Why I Always Fear The Open Water

Another Ride and Good Day

I had to travel today for work and fortunately I was able to meet up with my buddy Scott on the way to Atlanta. Scott hosted me at his casa once again. He lives in what I call paradise. Trails and mountains (the eastern type) are out his front door, he has access to excellent roads with limited cars and of course the weather is usually warm.

With the time change, we both were able to have a full day of work and still get in a decent ride....

Out the door at 6pm and on the mountain for a few hours. I am really starting to like mountain biking. We started out on one tough climb. He kept warning me to take it easy, and I kept thinking this hill has to end sometime. It took us nearly 30 mins to reach the top. As with any hard ride up hill, you know it pays off once you are able to bomb down the descent. I wasn't disappointed on the way down other than the mud in the eyes! Lots of jumps, speed, and yes I am hooked on mountain biking.

All in all, this was another great day. Pic of his bike above (not actually his as I forgot the camera, but similar). I have been borrowing his other Maverick and that bike kick serious butt. I think its been a huge mistake riding it as I know I can't afford it!

So today was 1.5hour run in the early am watching the sunrise, and a 1.5 - 2 hour ride in the PM (we both forgot about time). Caveman ride.

Raccoon Mountain Ride

I was able to get out for a nice 4 hour ride over the weekend. Typically I am a road guy, but I may have been converted to mountain biking. Holy crap that was fun!

I met a good friend of mine halfway between Atlanta and Knoxville and we hit the trails. I enjoyed every minute of it, except for the huge bonk about 2 hours into it. I only had 1 water bottle, no food, and I was very un-prepared. I kept saying Chuck would be pissed. I remember a ride with him last year when one of the guys got dropped due to a big bonk (started out way too fast, and then couldn't ride hard to get home). Anyway, I wasn't with Chuckie, but thought I may have to spend the night on the trail!

Definitely a ride to remember, and thanks Scott for letting me borrow the bike!

Not my video, but at least some footage. I hope it doesn't make you sick.

Don't Call It A Comback...Yet

Well....I have decided to take the entire year off from Ironman racing. I do plan to continue to get fit with the help of Chuckie V. Not on a full-time basis though. He has a great plan that anyone can follow...check it out. It's quite simple, but for the time being it will work for me. This is not to say Chuckie and I are parting ways. It's quite the opposite. When I am ready, I know he is there to make me a monster. I have been going through a lot this year both personally and professionally, and I just know that my plate is full. This is not to say, I won't race at all. I may drop in a few here or there.

I have lost a ton of fitness, I haven't been able to focus on swimming, riding, or running consistently and thus I have to let it go. It is a big relief for me. I have focused over the last couple of years on getting fit and I have made tremendous strides from losing over 100 lbs to winning my age-group, and having the confidence that I can show up at races and compete. I am not hanging up the gloves so to speak, but I am taking a breather. I need it. My kids need it.

So my goals for the year are simple. Exercise at least 6 days/week. Eat well. Work on getting light on my feet. Log at least 20 big hikes, some with my boys, and some without. Spend tons of time with my boys. Work on me.

I do plan to enter 2010 in a big way. I have a desire to go to Kona. I have a desire to do well in Ironman. I feel that in order to reach my goals, I need to have a sharp focus and a plan to execute. I know this year, I don't have what it takes and I need to step back and work on other things in my life...and YES...those things are way more important.

I plan to do my best to keep blogging.

Time to go clean, paint, and feed the kids.

Mass Swim Starts! How Much Fun!

Have you ever ran for 2 days?

Well, I couldn't sleep much last night. I had missed my early morning workout, and kept thinking I needed to head out on a run. I had a busy day at the office and lots of kid duties in the evening. So I found myself laying in bed thinking about all sorts of things. Most of the time, once i hit the pillow, I crash. This night, I felt like I wouldn't fall asleep for days. So instead of laying there with insomnia, I opted for a run.

Since it was only January 7th, I couldn't really skip a workout, so I went out into the wild! During my late night adventure (or 2 day run), I realized that it was going to be epic. Snow, ice, wind, and lots of crazy wild animals make for an epic adventure in my mind. I call it epic so I sound tough! Anyhow, I think this was the first run in which I began on January 7th and it ended on January 8th. It wasn't really 48 hours, in fact it was only 2 hours, but still covered 2 days in my mind!

All in all, it was nice to be the only one on the road, other than the dead possum, deer, and wild dogs. I look forward to my next great adventure, you know the workouts that you will always remember!

Jim, if your reading, kind of like our rain soaked run in Granville!

Patience....Great Quotes I stole from the Web

Life requires patience and focus. Ironman training requires patience and focus. It's early in 2009, but a small goal of mine this year is to find more patience.

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”

“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.”

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

“Patience and fortitude conquer all things”