Recap

Sorry I did not get a chance to post Monday on my runs and weight loss. I had a bad week during the Christmas holidays. I know that I am weak when it comes to good food but I am learning. My cravings are strong sometimes and I cant help myself. I set myself up for a big loss last week when I put my weight back on that I had lost.

Yes, all of it!!!!

I have been working hard this week and now I am about 1 pound from being back to where I was at before Christmas. YAHHHHHH.

My 20 miler on Sunday turned into a 14.5 miler with an average mile at 12:57. That is not fast to a lot of people but for me, that was just a training run. My goal is still to break my PR and a sub 5 marathon.

Be safe and have a great week with a Happy New Year.

3 weeks to go

I have 3 weeks to go before the aviation marathon. Yesterday with the help of Mellisa Cowart and Kevin Newell, I was able to log in another 20 mile practice run. Through out most of the run we were playing around and telling jokes to try and pass the time.
We ran into some issues around mile 10 with Mellisa having problems with her knee, Kevin complaining about this IT band and I was problems again with my left foot hurting on the top around my big toe. When we hit mile 13.1, Mellisa said she was going to call it a day and went home. Kevin and I puddled along knowing we had to get 20 in today. We noticed that the sun was going down pretty quick so we stayed downtown around our vehicles. The closer it got to the 20 mile mark, the more we started to pick up the pace. At the end, we had a 20 mile practice run with a sub 5 time. I was happy with this and still pondering if I am going to run a 2:1 or a 1:1 at Aviation Marathon.

Also, I had my weigh in yesterday and I am down to 263.5 which brings my total for 3 weeks to 5.5 pounds. It probably would have been better if my wife would not have made some candies for the kids at school. I kinda got into them. Have a great day.

My bucket list

I have been going over things that I was able to do in the past year and I was happy to be able to break PR's in my 5 and 10K's with the help of the POD coach, members and friends of the MTRC. I will always be happy for that but for some reason I feel not content.

I have decided to put out my bucket list for 2010. I have done 2 of my marathons that I went out to finish. They were Chickamauga and Bartram Forrest Trial Marathon. I now have 5 more that I want to do before the end of April.

Aviation Marathon WRAFB Jan 16
Mercedes Marathons Feb 14
26.2 with Donna Feb 21
Snickers Marathon Mar ????
Country Music Marathon April 24?

Augusta 70.3 Sept. 27?

I wanted to go ahead now and post this to see if there is anyone out there who might be willing to join me in some or all of these races. I would love some company along the way because it truly goes along way.

Dedicated

DONE.......SIGNED..........ELECTRONICALLY SIGNED

What have I done????????????

What was I thinking?????????

I have lost my mind??????????

1.2 miles swimming

56 miles miles on a bike

13.1 miles of running

All of this with no breaks and all within an 8 hour time limit.



I JUST SIGNED UP FOR THE AUGUSTA HALF-IRONMAN IN SEPTEMBER 2010


I think I need to get some training in.

My foot hurts

After taking today off from yesterday's 20 miler, my left foot is still somewhat sore. I think it is a flare up of the PF which I have had troulble with before. It feels like a knife through the top of my foot. A day or two of rest and ice and it will be fine.

I forgot also when I go out on my long runs to check my toenails. Once again like at Chickamauga, I went out and did not trim my toenails. I know that this might sound nasty but if it helps at least one person I will be happy. Keep them trim and short. When I got home and took off my shoes, I had a blood stain that covered my 3 little toes. It was from 1 small little spot that I did not trim. OUCH but it is fixed now.

4 weeks to go and training is looking good. Have a great day....

20 miler done

Yes, it is done. I got my 20 miler. I really did not want to but I know I needed too.

A BIG thank you to Roscoe for running and pushing me. It was nice to have someone out there to keep my company for that long distance. I will have a recap later but I needed to post this morning to update my weight loss for a total of 4 pounds in 2 weeks. It is not as fast as I wanted it to be, but it is an improvement.

Have a great day....

Meeting with Jeff Galloway

Here are some of the photos from our meeting with Olympian Jeff Galloway.

Jeff was answering questions from the group.

Jeff trying to figure out what someone was talking about. He had an answer for question asked.

Jeff and I were talking about running together at Disney Marathon 2009. I got some more information from him for my next marathon which is in 4 weeks.

I had to get one more photo. It is not everyday you get to talk to an Olympic Marathoner.

tired of the rain

I am looking out the front door knowing that I am going for a 20 mile run tomorrow in preparation for my next marathon, Aviation marathon in Warner Robins on Jan 16. I have been going to the Wellness Center in the mornings to get my weekly mileage in because of the darkness at night, I run on the treadmill in the morning before work.

I need to get out and just run. I only have 4 weeks to go. I need to RUN. I might just have to load up on the Vit C and go.

I have run 2 marathons in the last 4 weeks but the fun is over. It is time to train RIGHT and go for it. I want to see if running Galloway style for the whole race will help me in betting my PR of 5:05. I got a chance to meet again and talk with Jeff Galloway and discuss some running techniques. He once again gave me some wonderful and much needed advice that I will take to heart and my legs.

For now, I will watch the weather channel and just pray for some sunshine.

BTW, in my 1st week of my weight loss challenge, I went down 2 pounds. I know that it is not a lot for now, but it is down. I have to post this on my site to remind myself that I am in this for the long run ( no pun intended ). I need to get the weight off but I do not want to do it with a fad diet. I want to do it right and do it slowly so that it will stay off.

More big news to come soon............

Take down the rear view mirror....

Yesterday was a good day for a run. I ran the Santa 5K in downtown Macon with a friend of mine, Bo Drinkard. Bo is getting ready for the Disney marathon and we both used the race as a fun run and played around and talked during the race. It was nice to just go to a race and run to have fun. Thanks Bo. Sorry you could not break your PR but it was so close with 45 seconds.

I had to hurry home after the race to get ready for my son's birthday party. But before I left, I ran into several friends that I have not talked to in a long time. Lately my job had kept me from running at night due to the time change and I don't get a chance to see alot of my running buddies.

Phil, it was good to see ya again and no I am not going to quit my job so that I can make it to the track even though that does so like a good thing some days. LOL

Jen and Joe, I did not know that yall were going to be there for the race. Joe is on the recovery time from doing an Ironman. Maybe one day I might be crazy enough to even think of doing something like that or even just a half. If you do a half-ironman, does that make you a Iron midgetman. LOL

Blake, it was very nice to see ya again. Blake was in the Fit Camp with me last year when i was going there and he still is attending the class. I could not believe it but he has lost 75 pounds. That was just the encouragement I needed to see what could happen when you just keep going with your goals and not stop. Thanks Blake and I hope to see you out running some more races.

After the race, I looked back and realized how much FUN it was to run with Bo and talk. It has been a long time since I have felt that. I then realized that my body was meant for long runs and not speed. I need to for now on just look into long runs ( marathons ) and not worrying about my speed. I need to take down my rear view mirror and not look back. I have alot of dreams in the near future and it requires me to log in many miles. So now it is time to log in the miles and not worry about finishing fast but just staying afloat and finishing with a smile on my face.

BTW, weight loss for this week was 2.5 pounds. It was a little more but with a little birthday cake and ice cream kinda put a little kink in my loss but it was worth it.

Have a great day and I hope yall have a great day. Remember to just get out and exercise.

Bartram 2009 recap

As I pulled into the parking lot what do I see but alot of cars already there. Last year it was a small turnout. Not this year. I think we had 88 runners this year compared to last year was about 40 something.
Mandie and I walked down to the pavilion to set up our chairs and bag. I brought 3 pairs of shoes and socks with me to change if I needed to during the race. I then walked over to Chef Kenny that had the coffee there waiting for me. I was great cause it was cold. I think it was 34 or 35 degrees. But thank God it was NOT raining this year. I then ran into Stef who was helping getting our race bags together. I looked at my watch and decided that I would start running at 7:30.
So Stef, myself, Deb 1 and Deb 2 would run as a group. We decided to run a ratio of 1:1 today. This was going to be a fun day cause I signed up for the 50K but Stef and myself decided to just run as far as we wanted too. The pressure was now gone. I knew I could stop at anytime if I felt bad.
Well we were off and running the new course this year. When we started, they did not have a barrel out and we missed the first turn. Oh well. We didn't know and kept going until we ran into Donna. She told us that we should be running with the blue flags on our right. We told her that we should stay to the right of the blue flags. Then we ran into more runners that we going the other way also. We stopped and just agreed that we would continue for the first lap and then turn around and go the right way on the other laps. Somehow we missed another turn and got back to the aid station and only had 1/2 lap logged in. We stopped and got a drink and turned around and went for more. We joked around and said we just did a 5K warm up for a 50K race. HaHaHaHa.
Lap 2 done and time for some food and drinks. I had gotten hungry and Chef Kenny was cooking some great grilled cheese sandwiches. We had sooo much food to munch on during the laps. This made it hard cause I wanted to just sit and eat. Not run. There were the sandwiches, home-made fudge, chips, soup and lots of other goodies.
Lap 3 down.
Lap 4 down
Lap 5, we decided to go backwards to see who was still on the course. This way we got to see everyone and say Hello and Goodbye. People were asking us if we went the wrong way and I told them it was a victory lap. When we got back to the aid station we had decided to go back the midway aid station and run back to get in our other lap that we missed on our first lap. Off we went. OMG that was a long 2 miles out. We kept looking at our watch to look at the time and distance. Stef had told me that her marathon PR was 6:45. We were 2 miles out and had 40 minutes to go. That was when it hit me. Stef went out with the intention to run a couple of laps to help pace me so that I could finish my 50K today. I did not have it in me to finish it today and I was ok with that. I was at least out running. I then thought if she was so nice to want to help me today, I would help her cause I was not going to run the entire 50K. I told her we need to continue our pace and she would have a new marathon PR today. I looked at my watch and the last 4 miles we had gotten faster. We hit the 1 mile mark to go and I could see/hear the finish line. We were playing Marco Polo with others on the course. We made the last turn and there it was, the finish line.
We turned and PROUDLY crossed the finish line. I had another marathon under my belt, Stef had a new marathon PR but most of all I was leaving happy and proud that I just ran many hours with my friends. We stayed around to watch the last runner cross the finish line and then packed up went for an early supper. MEXICAN FOOD AND BEER!!!!!! Why because I earned it. I think I burned a couple of calories today and I was HUNGRY.
I should have some pictures in the next couple of days and I will post them. Until then, have a great day.

In responce to my encryptic message...

I have been told that I left yall in suspense at one of my latest blogs. If I did, I apologize. I was watching TV and trying to write and think at the same time and it was not working.

For the last couple of months, I have not been running alot. I had fallen to the non-running bug. I started to feel sorry for myself. I was thinking I could not get any faster than I was. I thought I could not loose anymore weight. I thought I was going to be stuck in a life time rut.
Well, not anymore. I am tired of feeling sorry for myself. It is time to get off my lazy @ss and do something about it. Yes, I ran 2 marathons in the last 2 weeks but that is not enough. It is time to start doing a scheduled, maintained workout that I am able to see results on a weekly basis. I guess this is what I get for watching The Biggest Loser every week.

Four years ago, I had the opportunity to join in a biggest loser program locally at one of our hospital. We put $20.oo each in and got measured with our weight and body fat. We had 3 months to loose what ever we could. Well to make this short after 3 months of doing Atkins, I was able to lose 51 pounds. Since then, I have put back on about 15 pounds. It is like a yo-yo with a pound here and there going and coming.

Well no more. I have seen the awesome effects that my friends Kenny and Stef have made with their weight lose and activities and I am jealous. I applauded them for what they have done. I hope, no I mean WANT to be there in a couple of months.

Once again I am sorry for leaving you on a limb and not explaining myself. I just want to get back in exercise, diet and weight lost. Until then, have a great week. I will publish every week my weight gain/lost so that I will have to hold myself accountable for my actions.

Do we go that way......

Bartram recap coming soon but I had to say this cause this was how we started our run today. We had blue flags to follow but it did not work out that way on our first lap. We went out for about 3.5 miles before we were told we were going the wrong way.

Anyway today was suppose to be a 50K for me but my body was not up to it today so I ran just a marathon. And yes I can say that and not laugh. That was my saying after the race. I knew that I could finish the 50 but I was not going to put my body through it and pay for it for the next couple of days.

More to come later.

Changes coming soon

I have gone through alot mentally in the last coulple of months and it is time for a change. I have forgotten who I was and what I am capable of doing. Things are now going to change cause I am sick and tired of who I am or what I have become lately.

More to come later

Chick 2009 recap

The day before Mandie and I went up to Chickamauga to ride the course and have a fun day. We got to the motel before check-in time so we decided to ride up to Chat. Tenn and go shopping for some new filters for her camera. We found a camera store at the local Mall so we got it and headed back to the motel. We were able to go ahead and check in so we would not have to worry with that later on in the night. So we parked my truck and started getting our stuff out when I looked and

I COULD NOT FIND MY RUNNING BAG!!!!!!

By now I am seriously losing my mind. What am I going to do? I know I packed everything I needed. My shoes, my gels, my bib number belt, my shorts and shirt. Now what. I am going to have to go the store. OMG Not now I can not deal with this stress.

Then Mandie said "Why don't you call Tommy and see if he has left yet?" It is scary but she can be very smart sometimes. I called him and said ''"WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW". Luckily he was about 10 min from my house. I asked if he would go by and pick it up and he agreed so I called Mandie's g-mother and asked if she would get it out of our house and have it waiting for him to pick up. About 5 min. passed when she called back and said "I can't find it". Now I am totally losing my mind. Then Mandie goes and looks in the back of my truck under the clothes and low and behold what did she see but my bag. I hear her say "I found it, I did not look under the clothes". So all this panicking for nothing. By now I need a drink. I always try and put everything together before I go on a trip.

Now it is off to the course. We get there and the scenery was beautiful. We were riding the course to try and figure out which way it goes. I remembered some of it from last year. We even went up one of the monuments that was about 6 stories high and got some good photos. I will post them later when I find the card. The leaves were changing colors from rich reds to golden yellows. We even encountered some deer that were standing on the side of the road.

By now it was getting close to pick up time for the packets. So off went inside to pick up my stuff. There were 5 lines divided by the last name and I think 75% of every one's last name was between A-F. This gave me a chance to meet some new people. A man was standing in front of me saying this was his fist HM. He asked me if I was doing it and I told him I was doing the Marathon. At this point you could have pushed him over with a feather. He asked me if this was my first and I told him it was going to be my 6th which was funny because we were at the 6th cavalry museum. And no I did not plan it that way, it just happened. I love the expressions on someones face when they find out I run marathons. Yep 6'3" and 260 pounds. Pounding it out to the finish.

Now it was time to go to the next building to pick up our shirts. Why there were not in the packets was the big question. Then they did have enough people to help out so Mandie and myself help pass out shirts. It was pretty fun cause I got a chance to meet my fellow runners. It was now time to go the pasta dinner. We were in line with Kenny and Stef when were told that it was not all you could eat. And they were giving out SMALL portions. Were all kidding about going out and eating after dinner. At our table was Tommy, Mandie, Troy and Amy, Marcus and Teri, Kenny and Stef and FM. Everyone was discussing finishing times and I said all I want to do is get a Sub 6.

We left and headed back to the motel to sit in the lobby and have fun. FM, Kenny and Stef and myself sat around drinking coffee and eating all the cookies as quick as they would cook them. We were having fun telling jokes and watching other runners eat their pasta dinners. Some of them were smart and went to other places to get to-go orders. By now it was getting late so off to bed we went.

4:45 a.m. and it is time to get up. I already had place everything out so I would not have to think about it. We were checking out and stopped by the lobby for some goodies and out the door we went. We got to the race and parked and it was dark and cold. Priorities first, find the rest rooms. The stomach was now kicking into gear like normal. I kept asking Mandie what time it was cause I did not want to take my coat off until the last moment.

Well 10 minutes to go and I am ready. I went for a quick warm-up and stretched. Everyone was in line and BOOM, the canon was fired. Off we go. I was running with Stef at first until we had to split off. There were 3 different places were the HM and M split on the course. We were having fun at first, saw some deer walking around, saw a Marathon Maniac at one of the aid stations we ran with at MIBM race, and talked and had fun. Then it was off by myself. About 1 minute passed and I heard someone whistling. It was Kenny. He came up behind me and I told him he was about 1 minute in front of Stef. This was Kenny's first HM. I asked him how he was feeling and he said he was having some calf problems. I reminded him to have fun today and not go crazy. We ran back and forth for a couple of miles before we split off and then the lonely road hit. I was by myself with no one to talk to. Just me and the MP3. It was lonely. I came up on the half way at the clock said 2:40:45 and I was happy. I said I could run it in 5:30 with little training and I was ok with that for today was just a fun run day. At mile 17, a bomb went off. My right foot was bleeding from my toe nails rubbing the skin, my right knee was hurting and my left quad was cramping so I started to walk. I noticed a man about 1/4 mile in front of me so I decided that he was going to be my target. I kept seeing that white shirt, black shorts and white undershorts. I was not going to let him out of my site. I then saw a deer run in front of us. It was a 6 pointer with a broken time so that only 5 were showing. Lots of squirrels to talk to along the way.

Mile 18-22 LONG and PAINFUL. Lots of walking and stretching. I was craving a COKE and I asked the people at the water stops and they just kept saying "Water and Poweraide" At least one of them had a small bag of chips for me so I could get some salt. There were several people riding bikes with back packs helping us out with drinks and cracker/cookies. This was a first for me to see but it helped and I was thankful for it.

Mile 23 I met several people that wanted to talk. Debbie was running with me and she then took and off and said I am sure I will see ya again. I ran with another lady that told me that people don't talk to strangers but runners will tell other runners everything about there lives between mile markers. I laughed and agreed. So we talked for about a mile and then I met a man at mile 24 that was out pacing his 15 y/o son and his wife that were running their first marathons when he had calf problems. We walked for a few moments together when he told me that there was man he was trying to catch and pointed him out to me.

IT WAS THE SAME MAN I WAS TRYING TO CATCH

At mile 25 I asked him if he had anything left in him and he said no. I told him that I was going to try and catch him for the both of us. And I did it. Mile 25.5 I caught him and told him I was chasing him for 10 miles. I talked with him for a few minutes when I looked up and saw Debbie again. I thought I have to turn it on if I wanted to break a sub6 so I left my compition and never looked back. I came up on Debbie and she said that we had about 10 minutes to go and .3 miles to run. So off I went, crying from my legs cramping, my foot bleeding and my stomach about to blow up. I topped the hill to see Kenny cheering me on and Stef doing her victory dance in the road. I tried to dance too but I was catching more cramps. Down the home stretch and I turned around to see that the man was not running. I was going to beat him. YES another SUCKA in the books. Finish line in sight and it was now over with. The pain was worth it. It was not my best time on the books but I got a chance to see what the race was like from the back side of the event.

I found out that even though I was not in the front pack, I was still a Marathoner. It might not have been pretty but I FINISHED and that was all I wanted to do.

Home and resting

I am going to bed to hopefully get some rest. My legs and feet are swollen and cramping from todays marathon. I had a finishing time of 5:49:11 which is now my worst time. I will try and work on my report tomorrow.

Good night everyone

Heading out to go have fun

Yes I said it, I am going to have fun. I have been missing just going out to run and have fun. I put so much into running and forgot to have fun with it. Well no more. I am not going to push myself to a breaking point. I have about 6 marathons that I am going to do between now and April and I am going to run them with the intention of mental and physical health to be the most important victory in the races.

Oh did I mention that a friend of mine called me and asked if I would run a 50 mile race with her in Florida in Feb. and the crazy thing about it is, I might do it. I have a marathon the next weekend in Jacksonville but I think I might be just crazy enough to try it out.

That is why I became a Marathon Maniac. #1317


Next post should be a post race report.

Last week before Chick

I have not been running much lately. I have been working on letting my body heal up and take a rest. I am looking at a long winter schedule with at least 6 marathons between now and April. I have been looking back over the last year of running and I have seen some good thing and some bad things. I want to make some changes and better myself and hopefully help someone else in the process.

I have been spending alot of time of my bike lately and I love it. I love to cross train in different sports so that things don't get into a rut. I hate it when I start to get back into a training schedule and it seems that things are going on a traditional schedule. I like to live life with a change.

Looking back I have made some bad changes in my running routine. I am going to get back into running and remember why I did it and that is for my health. I have so much to look forward to in the future and I want to be able to be there to see it.

I have not trained properly for the Chick marathon but I know I will be able to finish. I am going to run Galloway style but I am not sure what ratio I am going to do. This is going to be my first marathon that I do Galloway style so I am kind of curious how it is going to be at the end. I am not nervous about finishing but how I am going to feel the next day. Normally it would take me several days after a marathon before I even thought about running again. Well I have a 50K race coming up in 3 weeks so I need to continue running and not take a break after Chick.

2 weeks until Chick

I have 2 weeks to go until I run at Chickamauga. I have signed up for the half marathon but I am going to change it. I have decided to run the marathon. I know this is crazy with the little running I have gotten lately but I think I can do it. Mandie is going to be taking photos so I decided to change so I would have something to do. If I had to stand around, I thought I might as well just run more miles. I know it crazy but thats is what I am.

HELLO

Yes, I am still alive with more to come later. For now, it is time to get back to running.

Looking at Chick

Chickamauga, that is. This is going to be my next HM that is on my list. I signed up for this one hoping to maybe work on my PR. I have not done much since finishing the TRI last weekend. I set my alarm clock this morning to go run and I overslept. BOOOO!!!!!

I am going to start back running at least 5 days a week with my long runs on the weekend. I am going to try and run it someone under 2:18. Yes, I said it and now it is on the table. That is the only way I will get faster. I have to dedicate myself to get out there and go.

This weekend I joined some of my TRI friends for a bike stroll. We headed out on our Sat. morning ride and turned it into a 3 county tour. No this is not turning into a Gilligan's Island song but it would be funny. We finished up with 38 miles at a 16 mph average. I have not been that far in the saddle in a long time. It was very fun and I can not wait until I do my next century ride. But for now, I have about 6 weeks to get ready for Chick.

Vidalia Onion Sprint TRI race recap

On an early morning of Saturday 19th, I was awake by 4:00 a.m. I slept with my watch on so I could keep up with the time. I could not sleep worth a hoot because of my nerves. I had alot of things going through my mind. Did I remember to bring everything, do I have the right drinks, do I have the right gels and food? My stomach was now in knots. I was about to loose everything I had from the night before. But I had to be strong and just suck it up and go on with my race day practices.

We were dressed and ready to go downstairs and eat. I had a 1/2 bowl of cereal before throwing it in the trash. Then I got a cup getting ready to pour some coffee and Kenny said "Tim, you are going to drink coffee before the race?" Then I thought I did not know what I doing. So I got some juice and a banana with some pop tarts. Now I really wanted to puke. Kenny's parents were sitting with us telling us that they were nervous for him. I was glad I was in the same company with bad nerves.

Well by now we were loaded up and ready to head out to the race. It was a dark and humid morning. I was hoping the rain would hold off for us and thankfully it did. We got the race site around 6:00 a.m. and I had to put on my head lamp so I could see everything. Off to the packet pickup tent for my goodies. I received my packet and I had to change it from Clydesdale to Novice. The director asked me if I really wanted to change due to the low number of us big folks. She told me that I would have a better chance of placing. I quickly told her that I did not care about placing but I just wanted to survive.

Now it was off to body marking. That was so cool. I have always wanted my numbers put on me. I actually stopped and thought, I am going to actually do this. It is now or never. I went back to get my bike and checked my tire pressure. A little bit of air in the tires and now heading to the transition area. Mandie was wanting to be so helpful and carry things for me but I refused to let her help. I wanted to do everything on my own. I entered into the transition area and only athletes could enter. I thought that was cool. I found out where my rack was at and started to place my transition area out on the ground. It was still a little damp out so I started with my towel. Next it was my running shoes with my bib number under them. Then I put my bike shoes down with my socks in them. I put my helmet down with the straps over the sides and my sunglasses inside it. I had some bottles with water and gatoraide. The water was for cleaning my feet before putting the socks on. I was now ready.

Now it was time to walk around and listen to everyone. Note, I was listening and not talking. I was very nervous. I wanted to cry and puke at the same time. Nerves were flying. Thanks to everyone for trying to make me feel better. The gun went off and the first wave was off. OMG it is now to late to turn around. 2nd wave in, 3rd wave in, 4th wave in and now it is time for us novice peps. Now my heart rate is somewhere over 2,000.

In the water and we are off and racing. Instantly my right foot is cramping up. I am swimming freestyle up to the 50M mark. I was hitting someones foot and kicking someones hand. Then I heard someone flying up beside me. He had a late start. I got out to the 100M mark and noticed the swimmer beside me is now panicking. I did not know what to do. I am not trained in water rescue. The boat looked far away. So I continued on and for a moment it looked like he was getting back on track. Later I found out they had to help him out of the water. I started thinking this could be me. I have to continue strong. Continue on, go forward and just go at a smart pace. I started to swim on my side and I was drifting off so the I started to swim doggie paddle. It might have been slow but it worked.

I MADE IT THROUGH!!!!!!!!

I was now out of the water and heading to T1.

14:17.9 Time 227 Place 2:04 Transition


Now I am on the bike and loving life. I made it through the hardest thing in my life. I was out on the bike course and around mile 1 I started to see some of my friends. They were cheering for me and screaming "You're on the bike!!!!!!" I was smiling from ear to ear. I can now relax and have fun. I was cheering everyone I passed and encouraged everyone to do good and have fun. When I got about a 1/2 mile out, I decided to take my feet out of my shoes and place them on top of my shoes and pedal in. A biker came around me and said to me "Dude, that is so cool. I wish I would have thought of that". Thanks to YouTube for showing me how to do it. I came in from the bike and ran into T2.

42:01.0 Time 127 Place 48 sec Transition

Now it is time to go out on the run. I heard them announce that Tom Adrian had just finished and I thought I can wait until I hear my name. I headed out with my race number bib on. My legs were starting to cramp up. I was in pain but I was going to run out through the crowd. I wanted to look like a champion. The run started out going straight uphill. It was an out and back then another out and back to the finish. I caught up with Samantha and we ran together. It was cool running with her knowing we were going to become triathletes together. Gen finished up and came back to get us. It was the 3 of us for the last mile. I could not remember everything going through my mind at the this point. We reached the top of the hill and I told Sam to go ahead because she deserved to finish first. She then told me no and lets finish together. I agreed and told her lets go cause it is downhill from here.

THE FINISH LINE IS NEAR AND I CAN SEE SOME OF MY FRIENDS LINING THE COURSE AND GIVING ME HIGH FIVES. THIS IS AWESOME. I FINISHED.


I am now a triathlete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I would like to say a big thank you to all that helped me get through this huge battle: Kenny, Stefanie, Sam, Gen, Joe, Dorene, Jason, Steve, Sam, Tom, Sarah and to all who have said those little prayers after reading my blog.

Most of all I have to give a huge and special thank you to a wonderful and caring person who has put up with a lot of crazy days and nights while I have been training. She has helped me with my coaching while walking up and down the shores while I tried to swim. She has taken the pictures for me so I know I will have lasting memories after the race. But most of all for being the best mother and wife she could be, Mandie. I love you very much.

Check one more off the bucket list

Yesterday was a huge milestone that I was able to go to it, go through it and conquer it. I was able to become a triathlete. I completed the Vidalia Onion Sprint TRI. It was a 400M swim, 12 mile bike and a 5K run. I am still very sore in my legs and getting ready for a road trip to Kennesaw for a birthday party so this week I am going to try and post a descriptive report of the race. I am still smiling this morning when I look at my arms and legs cause i can still see my numbers. They might wash off this week but the memories of becoming a triathlete will never fade away. Thank you to all my friends and family that helped me overcome this hurdle. I did not ever think I could through this journey.

Please pass me the trash can

In less than 24 hours, I hope to report back that I completed my first TRI. I went out on Wednesday night and swam my last open water swim. I was able to complete a complete 400M with no stopping. I was able to complete it in just under 13 minutes. This is a huge hurdle for me to get behind me. Now I know that I am able to do it.

Right now my stomach is in knots. The only thing I can think about is tomorrow. I was in a minor wreck this week and I don't even wan to think about being sore. I just want to play in my mind exactly what i am suppose to do tomorrow. I have everything ready to go. When I get home tonight, Mandie told me that I need to lay everything out and simulate a transition to make sure I have everything.

This is why I love her soooooooo much. With everything she has going on in her life, she is able to still think of things to help with me. This is going to be a great weekend. I will able to call myself a Triathloner and it is going to be Mandie's birthday. I cant wait until my next post so until then have a great weekend.

6 more days and counting

As I sit here and think about this weekend, I am also thinking about what I have conquered. I have the ability to look at a goal, set my schedule and go for it. I thought I would never sign up for a triathlon. I am not a great swimmer and I always thought these kind of races would be left up to the pro athletes. Well not cause that is why I am doing it.

When I took up running, I had a lot of people tell me that marathons were only for fast people, skinny people or people with training. I took that into consideration and started training. Now I look back and laugh when people say "You run marathons and ultra-marathons?".

Well I gladly and proudly look them in the eyes and say "YES I do". I have a type of personality that does not accept defeat. If I am told that I can not do it, it pushes me forward more to take on the challenge.

I found out that there is going to be a duathlon at Vidalia when we are doing the TRI. They are going to start about 10 minutes after we start. My wife told me that I should be doing that cause I know I could do it. I told her that is why I am not doing it. I am doing the TRI to push myself forward to challenge myself to do something I thought I could never accomplish.

A bucket of nerves

I have not posted since last week due to being very busy. I have one week to go before my TRI. I can not take any more pressure right now. My stomach is in knots. I am very nervous about the whole event. I am stepping out of my comfort zone and going into fresh water, no pun intended.

I ran in the 5K yesterday, Camp Little Shot, and I love this race. It is made up of 4 hills and very little flats. I tried to take it easy and use it for a training run. I ran it in 28:32. I tried to keep my splits even or at a negative split. I have not looked at my watch yet. I tell you that this TRI is the ONLY thing on my mind right now.

I have to give a special shout out for my friend Kenny for breaking 30 minutes for the first time in a 5K and receiving 3rd place in his age group.

I have been swimming so much lately that I think I should be able to grow gills and fins by now. It is slowly getting better but it is something that will have to take time over the winter. I went yesterday and bought a sprint TRI suit to help me stay a float. I tried it out today and it really does help. If nothing else, it helps me with my confidence.

Labor Day Road Race recap 2009

Today was a great day for a run. Last night I put out everything that I was going to need so that I would not have to think about and leave out something. Well I did,

My timing chip. OPS. Luckily we dont live far from the race and my lovely wife went back home and got it for me. I went out for my warm up run while she went back home and got it for me. Steve asked me to go out and warm up together. He told me that normally he does not warmup by running. I told him that to me it does make a difference.

I got a chance to see some old friends today before the race. It is times like that make it all worth the wait.

I had some bad jitters before the race. I have been training for this race for a while. Track workouts, long Sunday runs and many maintance runs through out the week.

And today it was going to be over. I was shooting for a new PR of something below 26:37

I got a 26:40. Yes I could have gone faster but I did not. I probably could have shaved off about 10 seconds but I did not. I had fun today. If someone would have told me that I was that close, I would have gone faster.

2 weeks to go

Today was another open water swim and yes once again I did not do good. I am so sick and tired of these **** panic attacks when I get in the open water. I just an e-mail to the folks at the Onion TRI about the race and I asked them about how many boats will they have in the water and how far apart. I am very nervous about this while thing now.

I AM HAVING SECOND THOUGHT.

SOMETHING BETTER CLICK SOON OR ELSE THIS WILL BE MY FIRST DNF!!!!!!!!!

Questioning myself

Last night I had high hopes of going to Lake Tobo and getting some swim time in. I had dropped my little buddy off at Awana and had about an hour before having to pick him up. So off to the lake I went.

When I got there I stopped at the front gate and I was told that the beaches were closed and no one was allowed to swim. They had an experienced diver that went diving this summer by himself and drowned. She told me there were on lifeguards on duty and I could not go. Then she told me to go ask the officers. So I went into their office and told them I was training for a TRI and asked if I could swim on the beach area in the shallow end so I could work on my breathing and sighting. He told me to go ahead that there should be no problem.

So I quickly changed clothes and jumped into the cold water. I was the only vehicle down there for about 5 minutes when I looked up and what do I see. Another vehicle pulled up right beside mine and 4 males sat in it and did not get out. I did not go back under the water. I looked like I was practicing my stretches and sighting. I kept looking back to see what was going on.

I could not concentrate. I was very mad. I did not know what they were up to. Maybe they just wanted to watch me and learn, yeah right. I could not stand it any longer. So I left. I went home pissed off cause it was just another day of failure for me. I did not need this. I need more days of improvement both physically and mentally. Maybe I jumped into this too quick. Maybe I should have gotten some more training time under my belt before attempting this. Maybe I should just say that I have a fear of open water and could come up with a million excuses to not do this.

Well I just have to do it. I was once told if I were afraid of heights, to go sky jumping. Well I am not going to that extreme so I went flying in a plane. Now I am more relaxed when I do it. Maybe just maybe something will click for me in the next week so that I will be able to do this stupid race. I am just mad with myself because I have seen the videos and listened to everyone on what to do. I just have a problem when I try and do it. I don't know what it wrong. Well for now, I am taking today off from reality and getting back into the pool tomorrow morning. Until then, please pray for me and call the Coast Guard and have them on stand by.

The nerves are kicking

Last night we went to the track for our last workout before the Labor Day race. I am so ready for this race. I originally had a goal of getting in the 26 range but now my current PR is 26:37.

Last night we did 3-1 mile repeats to determine how we might finish on the race. It is mostly downhill, if you are doing the 5K like me. It was nice cause the temps were in the mid 70's with a cool breeze.

Lap 1: 8:30
Lap 2: 8:25
Lap 3: 8:17

If I am able to keep this pace through out the race, I should be able to finish some where in the mid to upper 25 range. If this happens, it will be the shot heard around the world. I always thought it would be awesome to finish a race with those times but I never thought I had a chance.

I will be somewhat glad when this is over so I can train entirely on the TRI. I am going tonight for an open water swim at Lake Tobosofkee and swim around the beach area. I am still having some issues with my breathing technique. It seems when I turn my head, my mouth opens and I forget to take a breath. Stupid. You cant keep going if you don't breath. I now that it will come to me but I wish it would come sooner so I could get rid of this stupid butterflies. I hope to be able to complete a practiced 400 before the actual race and feel comfortable both mentally and physically. I am having the same mental issues I had when I did my first marathon and I pray they will pass.

New sports

I think I got to a point where running to me became less of a sport and more like work. And so that is why I took some time off. I know that I have an important race coming up on Monday, but I know that I will do my best and I will be happy with it.

Tonight I went out with my buddy from work Kevin, and ran with him. He is helping his wife run a Galloway program to get ready for the Donna 26.2 race in Jacksonville Fl in Feb. It had been a while since I ran ratios but it brought back a lot of memories. I really needed this run tonight. I have been some what out of the saddle for a while.

Yesterday brought a lot of fun during church and afterwards. Austin graduated from K-5 and went to 1st grade. The church had a program where they line up the kids in front of everyone and give them new bibles. I am so proud of him. He loves his Sunday School. After church we loaded up the truck and went to Lake Juliette for some swimming and eating. I was able to get in about 250M worth of swimming and before I got out, I asked Stef to watch me for a minute. I leaned over, put my face down in the water and started swimming like I am suppose to do. She said I was doing it right and I just needed to work on my breathing. I think that was a big accomplishment for me to get my form down like it is suppose to be. I am going to the pool this week to work on form and breathing.

I am slowly progressing forward with this whole TRI idea and I am not looking back. I know that it takes time to perfect anything you do and I will only get better in time. Sometimes you just have to go back in order to go forwards.

Have a great day and if you see a big fat kid splashing around in a pool, just tell me hello.

The week in review

Sunday- swimming at Lake Juliette or trying not to down
Monday- swimming at The Wellness Center
run with my friend Kevin and his wife
Tuesday- track workout 5x400's with a slow jog in between laps
Wednesday- 26 miles on the bike and turned my fastest time so far averaging 17.2 MPH
Thursday- swimming at Wellness Center
Friday- OFF
Saturday- training swim at Vidalia at the TRI site
rode the 12 mile course averaging 18 MPH



As you can tell, I am trying my best to get ready for the triathlon. I initially had big goals set up for the Labor Day road race but that is in the back of my head now. I am liking the new sport cause it makes me work my whole body and not get STUCK on just working on one thing. If you don't know me, I like a good challenge and I don't like to settle for a par level.

I am really having a big problem with the open water swim. I just thought I knew how to swim. I have been watching videos, listening to lectures and looking at lots of pictures to try and get down the right technique.

So far it is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I have not happy with myself. I keep saying the wring things. Putting myself down. Saying I am a failure that this will not happen. Telling myself I am going to drown when I put my face in the water at which messes up my swim when my legs fall down. I AM SO TIRED OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!


WELL NO MORE.


I AM GOING TO TELL MYSELF EVERYDAY THAT I WILL FINISH EVEN IF I AM IN LAST PLACE. I WILL FINISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I have so many friends like Kenny and Stefanie that are working with me to try and help me to get better with my techniques. They are even telling me that they will drag me out of the water if that will help. Well it probably will if you eat your Wheaties :o)

To sum up this post, I am not going to give up cause I have so much to gain with my friends, family and memories. So if you see me post something and it is nothing but a quote, you will know that I have not given up.

Thank you to everyone.

Open water swim

Today I went to Lake Juliette for my first open water swim. I have not been able to swim for a week and a half since I had my eye surgery. I met Kenny, Stef and Sam at the Lake and Mandie and Austin went with me this time. We had stopped by McDonald's on the way so that I could have a little food in my system for the swim. I did not want to be in the water and start thinking about food instead of swimming. So I kept it light with a small cheeseburger and fries. I have read about drinking carbonated drinks is a no no before swimming so I got an unsweet tea.


Well, by now my nerves are going crazy. Here is the water and I have to swim how far. Last week it did not look that far. I guess that was because I was not doing it at the time. I told Kenny and Sam to go ahead and I would go in a few minutes. I did not feel comfortable about the long swim. I told Stef that I was going to try and stay near the shore line in case I get tired. So off I went and it was not pretty. I was trying all the strokes I could possibly think of and it was killing me. I made it about 100M before I had to take a break on the shore. By this time my arms were starting to get sore. I thought it was going to be easier than want I was making of it. I was wrong. I was not happy with myself. I told Stef that I wasted enough time and it was time to try and go back. So off we went. OMG did someone move the shore. I really need some more time in the pool for training.

We got back and I took a break. My arms were killing me. I was so ready to get out of the water and go riding or running. There are some buoys in the water to tell people about boats need to watch for people and they are in a triangle layout/ It looks like a small TRI set-up. So after a little rest, we swam around them to practice working on sighting and turning. It was fun to see what it is like during the race. I was somewhat mad and embarrassed about not being able to swim the entire distance tonight but my wife reminded me that I did not run marathons overnight. I really hate it when she is right. I now have about 3 and a half weeks to get ready so it is going to be a busy month.

I am going to try and go the pool in the morning before work and work on my stroke. I hope to get over the open water phobia soon so that I can get ready. Until then, it is time to for me to wake up Sponge Bob.

I have totally lost......

If you know me you could probably answer this statement with so many different statements. But today I have the correct answer..... my mind cause I just signed up for my first TRI.

YES IT IS TRUE

Today I went out with Stef, Kenny, Samantha and one of her friends from the base and we went to Lake Juliette for some swimming and running. Well they went into the water and I had to walk around the edge of the Lake. Since I had my eye surgery I am not allowed to get into the lake until 2 weeks. At least I can get back into the pool in 1 week. 5 more days and then it is time to start practicing my flipper skills. I guess this week will be working on my running times and stamina cause I still have the Labor Day race to participate in and try and shoot down my old PR times.

Well like I said in the beginning, The Vidalia Onion Sprint TRI in on Sept. 19. There are some others that are from the Bike Club in Warner Robins that are going to enter also. The swim is the only thing I am concerned with since that is not my strong attribute. The bike and run I should not have any problems with as long as I still breathing after the swim.

So for the next few weeks I am going to concentrate on getting my swimming better so if you have any extra prayers, please send them my way. Have a great week.

I can see clearly now......

This is a name of a song but it is how I feel now. I have had some issues lately on what to do but now things are alot clearer. I would like to say thank you to alot of people who have helped me get through some of my decisions.





1. What to do about my running? I will continue to train and run as hard as I possibly can without disrupting the balance of runner and daddy/husband.





2. What to do about training for a TRI? I have joined the Wellness Center and it allows me to swim in the morning before I go to work. Last week I was able to swim 400M on my back. It might have been not very fast, but I was able to get through it.





3. To have Lasic surgery or not? Well for this question you will have to continue to read for a while.





















Yes that is me on a table in the doctors office. I would first like to say a big thank you to Dr. Matkins. He is first class. His staff made me feel like I was at home during me visit.

I went to the doctors office yesterday after Mandie left from her doctors appointment for her back. Surprisingly our doctors were only 3 blocks away. I was only in the office for about 5 minutes before I was called back to start my visit. I had a traditional visit in his office. Looking at my eyes, putting drops in them and trying to read charts. During the visit, they kept telling me that they were surprised that I was able to see with my glasses because they were too strong.

WWWWWHHHHHAAAAATTTTT????????

I could not believe what I was hearing. My glasses were too strong. I knew the doctor told me on my last visit that my vision had gotten a little better but I did not know how good it really was. I was totally shocked. They were still telling me that my vision was not as bad as I thought it was.

The nurse asked me how long I had thought about having the surgery and I told her about 2 to 3 years. Then she asked me if I could have it, when would I do it. I asked her "What time do yall close up tonight?" I guess she thought I was joking but I was not. She then went down the hallway and got some papers for me to sign. It was the papers for the surgery.

Oh Snap, it is really happening. I am going to have the surgery. No turning around now. The papers are signed and now it is time to talk with the surgeon and get it on.

Now I am beginning to sweat and get very nervous. The nurse brought me some Valium to help calm me down but I think it was nothing but a salt tablet. It did not help cause I felt like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I was talking about everything trying to get my mind off of it.

Now she came in with the goody bag and booties to put on my feet and head. OMG, here we go. Off to new vision. I was asked to lie down on the table while Mandie sat at the glass door and watched it on the monitor. They started putting numbing drops in my eyes and a patch on my left eye so they would do the right one first. The nurse let me hear the laser first and it sounded like a jack hammer going off. It scared the **** out of me when I heard it. I was not expecting it to be loud.

Now the doctor came in a said lets go. As he was placing tape on my eye lids and placing medal spreaders in my eye, I asked him if my eyes were completely numb. He then grabbed what looked to be a metal hook from a dentist office and was moving my eyeball around. YES it sounds terrible but I did not feel anything. Thank you Lord for pain pills and eye drops.

19 seconds in my right eye while the nurse did a count down for me so it would calm me down. The worst part of it was when he lifted my corina up and he told me I was not going to be able to see for about 4 seconds. Everything went through my mind if I could not see again. But then it came back. Now it was time for the left eye. Same story but only 14 seconds for the left one.

Then he peeled off the tape and the nurse helped me to me feet. I walked back to the exam room for a check up and then I began to sweat very badly. I then began to feel a little queezy on my stomach and asked him if he could wait a minute because I was not feeling good. He asked me if I was going to pass out and I told him no that my stomach was just upset. Before I knew it, he grabbed an ammonia inhalant, put it under my nose and laid me back. I was about .25 seconds from passing out. The nurses were fanning me , one of them went and got a box fan and Mandie went to get me a Sprite to drink. I was so embarrassed. Here it is that I am a Paramedic but my nerves got the best of me.

After about 10 minutes had passed, I was able to sit up and finish the exam. Dr. Matkins said it was normal for people to get sick from the nerves calming down and I was not the first to do this. He then shut the door and asked me a favor. I said sure what can I do for you?

He said "There is a client next door and she is thinking about having the surgery but she heard everything that happened in her and she is scared. She thought you were in pain. Can you tell her if you had any pain?" I told him lets go talk with her. I told her that there was no pain and I just got sick from my nerves.

Mandie drove me home where it felt like my eyes had sandpaper in them. I continued to put drops in them to make them feel better.

Today I went to the doctor here in Macon and he told me that my eyesight is now 20:15. He was also a TRI athlete and he told me not to swim in a pool for a week and not to swim in open waters for at least 2 weeks. This is going to be tough for me to try and get ready for the Sept event. I am going to conitnue to get ready to see if I can do it but if not, there will be others.

Just call me Daddy......

If you have done anything for a long time, you will understand that sometimes you just have to start over to get better.

I found that out about 5 months ago when I asked Sam to help me get stronger, smarter and faster. I have and I will truely be in his debt for the help, knowledge and friendship I have now. I have seen a big progress in my running ability and I want to go further with it. Just not right now. I have jump into new waters and I think I like it. I want to try to finish a TRI.

I was told tonight that I have been spending too much time away from my little buddy and it is so true. I can look at him now and see how much he has grown. I just need to take a little break and just be called Daddy.

Jim Herring recap

Today was a day for me to remember for a long time. Long days and lots of long, hard hours were put into a great run today. Today was the annual Jim Herring 5/10K run in Centerville Ga.

I have put many hours of training into preparation for today's race. I have put a lot of things on the back burner. I have missed out on doing normal stuff like an every day person would do. So what do I get out of all this.

Well I will tell ya

It was not a sub 60......

It was not a sub 59.......

It was a sub 58 at 57:53

It is called a new PR on a 10K course that was very humid and hot!!!!!!!


I had decided to go out with a preplanned time on each mile split and I was on track through miles 1,2 and 3. That is where I think I got into pace-lock. I tried to go faster but my HR was climbing the roof. I then decided to continue at my pace and settle for a new PR but not what I had told everyone I was shooting for. Yes I know it sounds crazy, but that is me.

I would like to give a big shot out to my friend Stef who ran her first 10K today. It was kind of strange that she has run all other distance races including a marathon but had not run a 10K.

Lots of people today got new PR's. I guess it just goes to show that you do get out of life for what you put into it.

I am now going to lie down and get some much needed rest.

Man I am tired

Week recap: Monday 1 1/2 mile practice run with my friend who is trying meet qualifying times
Tuesday 6 mile KILLER track workout and swimming afterwards
Wednesday 19 mile bike ride with my friends
Thursday 3.1 Tempo run in the 90 plus degree heat and missed my race
PR by only 45 seconds

Tomorrow I am taking a break to get prepared for Saturdays Jim Herrin 10K road race. I hope to be able to write back and have news of a new PR of something in the 58 range.

I found out today that I am going to join our Wellness Center so that I will have a place to train on running, weights and a pool. YYYEEEESSSSS!!!!!!!

Just run...

I have had some time this weekend to think and talk with friends about this subject. I know you think you would look at my title, Paramedic Marathoner, and you would not think I would have problems with running. Well it is true.

I think I just started thinking of running in a sense of working. Well it is time to get up and run. Let me look at the chart and see what there is to do today. NOT!!!!!!!

I am not going to put myself in these shoes anymore. This does not mean I am not going to follow my schedule and try to improve on my PR. This only means that if I get out there to run a tempo run and I feel like crap, than I am just going to run what I can and be proud of being out there. I am no longer going to bet myself up and down. I am runner. We have good and bad days.

I have missed some days lately due to having my uncle's estate sale and I have logged in some long days with it but now it is time to get ready for Jim Herrin 10K. This is the 10K where I broke the hour mark for the first time so I hope I wake up Saturday morning with lots of energy. I am going to try and push myself to beat my PR time by at least 1 minute.

So as far as my running goes, I will continue to run and strive for new goals so that I become a better runner, but ultimately I am going to strive to become a better athlete.

My Birthday

Yes, today is my birthday and what am I going to do today you may ask? Well it is going to be sitting at home with my little buddy who woke up this morning throwing up. He said his legs hurt from staying out last night and playing with Monica's dog. I have been watching cartoons and just got through watching the Irongirl TRI on NBC. My friend Stefanie was in it. I saw myself on TV in one of my spots where I was taking pictures.

Lately I have had some issues of running. I for some reason don't know why I don't want to just go run. I have to tell myself that I need a reason to go run. What happen to me??? I normally can just go to the track or wherever and run. I knew what I needed to do for the day and just went and did it. Now I don't know whether or not I want to run, bike or try some more on swimming. Is this normal for people to go through? Some days I want to run and then some days I could care less about going out and pushing myself to the limit.

When I first started running with team POD, I was excited about the improvement I was making. So what happened? Now it is like well I guess I am going to go run. I don't know if I am going to ready to run the Labor Day race that I wanted to possible PR. Heck I cant even push myself to go run and easy day. How can I push my body to go to the limits when I cant even get my butt off the sofa.

I hope this is just another passing problem. This last week I had to put a lot of things on the back burner. We had my uncle's estate sale this weekend and we are all tired. It takes a lot of work to pull these things out. Maybe now I can get my mind and body back into a routine. This Saturday is the Jim Herrin 10K where I wanted to bust my PR by about 1 to 2 minutes. I hope I can still do this.

Until later, I hope yall have a great week.

MIBM recap

Well, it is another race that has been placed in my record books. Alot of ups and downs during this event. When I got there, I had eaten some PB&J's for supper. I told Mandie before the race that I might try and go for the win tonight. If I got into trouble I was at least going to get 1st place in the men's division. I was going to put into use what I have been learning from RC.

Time 8:12 and quick time for some pre-race pictures and then it was off and running. I tried to play it conservative and just learn the course at first while we still had some light. Andrew did a good job with putting out the directional signs with glow sticks on them. I was running with a map and trying to remember trees at the times where we should turn but then when it gets dark, you cant see the trees.

Lap 1 was about 51 minutes of heat and hills. For the entire 13.1 miles, there is about .3 miles of flat roads. The rest is nothing but HILLS. I was feeling good but had to make a pit stop to the potty which took me about 3 1/2 minutes. Then it was to pick up some fluids and get back on the road. I met up with a gentleman by the name of Andy. I think he said he was from Ft. Walton FL. We would run downhills and flats and walk most of the uphills. We talked alot about the course and just running stuff. It was then I decided to try and talk to most of the runners tonight to try and met some new friends. I was going to have a good run but most of all I was going to have fun.

Lap 2 was about 58 minutes but I was feeling good except for the friction burn where I forgot to put some body glide. I was asking for some Vaseline and could not find any but then I found some Gold Bond lotion in my truck and used it. OMG it burned. I should just have run with out. It was in for a quick splash for water and power aide and then off for the final lap.

Lap 3 was about 50 minutes and now I was through. The finish line was some glow sticks laid across the road with glow sticks curved into a ball. My wife was there to get photos of hot and sweaty tired runners. My legs were feeling good but I was glad to be finished. When I went past the aid station at mile 11, I grabbed a water bottle to help me get through the heat. I passed Deb Botkin about a half mile later and she did not see the station. I stopped and went back to give her my water bottle and we had the general discussion " No you take, no you take it". I then told her to take so that it would make me run faster knowing that I have to make it back to the finish line to get fluids.

Well I did it with a time of 2:35:42. It was not a PR night but a great night to run with new and old friends. I did finish 1st in the men's division and missed 1st overall by 2 minutes. Yes 2 minutes and I could have won. Oh so close but no cigar.

I was able to met some more Marathon Maniacs. # 107 Dave I believe was his name from Florida, there was a guy there who once ran a 50K warm up before running the 50K route and one man was there from Florida. We had a coast to coast running community last night. Also Donna from the Macon Tracks club was there to finish her 1st marathon with a time of about 7:52. It was a hard course to run the first. I picked a much easier course to do my first one. Donna my hat goes off to you.

A special thanks to Andrew for putting on another great and fun race. Also I would like to say thank you to his wife for allowing me to jump in there shower to cool off and put some dry clothes on. Thank you to the gentleman for telling me and Andy that we almost missed our turn on the course. We were talking and almost missed one of the signs. It is another one to put in the books and I will looking to do this one again next year.

Well here we go......

I think I have finally gone CRAZY!!!!!!!!

I for some reason have decided to try and train for a Sprint TRI.

YES, I SAID IT

I went today and bought some Nike eye goggles that are a little larger than the normal goggles. I googled and some people said they help give you more visibility than the normal ones. I am going to go to the pool next week and see how I like it before I make any final decisions. I am very nervous about this. It is kinda of funny cause I was not this nervous running my first marathon. I am treading into new waters.

I have an instructional video on the proper way to swim and I was doing it the wrong way the whole time. I just want to be able to swim the 1/4 mile and not drown. I can swim enough to get by but I want to be able to exit the water relaxed enough to keep going and have fun with it.

Any help or pointers would be very helpful. I am willing to take any help to get me through this. I only have about 5 weeks to get ready. If not I will probably have to wait until next year to give it a try.

Tomorrow night I will be at the Make It By Midnight Half-marathon. It is a race that is through a HILLY neighborhood. Last year was the first year for the race and I hope to CRUSH my time from last year. I thought about doing the full but I am just going to try and beat my PR on the half. Then I am planning on running about 6 miles Sunday morning and then going for a 37 mile bike ride.

More later as I try and come back to the computer.

Tempo run complete

YES, I DID IT!!!!!!





I completed my first complete tempo run. I have tried before in the past to do one or two but just never really had it in my heart to do it. I don't know why it just seemed like it was one of the workouts that I need to do. So just go do it.





Well I finally did it.







I was not sure at first how I would do but it finally hit when I was trying to help a friend met his goals. I was putting down some figures on paper and it finally hit me like a left hook. My tempo run speeds are less than I do on a race and less the time. YO STUPID that is what you are already running. So I decided to go the track last night and try it out. And it worked.

Grasshopper, Amy, went and ran her MP while I ran my tempo pace. She was talking to me the whole time to try and get my mind off of it. Well it worked. And I was actually talking back and started talking back to her. I could not believe it when I looked down and saw the times getting faster. My target HR was in the limits of where it should have been.

When we got through, we went out to run my cool down mile lap and Amy asked me what my time should be. I told her that it was normally around 11 and she laughed. She asked if we could pick it up and little bit. So off we went and averaged at 9:37 with a HR at 152.

WOW, WOW and WOW. I still cant believe I did it. I cant wait until track workouts tonight to see what I can do now.

Report from the Bragg Jam

Home recovering from the race and I can say it was not a PR course. I was upset with myself at first but now that I look back at it, what do I have to be mad at? I can tell that the hill workouts have paid off. The race had 2 big hills and I went up them, called them some names and then looked back and said goodbye.

The race started a little late at 9:15 but it was still somewhat humid. I went out for my prerace warmup and ran the course. When the race started I tried to watch my watch to make sure I did not go too fast. Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 8:52 HR 159

Mile 2: 8:48 HR 167

Mile 3: 8:50 HR 171

Last .08: 8:48 HR 175


I think I was about 2 seconds from passing out. I can honestly say I gave it my all. I did not get a PR but I did so much better on the hills.

Congrats to Michelle Archer and Sam for new PRs tonight. It was a hard course and the hard work has paid off for some people. I am still trying and hoping for cooler weather.

Resting before a race

This is totally different for me because I normally run in the early morning or when I get off from work. I am usually in bed by 9 at night but tonight I will be racing a t 9 o'clock. Yes at 9 at night in the pitch dark. I have done a race before in the dark and I did not place very well. I was constantly trying to look at the ground to see if I could see anything that I might trip over. Luckily tonight the race in on regular streets and I hope I don't have to worry about tripping up and falling.

I am up in the air about my time for this race. I want to try and PR but this course has 2 big hills in it. I hope that my hill training will pay off and help me to push my way to a new PR. The finish of the race is about .3 miles downhill right after you finish the second hill.

Well I am off to wash some cars and then sit back by the pool and rest up for my night race. I will try and get a race report tomorrow if all possible. Have a great day.

My first 1/4 Century ride

Tonight I ventured out into a new world. I decided to not run ( sorry RC ) but instead I laced up my bike shoes and went out for my first 25 miler. OMG I wished I would have done this sooner. I had sooooo much fun tonight. I will not lie and say it was easy because it was not. I can say it was just a great feeling to be back on a bike again.

I met up with Kenny and Stef at the Warner Robins bike store. There is a group of riders of all classifications that meet on Wed night and ride 25 miles. There is always someone to ride with the fastest person and one with the slowest person. No one gets left behind. I really liked that.

It was a challenge for me tonight. My legs were screaming, my muscles aching, sweat pouring off my head and then I put my other foot into the clip. Ha-Ha but really my body was put through the test. From my feet to my head and everything in between. My butt is so sore. I need some time in the saddle to get back used to it again.

I went 25.8 miles with an average speed of 15.28 mph and my fastest speed was 38.13 mph. The total time was 1 hour and 46 minutes. We had a couple of times that we stopped for a while. One rider feel down after being nearly attacked by a dog, we waited for Kenny while he helped others including me and just some times while we all gathered back together as a group.

Tonight was the first time I ever used clipless pedals. I was told to unclip a while before coming to a intersection and coast to a stop. I can say I was nervous about using them for the first time but I did good. I was nervous about riding tonight. I didn't want to mess up in front of a bunch of people that I have never meet before. I told Kenny that I did not know if I was more nervous tonight or when I ran my first marathon.

All in all I had a great time and I am so glad I went. I cant wait until I go again.

I GOT IT

I finally got it. Madone 4.5

The next thing is to learn how to swim better.

I have got clpis on it and now it is time to learn how to use them.

Getting ready for the Bragg Jam

Yesterday I went out and ran the Bragg Jam course. Michelle Archer went out with me so that someone could be there to push me through it. Normally I take Mondays off from running but today was different. I wanted to see how long the course was actually going to be and to see the hills.

And boy were there some hills. This is not a flat course. I don't think this will be a PR course. I am going to try and run negative splits. That is going to be my biggest goal so I can get it through my mind and run like that every time.

I got a chance to go to the bike store and look at my new bike. It is a Madone 4.5 and it is pretty. It is powder blue and white. I told the salesman just as long as it is not red and black. I am a GT fan and I could not be seen in something that is UGA colors. He got the bike out and put road clips on it for me to ride around the parking lot. It felt great. I feel in love with it. I asked him about clips, shoes, shirts and shorts, tires. I mean we talked about everything. I am brain fried. All I know is that I am going back today and picking it up. The only problem is that I am trying to find some shoes to fit my big footed self.

TIRED, enough said

This morning my alarm clock went off at 5:00 a.m. just like I set it. It was time for me to get up and go run my long run. I was not feeling good so I went back to sleep. I was having some cramps behind my left knee so I did not get a good rest. So I decided to go ahead and get up and head off to the loop. I made my peanut butter sandwich and sat down and thought about going back to bed.

BUT I DID NOT.

I got dressed and headed out to run. I was dressed and there was no turning back. I got there and noticed I was about 15 minutes late. I was going to run completely by myself. I wasn't sure how this was going to work.

I got about 1/2 mile and I saw someone running. YEAH, I thought it was going to be lonely. Then a big field rat came out of the grass beside me and then I realized I was not alone. Ha-Ha. I went out and started to see familiar faces going back to the cars and then it hit me, stupid you should have over slept. I could be running with everyone else.

I made it to the 1/2 point at 4.5 miles so I stopped at our water stop and got a drink.

BIG MISTAKE

Reminder to myself. Don't stop for long. Grab the water and go. Just like in a race the clock does not stop. My HR went down and so did the morale. Next time it will be a splash and go. So I was off to get back to my truck but I was not a fast or consistent on my journey back. But I did it. I made it back.

9 miles on my long run. My longest run in a long time. After running hills yesterday and my long run today, I am a little tired and sore. So off to bed I am going.

Hill workouts

Well I did it and I am glad I went. I was told to be there at 7:15 and I got there about a minute early to see that everyone else had just left on their warm up lap. I quickly gathered my stuff and went to join them. I only got about 1/3 mile out and everyone turned around so that everyone would run together.

Now that we are warmed up with the sun peeping through the tree tops, it is time to run some hills. Normally we have a small mud hole that we have to run around where David Tinkey's dogs sit but it was dried up. Instead there was a tractor there for us to run around. It was like passing someone in a race. I always try to picture myself in a race during everyone of my runs.

7 repeats today so that I can run more than I did the last time. I should keep my times around 2 minutes on my splits and that I did. I keep them around 2 minutes for most of the laps. Some of them got up to 2:05 but I was tired. It was now time for me to run my last lap and Sam said to put it on the line. And that I did.

Michelle asked me not to pass her but I could not resist. Off we went and I caught her around the 200M mark. We went around the tractor and I turned it on. I laid it out for the world to see. I struggled up the hill to the finish line with a time of 1:54.

Thank God by now it was over. I was spent. Now it was off for the cool down mile run. It was funny but we were still running hills on the cool down lap. I know that all this training will pay off when it comes time to hit the BIG HILL at Labor Day. I will be able to look back at it and say "That was not all that bad".

Shocked

I could think of alot of names for today's title but I think this was the best one. Lately I have had alot of things going on that has made my rethink about life. I did not know if I wanted to continue to run competitively or not until today. I have not been running long but I guess talking about running and somewhat knowing about some facts have paid off.

I WAS ASKED TO HELP SOMEONE RUN TODAY

Yes, I could not believe it myself. I have a friend who is trying to get a job but he has to pass a physical exam with a 1.5 mile run in a time of 12:59 or better. It has to below 13 minutes. I have been training for the Labor Day 5K and want to run it with a time of a sub 26. Well if I help my friend with his goal, it will help me with my goal. It is amazing how things just work out in the long run (or a short run).

I am going back to the hill workout to get back on track. I am starting to get a little nervous about my new goal because I thought someone who weighs 260 pounds could not run a race in the 25's. Well I am hoping to change my view and alot of others also. I want to show people that with a lot of training, you can reach your goals no matter what physical distractions you might think you have.

Well it is off to sleep to rest up for tomorrow. Have a great day.

Tempo runs

I have been on vacation this last week so I have not been running like I should have. I did manage to get 2 days in but that is just not enough. I missed out on Tuesday's track workout so I decided to last night to go for my first tempo run.

I am suppose to be running 20 minutes at a pace of 8:55. I was told since I have not done this before that I could break the runs into 2 10 minutes sessions until I get use to it. So it was off to the track to attempt my first run.

It was warm with the temps around 89 with no breeze. I decided to run a 5 minute run and then a 10 minute run. My first run was for 5 minutes at a 8:44 pace. I could not believe how effortlessly it came to me. I really thought I could go further. So I did.

The second run was for 10 minutes at a 8:38 pace which was a lot faster than what I was suppose to run. I have to run more of these to get my pace down like it is suppose to be at. I was pouring sweat but my HR was at 151 which is where it is suppose to be. It was actually in range. I could not believe it.

I DID IT!!!!!!

I really thought it was going to be something I was not going to accomplish. But then I thought about my last 5K run and I told myself it was like running a half 5 K at the same pace. So I did and it worked for me. I need to keep this up so that I can reach my goal of a sub 25 PR at Labor Day road race.

Packing up

I have had a wonderful week here in Panama City Beach. I had a chance this morning to end a great week by eating breakfast with my son on the balcony of the condo. We have played games, built sand castles, swam in the pools and eaten some great food.

I went out this morning for another 4 mile run and it was hot. It was 84 with 100 percent humidity. I had trouble breathing with snot flying everywhere. I have to get back into the routine of running more. I am just waiting on the cooler weather.

Well it is time to start packing for our road trip where tomorrow we leave from the West coast and head to the East coast of Fl and then to Savannah. It should take us about 7 hours but we are going to surprise Austin with a tour of the JCB plant. I called the PR of the plant and she is suppose to meet us and give Austin a wonderful surprise.

I will try and post some photos when I get home.

Happy 4th of July

I would first like to say THANK YOU for all that have served and are now serving for our country. I is an honor for me to say that I am very proud to be an American where we have so much freedom. I want to say Thank You to my grandfather for serving this great country and for surviving being a MIA during WWll.

I went out for a run this morning on the beach and got in 4 miles. I have not run much this week due to the mental anguish that I have been through. Every time I hit the floor, my mind started playing tricks on me. I got word last week that I was not sure if I was going to keep my job or not. I am still not sure what they are going to do with my hours if they are going to change them again or not. Any way enough of that cause I am on vacation in Panama Beach looking at the ocean.

When I went out this morning, I had to think really hard if I wanted to actually go or not. Well I went and got it over with.

YES, I GOT IT OVER WITH.

I don't like the sound of that. I am trying to get my mojo back into running. I hate the hot weather. I love running in the cold weather and not this sticky humid weather we have right now. Hopefully this will all pass and I can get back into the rhythm of things.

I hope I have not got you down during this wonderful holiday. Have a wonderful 4th of July and go celebrate.

Tired of the heat

It was early Monday morning and I got up for my run. I was still tired from walking around at the Iron Girl TRI at Lake Lanier. It was hot there and then the drive home was long. We stopped at Outback restaurant to have and early lunch and fell asleep in the truck in the parking lot. I am tired.

I tried to go out for an easy run and then tried to turn it into a MP run but I was unsuccessful. I got in about 3 miles, not my 4 miles that I was suppose to run. I looked at my monthly miles and I am up a little from last month and still have a couple of days to go. I took a week off and could have really wracked some miles but I had business to attend with.

I think I am getting better and faster but this heat is killing me. It is also killing my moral. It makes me want to say forget it and just wait until the winter but if I do that I will loose all the training that I have already accumulated. I will try and beat this weather but I have to do it a little wiser. I need to remember that hitting the times on my chart are for ideal weather temps. I am still trying to lose weight but I just love food. I am in the process of getting with some people that might be able to help me with my issues of food.

I had fun watching Stef this weekend at the race but this the first one I actually stood there and watched. I wanted to go out there and race. I hate to be behind the gates. I guess I am going to have to break down and buy me a bike and start training on my swimming.

TRIs, here I come, one day.

Relaxing at home

This week was nice because I started running before I go to work. It works better for me cause when I get home from work the temps are in the upper 90's and I can get in the pool.

Friday morning I got up a little earlier than usual to run my long run. I got in about 6.5 miles for my long run. Normally I get 8 to 9 but I was not sure if I was going to get in all the miles before having to go to work. It was extremely hot and humid at 5 a.m. I think when I got through that I had sweat dripping off of my finger nails. I tried to pick a good route to run so that I could have some lights to run under but it actually became a very HILLY route. So for the miles that I did not get in I made up for it in the hill workout.

Saturday morning my wife and I were going to Lake Lanier to watch my friend Stef run a triathlon. But I decided to get up a little early and go do my hill workout. 6 of the POD crew including myself met at the Children's home for a gruelling run. I got there and started warming up with a short 1/2 mile run and started to sweat. Then RC showed up and said "All right, lets go for a mile warm up". I thought I was already warm.

NOT!!!!!!

We went for a mile run with hills and had to run past a yard sale and I did not have my wallet with me. I saw some good bargains.

I told RC that I wanted to try and get out by 8:30 so he told me to get at least 2 more than I did last time. So today it was going to be 6 repeats on a 1/4 mile with a pace at 1:56.

1st lap: 1:56
2nd lap: 1:59
3rd lap: 2:03
4th lap: 2:03
5th lap: 2:06 ABOUT TO PASS OUT!!!!!
6 and final lap: 1:59 and finished to collapse to my knees to suck up any wind I could possibly find.

I got through and it was off to the house to shower and get on the road. We met up with Kenny and Stef a the motel before we went out for some good Japanese food and going to bike stores for clothes and for me to try and decide which kind of bike I want to buy. I think I decided on a road bike with some extra stuff to put on it. We went to a pizza place for supper and then some ice cream for dessert. Yum Yum. Now it is time to get to the motel for some sleep.

I would like to say a big yippe for Stef for doing a great race today. I will let her describe the race so I don't mess it up. Go to http://theprincessrunner.blogspot.com/ to read her recap.

Maybe next year I will be ready for a TRI. We will see.

Morning run

Today was my first day at running before work.

I like it very much. I went out for 3 miles and hit negative splits the whole time and nailed my pace and HR. When I came home I had time to jump in my pool and cool off before showering and going to work. It was so nice knowing that when I got home that I could do anything I wanted to do. I got a chance to work in my garden and yard work.

Tomorrow I am going on a different route and going to try for an easy 4.

Have a great day.

Busy week

This is going to be one of those post that has really nothing to do about running. I have been busy last week trying to move everything out of my Uncle's house in Alabama and working at work in the HEAT! I really hate the hot weather and it has put a hamper on my running. It should not but it has and I am the first to admit to it. RC is not going to be happy but I have to do things that take priority over everything.

For those of you that did not know, my uncle passed away a couple of weeks ago and left me in charge of the estate and paperwork. I have going back and forth to Alabama just about every other weekend. This weekend we finally got everything out of the house and the weekend of the 4th, we are going to go paint it and try and get it on the market to sale.

I just found out the my work hours have changed from 6:30 to 4:30 to now 7:30 to 5:30. I got mad at first but then I got to thinking. It has been hot while trying run in the afternoon so now I will have time to get up at my normal time in the morning and run at 5:15. That should give me ample time to run and get ready for work. Then we I get off, I will have time for the family.

PERFECT

Now NO more excuses.

A way to get free shoes!!!!

I was just looking at my friends blog and read that I have a chance at some free shoes.

http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/ is the site for Steve in a speedo. It is a cool site to read about an Ironman from St.Paul.

This is a new follower that I will keep up with.

A day of rest

Yesterday was a day of struggles. I tried to run my long run and failed. I was told to take today off and I am going to do it with pride. I am still on cloud 9 with a new PR on my 5K with an official time of 26:37. I never thought in 100 years that I would ever be in the 26 range. I thought that was only for fast people. I remember looking at a finish clock one day dreaming that it would be incredible if I ever came close to that dream. Well today's dream is a reality. I am living life in the fast lane and loving every moment of it thanks to hard work and encouragement from RC and others.

I went to the bike store Sat after the race to meet up with Kenny and Stef while Batman was getting his bike looked at and the bug bite me.OOOOWWWWWW

I need to get a new bike. I was looking at all the new ones on the market and my wife said go ahead. Oh no she should not have said that. I looked at the low end models of the carbon fiber bikes and they are about 2100.00 Then when you throw in shoes, clips, helmet ( oh I forgot I have one ) extras, it get expensive. I want to try and train for a Tri for next year if I can get my swimming better.

Well for now, I am just going to sit back and relax today because tomorrow RC will be sending me a new VDOT chart and I am probably going to pass out when I see it. Until then, have a wonderful day and live it to the max.

Taking it easy

I went out this morning to my normal Sunday run at the triangle. I got up about 1 1/2 hours prior to my run, ate my morning cereal and got dresses. Then I sat back down in my favorite chair and all my energy just feel out. I wanted to go back to bed but I did not. I went to the triangle.

When I showed up I was praying that no one would show up so I could go back home and go to sleep. But oh no, who of all people was standing right there but RC himself. Crap, there is no going home now. RC told me his wife was going to run today for the first time so he wanted me to pace her. He told me that I know that you are TURBO but you can slow it down this morning for her. I thought this would be ok but I could not keep going this morning. Well Robin, Mandy and myself headed out and Robin turned around at mile 2 getting 4 in. We continued to mile marker 3 and turned around. We started back when I told Mandy to go ahead cause I was not feelin good. My back was sore and my legs just did not feel like going any more. So it was off for a slow walk back to my truck.

On the way back I was passed by RC running back and I thought for sure I was going to be in trouble. He approached me and asked if everything was ok and I told him no and I was going to play it smart and walk back.

If you noticed on the right side of my post wall you will see that I joined Wellsphere blogger post. It is an organization of medical personnel who blog about everything. They responded to me and asked me to join them and I agreed. I was honored.