Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Bacon Weekly- Christmas Week

Not much physical activity to report from Christmas week. Found time for a swim on Monday; then prepared for Santa Claus to arrive later in the week. Great Christmas fun at our house....Santa delivered all the goods to the girls and he even found a few items for the kid in there....scored a new swim suit, lap timer ring, and UA cold gear running pants.

Marathon training starts next week, so I am prepping this week for the schedule...I'll report this week on Sunday and add more items about the race, my new plan, etc.

If you read below, you saw where I busted my ipod; then tried to order the part and fix it myself....took it apart and busted the screen... buying a new one this week...selling the old one on Ebay for parts....

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Monday, December 28, 2009

Clarity of Purpose

Yet another week off training. The weather has been cold and I’m enjoying my time with family so much, I’ve not felt like starting back knowing I just won’t commit. While I understand that the longer I take off the more difficult it will be to start back, I know that I need to be mentally ready for the commitment. I’m not there yet…but I’m getting closer.

This time of the year is a dichotomy for me. On the one hand, I’m so happy to be home with my family and enjoying time off work. On the other hand, I am melancholy looking back on yet another year past and wondering if I’m any closer to realizing my full potential. Every year gone by means less time to reach it… whatever IT might be. And with another year on the horizon, it’s time to make plans or let yet another year get by without getting any closer to a goal I’m not even sure exists.

<What goals should I set for the new year that will get me closer to using my life for what is was meant to do? Is there such a thing? And if you find it, do you know? >

<Happiness is not in doing what you love but in loving what you have to do.>

Is it a normal human feeling to feel like we are meant for more? Not that I’m not thankful for ALL I have. I realize I’ve been blessed and believe me, I’m grateful. I give thanks for all of it everyday. I’m not talking about a need for more money or fame. I’m talking about a feeling that what we’re doing utilizes our talents to their utmost and maximizes our capabilities.

<What do we NEED to do what we’re capable of?>

For example, was moving to Texas or completing the Ironman a necessary step on my search? I don’t know. I have to trust that the decisions my family and I make based on the opportunities before us and those we create, from listening to our gut and that voice in our head, and from listening through prayer and contemplation are indeed those decisions required for preparing us for the next step. I certainly learned a lot of valuable life lessons on my road to Ironman Arizona and our move to Texas has been wonderful for all of us in so many ways. Does that mean we are on the right track?

There are those who argue that life is not about some ultimate goal. It’s not about reaching the top rung on some ladder and all of a sudden realizing we’ve accomplished what we were put on Earth to do. They would say that life is about the journey. I have no argument with that kind of thinking. I just know that very few of us go through life with a passion for what we do and we only really enjoy the journey on Friday-Sunday. If we are lucky, we have impassioned moments related to what we do. Or we find other ways to gain those feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment we don’t get elsewhere. It’s like “cheating” on your day job.

<What if we were all passionate about our work? What if we worked in environments that created that passion and supported us in a way to make it so we can find happiness in what we do rather than looking for it elsewhere? What are our responsibilities in all this? How do we create this kind of environment? >

These are just some of the questions I ponder most every year end. This year is certainly no different and thanks to the time off training and work, I’ve had the opportunity to read a couple of books that are helping me answer these questions for myself.

I’ll be planning my new year in the days and weeks to come, but first I’m going to enjoy these final days at home with the kids, and Jennifer, and my grandmother who arrives from California today. My plans will include work, personal, triathlon, and family goals. With some good planning and life balance, perhaps next year at this time I’ll be able to show how I am closer to clarifying and achieving what is now a very nebulous ideal. I know those weekend long bike rides and long runs will give me plenty of time to think through it all.

Best wishes for the New Year! May it bring you the clarity of purpose we all desire.

Kia Kaha!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 900 swim- 100wu 400FS-20sec-400FS- 100cd
Tues- 4 miles- Zone 1 and 2
Wed- nothing
Thurs-Birthday- Apple Pie-lunch and Cherry Pie Dinner (add 2 pds to butt)
Fri- nothing
Sat- Holiday party (travel)
Sunday- 4 miles at 10 min pace, 34 degrees

Had a really fun week and can add a total of about 4 pds to the overal weight...2 holiday parties and a birthday about sank the eating ship...The first Christmas party was pizza and wings and your boy went to work...my birthday was filled with a "ole 69'r" steak and a homemade cherry pie from my sweetie; then topped it off with another Christmas party last night and did another champion-type eating display....in all the food I did find time to get 3 days in this week.

The run today was brutal..wind blowing and 34 degrees brought me inside a mile sooner than I had planned...actually after the first 3 miles I actually started warming up. I'll need to get familiar with these cold runs as my marathon training begins on Jan 1,2, or 3.... I'll be modifying an 18 week program back to about 16 weeks in preperation for the Derby marathon in April. As you may remember, I ran my first half marathon there last year and would like it to be my first marathon as well..struggling with that running schedule and the cold weather a bit, but I'll make it and likely be stronger for it in the end....if bitter cold or snow brings me inside, I'll go back to old school and hit the t-mill again to get in the distances.

My ipod busted last week after the Holiday Hustle run...I think the 26 degree temps knocked it out! Have been running without it and actually enjoying it more than I thought as I have been running with it exclusively...you guys know me..I;m too cheap to buy another one so I ordered the part I think is broken and see if I can get her back working this week.

If I don't have the chance to talk with you guys before the big day....Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Ironman…check! Now What’s Next?

I have yet to begin training after completing Ironman Arizona. Today is four weeks to the day since the race. The weather in central Texas has been unseasonably cold and rainy. I know it’s nothing to some of you withstanding freezing cold temperatures and snow, but when you are used to warm temperatures and are trying to get motivated to get BACK into training, the weather has not helped my motivation. Perhaps when I get some races on the schedule, I’ll be more inclined to hit the winter roads. I’ll try to do that in the week to come. For now, my focus is elsewhere.

As many of you are aware, I nominated Jennifer for the 2009 TriWidow of the Year Competition. No, this does not mean that she’s been a widow three times. A Triwidow is a spouse who has been left alone due to their spouse’s triathlon training. My poor wife was once a Golf Widow, only to trade it in for what can be one of the few worse options to a true widow..a Tri Widow.

I have surprised even myself with how obsessed I’ve become over helping her win. Our closest competitor is the wife of a well-known triathlon podcaster and blogger, and they have been most worthy adversaries. Every day, I wake to find them a few votes ahead or even fewer behind. It’s not been more than 47 votes apart at any time during the week-long competition.

It’s been an interesting experiment for me in the power of social media and networks. I’ve utilized Twitter, Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, and traditional email. Our networks have responded and as of this morning we have over 500 votes. That’s an average of 70 votes per day, 6 per hour, 1 every 10 minutes. It’s not Obamaesque, but it’s been a fun example of what’s possible through these networks.

Please go to http://www.triwidows.com and vote. The names are listed on the left hand side of the page. After you’ve voted, I invite you to read my nomination of Jennifer and the nominations for the other competitors. I then ask you to please consider sending an email, posting on your Facebook status, sending a tweet, posting on your LinkedIn status, etc. asking your friends, family, and colleagues to vote for your friend Jennifer. It’s a beautiful story of support and sacrifice. Share it with others. Thank you!

Until next week…Kia Kaha!

2010 LBJ 100

Did this race as part of my early season training last year. It was BRUTAL. Cold, 20+ mph wind gusts, LOTS of climbs. I had tears in my eyes by the last hill and when I crossed the finish line, I pulled over into the grass and fell over...bike and all. In a word...perfect!
I throw this out as one possibility for an early season triathlon camp.
-Karl
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 11, 2009 8:47 AM
Subject: 2010 LBJ 100

Cyclists in the Luci Johnson LBJ Ranch and 2009 LBJ 100 Tours:
 
Information for the 2010 LBJ 100, scheduled for Saturday, 27 March, is now available at:
 
(or)
 
Registration forms or online registration via Active.Com are also available at either site.
 
Based upon your suggestions, we have made many enhancements to the tour, and we hope to see you there!
 
The Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Monday, December 14, 2009

Bike Hill Strategy. 11 Tips that make Cycling Hills Easy

http://ow.ly/LYOp

TTT ideas for 2010

Thanks to Karl for leading the charge to get us organized...my 2 cents are as follows...and I'll look for specific events that meet my 2 cents, but for the moment my 2 cents are:

1. An organized event in a cool city...
2. Summer to have the best chance at good weather
3. Something challenging

dailymile | Training Log for Running, Cycling, and Triathlon

http://www.dailymile.com/#ref=logo

Mellow Johnny's | Rentals

http://mellowjohnnys.com/rentals.php

When you come to Austin, save the money of transporting your bike and just rent.

Men's Health - Men's Guide to Fitness, Health, Weight Loss, Nutrition, Sex, Style and Guy Wisdom

http://www.menshealth.com/men/

Lots of free resources on the Men's Health website. Check it out!

TTT Adventure(s) for 2010

Team Topper Tri members,

I've spoken to several of you by phone about us getting together in 2010 and you asked that I get the discussion going.

It's time to start discussing ideas for some Team Topper Tri events in 2010. Last year, despite our good intentions, we weren't able to get the entire group together. We did, however, have members who got together throughout the year. Schmidt Dog and Bacon made it to Austin for a February bike training camp. Bacon and Dino got together for the Derby races. Mark and I got together for the Prairie Man Half IM and IMAZ. Bacon and Schmidt Dog got together for some riding around Columbia, KY. So...even if we can't get the entire group together (WHICH NEEDS TO REMAIN THE GOAL!), some of the ideas we share might at least get some of us together once, if not several times, this year.

Please start posting/sending your ideas for consideration. You can email them to: kmiller8283.teamtoppertri@blogger.com or just go to the site and post. We can start discussion and voting over the holidays and perhaps we can shoot for early January to make some decisions. We know that if we don't get it on the calendar and plan for it early, it won't happen.

Look forward to seeing everyone's ideas.

-Karl

FW: dino weekly

 

 

From: Dennis Bishop [mailto:dennisrbishop@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2009 5:57 PM
To: Mark Miller BOSD; Claude Bacon; Jeremy Lasley; Karl Miller; Ash Willoughby
Subject: dino weekly

 

good news:  cleared from doctor on knee and the knee feels real good

bad news:  gotta go back to work and on 3rd shift until xmas

 

ran 3 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles, and 4 miles in the last four days.  My pace has been from 12 min miles to 8:45 min miles.   Todays 4 miler, I averaged 8:47 a mile.  Feels good to blow off some steam and go running again.   Now just gotta loose this 10 extra pounds that i added during my surgery and the holidays.

 

dino

 

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 2 miles
Tues- 2 miles
Wed- 2 miles
Thurs- travel day
Fri- off
Sat- 900 swim 50WU- 800 FS- 50 CD
Sun- getting ready to go.. 4 miles

Big fun week for the kid....took mom to NYC as a Christmas treat and was able to stay motivated enough to run all 3 days on the treadmill...would have liked to have snuck in a run in Central Park, but just didn't have the confidence to head into the park alone in the dark of morn...maybe next time... I needed the miles in order to balance out the matzho ball soup and NYC pizza! Got home and had a great maintainence swim yesterday and headed out for a run now...

Friday, December 11, 2009

2009 TriWidow of the Year Competition

Please vote for Jennifer Miller to win the 2009 TriWidow of the Year Competition. You may vote everyday through December 20.
Please tell your family and friends to vote for Jennifer, too.
Thank you!

http://www.triwidows.com/

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Bacon weekly

Mon- 1000M swim
Wed- 900M swim
Sat- 2 mile easy run
Sun- Holiday Hustle 5k

Awesome week....had some cool swims....they all make me feel better about my overall fitness, but the cherry on top of the week was the Holiday Hustle 5k....pulled a personal best 5k at 22:43...can't believe I did this at 26 degrees and after the LinGate Christmas party (stayed out till about 11; then raced at 7 a.m.).... my overall finish results were 26/141...my lungs were crushed at these temps, but just kept pumping it out.... the 2nd place finisher had been tracking me down for about a mile and I kept seeing him get closer each time and that likely pushed my pace up a bit too. I didn't know he was in my group, but thought he looked about my same age and knew that if he passed me and he knocked me out of a spot that I would not be happy and sure enough I held him off and beat him by 5 seconds and took the first place finish....maybe all those days chasing ducks in zero degree temps have adapted my body for cold weather running!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Dinos report

still recovering from knee surgery. After consulting with my phyisical therapist, I was trying too hard too soon. So I scaled back to some easy walking, using the eliptical machine, and some stationary biking. Knee is feeling better this week. Gonna give it some more time and then go at it. Registered for the Nashville resolution 5k for new years day.... looking forward to it. Melanie and I are going to do Nashvegas for new years eve and then run together for the 5k.

dino

Road to Ironman Arizona (postlude)

Sorry for not having updated the blog in the past week. I have not trained in the two weeks since IMAZ and the time off has been a welcome and needed respite. I’ve been in a great humor since the race and while I know the principal reason for this is because of the pride I feel having realized this goal, I have also come to realize that much of my peace of mind comes from losing the weight that training had become on my life and emotional well-being. There is no doubt that training had become just another job that I did for 10-16 hours a week. In the final weeks, the joy had left me and training became something I HAD to do and not necessarily wanted to do. I understand this happens occasionally during any training regimen, but it had become commonplace for me in the final weeks. Articles I read blame this in large part to overtraining and perhaps I did. What I know now is that after the past two weeks off, I am now getting back to the point where I long for going on a run or bike ride. That’s a good feeling to have back.

Since I have not been training the past couple of weeks, I thought I would use today’s blog post to list some of the secondary outcomes (the byproducts) of training for 37 weeks for an Ironman race. These are both the obvious physical and emotional changes but also the mental and spiritual changes and moments that come from transforming a mind and body over 9 months. The list may be a little disjointed and random. I’ll try to keep it as connected as possible.

Physical changes:

Lost 22 pounds (185-163 lbs)- some of this weight was lost over the past two years, but my body fat percentage went down most during IMAZ training. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the paperwork that listed my most recent body scan results.

Lost 4 inches in my waist. I’ve been a 32 most of my life and had reached 34 in the past couple of years. I’m now down to a 30 and every belt I have I use on the last one or two notches.

Endurance: The 30 minute runs or hour-long bike rides that at one time seemed difficult and long are not so anymore. Anything under 2 hours for the day was a welcomed break regardless of the intensity. It also meant I didn’t have to wake up as early to finish it. While biking and running long sessions got easier, swimming always seemed long. A 3-5k swim session may have gotten easier from a physical standpoint, but mentally it was always tough. Long sessions in a pool are a mental workout in BORING.

Sleep: I went to bed no later than 9:30 pm (sometimes as early as 8 pm) in order to get the proper amount of rest and recovery before more early morning workouts. I can tell you I had no trouble sleeping over the past 37 weeks.

Mental changes:

Patience: My wife and kids might argue this, but I mean this in a training sense. I learned that you do have to sometimes train SLOW in order to learn to race FAST (both terms relative to the individual). The long, slow aerobic sessions train the body to endure, to burn fat, and to build new capillaries and other body connections that transform the body for hours of racing. There are hard intensity days (anaerobic at times) and less difficult/easy days and they work with each other in transforming the body. Going slow, especially in the beginning when it was REALLY slow, was difficult to do. I trusted the plan and stuck with it. The changes were incredible. This was one of the most important training lessons I learned.

Discipline and Commitment: Waking up at 3:30 am some days in order to get workouts in before work or finish them before my son’s Saturday football games took a lot of discipline. Commitment kept me on my training schedule. Aside from swimming workouts, I missed less than a handful of workouts in 9 months.

Spiritual: I enjoyed a LOT of sunrises over the past 9 months. The flora and fauna kept me company on many a long ride and run. You can’t help but marvel at the morning glory of our world while giving thanks that you have the health and wherewithal to be out there running or biking anywhere from 3-6 hours. Conversations with God, lost loved ones, and myself were commonplace. Some coaches might argue this means I was losing focus. I would argue my focus had to be sharp to enable this kind of thinking, recognition, and appreciation.

Appreciation for family and friends: Endurance sports can be very selfish. You spend hours away from your family. This is a sacrifice for you as the competitor, but there is a greater sacrifice being made by your family while you are absent. We’ve spoken before on this blog about the importance of the family being a team of support for the racer and how we need to recognize their sacrifices and support. I made it a point to schedule my workouts in a way to minimize my time away from family and I tried not to complain from being tired or needing rest when they wanted to go out or do something together.

My friends were a huge support and motivation for me. Sharing with each other through this blog and the many emails, phone calls, text messages, FB updates, and tweets I shared with or received from my friends was critical to my continued commitment. On days when motivation was lacking or I just didn’t think I could wake up for another workout, I thought about those out there who believed in me and were sending me their best wishes on this road. It was ALWAYS enough to keep me going. And when I’d share in their accomplishments, it only fueled my desire to accomplish my own goals. I may have trained alone but I was NEVER alone.

Having my brother as my mentor and guide in this whole process was primary in keeping me focused on the goal. Knowing we would realize this goal together was my main motivator. I wanted to make him proud and thank him for leading me down this road by having a good race. I turned 40 this year and am in the best shape of my life. I have him to thank for leading me to triathlon and this whole new way of life. All those years that I felt a need to “protect” my “little” brother and he ends up changing and in turn protecting my life. I and my family thank you!

ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET: I have always worn my bike helmet and my kids don’t ride or skate even in the driveway without having to wear their helmet. I’ve visited with brain injury victims in my development work and I’ve seen how head trauma can change a person’s and their family’s lives. Seeing what my bike wreck did to my helmet and knowing that could have been my skull was a sobering moment for me. I was out for an easy long ride. One second I’m riding along at a nice easy pace and the next I’m landing head first into the ground. It’s been nearly two months and my neck is still sore. Doctors say it’s something that could cause me trouble for the rest of my life. Yet, I am thankful. I was wearing my helmet. The outcome could have been so much worse.

Have FUN and if it’s not FUN, change something: I knew I’d lost some of my joy in those last few weeks. I know it can’t always be fun. Just like life, if you are committed to the cause you understand there are sacrifices to make. Sometimes that means not being able to eat what you want, or stay up late for that movie, or attend that all-night party. That said, you have to find the best ways to keep the joy in the training and the racing. Perhaps you need to join some groups for rides or long runs, perhaps you need to change the schedule to an ‘every-other-day’ rather than every day, perhaps you need to find a new location to swim, bike, or run. Whatever it is…do it. Keep it fun. Have that piece of chocolate cake. Skip that workout and take the kids to the zoo. Change your run to Saturday evening and take your wife out on Friday night. Take some time off work to get a long workout in during the week in order to give you a rest day on the weekend. Be creative. Be flexible. Keep it fun!

There are so many positive outcomes that come from committing to any worthwhile goal. My short list is only the tip of the iceberg. These are the most obvious and most important to me for this particular endeavor. I’m sure there are others I have not remembered to list or have not even realized yet. What I do know is that I am a better person in every aspect of my life for having committed to this and realizing the ultimate goal.

Kia Kaha!