Maui…and my first half marathon run
Traveling to paradise While taking a short vacation in Maui I decided to take full advantage of a rare opportunity. Being fully aware that the Ironman World Championship is hosted in Kona, I wanted to experience training all three disciplines while there. Although I...
Bel Inizio Giving Thanks Charity 10K
2019 Giving Thanks 10K run was a random race that I signed up to do. Running a 10K seemed like a good idea as a lead-in to a half-marathon. I registered to do a half-marathon as preparation for the Chevron Houston Marathon. To my surprise, I wasn't nervous...
For the love of running
I've joined the crazies... I enjoying running. More specifically, I'm enjoying the feeling of pushing myself while I'm actually pushing myself. Over the years (beginning in graduate school) I've attempted to establish a running habit. I never enjoyed it, not...
Being open about my journey has been joyous
Fear is a powerful emotion My longstanding impulse is to remain closed about my goals and endeavors. For many years, I've told people that I'd rather lurk in the shadows of obscurity than be in the light. Part of that mindset is that I do what I do for me, not to...
Dietary success today
It's the small victories Travel has been heavy for the past few days which has made eating well a constant challenge. Today, I'm happy to say that I met the challenge and won. For lunch, I was in Austin, TX and ate a grilled chicken with quinoa, olives,...
A 2-hour run …a battle of mental will vs underlying beliefs
I keep trying... For the last month, I've been unsuccessful in my attempts to complete a two-hour run. Although Johnny has been training me to complete the 2020 Texas Ironman, right now he's preparing me to run the January Houston Marathon. Part of the training...
Goal Achieved … An Olympic Triathlon
Goal achieved...meh I did it... I completed an Olympic triathlon. Immediately after completing the race I felt a wave of disappointment that was mixed with amazement, joy, and disbelief. I didn't feel the sense of satisfaction that I'd imagined. In January, I planned...
Kerrville Triathlon β What a Great Day, Part 2
After completing an awesome swim, I jogged up the hill to the transition area to prepare for the 14-mile ride. Along the way, I saw my wife and son. She was smiling and said that she could tell that I swam fast. That woman can be a tough supporter who doesn't hesitate...
Kerrville Triathlon – What a Great Day, Part 1
This was my best race to date! This was my last sprint length triathlon of the year and I went into it with an aggressive mind state. Having completed a few races this year, I felt that it was an opportunity for me to incorporate the big lessons and push...
Interval Training – Changing the stress on my body
Johnny provides a calendar with my daily workouts using the finalsurge web app. On Monday, I noticed that my 1 hour, zone 1 run was a zone 3 interval workout. More specifically, High zone 3 for 5 min, then low zone 3 for 10 minutes. I was to repeat that as many times...
Another training flop today
Damn nutrition!!! (he shakes his fist in the air) Today I had a bike assessment. My eagerly anticipated progress check. The quick result... I bumbled and ran out of energy halfway through the assessment. I was totally embarrassed and frustrated. I've still not...
A real world lesson from triathlon training…recovery
All of the serious triathletes that I've met will train at least 5 days a week. At least three of the days will incorporate two disciplines (bike and run, or swim and bike). The workouts are intense and done wholeheartedly. On the other side of all that intense...
Learning to enjoy the challenge
Training while traveling is hard When many of my colleagues find out that I'm training for a full Ironman they often ask how I get the workouts done with a schedule that has me traveling weekly. The question addresses my mindset. Initially, I viewed the volume...
8 month check-in…I like this journey
August 2019 I like this photo. I took it in Idaho during a recent trip. The way I feel about this image represents a milestone in my life. At the beginning of the year, my goal was to an Olympic distance triathlon, specifically the Octoberfest Tri in Fulshire, TX. I...
I have competition issues
I was completely unaware of it until I had mostly ruined my pool session...I was secretly competing with the guy in the next lane. I was NOT following my training plan. A competitor showed up He arrived shortly after I got in the pool. I noticed that he was...
