Let’s rewind a bit and head back to where this all started. About 3 years ago in February 2007 my wife said I was looking fat. Now, to be honest I was looking pretty chubby at the time and I was thinking the same thing about myself but for some reason something finally snapped inside. At that moment I decided that I would do what I always had wanted to do and to race in a triathlon. That night I signed up for the TimpTriClub Triathlon which was a little more than three weeks away and set out to get ready for the race. My training wasn’t anything special and three weeks later I proceeded to finish what would start now become one of the loves of my life, Triathlons. I have since raced in over 25 triathlons and more than 30 running races and have lost most of the fat that my wife quipped about that one special night …  and I am so glad she did say something.

Let me get this out of the way if you didn’t already know it. I love triathlons! I love everything about them, the training, the anticipation, the traveling, the competition both personal and with others, the feeling you get after finishing one. I just love everything that has to do about triathlons. After leaving football  I needed something to compete in and motivate me and triathlon has taken it’s rightful place.

Even though I have done a bunch of triathlons over the last 3 years, including a couple Half-Ironmans, I have yet to conquer the biggest of them all, the full Ironman triathlon. 2.4 miles of full-contact swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running to top it all off … in the same day! The Ironman is the  Everest of the endurance sports world. After watching the 2009 Ironman World Championship I hastily decided and registered, just like 3 years before, for the Ironman Coeur d’Alene (In Idaho) on June 27th 2010.

Fast-forward now to the present and I am 3 weeks into my official training schedule. Things are going well as I decided after much research to follow the 24 week  training plan from Multisports.com and also available from the book  Start to Finish Ironman Training 24 Weeks to an Endurance Triathlon by Paul Huddle and Roch Frey. One thing I have realized is that Ironman training takes a lot of time and requires a lot of help and understanding from family, friends and neighbors. Slow days require about 2 hours of training and heavier days can get up to 4+ hours worth of training. It is time consuming but my family and I believe it is worth it.

So if you see me running or biking on the streets make sure to honk. If you feel like I have checked out and haven’t seen me for a while now you know where I am at. If you really need me you could probably find me running or riding around Spanish Fork  somewhere.

The only failure in life is the failure to try,  right now is the time to achieve your goals and become great.

You might think I am joking but I am being totally serious. Since the Spudman Triathlon on July 25th, 2008  I have not ran more than 4 times a month. This is pretty sad … and dangerous considering the fact I raced in a half ironman, a  marathon and 2 sprint triathlons during those seven months. Not to mention being totally embarrassed considering my finishing times in each.

I now weigh 185 pounds, which is not bad considering it is my normal weight, but it  is 17 pounds heavier than I was on July 25th,2008. I want to get back down to 170 pounds as soon as possible for training purposes and I am going to find out how long it takes to lose all those extra pounds I picked up from Taco Bell, KFC, McDonald’s & Burger King. If I can lose the weight quickly I might just write a blog post every so often telling everybody what I am doing to lose the blubber. To lose the weight I will be training consistently and watching my diet,  sometimes. I will not be using any Super Duper weight loss pills or magical elixir formulas. 

So tell me what you guys think, how fast do you think I can lose the excess blubber hanging around my belly and butt?  Comment to this post and the person that comes the closest will win a FREE bakers dozen from Krispy Kreme Donuts! Seriously!

Race Pace Run 7.03 miles in Spanish Fork Time:56:36 – Rate: 8.5 - Pace: 8:03…grrrr

We had a great time at the Provo Veterans Memorial pool today. We took in some sun and had tons of fun on the water slide. Tammy, the kiddos, Tammy’s parents and her Grandma where all there. Broc loved the water slide while Bailey went down once and that was enough for her. I succumbed to the food stand and bought a piece of pizza, nachos and a pretzel. I wish I had more will power but the food was calling me by name.

For my workout I did a 7.03 mile run on the SF Memorial Day course. It was a little tougher than normal. I felt pretty slow and after looking at my times I was about 30 seconds slower than normal. I really need to get back on my training schedule.

Race Pace Run 7.03 miles in Spanish Fork Time:59:51 – Cal: 913 – HR avg: 181 – HR max: 199- Rate: 8.0 - Pace: 8:30

Medium Pace Bike 11 miles up to Payson and back Time:35:10 – Cal: 469 – HR avg: 167 – HR max: 180- Rate: 8.5

Once I got back home I pulled some weeds and was also able to get Mark Monfredi to come running with me. We did an easy 5k on course 1.

Medium Run 5k on course 1. Time:24:37 – Cal: 371 – HR avg: 180 – HR max: 196 - Rate:7 Pace: 7:55

Today was one of the best workout days ever.

To start it off my neighbor Merri and I ran the first annual Best Buddies 5k. Everyone else on the block bummed out so It was just us and we represented well. Merri was the 3rd girl finisher and 7th overall and I was 3rd in my age group and 11th or 12th overall. Around the 1 mile marker the front of the pack and the rest of runners split up. A police officer that was supposed to guide everyone directed the front of the pack the wrong way and I was the first of the rest of the runners that made the correct turn. It was pretty sweet for me because I was in the lead for about 10 seconds until an ex-BYU cross country girl flew past me. Merri ended up running more than 4 miles because she stayed with the front of the group that went the wrong way. I ended up with somewhere around 22:50 for my 5k and luckily Merri had her new gps watch (check out her blog to see it) because she was able to get a time for her 5k even though she ran longer.

At night I rode my bike up the mountain and had an awesome ride. I was surprised because it has been almost a month since the last time I took my quintana roo for a spin. My legs felt great and the ride was perfect. I was feeling so good that when I got home I ran another 3 or so miles and pulled out a 23:45 5k. It was awesome to say the least. For me it is pretty rare to feel smoking good after a training session but tonight was great.

Top 3 best training sessions in no particular order
– Saturday night 7/12/2008 bike ride up the mountain and 5k night run (2nd workout of the day)
– Wasatch back 6.4 mile night run (2nd workout of the relay and the day)
– March 20 something 2008 short night run.

I think I am starting to see a pattern. Looks like the 2nd workout of the day at night is the best time for me to have awesome workouts.

Tammy and Merri (our Neighbor) have decided that they want to qualify for the 2009 Boston Marathon. The great thing is that with their current times in smaller runs they would both qualify with time to spare… given they can keep up their current pace.

So, I have decided that I would also like to qualify for and run in the Boston Marathon. My problem is that with my current times I would need to improve a lot to make it. The qualifying times for women are significantly longer than the mens. For example, Tammy and Merri would need to finish with a 3:40 or under to qualify. In contrast I would need to finish with a 3:10 marathon or better.

So, I am making a goal right now that I will qualify for the 2010 Boston Marathon. For more information about qualifying you can go to the actual site at http://www.bostonmarathon.org/BostonMarathon/Qualifying.asp

Below is what I would need to be able to run to qualify and my current best times. Looks like I really need to up the intensity!

I really need to start getting back into my training full go. I have been slacking the last 3 weeks especially with biking and swimming. My next tri is going to be slooowwww if I don’t start pushing it again.

Slow & Short Hills Run 5.5 mile Spanish Fork Loop Time: 45.19 – Cal: 624 – HR avg: 171 – HR max: 191- Rate: 6.5 Pace: 8:14

6/6/2008 – 2 Miles total. The jogging class ran the mile to time ourselves. I came in with a 6:16 mile which is my fastest verified mile ever. I remember running a 5:59 mile when I was 12 but that was never verified. I hope to beat that time within the next 2 months.

6/7/2008 – 3.1 Mile training run on course 1: It was something like 23 minutes.
6/9/2008 – 2.4 miles. I don’t remember where I ran this.
6/11/2008 – 4 miles
6/12/2008 – 3.1 miles
6/13/2008 – 3.1 miles
6/16/2008 – 4 miles
6/17/2008 – 3.1 miles
6/20/2008 – 4.1 Miles (Wasatch Back)
6/21/2008 – 6.5 miles at 1:30am (Wasatch Back)
6/21/2008 – 4 miles uphill on a mountain 15 minute pace (Wasatch Back)
6/23/2008 – 3.1 miles running with brock
6/24/2008 - 6 x 400m track speed workout plus a half mile jog
6/25/2008 – No run, I did a chest, arms and back workout at the Gym.