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".