out all last week. I used my new baby as an excuse, and it definitely made me feel justified (if any of you don't have a newborn or have forgotten what it is like, you can't judge me).

Yesterday was my first run after my baby bonding break. My bike tire is flat, so I can't go until I get it fixed. In case you are wondering, I like cycling about a bazillion times more than running (that number is approximate). Anyway, the runs were extra awful yesterday and today. I don't know if it's the hotter weather or dehydration or just old fashioned wussiness, but it was really hard. It took me over half an hour to go three miles both days. Good new is it was slightly easier today. Hopefully it will be better in the coming weeks.

I am holding my baby so it was easier to do a video instead of typing.

Swimming?

When I was young, swimming was awesome. I remember splashing around in the pool and playing Marco Polo and other awesome games. So, when I thought about swimming for a triathlon, I was really excited. I thought that would be the funnest part. But I was wrong, oh, so wrong.

I got a free 7-day pass to Gold's Gym, which is Gold's Gym-ese for "Give us your information so we can call you weekly until you buy an over-priced package," to use the pool. They have a 3 lane lap pool that I tried out today. It was AWFUL (and I am not one to use all caps lightly). I literally took about 4 strokes and almost died. Swimming is so much harder than I remember! I don't know how Michael Phelps does it. After getting out of the pool, though, the gym was great. I got to ride a stationary bike then run on a treadmill. It was nice to watch the NBA Finals while I ran. However, I still prefer working out outside. Doing it all inside on a stationary bike and a treadmill is really, really boring. It felt good to do all three workouts in a row, though.

I decided a strategy with the Gold's "trainer" (Gold's Gym-ese for meathead salesman) is to give them a price that I am willing to pay for a year and see if they take it or come close enough. I can even use Kasey as an excuse (you know, "Well, I would love to do it...but, my wife...").

I think I will win.

Falls and Snot Rockets

So, sorry I haven't posted in a while. Don't worry, I have still been working out. In fact, yesterday I had a terrible bike ride.
The first half of the ride was fantastic. The weather was great, I was listening to a good audio book...out was great. But on the way home, I had to push the pedestrian button because the light only changes for cars. I moved my way over to the light pole, pulled out my left foot and leaned over to push the button. I suddenly felt my bike leaning more than I was, so I tried to pull out my right foot to catch myself. But it refused to come out, and I landed on my side. Nothing was hurt but my ego and my front brake, which started rubbing the wheel. So, I kept on going, but in a lower gear because of my brake, when my nose got stuffy.
The chord to my headphones was on my left side, so I tried to blow it on the other side. Naturally, the wind was blowing pretty hard (bikes are faster than running), so I ended up with a whole lot of snot across my face.
So, that's how my ride went yesterday. It went well.

Cyclists' Paradise

I was so happy today. Really, I was literally grinning when I found the Jordan River Trail. It was absolutely amazing. Imagine a place where there are no stoplights and no cars. You can just ride and ride and ride for as long and as fast or slow as you want. I found that place, and it is only a couple of miles away. Needless to say, it was incredible. It was flooded though, and some firemen stopped me on the trail to ask me how much it had flooded. I was cooperative, so I counted it as my good deed for the week. By the way, I went just over 15 miles today and it took 1 hour, six minutes.

So, I think somebody upstairs read my post about rain and is punishing me for it. Today it was sunny for about an hour or so, and it was during my ride. "That sounds great!" you say to yourself; but, keep in mind that when I left it was cold, so I wore a jacket. So, as the sun came out, I was sweating a lot. Oh well. The rain is good for some things. We pray for rain all the time, right? At least in Utah we do. So, I shouldn't complain that it is raining.

Short Post

I'm tired of writing long posts. Here are my past couple of workouts:

Tuesday, May 24: Running, 3.09 miles in 28:57

Thursday, May 26: Cycling, 9.63 in 41:18

Now, back to Arrested Development.

Rain, Rain Go Away

So, I like rain and everything. In fact, I even listen to rain sounds to relax. But enough is enough. Russ, you better be grateful to be in sunny Arizona right now because it is awful up here. We have had maybe five days of decent weather (where I didn't have to wear a jacket) this year. Here are a couple pictures of my jacket after just one bike ride:

I know you mountain bike enthusiasts are saying, "Is that supposed to impress me?" Keep in mind that this was on asphalt over 14 miles. It was annoying, ok? Just trust me, it's not fun to ride on the road when the roads are wet.

But, despite crappy road conditions, lots of traffic lights, and even a couple construction zones, I did 14 miles in almost less than an hour. The exact time it took me was 1 hour, 57 seconds. I would have totally broken the hour mark if there were less stoplights or construction zones.

The reason 14 miles is important is because I am signing up for the Harriman Black Ridge Triathlon. It's a "Sprint" triathlon which means it's shorter than most. The swim is 500 yards, the bike is 14 miles, and the run is 3.1 miles. I think I can handle it. But, I need to get in the pool first to get my feet wet (pun intended!). Any donations for a rec center membership or race registration would be appreciated (yes, I am begging and mooching).

Here's the link:

http://www.racetri.com/

I planned to go cycling out in Eagle Mountain yesterday. We visited my parents' house and there are some wicked awesome road biking trails down there. But instead I helped my dad build a deck and install some rocks in the back yard. I am more sore than if I would have biked, and it was fun to work outside with my dad.

I went cycling on Friday though, and it was good. My average time per mile was about 4:45. I thought it was kinda sad that I biked slower than some people run...but I had to stop a a lot of stoplights, so that's my excuse.

Rain

True, I have not gone running or cycling in the past couple of days, but I went today and it was pretty fun. You know, the nice thing about running in the rain is that I don't need to shower at the end.

The new app I talked about worked really well. It tells me through my headphones what my time is and how long a mile took me at each mile. It was a great motivator, too. So here's the breakdown of today's workout:

I went 3.92 miles and it took me 37:17. That's an average mile time of 9:30 min/mile. The first mile took 8:32, the second was 9:15, and the third was 9:46. That's all from my app. It worked well.

Ode to LeBron

This post actually has nothing to do with his highness LeBron James, but I did want to make a shout out to him and the Heat for an epic game 5 and series against the Celtics. I think the Celtics were the toughest team the Heat had between them and the ring, but we'll see. The real trash talk will come later if they win it all. Is the Lakers' reign coming to an end? Well, we'll see...

I went biking today. It rained all day except for the hour I was out. It was nice, but hot because I wore a pretty big jacket. I biked a very hilly 10 miles then ran a mile. It was great.

I got an Android-based phone for work, and I downloaded a GPS running/cycling app for it called Endomondo. I haven't used it yet, so I will keep you updated. Evidently, I can update my workouts onto Facebook when I'm done. Don't know if I'll do that. If anyone knows of an app that will update my status whenever I start a workout, so people can leave encouraging comments while I'm out, let me know. It would also be cool if it read the comments to me while I was out.

______________________________________________

Earlier toady, I was having a hard time because of work. I messed something up pretty big yesterday, and although it was an easy mistake to make for a newbie, I still felt awful about it. So, I had a pretty rough day yesterday and earlier today. But, while I was out cycling, I started to feel more and more determined to succeed at my job. When I got home, I was happy and ready to take on whatever will be thrown at me as a consequence of that mistake or any other mistake I will make in the future. Training for this triathlon has helped me gain confidence and determination to succeed. Your support has also helped me in ways you will never realize. I sincerely appreciate all that you readers do for me.

Warning: Adult Content

I got some new biker shorts today. The are the Pearl Izumi Select Series Triathlon shorts. As you can see, they look really good.

They feel good, too. I went on a good 14 mile bike ride, then ran around the block to get my legs used to it. Maybe someday I will go on a long bike ride then a long run. I can hardly imagine riding 112 miles then running a marathon after swimming 2 1/2 miles. It's possible though. Especially with awesome shorts!

Enjoy the Weather

I ran out in the rain today and it felt awesome. It really felt like nothing could stop me. It was cold ad rainy outside, and I still went running. So, I won't be stopping any time soon.

Thanks for all your support. Reading your comments and seeing more page views every day helps me keep going. I appreciate all your support. Keep it up!

Like Riding a Bicycle

Today, I went to Target (because it's closest) to buy some things to tune up my bike. I bought a pump, fix-a-flat, and a water bottle. After fixing the tires and making sure everything still works on it, I took it out for a spin. I read on a cycling website that it is best to ride only a couple of miles at first, so you can get used to riding a bike again. But, as the saying goes, it is like riding a bike, you just don't forget how to do it. So, I went about 11 miles in about 45 minutes. It felt great! And not like running great; I actually enjoyed it.

Just a note on cycling. I know many of you will disagree with me (like Kasey), but I need to tell you that a cyclist on the road has the same rights and rules as a car. I know it's not a perfect system, but that's the law. So, be courteous to cyclists. I got honked at today even though I was in a wide bike lane. It was pretty annoying. So, the next time you get frustrated with a cyclist on the road, just treat him or her like a driver that is going slower and working harder than you.

Rocky

I felt like Rocky today in Rocky IV when he runs up the mountain and yells, "Dragoooooo!!!!! Dragooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!" because I ran up a really steep, long hill. It was hard core. Now I know exactly how Rocky feels. Kaaaaseeeeeeyyyyy!

Takin' it easy

Today I took it easy. I figured my legs should get a little break to recuperate. I ran about a mile and half and it took about 20 minutes. Then I did some ab stuff and stretched a lot. My legs have been super sore the past two days.

On a separate note, does anyone know how the whole changing of clothes and shoes works during a triathlon? I mostly think it would be awful to run in the same thing I swam in, talk about chafe-age. It would also suck to run barefoot.

Inspirational Video

What's your excuse?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTiYA1WiY8

Well, today I ran 4.2 miles in 47 minutes. It was grueling. I thought if I ran slower and longer that my legs wouldn't kill like they did yesterday.

I was wrong.

Instead of a shorter, more intense pain, it was just a longer, more drawn out pain. Needless to say, it hurt.

While I ran, I listened to the smooth stylings of Stephen R. Covey. In his book, Principle Guided Leadership, he talks about not taking shortcuts. He said that in school, some students get by when they cram right before a test. He then compared that strategy to farming where the farmer must plant seeds in the spring if he wants to harvest in the fall. In the natural world, there is no cramming. That is 100% true for running. I did not realize how out of shape I am. I can't run as far or fast as I used to, but eventually, I will get there again. It's all about the law of the harvest. Start planting now so you can reap the rewards later.

Uphill Climb

I don't know what it is, but as soon as I decided to do this training for the Ironman thing, it seems like everything in the world wants me to stop. And I just barely started! It just goes to show that as soon as you set out to do something big, external forces just line up to try to stop you. It is a good sign that you are doing something good if so many forces try to stop you.

The First Day

Holy Cow. I swear running is not as easy as it used to be. I want to blame it on the altitude, but I know I can't. It was hard! It felt like I ran 20 miles by the time I got back. But, I only got to 2.1 miles and it took me approximately 24 minutes. But, it felt good to breathe hard and to get my heart pumping.

Does anyone else find it difficult to wake up at 5 AM to work out? I set my alarm for 5 in the morning but when 5 o'clock came around, I turned off the alarm. I didn't even think about it. The alarm went off, and I just turned it off. But, I will try waking up again tomorrow. Any words of encouragement in this area or suggestions on how to get out of bed easier would be appreciated.

The Beginning...

This is my first post. It is Sunday, 1. May, 2011, and I start training tomorrow. I can't say much more than that because I have literally done nothing for my training yet. I played sports in high school, and I used to go running a bit, but right now, I am not in great shape. I want to post about everything I learn and experience from this journey to the Ironman. I don't know how long it will take or how hard I will work, but I will tell you all about it along the way. When I find out training tips, I will post them. When I hear about healthy recipes that I try, I will post about them. I will post about my workouts, and I will even post when I miss them. So, I hope you enjoy accompanying me on my journey to the Ironman!