Thanks to all!

Well,for all that have followed the Road to Ironman with me, the race ended early. I made it through the 2.4 mile swim then 3.1 miles into the bike ride my seat post on the bike broke. I tried to fix it, the bike tech guy tried to fix it, but it was useless. At mile 6 I had to call it a day. I was very disappointed for my day to end like that. I knew if I could make it through the swim I would make it. But, things happen for a reason. I would like to thank all those who follwed me on my journey, my training partners, my swim coach, my friends, my family, my son, my wife, and most of all God. All of you played a hugh role in this crazy journey and it would have not happened without you. To my wife, you are greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you for your understanding and support as I chased this crazy goal. I may still not be an ironman but you are for sure an IRONWIFE! Thanks be to God for the health and the ability you have given me to pursue this dream. You have allowed me to race in 21 races and have kept me safe. You let me toe the line in the IRONMAN. So, in 2013 The Road To Ironman Continues Again. Up next, a marathon in Florida, then a half ironman on April 30th, and the Rev3 half ironman in Clemson in October. What a crazy sport. I am so thankful for it and what it has done for me. I encourage everyone to give it a tri no matter how old, young, shinny, fat, in shape, and out of shape you may be. It changes lives!

Bird

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29 days until ironman blog

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Hello

I am still going Strong!

Well, I have not posted since July. The Reason... I have a new son, I work two jobs, I have a wife, and I am training for an Ironman! Time managment has become something I am good at. I have done a total of nine races this season, including one Half Ironman. I am Tired! I have 60 days left to go until I toe the line for my first Ironman.

Being a father is great! It is more than I could ever hope for. I love it. Our son is doing well and has really bonded with my family. I do feel guilty because I have not been home as much as I would like or need to. Jorgia and I talked about giving up on the dream of becoming an Ironman, but in the end Jorgia said no way. She told me I have come to far, worked to hard, and spent to much money to not see it through. Plus, she said it would not be a good example to set for our son. This race will show him anyone can do anything if the work hard and see things through. That is a priceless lesson in my opinion.

I have the greatest wife in the world. I would be lost without her. She is a great mother to our son. She has been mom and dad over the last couple months and has not complained at all. I owe her big time when this is over. I would never make it through this long journey without her. Thank you God for my wife!

Well, one more race before the big one. I am ready for it all to over. I met a triathlon coach in the winter and she told me " You better be ready and willing to put the time in because it is a long and grueling process". I thought to myself whatever, you do not know me and what I am willing to do what it takes to win. Turns out Nicole was right, I had no idea what this process was about. Point well taken Nicole! But I am 60 days away and I think I will make it to the race. I just hope I can finish it!

Changes!

Well, it has been awhile since the last post and a lot has changed...for the good! Jorgia and I have been blessed by God with the gift of a new son. He is 9 and named Jacob Tyler. He moves in for good tomorrow. I am very excited about being a dad, Jacob's dad. He has already began to call Jorgia and I mom and dad. I will post pictures soon.

I have not raced this month and I am hungry to race once again. I will be racing greenville sprint on Aug. 1 and South Carolina Half Ironman on Aug. 31. I did a 60 mile ride today and felt fine once it was over. That is the first time that has happened. I usually deal with leg cramps 40 miles in. This indicates I have began to get stronger on the bike. I have a 75 miler next week and an 80 miler the week after. I will also run 16.5 on friday morning. That will be the longest I have ever ran.

Dexter my 12 year old little brother will race in his first triathlon on July, 31. I am so proud of him because he has committed himself to the training and is doing very well. I hope it is a sport he will dive into and love. I will let everyone know how it goes.

One of my best friends in the whole world, Keith got married last saturday. I must say it was one of the greatest weddings I have ever been to. Keith gave me the honor of being his best man. I was so honored words cannot describe. Ashely his new wife looked stunning as well. I got to meet some really cool people "Levi, Josh, Ty, and Elizabeth" and reconnect with some old friends "Christy, Josh, and shane" which, really made my day! Keith and Ashely I wish you nothing but happiness and a long life together.

My life is the best it has ever been right now. I am so happy and God has shown favor to me and has blessed me more than I deserve. Peace out!

Things are starting to fall in place!

Well, their is major news in mine and Jorgia's lives. We have been selected for a child and we have accepted. After the initial fear of I am going to be a Dad, we have become very excited. It is going to be a real challenge in the beginning. However, God has opened a door for us and we are very grateful. So my vision of crossing the finish line at the Ironman with Jorgia and our son waiting is even more of a possibility.

On the training front, things are still going along. Some days are better than others. My running seems to have improved the most for I am able to hold 7:45 to 7:15 miles. Now that will not be the case for 26.2 miles but it will be good for the last couple of sprint races I have this season. The bike continues to hold steady and the swimming is....well.... still the worst of the three events. If I can make it out of the water in the time allotted then if the fueling holds up I should be an Ironman. Then I may retire... SIKE!

Brian Payne

You guys must start reading this blog. http://www.trainingpayne.blogspot.com/ This guy is so funny.

Well, today is going to be spent cleaning the house. We have company coming on friday so we decided we would make it look like we do not live like slobs. I am going to give a bunch of old clothing to the Goodwill as well.

This evening I have the class from Hell as I do another masters swim class. I am tring to get mentally prepared to have my can handed to me. Last week I was exhausted by the end of the main set and the coach told me I was to tired and slow and to get out of the water and rest. Well, I just looked at him like yah right buddy and then he looked at me and said, "get out of the pool." I felt like I was back in high school on the football field and coach Green just yelled at me. I responded with, "yes sir coach." As my head was hung in shame. I hate the Devil's Liquid!

There is a possibility of a big announcement this week and no Jorgia is not with child. So stay tuned.

Ironman - Till I Collapse

Jon Blais - 2005

Update

Hello everyone. It has been awhile since the last post. I have been busy training and racing. I have now done seven races this season. Two olympic races and five sprints.

The season started off kind of rough, but in the last three weeks things have really came together. I feel really strong right now and that is starting to show.

I joined a masters swim class in hopes that I will tame the Devil's Liquid. The swim still seems to be the week link in my training and racing. If I could manage to swim average times I would finish in the top 50 at most races. But, we all have our weaknesses.

On a different note aside from triathlon, the summer is going great. I have really enjoyed hanging out with Jorgia. This is the first summer since we have been married that I have not had to coach football. This leaves me so much time to spend with the wife. We spend most evenings in the backyard eating dinner, having a glass of wine, and talking about whatever. I have fallen in love with Jorgia all over again. I truley believe it was right decsion to take some time away from coaching football.

On the adoption process, I hope to have some news really soon. I have had a lot of time to really think about becoming a father. I cannot wait to have a son. I feel it is time to take that next step in our lives. Jorgia is going to be a GREAT mother. I am also very impressed with my mother and father and their support in this process. They make me proud to be their son.

Dexter my little brother has decided to enter the triathlon world. He will compete in his first race at the end of July. Jimmy and I have been training him and he has showed some real determination. The little kid has some guts! That is a great thing because in this sport if you have guts you will make it. Without guts you are doomed.

Well, the goal is to make time to post a new blog daily. So stay tuned.

Random Pictures

Ford Ironman St. George

Two hour ride and a 8 mile run in the morning!

Summer is Almost Here!

I am currently in the last week of school. On Friday afternoon the summer begins for me. I am ready. I understand the purpose of summer vacation now that I have taught school for the last seven years. The teachers need a break as bad as the kids do. This year seems to be worse for me however.

My old college roommate stopped by to see me and Jorgia yesterday. It was the first time I have seen Netti in almost 8 years. We had dinner together and looked at old pictures and had a good time remembering the college days and catching up on each others lives.

I had a great ride Saturday with my buddy Mike Horst. We did 46 miles and got caught in the thunderstorm. It was one of those rides that when I am having a hard time at the Ironman I can remember the sacrifice I have made to be there, if that make sense to anyone of the two people reading this.

This week I have a eight mile run, 1.25 mile open water swim, and a 2 hour ride/eight mile run brick session. Plus, one bike sprint work out and a short maintainance swim. Al and Katie Henson will be in town to do the brick with me and Jimmy is going to the lake for the open water swim.

With school ending the plan is to keep caught up with the blog and make it an everyday thing. I like doing it I just don't always make time for it.

8 Miles Three Times This Week! Nipples Are Destoyed!

I have been reading a Blog about a guy in Canada, who has finished the Ironman four or five time. This guy is hilarious. If you want to have a a great blog to follow here is the site:http://trainingpayne.blogspot.com/ I do not think you will be disappointed.

Well, school is out and I now have more time to devote to the Road To Ironman Blog. The plan is to write a post each day about what went on that day. I want to talk about my life in and out of training and racing. So, hear goes.

Yesterday I finished the third 8 mile run since Sunday. It was 5000 degrees outside yesterday and I lost my man card and went to the YMCA to run on the treadmill. So I get to mile 6 and my nipples are about to bleed they are so raw. I get off the treadmill and put some medicated chaffing cream on them. That made the nipples burn like someone had stuck a match to them. At this point I am standing in the Y with my shirt up over my head blowing on my own nipples. You can imagine the looks I got. I realized what I was doing and quietly returned to the treadmill, finished the run and left as fast as I could. It would not surprise me if they ban me from the building.

The training is going well. I feel like I am getting stronger each week. June will be a busy race month with a race three out of the four weekends. I am pumped to get out there and race again.

On another note, Jorgia and I were approved for adoption. We are both very excited and I must admit I am kinda scared. I have fears that I will be the over protective "my son is the best" dad that I make fun of now. You know the type. The father who thinks his kid is the greatest player on the little league baseball team or thinks his kid will play pro sports when he is still playing Tee ball. As you know I am a high school coach and I see it every year and every year I make fun of those people. It gets so bad for some I actually encourage the behavior by "the out of touch with reality dads". It is entertaining and gives me something to laugh at.

Lake Murry Post Race Report

well, it has been a little while since my last race and post. So here we go.

Jorgia and I drove down to the race site early on Saturday morning. About three miles from the race site mother nature called and the bottom of my stomach fell out. So, I immediately pulled into a Hardees to use the facilities and when I got to the door it was locked. They did not open up until 7:00am and I had ten minutes to wait. So, I looked around and saw a McDonald's across the street. I threw the keys to Jorgia and told her to pick me up. When I got to the McDonald's I found they were closed as well.

At this point I was in pain and the race was in jeopardy because I was on the verge of blowing up my race suit. I jumped in the truck and made it to the nearest gas station. I made it into the restroom just in the nick of time! Disaster avoided!

When we arrived at the race site I went to packet pickup and then set up Transition. Then I headed to the water to check out the swim course. It was a 750 meter swim and I must say I felt nervous about it because of the Langley Pond swim nightmare. But, I put the head phones on and got into the "zone".

Swim: As I have said I was very nervous about the swim. I told myself I had two goals for the day, one, race as hard as I could and two, have fun. once I decided on these two concepts things went well. The swim was the smoothest open water swim I have ever had. I felt good I did not stop at all and my sighting was dead on. The swim was still slow but, I felt great!

T1: The run to transition was short and it allowed me to be quick and make up some time. I did have some trouble with getting the wetsuit off but managed to work through it.

Bike: The bike started off rough. I could not get my heart rate down for the first three miles. Then things seemed to settle down. This was the first race I drafted in. But, I was in a group of about twenty and no one could pull away for any length of time. I passed the same 12 people 12 different times. I did leave two people with Ironman tats behind. I felt pretty good about that.

All of a sudden I get smacked on the arm and some dude says, "you just got passed by a Marine, Airborne." Before I knew what was going on he was 50 feet past me. Well, I now had to pick up the pace. No way I am going to loss to a Marine. So, I dropped the hammer and flew by him and shouted, "you better pick it up Devildog!" Well, I thought I had gotten rid of the Marine but a mile to go he passed me again out know where and shouted, "Move the Marines are coming through." knowing I was out of gas in the legs I let him have the lead and shouted, "You better hope you can run!" I finished the bike and headed into T2.

T2: T2 was fast and smooth for me. In and out very quickly.

Run: I hit the run with motivation to track down Marine guy. I caught him in the first mile. I snuck up like a ninja on his A$% and passed him as told him he just was passed for good by the Airborne! I never seen him again on the course. I had a good run and for the first time had fun!

I finished the race and waited on the Marine. When he made it to the finish we shook hands and chatted awhile. He was a good dude. So, Marine, once again thanks for your service! My goal was to finish between 1:30 and 1:40 and I was 1:38. Overall a great day!

Langley Pond Olympic Triathlon

Well, here is my race report from the Olympic distance race I did April 24th. The distance was a 1500 meter swim, 24 mile bike, and a 6 mile run.

Pre-race: Jorgia and I decided we did not want to get up and 3:30 am in the morning and make the two and a half hour drive to the race sight. So, I reserved a hotel for us to stay in 6 miles from the race site. I thought it was a good idea to save ten bucks and get the smoking room. Not a good idea. That place smelled horrible. Lesson learned. I slept very well and woke up feeling fresh and ready to go. I had no nervous feeling going on. As a matter of fact I have not been nervous yet this season for a race and that makes me happy. We got to the race site and set up transition and then I got my mind right and :Toed the Line" once more.

Swim: The swim started out great! I did the first 600 meters and thought to myself' "self" this is great and I feel great. Then, it went down hill from there. I lost my rhythm and never felt good in the water again. It took me 46 minutes to finish the swim. I never got tired or lost my breath, but I just could not get into the flow.

T1: The transition was over .2 of a mile from the water exit. The long run to transition was complete with little sticker things that really hurt the old feet. Well, the transition to the bike was okay and off I went.

Bike: Jack and I were really hoping to make up some time on the bike. I had heard there was a long climb on the front end of the course, so the plan was to just work steady. Well, I felt pretty good after the climb and then it was a long down hill. I hit 41 mph and felt I was back in the game. Then the rain started. If you know me you know I hate water! So, the second loop on the bike did not go as well as the first. After the climb I got ready to make up some time on the down hill. That did not happen because a guy crashed really bad and I go stuck behind the meat wagon all the way down the hill. I lost time on the down hill. When I got back to transition I was very very MAD! I was not in a good mood.

T2: I had a pity party for myself in transition. Jorgia was trying very hard to keep me positive, bless her heart! I snapped at her a lot. I made it out of T2 still mad.

Run: The run started off okay. My running shoes were wet because of the rain so, I knew it was a matter of time before the blisters come. I had to pee really bad by mile two and I finally found a train car I went behind. At the 3 mile turn around I could feel the blister coming. Then I got cramps in the thighs. Blisters suck, but I can run through blister. Cramps on the other hand, well that is a different animal. I backed off my pace a little and that seemed to help the cramps. I finished the race and all I wanted to do was get my stuff and go home. I was crushed because I missed my time.

I learned a very important lesson through this race. I need to be happy that God has given me the health to race. I need to remember to work as hard as I can and have FUN while doing it. I get caught up in times and who is faster than me and can I catch that person etc... So, I have a new attitude about it all as you will see in my next race report.

Paris Mnt. Race Report.

last Saturday I did the Paris Mnt. race. This is the race report for the race.

The swim was an open water 500 meter warm up. I decided to use my full wetsuit for the race for two reasons. One because the water was going to be cold and two, because I have not used it since I got it because I have always felt it was to small. I jumped in line for the swim start and off I went. The first 250 meters felt great and I remembered why I like wetsuit swims so much. It seems effortless. The last 250 meters sucked! For some reason I could not catch my breath. I think that has to do with the suit being to small and constrictive in the chest area. Needless to say I swam my fastest 500 meters ever. I got out of the water at 8:39. However, because this was a training day I walked to transition which put my time at 10 minutes and change.

T1: Even with having to take the wetsuit off and and not pushing it through transition I still managed under 1:30. So, I am pleased with that.

The Bike: The plan for the bike was to just ride and save my legs for the Langley Pond Race this Sat. The bike course was very tough and very hilly even before the Paris Mnt. climb. So, the plan was just to get through it. I did not pedal but one down hill and never pushed over 18mph on the flats. On the hills I just pedaled to get up them. The bike was not that bad, but I am sure that is because I gave little effort. Time: 1:21 20 miles.

T2: Once again not to bad for being lazy 1:08

The Run: Holy Crap! I was not prepared for the run to be as steep as it was. Mile 1 went fine 8:15 pace. Mile two was a 13:00 pace because that portion was straight up Paris Mnt. Mile three was a 13:30 pace because it was on a mountain bike trail and you had to jump over rocks, roots, and logs and it was straight down. The guy I was behind twisted his ankle twice. The last two miles was a 8:45 pace.

Overall, not a bad race. I was glad I was one of the first people to do this first time race. The race is billed as one of the toughest in the world for a short distance race. So that was good. Once however, will be enough. The run was very dangerous and the ride is not very good for a poor climber like myself.

Pictures of the race will be posted soon.

Columbia Race Report

Well because of all the things going on in my life right now I am just now giving the Columbia Race Report. So here goes.

My parents and grandfather went to the race along with Jorgia, Al, Chad, and Jimmy. We followed my Father to the race and I was a little concerned we would be late. However, we made it in plenty of time. The weather prior to race time was cold, cold, cold. The wind was blowing as well. I kinda wanted to just go home because I hate the cold so much. But, I pressed on.

The swim: I have never had a worse feeling swim during a race as I did here. All the people around me must have sand bagged their swim times because they beat the crap out of me in the water. I got kicked in the face, punched in the face, and swam over the top of by a chick! I finally made it to the end and was a minute faster than last year. So not all bad I guess.

T1: 1:23 which was not to bad. Had it not been -50 outside it might have been a little faster. But, I am pleased with this.

Bike: The bike went really well. I felt fast and strong on the bike. I even held back some to save some legs for the run. I did freeze my little willy off on the bike though and my feet went numb. Overall a good ride.

T2: 45 seconds in T2 which is the fastest transition I have ever had! I was pumped!

Run: The run was great and I felt really strong. I felt really good when I passed number 164 because he was such an ahole in transition prior to the race and would not move his bike to make room for me to rack my bike. Then he proceeded to give me the Triathlon rack your bike properly rules. This guy was a dooch bag and I am glad I beat him in all three events. Anyway, I set a PR for my run as I finally broke into the 21s 21:35 to be exact. I was very pleased!...Over all a good day of racing and step one to the Ironman is over. I will post pictures of the Race later.

Hello Peeps!

Well, I have had a hard time keeping up with my blog. I coach high school baseball and getting up at 5 am. and getting home between 9 and 11 pm. leaves very little time for blogging. The season ends in another month so thing will get back to normal.

I am four weeks into my Ironman training program and it is going pretty well. I am tired a lot but that is because I do not get the right amount of sleep. I am very happy the weather has warmed up some and I am able to train outside more. I still hate getting into the cold pool at 5:30 am. though.

The adoption process is right on track and going well. Jorgia and I are waiting for the agency to set up our home study. Then it will just be a matter of finding the right fit.

I have eight races planned other than Beach2Battleship Ironman. The first one of the season is this Sat. in Columbia. It is a small fast sprint and should take me just over an hour. I am excited about racing again but I do not feel ready to race for some reason. I will provide a race report on Sunday. I am real excited because my buddy Jimmy will be racing and Al is coming up from Florida to race as well. Last year I beat Al in the run so I am sure he will do all he can not to let that happen again. We will see how it goes, HE HE HE!

I Was Humbled Today.

I had an eye opening experience today. I woke up at 4:45 am to make it to spin class by 5:30. I got there and got my bike, my wife's bike, and my buddy's bike out. Then out of now where nature called if you get my drift. So, I ended up being 15 minutes late for class.

I got on my bike only to realize the bike was broken and had only one resistance gear, HARD! So, I said to myself, "self we will ride anyway". Well, the instructor was not the normal girl and this new guy is the worst spin class leader ever. So I made it 15 minutes and decided to pack up my stuff and leave.

On the way home I hit every red light from the gym to my house. That is about 22 of them. I mean it, I hit everyone of them. So, I get to the house and open the door to find my Dog had a little nature hit her as well. I should not say a little nature because it was a big pile of nature. Then I walked to the back door to find she had also threw up on the floor, not once but twice.

So, I get up at 4:45 in the morning to work out and all I did was waste gas and clean up dog poop. I thought about calling in sick because I was scared to leave the house. When I got to work I was at the copying machine being mad because I missed my workout, had to clean dog poop, and dog throw up. Then a co-worker told me about another co-worker's future son-in-law. This young man is 27 and is supposed to get married in two months and he has been diagnosed with colon cancer.

WOW! How petty am I!!!!! I am mad over a missed workout and this young guy, only 27 is fighting cancer. I felt really ashamed of myself. Listen people, here is the thing, we are given one life on this earth. Please remember to live the best you can and enjoy the time given to you. Don't let stupid little things ruin your day like I did today. This young man is fighting cancer and I am mad over having to get up at 4:45 and miss a workout. The point is there is so many more things to worry about than just small petty things.

God has given me the body and mind to attempt such a special event, the Ironman. From this point forward I will not complain when I am tired. I will not sulk when things do not go my way. When I am out there suffering I will remember there are people suffering for real. These are going to be the people that will push me. I dedicate the preparation for this race and the race itself to all the people who have an illness like cancer or ALS that can not experience an event like this.

I pray that God will continue to humble me in my life. That He will remind me of what I have said here today.

If my Co-worker somehow sees this blog please let your son-in-law know I will be praying for him and his family and that he is my inspiration. Tell him to keep fighting and I will be thinking of him.

Great Week So far!

I decided to start the Ironman training plan this week. Three weeks early. But that's ok. I feel pretty good. The winter pounds are coming off, the swim stroke is getting dial back in, and my legs on the "spin bike" feel great.

A friend of mine decided he was going to do a sprint this season. He met me for spin class this morning and he rubbed his crotch raw on the bike. That is funny! He made it through the class even though he almost pooped himself. Now that would have been funny! It is good to see people get healthy. It is motivating for sure when people get out of their comfort zone and try this sport. I told him to be careful because of the addiction triathlon can cause.

Tomorrow I start weight lifting for the first time in years. This and nutrition are the new things I am adding this year that have been missing the past three years. I am sure I am going to be super sore. well, until next time!

It is sooooo cold. I am ready for winter!

It is sooooo cold. I am ready for winter!

I Am Glad This Week Is Over!

Wow!.... what a long week this was. By Friday night I was zapped. I have a black eye due to the first day of baseball practice at the school. Yes, I was hit right in the left eye socket with a pitch. It floored me and made me dizzy. I thought I was the coach, so how am I getting injured? Three months to go and coaching for Dave is over!

Jack is really mad at me at the moment. I have not taken her out in a month. The weather has be terrible and I get home late. She accused me of cheating on her with a younger spin bike. I was able to finally get her to understand I just rode the younger bike because I needed to get a ride in. Jack seems to understand. I do miss her though.

My swimming is coming along great and I feel better in the pool every time I go. That is great motivation. My running is almost back to where it was at the end of last season. So, overall the training is going great and my body is responding well.

I just purchased my Ironman training plan and even though it looks really long and hard, I think it will be manageable. Yes, I bought a plan. I know all you coaches out there think this is a bad idea. But, guess what, I do not have 150 dollars a month to pay you to beat me down. I can do it by myself!

Deeks signed up for the Ironman as well. So, I will have a training partner. That is a good thing. The first race of the season is March 27th in Columbia. It is a little sprint. I have no expectations about how I will finish. I will be happy with a middle of the pack. Al is coming up to do it. Jorgia and Deeks are racing, as well as my buddy Jimmy. It should be a great time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w

I Hate Winter!

Hello people.
I had a good week of training. 1200 meter swim, 2 hour spin class, 50 minute run, and a 6 mile run. Today I was planning a 2000 meter swim, but I woke up and the whole area is covered in snow and ice. I called the YMCA and they are closed. Man I HATE winter.

I have felt pretty tired this week. I am still in the process of getting back in the groove of training and the ol'body is fighting it alittle. But, we will work through it. For the next three months my training will be done before work. Baseball starts Monday and that will take up my evening time. So, 5:00 workouts will began. I don't like getting up that early but, it is what it is.

I feel like it has been days since I have been on Jack my trusty steed. The weather has not been great and it gets dark around 5:45. That does not leave a lot of time to ride. I can't wait for the time change.

I am signed up for the Columbia Sprint on March 27th. Big Al and Katie are coming in for the race, so that is cool. I can't wait to see Emma em. I am not expecting to much as far as the race goes. It will just be a training day and a time to be around some other triathletes. Last year the this race was a lot of fun. It is very fast and last just over an hour. Jorgia is also going to do the race so that is cool.

Well, that is about it. I will let you know how the week progresses as I get use to the new training time. Peace!

Someone Please Shed Some Light!

Hello people, All four of you. Yesterday, I did a 600 meter swim then 1 hour spin class. The swim stroke continues to come back and every time I go to the pool I feel better and better. I talked to Steve Baker for awhile after spin class, what a great source of information. Thanks for the advice and your time Steve.

Okay, now on to the real subject of todays post, which has nothing to do with Triathlon. I have three wonderful children. Cj, Chance, and Madison. They are mine and Jorgia's babies. Cj is ten, Chance is 6, and Madison is 6. I know you are not supposed to have favorites when it comes to your kids, but CJ is by far my favorite. She used to be a magnificint hunter. I have seen with my own eyes, her chase down a bird in fight and eat it still flapping it's wings as it went down her gullet.

Over the last year or so she has developed a terrible habit. SHE EATS DOG CRAP! and she loves it. I got up in the middle of the night to let her out and she stayed out forever. So, I turned on the porch light only to see her eating a hugh pile of Chance poop at two in the morning. What in the world would cause a child to do this. But, it gets worse! She has taught my other two kids to eat and like poop as well. If anyone can help me with this issue please let me know what to do to break this habit.

Out the Back of Your Neck!

Today is an easy 50 minute run. The weather is GREAT! I am pumped to be outside. Well, the nonbelievers have already began to rear their ugly heads. I had a dude tell me today, "When is the race? I want to be there to watch you fall on your face half way through." Why is it people who have no understanding of triathlon or of sacrifice, desire, and discipline feel the need to share their unwanted opinions? I might pay for this person to to make the trip with me just so I can say to him when it is over, "I am an Ironman and you, well, you just talk out the back of your neck!" Until next time peeps.

My new horse Jack!

Thanks to everyone who read the blog yesterday. It is official now, I paid my money last night and signed up for the race. So, for the next month or so I will continue to work on my base so I am not overwhelmed when the actual training plan starts. The main area I need to really look into is going to be nutrition. So, if anyone has some advise please share.

What I want share today is about the new horse I bought to get me to the Battleship. She is a great machine. The new Trek Equinox 7 tt bike. Every man needs a trusted stallion to see him through the tough times. The Lone Ranger had Trigger, Shrek and had his noble steed, the farmer had Mr. Ed, Bon Jovi had a steel horse, and John Wayne had, well he had a lot of horses. My new horse will be known from here on out as Jack, and yes, Jack is a girl. Jack is metallic red with beautiful curves. She cuts through the wind like a hot knife through butt'a. She loves to go fast and perform with precision. I Love Her!

I want to clear up any misleading information from yesterdays blog. No Jorgia is not pregnant. That is impossible because like me, my swimmers can't swim very well either. Matter of fact they don't swim at all they just seem to float with arm swimmies. Some just wade and some do nothing but lay on a float and enjoy the sun. What is it about me and swimming? Anyway, we are adopting a son from DSS. He should be here by the end of summer if all goes well.

Today on the training schedule is a easy 1200 in the Devil's liquid. I am still dialing in my form and the last couple of outings have been great. So, I hope today will be more of the same. Have a great day peeps.

Now it offical, I just paid for the race! No backing out now!

Well, I guess the first thing to do is to explain how all this started. By the way, I have very poor grammar and I can't spell very well either so just look past the mistakes. Three years ago my best friend Al called and asked if my wife and I wanted to come and watch his wife Katie, in a sprint triathlon. I said sure, but what the hell is a sprint triathlon and is there beer there? Well, Al explained what it was and said there would be beer at the end of the race. So, Jorgia (my wife), and I went to the race.

When we got there I saw a lot of people that looked like Greek gods and I told Jorgia, these people are machines. But, then as I continued to look around there were also very old people, very pear shaped people, very tall people, and very short people. In other words, there were everyday people there about to do this race. That is the part I think I liked the most and inspired me the most and it continues to do so everyday.

The race started and ended and Jorgia and I were in awe of these people who were out there doing this thing called Triathlon. As we rode home we both decided we were going to try it out next year. Now, it is a whole lot easier to say yes we will do it next year than to actually do it next year. You see, I was one of the pear shaped people I mention earlier. When I got out of the Army I promised myself I would never run again, not even if I was being chased. I decided I would just lie down in the fetal position and get the crap kicked out of me. I was not going to run. I showed great dedication, drive and commitment to this vow and because of it, well, I was 204 pounds of crap! Did I mention I am 5' 6"? My abs looked like chewed bubble gum and I had developed a dickydo. You know my belly sticks out more than my dicky do!

Well, January rolled around and it was time to get busy with this commitment Jorgia and I had made to do a sprint triathlon. I look at sprint races as a training day now, but three years ago it was this huge distance that seemed well beneath my grasp. Anyway, I began training and things went well and my body responded to running and riding on the stationary bike. I have an athletic background in football, wrestling, and baseball and I was a Paratrooper in the Army , so I knew I could get in shape. I lost weight 30 pounds to be exact and felt great. The problem was I had no idea how to train for a triathlon. That's when I ran into Jimmy at Lowes.

Jimmy and I grew up together riding bikes and skateboards. We played ball together in high school. Jimmy was pound for pound one of the best athletes I have ever met. He always made things look so easy. Had it not been for a completely destroyed knee Jimmy probably would have played major college football. But, things happened for a reason. Anyway, I had not seen Jimmy in years because I had joined the Army and then went to college. I saw Jimmy in the mailbox aisle in Lowes and we talked for awhile and caught up on the past 11 years. Then , Jimmy mentioned he did Triathlons and that when it happened and my life changed forever. I told him I was training to do my first sprint. You see that was the first time I had told anyone, other than my hot wife, that I was going to do this thing. When you say it out loud to other people you fully commit to yourself to it. There was no turning back now. I had made it public and now I was in a world of crap because as I said before I had no idea what I was doing. Well, in both a good way and bad way (I will explain later what I mean by that) Jimmy kinda took me under his wing and helped me get ready for this event.

Notice I have said nothing about swimming yet. Well, that is because there was no swimming for Dave. I did not know how to swim. I hated water. I was like a cat. I hated water so much I would try and find ways to shower without getting wet. Water was from the Devil the way I saw it. Realizing I had to overcome this fear, I called Al and asked if his wife Katie, who was a division I college swimmer, would teach me the ins and outs of swimming. She agreed and Jorgia and I met her and Al at the pool. Holly crap Katie killed me in the pool and I did not even swim 25 meters straight the whole work out. I think I drank 3/4 of the pool. I drowned 18 times and felt completely discouraged. Jorgia jumped right in and knocked out 1500 meters like she was some kind of mermaid/dolphin. She grew up on the lake and thus swam all the time as a kid. I could not understand how she was able to do it. Jorgia has no athletic background to speak of, unless you count high school cheerleading which, I do not by the way. Now college cheerleading like my good friend Keith and his wife coach is a different story. Sorry if offend anyone with by beliefs about this. So, swimming was going to be a problem. I decided to call Jimmy.

Jimmy met me at the pool and broke everything down on a child's level of understanding and I finally made it 25 meters without stopping. I was so excited, then Jimmy proceeded to kick the crap out of me by making me do all these drills to get the fundamentals down. I hated him for it and loved him for at the same time. Jimmy has a way of making people feel comfortable around him regardless of your ability level. For that I am thankful. To this day my wife would rather ride with him more than anyone else because of his gift and it is a gift. Very good dude that Jimmy.

Jorgia and I had been riding the stationary bikes at the gym and we decided to bite the bullet and spend the money on some bikes. We had no idea what we wanted. I wish we had because it would have saved us a lot of money and time. We both bought Treks with no pedals. How in the hell can a bike cost that much and not come with pedals? To this day I cannot understand that! That is like buying a dog with no legs, useless, plain useless. However, had I know how difficult clip in pedals were to use, I would have went with no pedals. We got our bikes home and decided to go for a ride. We went six miles and died. I think we called my Dad to come get us because we were destroyed. Big difference between a road bike and a stationary bike.

Race day finally came and I was scared to death. At this point I had only swam 25 meters straight, road 21 miles straight, and ran only 2 miles straight. We met Al and Katie who were also doing the race, at 5:30 am. They showed us how to get our stuff set up in transition and we were off to the Devils liquid, the pool. Because of my very poor swim time I was one of the very last people to get into the pool. Al and Katie who are both great athletes started out in front. Jorgia was in the middle. She was excited and relaxed. I kissed her goodbye and went outside to be alone, I still had an hour before I went off. I put on my head phones and tried to relax. That did not not work and the next thing I knew I was so nervous and scared I about started to cry. Yes, a grown man about to cry over a sprint triathlon. Not my most proud moment but it happens. My time was close and I moved towards the pool. On the way I saw my Dad who had arrived and had been trying to find me. I looked at him and he could tell I was not doing good. I would like to tell you he put his arms around me and said, "son you have worked hard to be here and whether you make it or not I am proud of you." But, instead he said, "what the hell are you doing wearing spandex in public and why are you crying! Man I love my pops. He was right, it was time to suck it up. I had chosen this. This was my doing. No one forced me into this, so time to suck it up and get it done.

I got in the water and my time was up and off I went. The first 150 meters went great. I had great form for a two by four and was moving at a very fast four minute per hundred pace. Then things went bad. My arms were out of gas I lost my breathing rhythm and when I took a break on the wall I looked up to see a fat lady walking the whole swim. She did not even get her hair wet. She was laughing and mocking the race and that pissed me off to the point I wanted to some how catch her and dunk her fat tail. That is when I decided no matter how long it took I would swim the whole thing and I did. I used every swim stroke known to man and I made up six more. I finally made it to the ladder and crawled out of the Devils liquid looking like a drown rat. But, I had made it! I was still mad about fat walking lady and told the race official as I exited the water to make her come back and swim because she walked!

I ran out and to T1 and put my tri shorts over my jammers, (don't ask). Then went my tri top that does not go on when you are wet, and then my helmet. Then, I was off for the hardest 15 mile bike ride I had ever done to date. Three miles into the ride guess who do I see on the side of the road off her bike drinking water and dying? Yes, it was fat lady! I road past her and thoughts of kicking her went through my head. 58 minutes later I made it to T2. Yes, I was the guy that fell off his bike at the dismount. The whole pedal thing killed me. I had made it through the first two events. I was exhausted but game. I knew I would finish and would not be last because fat lady was still out on the bike course. So my two goals were accomplished.

The run was very hard because I was dehydrated and cramping. I had decided I would not walk unless my foot fell off. I had a blistering pace of 12 minute miles, but I kept running. Then, I saw the greatest sight I had seen all day in front of me, my hot wife in tri shorts. I had caught her with a 1/4 mile to go. We ran it together. It was fitting because, we had started this journey together that changed our lives forever, and we were going to finish together. That is the picture at the opening of this blog.

I had done it. I finished the race and it was the hardest thing I had ever done. But, something in me had changed. I was addicted to this thing. I wanted to get better. I wanted to learn more. I wanted more challenges. I wanted to see how far I could go. Triathlon brings out so many emotions. I have been places in my mind I did not know were there, (White Lake Half), and have come out on the other side a better person. That is what has led me here, to this point. I have now done 12 races including an Olympic and a half. But, I need more. I need to see if I can go the whole distance. I need to know if I can face the deepest parts of my soul and make it through. So, my chance to test myself is on Nov. 13, 2010 at Beach2Battleship Iron Distance. I hate saying Iron Distance so I will use Ironman from here on out. Well, I just did it. I made it public and now have committed to it like I did for that first sprint. I can't back out now.

This blog will track my life and journey over the next year as I prepare for the Ironman. I have no idea if anyone will read this. But, if you do feel free to commit and give advice or whatever. I want to thank Jimmy, Daniel, Al, Katie, Deeks, Brice, Mike, Jon, Mom, Pops, Cole, Kt, Dexter, Dan, Barb, Kevin, Rhe, Brice, plus all those who have ever doubted me. For it is you and your support that has gotten me to this point.

Finally, and most importantly I want to thank Jorgia, my hot wife. To you I owe the world. You have stuck by me and allowed me to put the time in to get to this point. The next ten months are going to be very hard and very demanding. I will not be home much and you will have to handle more than you already do. Thank you for allowing me to do this. God gave me the best gift he could give me for my time here on earth, you! I lay awake at night thinking about the day I cross the finish line and the announcer says Dave Parker From Greenville, SC, you have made it to the Battleship and I have become and Ironman! I can see you and our new son waiting for me at the line and we all celebrate the moment.

Well, what follows next is the preparation to get ready to "Toe the Line"! Thanks for taking the time to read my journey as I prepare for "The Road to Ironman".